I Watched This Game: Canucks vs. Avalanche, March 16, 2011

Canucks 4 - 2 Avalanche

With their win tonight, the Canucks now have 103 points, a mere 2 points from their team record, set in 2006-07. In addition, they clinched the Northwest Division title, meaning they are the first team in the NHL to clinch a playoff spot. Most remarkable, however, is that they have accomplished all of this with 10 games still remaining in their schedule. 10 games, people. If there was any lingering doubt that we are witnessing the greatest regular season in Canucks histroy, it should be completely wiped away. My only disappointment tonight was the the player number I got at the pub belonged to Alexandre Bolduc, so there was no chance for a free beer. Oh well. I watched this game.

• This is the third time in the last five games that the Canucks have gone down by two goals in the first period and come back to win the game. That's significant enough to be called a trend. Last season, the Canucks were the comeback kings, winning 10 games when trailing after one period and 11 games when trailing after two period. This season's Canucks hadn't come back after trailing after one period until this recent spate of 3 wins. The issue, of course, is that they've had so little practice: clearly, the Canucks are secretly allowing the opposition to build an early two-goal lead (the worst lead in hockey) in order to practice coming from behind.

• The Canucks weren't even really outplayed in the first period. They carried the play, particularly the Sedins, who created scoring chances like a Keys to the VIP winner. The difference came down to two hard luck shifts from Sami Salo, who took an interference penalty that led to the first Avalanche goal, then had the second bank in off his skate. The two-goal Colorado lead had little to do with how the Avalanche played, though they should be commended for their opportunism. Still, the Canucks were clearly unhappy with the results of the first period. They came out in the second like Kyle Wellwood men possessed, outshooting Colorado 15-5.

• Manny Malhotra left the game after taking a deflected puck to the face early in the second period. He went to the hospital with blood in his eye and it's feared that he may have a broken orbital bone. Here's hoping that it isn't anything that serious, as Malhotra is essential to the Canucks' chances in the playoffs.

• The fourth line was flying tonight, none moreso than Chris "Kiss Huggins" Higgins, who played 17:18 in the absence of Manny Malhotra, double-shifting with both the second and third lines throughout the game. Kiss Huggins just has a lot of love to spread around. The Canucks' first goal of the game, shoved home by Maxim "The Pierre" Lapierre, was all Huggins. He recovered from mis-handling the initial outlet pass from Keith Ballard by kicking the puck into the corner, where he embarrassed Ryan Wilson, took the puck behind the net, and drew Matthew Hunwick away from Lapierre before neatly slipping the puck in front. Kiss Huggins then gave everyone a heartfelt embrace: no word on whether it included a peck on the cheek.

• Higgins played on the second line in place of Mason Raymond, who was hog-tied to the bench after the 6:32 mark of the third period. Although Raymond had a game-high 5 shots, his overall play was lackadaisical, negating much of the fire that Ryan Kesler played with all game. Instead of feeding off Kesler's fire, Raymond felt the need to stop, drop, and roll at every opportunity. Kesler, meanwhile, was held off the scoresheet despite his best efforts and went all Jason Voorhees on Shorty and Garrett to vent his frustrations.

• Further evidence that Kesler played with a massive chip lurking just over his shoulder: he led the game with a whopping 6 hits. Considering he averages 1.57 hits/game, that's fairly significant, which shouldn't be confused with Puck, who is a significant fairy. Kesler also picked up the majority of the faceoffs in Malhotra's absence, taking 31 draws. The rest of the team, Malhotra included, took 42. And if anyone needs more evidence that Kesler has a heavy shot, witness how he took Adam Foote out of the game with a wristshot. Foote isn't exactly a shrinking violet (I consider him more of a Blok), so it takes a lot to send him to the locker room.

• Mikael Samuelsson is back to his logo-sniping ways. He hates that logo! Stay away from the logo! Jeff Tambellini, meanwhile, seems intent on continually attempting to score from somewhere other than his Magic Shooty Spot. They need to go back to what works: shooting where the goalie is not and the net is.

