The Purpose of the Canucks' Fourth Line? Prospect Development

For much of the season, the Canucks' 4th line has been a target for criticism. It's been a patchwork unit all year long, with little in the way of consistency (save the presence of Tanner Glass). Worse, the players the Canucks have placed on it have had such varying skillsets and playing styles that we once speculated that the team had no idea what we they wanted from the 4th line.

Guys like Guillaume Desbiens and Aaron Volpatti indicated a desire for toughness; guys like Peter Schaefer and Mario Bliznak indicated a desire for a checking line; guys like Joel Perrault and Cody Hodgson indicated a sudden hope of tertiary scoring. The personnel and personality of the 4th changed so drastically from night to night, it often seemed as though the Canucks were simply hoping to trip over the answer.

On Thursday, Mike Gillis was on the Team 1040 morning show with Scotty Rintoul and Ray Ferraro, and while querying him on the somewhat puzzling timing of the Cody Hodgson callup, Scotty finally asked him directly about the seeming inconsistency of the 4th line. Gillis's response was more than a little interesting:

The 4th line--there's been a lot made of it--but we've intentionally brought players in and out to give them experience, and to get them familiar with what goes on here and play in games here. We've used it as a little bit of a development tool, because we want to get these young players into game experience in the NHL. And, even if they're not ready to be as consistent as we'd like, you still want them to get familiar with everything that goes on: game days, how it works, getting on the plane, familiar with the training staff, familiar with their teammates. So we've used that as a little bit of an experiment the whole year, and now we feel pretty confident that we have young players [for whom] it won't be a big surprise if we have to use them down the stretch or in the playoffs. [...] Even though we might have wanted more consistency out of that line, we have used it for different purposes at different times, so it's a little unfair to say we've been searching for something.

In short: the Canucks aren't searching for something. They're prospecting.

Gillis admits here that the line has lacked consistency to the naked eye--that it's appeared, at times, the Canucks were on a bit of a mapless treasure hunt--but he also gives a solid explanation. The primary purpose of the Canucks' 4th line under Gillis and Vigneault isn't to provide checking, grit, or additional scoring--it's to provide development and experience to the players in the Canucks' prospect system. As for what the Canucks expect of these young players, it's simply this: to play their game, and to gain the experience necessary to improve it.

Friend of Tanner Glass and exceptionally cool tweep @RayDerge recently pointed out that The Scrabble Champ has been on the ice for the first NHL goal of four separate guys this season, as Mario Bliznak, Alex Bolduc, Aaron Volpatti, and Cody Hodgson all lit the lamp on his line (begging the question of whether Glass is being intentionally utilized as a mentor, especially considering his leadership history). Bearing in mind what Gillis has told us about the purpose of the 4th line, this has to be a win for the Canucks. In fact, through this new lens, the Canucks' 4th line appears to be doing exactly what it's supposed to: giving invaluable experience to a long list of young'uns.

Nardwuar Interviews Alex Burrows

Nardwuar the Human Serviette is one of those love-him-or-hate-him kind of guys. He can be a bit annoying and more than a little twee, but there's definitely no disputing his originality as an interviewer. His unique style has earned him international acclaim, and it's always worth a mention when he sits down with someone. With that in mind, here is a recent interview he did with Alex Burrows.

Even if you find Nardwuar a tad off-putting (like Alex Burrows does, for instance), there's one thing you can never dispute: the guy definitely does his research. He asks Burrows questions about his QMJHL days, his stint in the broadcast booth, obscure Canucks history, and Burr's last NHL fight, which was with Dan Hamhuis. I had completely forgotten about that.

That said, the interview is still awkward as all Hell, because it's Nardwuar. Consider this exchange:

Nardwuar: Tom Larscheid! Bingo Bango...

Burrows: Luongo.

Yeah, not a lot of chemistry there. At least Burrows nailed the "doot doot" in the signoff. Try to ignore how cringy the clip can get at times, because Nardwuar also produces some remarkable gifts for Burr from a backpack full of Canucks memorabilia. Have you ever wondered which former Canuck goaltender has his own pump-up record? Have you ever seen the obscenely poseable Roberto Luongo figurine? Nardwuar and Alex Burrows have got you covered.

