HockeyVancouver's first-round MVP

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It's rare that the turning point of a series comes when the coach steps to the podium, but that's exactly what happened with Alain Vigneault one week ago in Los Angeles.

You remember: the Canucks were down 2-1 to the Kings. They'd blown a 2-0 home lead in Game 2, taken a strange too-many-men penalty in OT, couldn't kill a penalty, yanked their starting goaltender and been on the wrong end of a disputed goal. (Even Daniel Alfredsson was surprised to hear the Twinkies' post-game comments.)

In these situations, the best coaches know the importance of keeping calm and restoring focus. Privately, Vigneault had to be steaming, but, during the playoffs, there isn't time to be angry. There's always another huge game to prepare for.

So, the coach got up there and hammered away ... at his own.

"I think it was a good goal, but at the end of the day it doesn't matter what I think," he said. "Big difference right now is specialty teams. Our penalty kill hasn't done the job and our power play hasn't done the job ... In the first period they blocked 14 shots and we blocked two. If we expect to win the series, we've got to start doing that."

"From the goaltender on out ... your best players have to be your best players. The twins had one shot on goal in the first two periods and the guys on the other side of the ice had 10."

It would have been very easy for the players to be distracted by the goofy belief of a conspiracy against the organization. Vigneault wouldn't allow that. The coaching staff made the necessary adjustments and Vancouver won three straight to snare the series. For better or worse, a team takes on the personality of its coach. If he is unable to maintain calm, it loses. It's that simple.

Roberto Luongo made a couple of enormous saves. Mikael Samuelsson scored seven goals. The Sedins had 18 points. But, in this series, Vigneault was the Canucks' MVP.

30 THOUGHTS

1. UFA Anton Volchenkov is the most irreplaceable player on Ottawa's roster. The starting point for value will be Mike Komisarek's five-year, $22.5 million US contract with Toronto. There are teams who wouldn't commit that kind of cash to a four-goal scorer. Someone will for him.

2. There are going to be people who say Volchenkov should take a hometown discount. I look at the way he constantly throws injured body parts in front of hard shots and say this is someone who deserves to go get every cent. He's 28. The way he plays, he may never get another chance to set up his family for life as he does now.

3. Senators fans won't like this, but the NHL got every single review right in that series. Just bad puck luck for Ottawa.

4. Oilers fans would be surprised to hear how many people around the NHL feel Steve Tambellini is right to drastically change the culture of the organization. The team will create opportunities for Ken Lowe, Lyle Kulchisky and Barrie Stafford - and should also honour them before a game next season.

5. One of the things that must change: an alarming number of players complain that the Oilers are very difficult when it comes to getting new sticks and skates. I don't know who's responsible for that, but it's not a good reputation.

6. Tambellini also said he'll meet with Pat Quinn in about a month to see how the coach feels after such a brutal season. Quinn said he'll be back. Tambellini sounded pained even talking about it. He has great respect for Quinn.

7. In the great Taylor Hall/Tyler Seguin debate, there is some question over who is more ready to play now. Bad idea. That's the same logic that led to Toronto picking Luke Schenn over Tyler Myers. The Oilers aren't going to contend for years. Take the guy who you think will be ready then.

8. A follow-up from last week's blog: Major cred to the NHL for releasing the "kicked-puck" DVD to HNIC. After watching it, though, I can't understand how Daniel Sedin wasn't given a goal in Game 3. Thankfully, it's now a moot point.

9. A Western Conference front-office type on Mason Raymond: "He's like a little Sedin." That's a nice compliment.

10. Really thought Marian Hossa was going to be suspended one game because he scored the winning goal Saturday afternoon. Colin Campbell usually determines things by whether or not the penalty call had a significant outcome. Obviously, Hossa was still around to decide things, so I figured Campbell would think it wasn't enough. Shows you what I know.

11. Still trying to figure out how Nashville, one of the NHL's best coached teams, gave up a short-handed goal to Patrick Kane at the end of regulation.

12. Prediction: No matter what happens with the Canadiens tonight - or afterward, should they beat Washington - Jaroslav Halak will not re-sign there unless Montreal makes an obscene offer.

13.  That's why Los Angeles did the right thing with Jonathan Quick. Dean Lombardi said several times this season his group deserved loyalty from him because it showed enormous commitment to the organization. You have to show your players that they will be rewarded for doing what's asked of them. It's OK to say to Quick that, next year, Jonathan Bernier is coming. It's not OK to do that now.