• Dan "Community Man" Hamhuis had yet another quietly effective game, posting a +3 rating in 23:55 of ice-time and making many excellent defensive plays. His loudest moment came when he picked up an assist on the game-tying goal with a wonderfully patient play after picking up his own rebound. It's remarkable how Burrows manages to create space for himself in front of the net despite being surrounded by three Colorado players when he chipped in the Daniel Sedin rebound. As for Hamhuis, he desperately wanted to help man the phones for the Canucks for Kids Fund Telethon during the intermissions, but had a prior commitment serving soup to the homeless at a local soup kitchen. Dan is a man of his word.

• Speaking of the Telethon, it has raised $1,695,000 already. Holy monkey, that's a lot. It was cool seeing some of the people working the phones, including Stan Smyl, Francesco Aquilini, Victor de Bonis, and Filomena Nalewajek, who is the CEO of Canuck Place. Harrison and I got a chance to meet her at the Scrabble Battle and she is a delightful lady.

• In the pre-game show on the Team 1040, Dave Pratt practically drooled all over his mic at the possibility of the Art-Ross-race-leading Sedins taking on the lottery-pick-bound Avalanche, while Ben Kuzma cautioned that such opportunities frequently don't result in much. Up until the third period, it looked like Kuzma was right; the Sedins were dominating the offensive zone, but were unable to finish their chances. Then, Burrows tied up the game and the door was open for some classic Wizardous Sedinerie. Ehrhoff held the line, Burrows out-battled a defender to hack the puck to Daniel, and Daniel decided that his best course of action upon receiving the puck with room to shoot at the right faceoff circle was to, of course, pass the puck blindly between his legs to his brother. As seen above, Henrik made no mistake, demonstrating a quick release akin to a weaker Joe Sakic.

• Finally, Henrik took a major chance at the end of the game, risking an icing call to ice the game with an empty-netter that was the icing on the cake of this victory. As pointed out by Justin Bourne last month, it's generally considered selfish to take that risk, especially considering there was still over a minute left in the game. A faceoff in the defensive zone in a 6-on-5 situation is less than ideal. That said, it is Henrik Sedin, one of the most accurate passers in the NHL, and considering the force of the shot, it was really just a glorified saucer pass. The risk was a little less than if it had been, say, JaMarcus Russell. I'm guessing he just wanted to net the goal without an assist from Daniel. He needs to make up ground in the Art Ross race somehow.

Canucks For Kids Fund Donates $5 Million to BC Children's Hospital

The Canucks have announced this morning that they are donating $5 million to the BC Children's Hospital via the Canucks For Kids Fund. With that, they further cement why they are my favorite NHL team. Their dedication to excellence on the ice is marvelous and it is clear that we are witnessing the greatest regular season in Canucks' history, but it's the commitment to community, charity, and children that wins over my heart.

I encourage you, if you are able, to donate to the Canucks For Kids Fund. It's a great charity that we feel blessed to have partnered with last month with the Scrabble Battle and hope to do so again in the future.

Tanner Glass Had Fun, Hints at Rematch in His Blog

By now, you've certainly heard more than enough about the Inaugural Canucks Scrabble Battle. If you recall: a couple weeks back, Tanner Glass and PITB came together for an epic charity Scrabble contest. It was great. The most important thing, of course, is that the event raised $9000 for Canuck Place. The second most important thing? I totally won.

Until yesterday, almost everyone had weighed in on the event, save mulleted runner-up, Tanner Glass. However, Glass finally broke the silence this afternoon, writing about the whole ordeal for his blog at Canucks.com. Let's us take us a look at what he said (and mince words):

The Scrabble Challenge was a huge success and I have to say it was such a great time. I could easily be convinced to play again next year. It was so much fun playing with the help of Jaxson, John, and Kayden from Canuck Place. They were great teammates and they definitely helped me out.