Thanks to the Bulies who pointed us to this (especially Michael, who e-mailed us a link). Our apologies for a painfully slow response. We fail.

Ryan Kesler Is a Quiet Leader

The opening goal of Friday night's game versus the Blackhawks is scored when Christian Ehrhoff comes off the bench and immediately steps into a slapshot on the blueline. It beats Marty Turco cleanly. But here is something you might have missed:

We see, in clip above, Ryan Kesler turn back to the bench, seemingly disinterested in the goal that was just scored. He even commits the cardinal sin of leaving Ehrhoff hanging on a high five, instead coolly gesturing to the bench. Ignoring the immense sociological ramifications of being stiffed on a high five (even Gandhi couldn't handle it), what Kesler's issue here?

Well. Kesler takes his assistant captaincy very, very seriously. No time for silly high fives when there's leadership to be done.

It's important to note that this goal happens during a line change. In the IWTG, Skeeter pointed out that Cody Hodgson starts this play when he smartly puts the puck on net, low to Turco's pad, rather than dumping it in. Immediately after doing this, Hodgson initiates a line change and Ryan Kesler replaces him. But, because it's Hodgson's line that scores, Kesler foregoes celebrating the goal to ensure that Hodgson's role in it is acknowledged and the young centre doesn't miss the on-ice goal celebration. He immediately turns back to the bench and tells Hodgson to join his linemates.

It's a small thing, but it shows the selflessness and egality of the Canucks' core guys. It's an admirable moment of quiet leadership that undoubtedly meant a lot to young Hodgson.

Christian Ehrhoff, meanwhile, is still trying to to overcome the commensurate damage to his fragile psyche. Consider his turn as flail snail later in the same game: broken, he desperately tried to high-five Viktor Stalberg's face. Ironically, he may be on the precipice of the same dark times that Cody Hodgson has recently overcome. If you see him, give him a high five. He's one short.

Hat tip to Canucks.com forum member Hodgson99 for catching this one.

More of Cody Hodgson's Dark Times, With Hilarious Submissions By Readers Not Unlike You

If you're new to Cody Hodgson's dark times, I recommend you go back and read the original post that led to this one. If, however, you're averse to doing research just to get a pretty lame joke, here's a short primer: in an intermission segment about Cody Hodgson's injury troubles, the narration included the hyperbolic statement "The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson." Skeeter and I started riffing on the phrase and its potential responses. Soon, a PITB-only meme was born. Here are a few original examples:

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson.
  Hodgson: It was a good pass, too. Tape-to-tape. I had the whole net to shoot at.
  

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson.
  Hodgson: I cast magic missile at the darkness. It didn't work very well.

As you can see, the joke has myriad possibilities, and the Bulie response to this joke was maybe (read: definitely) funnier than the original post. After the jump, proof that we have awesome readers:

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson.
  Hodgson: That tanning bed was the worst prank Keith Ballard ever pulled on me, but now I'm okay.
  ---Qris Johnson

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson.
  Hodgson: I'm still getting used to indoor plumbing and microwave ovens.
  ---Aixtek

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson.
  Hodgson: I look back on my time as a scientologist not as something to learn from but something to never ever tell anyone about ever.
  ---Qris Johnson
  

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson.
  Hodgson: The dark times are beginning for Narrator...
  ---Van City slicker
  

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson.
  Hodgson: My dark times were nothin' compared to Joan d'Arc times. Seriously, dude, talk to Glass about that. He majored in history.
  ---Anonymous

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson
  Hodgson: Yeah I realize now Wish You Were Here is a more solid album start to finish.
  ---Section 312

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson.
  Hodgson: Destroying the ring was tough, but it simply had to be done. I admit, I'll miss the power of invisibility...
  ---Captain Morgan

I'm kind of ashamed at how long it took for me to get that this was a Temple of Doom reference.