14. Wherever Carey Price is next year, I hope the organization has the sense to pair him with a veteran who will teach him the right way to prepare and act. Not doing so is Montreal's greatest mistake of the past five years.

15. Peter Regin tells a great story of his first game in the Western Hemisphere. It was an AHL exhibition game last season, and he was caught admiring a pass against Syracuse. Regin got clobbered ("It was a late hit," he laughs) and, upon reaching the bench, Cory Clouston said, "Welcome to North America." (Remember, Clouston started in Binghamton before replacing Craig Hartsburg.) Suffice it to say, Regin caught on fast.

16. After the triple-OT game on Thursday, the Penguins gave their players a day off before travelling to Ottawa. But, strength and conditioning coach Mike Kadar ordered everyone to wake up at their regular time and eat a meal. If they wanted to go back to bed, they could, but they had to wake up and eat or he said they wouldn't be ready Saturday. And, in Game 6, the Penguins took control as the game went on.

17. One of the autographs Sidney Crosby collected as a youth: Halifax Mooseheads goaltender Pascal Leclaire.

18. Don't adults find it embarrassing to be standing in hotel lobbies asking other players where Crosby is so he can sign the Team Canada jersey they are holding?

19. The Rangers killed rumours last week that Glen Sather was going to drop the GM title (be president only) with Doug Risebrough taking over. Risebrough is somewhat in demand. He's a serious contender for the Tampa job and, if San Jose makes a change, he has a connection with president and CEO Greg Jamison.

20. Wherever Risebrough goes, Tom Thompson, his right-hand man from Minnesota, is going too.

21. If the Colorado win isn't enough to save Doug Wilson, there is another reason he should stay on: The Sharks clearly know how draft and develop. This summer, Wilson could turn the team over to Dan Boyle, Ryan Clowe, Joe Pavelski and Devin Setoguchi. Clearly, the latter three are ready for prime time. He also hired Todd McLellan, another coach who did a fantastic job of stabilizing his team when it easily could have collapsed.

22. The NHL may really have hit a homerun with Jeff Vinik. The Lightning players are really impressed. Example: The team's ice quality wasn't great, partly because it had two really old zambonis. (Apparently, one was in use since the team entered the league.) For years, they'd been told new ones would be coming; it never happened. Vinik heard the complaints, and made the change. He's also going to spend some money to upgrade the arena.

23. Ultimately, it will be up to the new GM, but I've also heard Vinik is open to keeping Vincent Lecavalier. Any new deals for Steve Stamkos/Martin St. Louis wouldn't kick in until 2011-12, so there's time to evaluate him for a year. If, as believed, Lecavalier will be a new player now that Brian Lawton is gone, things could be very different.

24. Pierre LeBrun named Paul Fenton as a possible candidate in Tampa Bay. I've also heard Claude Loiselle. Doesn't sound like Jay Feaster has a shot, and I don't understand why he hasn't caught on somewhere. Guy won a Stanley Cup. He wasn't the only GM to get caught by the salary cap as it arrived, and I think he'd make better decisions now.

25. Biggest reason for the Devils' drop? Look at the players they've lost for nothing in the past decade: Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, Ken Daneyko, Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta, Alexander Mogilny, Bobby Holik (the first time). It's hard to replenish that talent.

26. With Jacques Lemaire's retirement, early word is that John MacLean will finally get his shot behind the bench, but we've heard that before.

27. Chatted with Raffi Torres - who won't play tonight - this morning in Boston. Didn't point the finger at anyone but himself. I really respect people like that.

28. Would bet on no Marc Savard tonight, and, when it comes to Game 7, a lot of coaches hate to throw a guy out there who's missed this much time. Remember the 2006 Stanley Cup Final? Peter Laviolette put Erik Cole in Game 6, just so he'd be ready for Game 7.

29. Great story from The Birmingham News: Max Afinogenov's girlfriend, tennis player Elena Dementieva, is at the Fed Cup in Alabama. He's there, too, and joins a pickup hockey game at a local arena. Actual quote from the story: "What idiot signed in as Maxim Afinogenov?" He scored 17 of the game's 29 goals. 

30. Your referees for Game 7 of Detroit/Phoenix: Gary Bettman and Bill Daly. (Just kidding, guys.)

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