Great time indeed. "I could be easily convinced," he says. Sounds more like "I am clamoring." This is rematch talk, you guys.

I'm not surprised, mind you. I'm the Alex Burrows of Scrabble; I necessitate retaliation. Obviously, next time there will have to be a couple changes: 1) If Tanner gets genius kids in his corner (MENSWEAR, seriously?), I want a genius kid too. Heck, I want the kid from Smart Guy.

In all seriousness, we'll definitely have to do it again, if for no other reason than to unretire the Tanner Glass: Scrabble Champ t-shirts, which sold out so fast it seems like nobody got one. You know a shirt goes quickly when the guy whose likeness graces the front can't get one for his fiancee in her size. That's nuts. Here's Tanner, on the shirts:

We raised nearly $9,000 through donations and T-shirt sales. The t-shirts went pretty quickly and by the time I got in there to buy some, they were sold out of most sizes. I'm a little disappointed that they didn't order more t-shirts for the event and that they aren't selling them anymore. I definitely think we would have raised more money.

We agree wholeheartedly. It's a shame the Canucks didn't print more shirts, but we understand why they didn't. Nobody (save our dedicated readers) could have predicted the shirts would sell out so quickly.

On one hand, it was unfortunate, as a lot of people didn't get shirts, but on the other hand, it's probably a good thing. Better the shirts went immediately than that they didn't go at all. Plus, now the Canucks know that, the next time they partner up with PITB, they need to make a larger order. The shirts will be back.

The guys at Passittobulis were awesome sports. It was quite a competitive game and I must admit I was a little nervous before the game started, especially with everyone crowded around my letters and judging my every move! The mood lightened as the game went on, and it turned out to be a fun-filled special event. And if Harrison hadn't received the best draw of letters in the history of scrabble, I think the game would have ended up differently.

I was nervous too, and I--whoa, hold on a second. Is that trash talk? I think it is.

Let us be clear: I did not receive the best draw in the history of Scrabble. Top ten? Perhaps. The definitive best? There's simply no way of knowing. Scrabble historians are few and far between. But like it would have mattered. I was lucky, but people say you've got to be good to be lucky. Good equals lucky. It stands to reason, then, that: luckiest ever = best ever. Hence, I am the best ever.

And I'm more than willing to back up that fuzzy logic. Consider Tanner's tacit request for a rematch accepted. (#RescrabbleMeTanner).

Not until next season, though. There are more pressing things at hand. But, once the season ends, Skeeter and I will be speaking to Canucks.com about our plans for a second Scrabble battle, which (at least in our heads) includes a bit more fanfare, a lot more money for Canuck Place, a few more competitors, and a lot more Scrabble. Possible glitch? Our friend Tanner's a free agent. If he's not back, we're gonna lose it.

Be sure to read the rest of Tanner Glass's blog, wherein you will learn that Raffi Torres is good at golf. Of course he is. Considering the teams he's been on, he's had a lot of practice.

Eyewitness Report: Canucks Superskills Competition

The annual Canucks Superskills event is a treat for Canucks fans, especially for fans who can't afford the price of admission to a regular game. The cheaper ticket price, combined with the fun atmosphere and events on the concourse, make it a great chance for parents to give their kids a closer look at their hockey heroes. It also manages to make me feel like a kid again, as I attended my second Superskills event last night. As an added bonus, all proceeds go to the Canucks For Kids Fund.

The Canucks Alumni kicked off the afternoon with a spirited contest. I love watching the alumni play: it's lighthearted fun and a great chance to see a few old favorites. I was hoping to see Cliff Ronning, my favorite Canuck of all-time, but it was not to be. Notable names, however, included Dave Babych, Chris Oddleifson, Garry Valk, and John Garrett, who dug up his classic mask, which clashed slightly with his green, blue, and white sweater. And even though he never played for the Canucks, Bill Ranford showed up, though he played as a defenseman instead of in net.