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson.
  Hodgson: The evil start in Pankot. Then like monsoon, it moves darkness over all country.
  ---Michael

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson.
  Hodgson: At first I was discouraged by the diagnosis, but the doctors assured me that if Michael Jackson could live with Vitiligo so could I.
  ---Jason

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson.
  Hodgson: What can I say? All that was left from the turkey was white meat.
  ---Anonymous
  

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson
  Hodgson: Actually, the dark times just start later in Vancouver, what with time zones and all. I'm expecting them to return in say three hours-ish.
  ---Anonymous

I love the sudden aggression in this one.

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson.
  Hodgson: I got your dark times right here.
  ---FanZone2010
  

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson.
  Hodgson: Groundhogs everywhere are predicting an early Spring.
  ---A Wellwood

I hate when this happens.

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson.
  Hodgson: Oh thank God, I thought rehab would never end. *gets attacked by feral cats*
  ---Captain Morgan

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson.
  Hodgson: You can read all my experiences in my upcoming memoir, Black Ice: How I Was Drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers.
  ---Michael

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson
  Hodgson: The power came back on.
  ---By-Tor

I'm assuming the old drama teacher was fired, with just cause.

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson.
  Hodgson: Our new drama teacher isn't allowed to make us wear blackface.
  ---Qris Johnson

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson.
  Hodgson: Admittedly, it's weird to name a kidney stone, but I had grown rather attached to it.
  ---Jason

This one explains a lot.

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson.
  Hodgson: My injury addiction is behind me for good now.
  ---Ryan

This one needs explaining.

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson.
  Hodgson: I must correct you, my friend. Believe me, it is still there, you just cannot see it as it is utterly transparent and ultimately, undetectable. It is, in fact a huge part of what makes up Cody Hodgson as well as everyone any everything around us
  ---ricardinho
  

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson.
  Hodgson: Yeah I was real freaked out but Ballard says it's just a solar eclipse.
  ---beninvictoria

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson
  Hodgson: We just had to slingshot round that side of the moon to get enough momentum. Was pretty freaky being out of communication though.
  ---PeeCeeGee

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson.
  Hodgson: Yeah, Coach said that was just a practice jersey.
  ---beninvictoria

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson.
  Hodgson: It took me until my second game, but I finally scored an NHL goal.
  ---By-Tor

Wherever there's a special moment for a young person, one man can be found.

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson.
  Hodgson: Well I real-
  Kanye: Yo Hodgson, Imma let chu finish but Donnie Darko had some of the darkest times of all time. OF ALL TIME!
  ---Reece

And finally, when you have a joke with such a tight structure, someone is going to defy every ounce of it. Here's JTam with the most elaborate entry ever.

• Narrator: The dark times have passed for Cody Hodgson.
  Hodgson: The dark times were rough, but it had to be done. Remember our conversation two years ago?
  
  ________________________________________
  
  
  Narrator: The haters won. Luongo's Captaincy, everything he fought for - undone. Any chance you gave us at fixing our team dies with Luongo's reputation. We bet it all on him. The haters took the best of us and tore him down. People will lose hope.
  Hodgson: They won't. They must never know what he did.
  Narrator: 7 goals! You can't sweep that up!
  Hodgson: No. But the haters cannot win. Vancouver needs its true hero.
  Narrator: No!
  Hodgson: "You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." I can do those things because I'm not in the NHL, not like Luongo. I have a bad back! That's what I can be.
  Narrator: No, no! You can't, your back!
  Hodgson: I'm whatever Vancouver needs me to be. Call it in.
  Narrator: They'll hunt you.
  Hodgson: You'll hunt me. You'll condemn me, set the fans on me. Because that's what needs to happen. Because sometimes... our play isn't good enough. Sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded.
  Young Canucks Fan: Hodgson? Hodgson! Why is he running, Narrator?
  Narrator: Because we have to make ridiculous stories about him and his injury.
  Young Canucks Fan: He didn't do anything wrong.
  Narrator: Because he's the NHLer Vancouver deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So, we'll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian. A watchful protector. A Dark Prospect.
  
  
  ________________________________________
  
  
  Narrator: So, uh, how's your back?
  Hodgson: Not cool.
  ---JTam
  

Well, that was fun. Feel free to keep this joke alive in the comments. We will gladly do another of these posts in the future.

I Watched This Game: Canucks vs. Blackhawks, February 4, 2011

Canucks 4 - 3 Blackhawks

Was that an exciting game or what? The correct answer is not "what." Chicago came out flying tonight and put the Canucks on their heels through most of this game. It can be argued that they deserved the win: a questionable no-goal call went against the 'Hawks and the Canucks' first goal was demonstrably offside. Having felt the burn of poor officiating in the past, I certainly sympathize with Blackhawks' fans. At the same time, the 'Hawks had ample opportunity to win this game and gave up two leads, so it's a little unfair to place the blame solely on the referees.

In any case, the Canucks were, arguably, outplayed in this game. But, their best players were their best players and they won. It was marvelous. I watched this game.

• We at PITB have frequently complained about Luongo's tendency to use his glove to punch pucks rather than catch them. Tonight Luongo proved that Rollie Melanson reads Pass it to Bulis. Clearly Melanson took our complaints to heart and taught Luongo the proper use of his trapper. One of his finest glove saves can be seen above, but there seemed to be dozens of slick glove stops from Lu in this game. He was very, very good. It took a wide-open all-star and two rather unfortunate bounces tonight to get the puck past him.

• Chris Tanev made up for Luongo's lack of punchiness by punching in the Blackhawks' third goal. It was an unfortunate moment for the rookie who has played remarkably well since being called up. Unfortunately, with Andrew Alberts set to return soon and Sami Salo remaining remarkably uninjured during his first game for the Manitoba Moose, Tanev won't be with the Canucks for much longer. Still, he has vaulted his way up the depth chart like an angry pole vaulter and I have a feeling we'll see a lot more of him in the future.

• The Canucks' top line combined for 12 shots on goal and had another 9 attempts blocked or miss the net. They seemed to be the only line that was able to create sustained offensive pressure. Henrik finished with a goal and two assists to earn first-star honors. His bloodthirsty brother not only became the NHL's leading scorer tonight, he also passed Markus Naslund to become the Canucks' all-time record holder for game-winning goals. Remember when people used to claim the Sedins weren't clutch?

• Cody Hodgson had a decent game despite barely playing. A big reason for Ehrhoff's goal was Hodgson's smart play in gaining the zone and throwing the puck on net, which Tanner Glass reciprocated, creating the massive rebound for Ehrhoff to blast past Turco. Discussions of the offside nature of the goal aside, that was a hell of a slapshot. It ripped a hole in time, love and space, and was behind Turco before Ehrhoff even shot it.

• On the other hand, Hodgson went 1-for-5 in the faceoff circle and only played 7:11. And he left the ice too quickly to get a +1 in his plus-minus column. Kesler, Malhotra, and Henrik made up for Hodgson's lack in the circle, going 14-for-21, 10-for-15, and 12-for-16 respectively. Unfortunately, the Canucks went 8-for-20 in the defensive zone, a big reason why the Blackhawks always seemed to be there.

• The TSN intermission crew did a great job analyzing the two controversial plays, one highlighting the fact that Ehrhoff's goal was indeed offside and one showing that Troy Brouwer did in fact make contact with Luongo's blocker on Bolland's controversial disallowed Chicago goal. Still, the fact that it was such a minuscule piece of contact means it's still a bit of a sketchy call.

• Rough night for the third line, as they all finished on the minus side of the ledger. Particularly rough for Hansen, who finished a game-low -3 as he was on the ice for all three Chicago goals. It's unfortunate for Torres, as he was very noticeable on the ice tonight, throwing a couple solid checks and blocking 3 shots. Malhotra was solid in the faceoff circle, but was thoroughly victimized by Jonathan Toews on the Blackhawks' first goal, as he was squeezed off the puck against the boards and wasn't able to recover to pressure Toews before the shot.

• Aaron Rome played a physical game: he was only credited with 2 hits, but they were big, noticeable hits. Unfortunately, he also was credited with 3 giveaways and almost cost the Canucks a goal when he tried to give Luongo a hug behind the net. To his credit, he recovered and slid behind Luongo to make a knee save on the subsequent goalscoring chance, but it was a clear sign that he has missed a few games and is a bit out of sync. That by itself is a reason to get him back into the game ahead of Lee Sweatt. An out-of-sync Rome in the playoffs would be potentially disastrous.