Garrett played as if a car was on the line, making save after save and hamming it up by bowing elaborately to the crowd after each ovation. Meanwhile, Valk depended on the easy-going nature of the game to get away with hook after hook, and even had the audacity to use his jersey to wipe down the linesman's visor after an offside call. At one point Valk gave Garrett a bump after the whistle, likely hoping he would slip and injure himself, freeing up the coveted Sportsnet Pacific colour commentator position for the "ex-Canuck turned analyst." The announcer warned that they were playing old-timer's rules: no running the goaltender, but that doesn't mean you can't make rude comments about his family.

The final score was 3-3, with Garrett making a classic pad-stacking saves in the final 5 seconds to preserve the tie. The unofficial three stars, compiled by my friend Ryan and myself, were as follows:

3rd Star: Dave Babych, who showcased strong defensive play in a game that was sorely lacking it and also tallied a highlight-reel goal as he jumped into the rush like he was Christian Ehrhoff and sneakily flicked the puck in shortside as he flew down the wing.

2nd Star: Chris Oddleifson, who showed he still has slick hands, sniping two goals past John Garrett and consistently looking dangerous, despite not wearing any shoulder pads.

1st Star: John "Cheech" Garrett, both for his legitimately good performance and his showmanship. The crowd loved him and it's hard to argue with the popular choice.

There was a brief break in the action at this point, highlighted by a game of musical chairs played by Fin and a gaggle of other mascots, which was clearly rigged in Fin's favor. If I was a bookie, I would be ticked, as it was clear that Bernie and S.J. Sharkie threw the match. They also showed some videos on the scoreboard, including the inaugural Canucks Scrabble Battle featuring PITB's own Harrison Mooney. We also spotted one person in the crowd wearing a Tanner Glass Scrabble Champ shirt.

In the meantime, we played Jersey Foul Bingo, created by my friend Lisa. The Bingo cards were painstakingly compiled, though they admittedly featured a number of spots that are not actually Jersey Fouls for the sake of filling out the card. For example, there's nothing wrong with wearing a jersey from a past era, but the column was filled with names such as O'Brien, Cloutier, and Carter, as well as gimmes like Bure. Actual jersey fouls on the card included jerseys from the wrong team (we spotted Blackhawks, Flyers, Penguins, and Canadiens), featuring D.I.Y. lettering, three-digit numbering, wrong/own name, and even wrong sport (we saw a football jersey, but no others). I came the closest to filling out my card, needing either a baseball jersey (saw plenty of hats), Manitoba Moose jersey, or CFL jersey. So close. We'll have to make our own Jersey Foul Bingo for our upcoming road trip.

The worst of the fouls we saw were the "B. Lo" and "Diggler" jerseys, both with 69 on the back. Classy. Also bad, but less awkward to explain to a 7-year-old attending the Superskills, was the baffling "W. Sedin" jersey with Henrik's 33. But the most audacious was the fellow who put his own name, "Sheppard," on the back of a current Canucks jersey, with the number 10 and the captain's "C" on the front. I'm sorry, but no. Not only are you not on the Canucks, you are not number 10 on the Canucks, and you are definitely not the captain of the Canucks. From where I'm sitting, which happens to be a pretty lofty perch on a rather tall horse, that is what the internet would refer to as a fail. If you happen to be reading this, please never wear it again. Instead, frame the jersey with all the numbers hidden so you can pretend it actually is a Henrik jersey.

Finally, the players themselves came out, split into Team Blue and Team Green. The four of us attending split our loyalties between the two teams so as to know for whom to cheer. My wife picked Team Blue, claiming that they appeared to be the underdogs. I noted the presence of Tambellini, Raymond, and Hansen on Team Blue, as well as Sami Salo, and quickly concluded that they already had the Fastest Skater and Hardest Shot contests in the bag and threw my support behind Team Green, the true underdogs.