• Hips laid out Kopecky with a solid hipcheck, then followed it up with a picture perfect shotblock, also on Kopecky. You may have also noticed Luongo's enormous glove save on Kopecky at the top of the page. Basically, it wasn't a good night to be Kopecky. It was almost as bad as the Olympics, when the closed captioning spelled out his name as "Could Pets Ski." Unfortunate.

• Ehrhoff doesn't seem to get angry very often, but when he does, look out. He flipped out on Stalberg, flailing around like a Flail Snail. I admit, I only wanted to mention this so I could link to the Flail Snail. Seriously. Flail Snail.

• Samuelsson has been fantastic lately: he had 5 shots on goal, including this blast from the point on the powerplay that deflected past Turco. Even prettier, however, was his pass on Henrik's goal. Leading up to the goal were, of course, two Sedin backpasses, but those are so routine that pointing them out seems superfluous. Meanwhile, Kesler braved the crotch-hacking dangers of the front of the net, and set a perfect screen on Turco. So everyone was involved except Ehrhoff, who was too busy daydreaming about punching Stalberg.

• Daniel's gamewinning goal was a prime example of Wizardous Sedinerie: Daniel clearly used Mage Hand to levitate that puck over Turco. Now, since there were no somatic or verbal components, he must have both Silent Spell and Still Spell as feats. Applying both feats would increase the level of the spell by 2, meaning that Daniel Sedin must be, at minimum, a third-level Wizard.

• I'm a big fan of Ray Ferraro. He's one of the best colour commentators in the business. I don't have a joke here, I just felt like it needed to be said.

• An indication of how good a game Luongo had can be found by looking at the Blackhawks' four leading shooters: Patrick Sharp and Brian Campbell had 6 shots apiece and Marian Hossa and Patrick Kane had 7 each. Not one of them scored. Luongo answered the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything with 42 saves.

Highlights From Sami Salo's Two-Goal Debut in Manitoba

Canuck fans have every right to temper their expectations about Sami Salo's return to the lineup this season. The guy attracts injuries like banana-eaters attract mosquitoes, and his most recent near-mortal wound in a game of floorball (a.k.a. hockey so thoroughly neutered it can be played on gym floors without fear of scuffing) was a sort of last straw for many. Moreover, even if you're optimistic that Salo can remain healthy once healthy, you'd have to think that he couldn't possibly get back to the level at which he operates when healthy. A torn Achilles tendon is a Hell of a thing to rehabilitate.

Sami Salo appears to be aware of your concerns. Down in the AHL on a conditioning assignment, Casper scored two goals in his first game with the Manitoba Moose. Take that, haters. If you were finding it difficult to muster Salo-based excitement, have a gander at the above video. Salo's goals come 0:43 and 2:48 into the clip, and it's evident that his game hasn't changed. Both goals are typically saloesque: one is a backdoor play and the other a howitzer. The only major difference is that he's wearing 22, but honestly, if you know anything about Sami Salo's game, you'd recognize him if he were dressed as Shrek.

Jeff Tambellini recently told Justin Bourne that Salo would soon step in to replace Edler without the Canucks missing a beat. We wondered if this was insider information. Now, with Salo needing about a millisecond to show he's too good for the AHL, it appears that it was. Rumour has it Salo could be back in the lineup as early as next Saturday, and this video is evidence we should be at least a little bit excited about that.

Bourne & BizNasty on the Canucks

Pictured: Paul Bissonnette, the classy half of the hockey's best potential duo.

Before we go any further, let me express my deep regret if this post misled you into thinking that two of hockey's finest personalities had teamed up to form some sort of self-aware, hilarious, analytical, hard-partying NHL supercombo. That really is too good to be true. If you're a fan of hockey blogging and/or hockey tweeting, you probably already know that Justin Bourne and Paul Bissonnette are icons of hockey's alternative media. Bourne, a former hockey player turned writer, contributes insightful and wholly original articles for Puck Daddy, USA Today, and Hockey Primetime, among others. His article on Old Man Strength is one of my favourite pieces of hockey writing this year. Bissonnette, a current hockey player for the Phoenix Coyotes, is perhaps hockey's best and most interesting tweeter, his sub-141 character thoughts a weekly feature on Puck Daddy's Trending Topics. Here's an example of why he's awesome.

If the all star game is about showing off ur skills. If I was in the breakaway competition, I'd dump it in and change. #MadSkills

Objectively awesome. Anyway, it's always a treat to hear what these guys think, and it was thusly a special treat that both men were at the Coyotes game on Thursday night (Bourne in the stands, BizNasty on the bench). Needless to say, their insights on the Vancouver Canucks didn't disappoint. After the jump, Bourne & BizNasty on the Canucks:

Justin Bourne Was At the Game

Considering he was in attendance, it makes sense that Bourne's first observation would be about the atmosphere in the arena:

To say the crowd was 50% pro-Canucks might be an understatement. If there weren’t more of them, they were louder. They chanted Luuuuu, sang the anthem loud and proud, and even the damn green men showed up in full effect.

Clearly, one of the night's big stories was Cody Hodgson and his first NHL goal. However, since Bourne isn't a Canucks fan, he wasn't so enamoured with Hodgson to notice a few warts:

Hodgson rocked the birdcage last night, not the best look for him. Also as I tweeted, [he] skates a little wide. It’s not the worst thing in the world, but he doesn’t bring his skates all the way back under his body, which makes for a shorter, less efficient stride. Mason Raymond? He comes wayyy across his own center-line. I’d have pulled Bryz after the Hodgson goal. Brutal in a 2-0 game to let a puck go in not all that hard and halfway up the net. I think he expected a better shot and was bringing his glove up for a quick one, but it was a change-up. Still, gotta yank him there.

Bourne is absolutely correct here. First, Hodgson's skating still needs work. Even the layman can see it. Second, Hodgson's goal was sort of weak. Granted, it was hard to criticize amidst the wave of elation, but Brzygalov should have had it.

Here's Bourne on the Sedins and Kesler:

The Sedins pass the puck really, really well. Constantly fit it into areas that were no bigger than a stick blade. Kesler is a monster of a dude. He’ll be an absolute menace to play against in playoffs.

Yes. Also, yes. But it's always nice to hear that your team's players inspire shock and awe. And finally, here's Bourne's impressions on the Canucks overall:

The Coyotes looked poor, but only because the best team in the NHL looked really good. Phoenix just isn’t quite on that level, as disciplined as they tend to play.

Paul Bissonnette Was In the Game

Which brings us to Paul Bissonnette, who played in the game. Despite a different vantage point, he had similar praise for the Canucks:

Canucks were the most impressive team overall I've seen this year. Disciplined, block a tone of shots, good puck management, and Luongo.

Oh and that Sedin guy is unreal, it's like there's 2 of them out there.

Funny. The mention of the Sedins led to the following question, tweeted by @Maverick16Lynes: "What would u give to be on the Sedin's line?" BizNasty responded in typical fashion:

The question is what would the Sedin's give to play on a line with me?

I wonder if me and the twins would have as much chemistry as when I played with Crosby and Malkin?

And then, when the inevitable Sedin hate on Twitter started, BizNasty opened up a big can of perspective, doused in humour, as usual:

Why is every non-Canucks fan bashin' the Sedins on Twitter? All of u would give ur left nut to have them on ur team #ExceptDaLadies #NoNuts

And finally, Bissonnette lets us in on why he and Tanner Glass didn't drop the gloves, as many had hoped. No, BizNasty wasn't frightened by the Tru Fakt that Glass fights bears. It's because Glass is responsible and smart:

When your team is up 3-0 and has momentum you don't fight for no reason. #Fact. Like last night when we were down against Vancouver. I asked Glass to fight, he declined, that doesn't make him soft. Its the right play.

And finally, for those wishing, like we do, that Bourne and BizNasty had more crossover, here's Bourne on BizNasty:

Bissonnette skates better than he did when I played against him in Wilkes-Barre, by leaps and bounds. I’d even go as far as to say he’s a good skater at the NHL level. In general, he’s actually not a bad player, I had let his self-deprecation get to my head.

Never change, you two.