The view from our seats as the teams lined up against each other.

First up was the warm-up event, a quick three-on-three game worth only 1 point in the overall competition. Ehrhoff scored the only two goals for Team Green, as they fell 4-2 to Team Blue thanks to two goals by Tambellini, including a cheeky between the legs shot to cap off the win. With that, the Canucks showed they were willing to get fancy to please the crowd.

Team Green owned the Puck Control Relay as Kesler, Malhotra, and Tanev proved faster than Hodgson, Burrows, and Ballard, mainly due to Ballard losing control of the puck on the final turn leaving Tanev free and clear. The 1-on-1 competition was Sedin vs. Sedin, as the twins eerily matched each other stride-for-stride including identical celebrations when they both thought they had won. They awarded the victory to Henrik, who further fueled Daniel's seething rage by claiming to be 5-0 in such competitions. In all honesty, it looked too close to call; the twins match each other's movements so exactly that it would not surprise me in the least if they crossed the finish line at the same time.

The Fastest Skater contest was, as suspected, no contest whatsoever. Team Blue had Raymond, Tambellini, and Hansen. Team Green had Glass, Ehrhoff, and Tanev. It wasn't even close: all three Team Blue skaters finished faster than the closest Team Green skater, Tanner Glass. Raymond took the prize with a time of 13.652, though Hansen surprised by beating Tambellini. It was Raymond's second year winning the event, leading to the most awkward moment of the event, as Dan Murphy asked if Raymond was looking forward to being back to try for the three-peat. Raymond paused and said, "I hope so," as the recent mentions of his name potentially on the trading block swam a brief lap through his head. He might not even be on the team tomorrow Murph; that's a bit of an insensitive question. The savvy Ian Walker picked up on it as well, though Raymond sloughed it off.

The downtime between events allowed for some crowd interaction, which leads me to the following two uncontroversial statements: the kid who won the Dance Cam contest is awesome and the Canucks' kids are entirely adorable. Kesler's daughter even took to the ice in her tiny skates, supported by her dad. Ehrhoff carried around his pigtailed daughter while thanking the crowd for coming out and Henrik had his son up on his shoulders at one point, carrying him around the ice. Another highlight was seeing three kids sitting side-by-side in one of the doors to the bench. Completely adorable.

The 3rd event of the afternoon was the Hardest Shot competition, with Rome and Salo participating for Team Blue and Hamhuis and Ehrhoff for Team Green. Without Edler, it seemed like Salo would have no competition and he set the bar reasonable high with a solid 101.5 mph shot. Ehrhoff came closest, with a surprising 101.1 mph shot of his own. Hamhuis topped out at 99.2 mph, with Rome tallying a respectable 96.4. What a boon to have those kinds of cannons at the point; with Edler scheduled to be back in time for the playoffs, the Canucks will have three defensemen who can shoot the puck over 100 mph.

Alex Burrows won the Accuracy competition for Team Blue, hitting four straight targets after ringing his first shot off the post. Samuelsson also went 4-for-5, necessitating a one-target playoff, which took Burrows 3 shots to hit, but was entirely missed by Samuelsson. The win put Blue up 8-4 as they entered into the final 2 contests with more points on the line.

The Power Play contest featured 3 players from one team against a defenseman and a goalie: first up was Tambellini, Burrows, and Daniel Sedin for Team Blue against Hamhuis and Luongo. They managed 2 quick goals, but some bizarre passing between Hammy and Lu prevented anymore damage as they ragged the puck around the boards. Torres, Glass, and Kesler for Team Green took on Ballard and Schneider, but could only create one goal, a beautiful forehand-backhand move by Glass, which prompted a Scrabble joke from Murph.

Hodgson, Oreskovich, and Raymond, which was actually the fourth line at the end of the Canucks' game against the Bruins, appeared next for Team Blue and took advantage of Tanev's raw rookieness to the tune of 2 goals. Henrik, Malhotra, and Samuelsson responded in kind for Team Green, netting 2 goals, though the third was on Henrik's stick with a wide-open net as time ran out. As is often the case, Henrik hung on to the puck as long as possible before releasing it. Henrik with the puck is a little like a kid nursing an injured baby bird back to health: he'll take good care of it, touch it gently, hold it close, and never want to let it go. Then he'll saucer pass it cross-ice through a maze of legs and sticks so it can be one-timed into the back of the net.

The final contest was the highlight of the event: the Breakaway Relay. A lot of the Canucks got fancy with their attempts, which didn't always result in goals but always got a big reaction from the crowd. Tambellini made like Rob Schremp with his first attempt, sweeping the puck up onto his stick then pulling off some crazy lacrosse-like moves, before attempting to sling the puck by Luongo...but the puck refused to leave his stick. Apparently the adhesive he used was a little too strong. Luongo hilariously responded by skating out and shooting away the puck for his next attempt before Tambellini could get to it.

Hamhuis then stole the show by going 2-for-2, making a case for being used in the shootout as he pulled off a Forsbergian one-hander that Schneider couldn't quite snag, then roofed his next attempt from his knees. Ballard went 1-for-2 himself, with his goal a slick backhand move as he lazily chewed some gum that he likely stole from Alain Vigneault's private stash. His second attempt was a tricky combination of a distracting glove throw and a shot before his other hand returned to his stick. He pulled it off by kicking his stick forward, a clever little move that didn't pay off as Luongo easily kicked it aside then dismissively swept Ballard's glove from the crease.

Burrows tried to get fancy, showing off some surprisingly slick moves, but Luongo stood tall. Tanner Glass tried my favorite move of the evening, as he dove out on his belly, passed the puck from his hand to his stick and tried to sweep it past Schneider. It was entirely ineffective, but it did succeed at being funny-looking, so the crowd loved it. Raffi Torres proceeded to flip out: being funny-looking is my gig, get a new bit. Raymond and Daniel followed up by each going 1-for-2, though Daniel benefited from Luongo taking himself out for a spin and a backwards somersault. Pro-tip, kids: don't do that in a game.

After Samuelsson went 1-for-2, Kesler had his initial attempt stopped, prompting him to take a page from Ballard's book and attempt to distract Schneider by throwing his glove. But, instead of a friendly toss in the air, Kesler aggressively chucked it right at Schneider's logo before wristing the puck off the post and in. Now Kesler, what would your daughter say about that?

All that remained was tallying the final score. Team Blue, who definitely were not underdogs, finished with the victory, 16-14. And all that was left for us was to pick up our free Canucks window clings, eat our free yogurt (it was a little sweet), and snag a free pepperoni stick on the way out the door. Free is my favorite price.

In closing: it was a wonderful afternoon and I encourage you to attend next year if you get the chance.

Canucks TV: Canucks Scrabble Battle

Quick Hits (From Behind): Scrabble Edition

Quick Hits (From Behind) is an irregular feature on Pass it To Bulis, wherein two hockey fans chip in their thoughts on current hockey news and get assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

With the inaugural Scrabble Battle now in the books, and the surreal fog of yesterday's visit to Canuck Place now worn off (aided by the fact I overslept for work this morning), it seems the only thing left to do is file and alphabetize the memories.

PITB will have a full write-up with photos and video with all our thoughts and observations on the event sometime next week (and Skeeter is furiously preparing an IWTG) but, for now, we'll leave things in the hands of the capable writers at the Vancouver Province, Vancouver Sun, and Canucks.com. After the jump, a special Scrabble edition of the Quick Hits (From Behind):

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• Canucks' Tanner Glass Rises to Scrabble Challenge -- Ed Willes, the Province

Ed Willes was in the room for the whole event, occasionally chiming in with amusing remarks or tallying up the score faster than I could. He claims he comes from a Scrabble family, but even he seemed downright impressed to learn that "doughy" had a comparative form. I think I could take him. Anyhow, Willes's article is today's must-read. And, if for some reason, the Internet's not your cuppa tea, you can find this piece on the front page of the Province. Good thing there's no news today.

“Basically, the plan was to challenge him, then make fun of him when he turned us down,” said Mooney, one of the founders of the Pass it to Bulis website and the driving force behind the event.

He ruined the joke. But created something worthwhile in its place.

Wednesday at Canuck Place, Glass, the Canucks’ irrepressible fourth-line winger, faced off against Mooney in the first-ever Canucks’ Scrabble Battle and, friends, if that picture doesn’t get your adrenaline flowing, there’s something wrong.

OK, in all honesty, it doesn’t seem like two-man Scrabble will catch on as a spectator event, but if the action was less than riveting, it succeeded in raising $8,000 for the charity.

Less than riveting? Tanner spelled MENSWEAR! That's insane. From where I'm sitting, Scrabble is far more entertaining than poker. Mind you, where I'm sitting, at least in the photo below, is across from Tanner Glass, playing Scrabble. That is to say, I'm biased; it's pretty entertaining from there.

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• Friendly War of Words -- Derek Jory, Canucks.com

Awesome Canucks.com writer Derek Jory was also there, and his article takes you through some of the moves in a little more depth.

In the Game’s Room at Canuck Place, Glass and Mooney sat opposite each other for 45 minutes, sweat trickling down their foreheads, deadlocked in the friendliest war of words around.

It started with Glass making the first move, the benefactor of having earned more pledges than Mooney by a count of $2,435 to $1,565, and maneuvering his way through letters BAIOWRE, he played WEAR for 14 points. And they were off to the races.

It was difficult to predict how this game would unfold being there live – would it be like watching paint dry or was drama in the tiles – but before anyone had time to digest the first move and wait around for a second, Mooney replied with WAITER, playing down off the w from wear, for 18 points.

If you're wondering, the BAIOWRE is also the name of the Scott Baio fan club I belonged to as a child. But you can't play proper nouns anyway.

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• Canucks Scrabble Photo Gallery

Make sure you check out all the photos in the Canucks Scrabble photo gallery, all of which manage to capture my good side, except for below. If you're wondering, my best angles are the back of my head and not pictured.

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• Canucks' Scrabble Battle With Glass No Pushover For Local Blogger -- Ian Walker, Puckworld

And finally, Ian Walker decides to take the antagonistic route, needling me for winning by such a narrow margin.

For a guy talking a heck of a lot of smack going into the Scrabble Battle, blogger Harrison Mooney of should consider himself lucky. Mooney defeated Tanner Glass 344-314 at the inaugural event at Canucks Place. If not for two blank chips used to form the word 'doughier,' which resulted in a score of 76 points, it could well have been a different story.

“I thought he was going to be a lot better than he was,” said Glass.

To Ian, I say, a win is a win, Walker. Additionally, Harrison Mooney does not take kindly to people pointing out the gross exaggeration of his boasting. This calls for a vendetta.

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The Inaugural Scrabble Battle Live Blog Extravaganza

Welcome to the Inaugural Scrabble Battle Live Blog Extravaganza, the ultimate Scrabble showdown between Vancouver Canucks' winger Tanner Glass and PITB co-founder Harrison Mooney. By now, you probably know that the game is for charity, with all proceeds benefitting the Canucks For Kids Fund. It's not too late to donate. I'm your host, Daniel "Skeeter" Wagner, PITB's other co-founder, and I'll be live at this game's top-secret location (in a bunker off the coast of Yemen*), hanging on every tile. Watch the virtual board at Canucks.com/Scrabble and join the discussion below. Try to be hilarious. We go live at 3pm PST.

*It's an underwater bunker.