Michael Griffiths
Rock n' Roll Doggie
http://sportsnet.ca/nhl/story/10487...ckey&association=nhl&STORY_OID=10487133138390
Canucks' duo has 50/50 shot at history
Brendan Morrison must feel like the freak in Vancouver, his lofty 25 goals pale in comparison to the numbers put up by his linemates Todd Bertuzzi and Markus Naslund.
(posted Mar. 26, 4:09PM EST)
VANCOUVER -- The kidding has already started over the race for 50 goals by Vancouver Canucks linemates Todd Bertuzzi and Markus Naslund.
Their centre Brendan Morrison, with a mere 25 goals, had the best line.
?He said if we're both at 49 and we all go in for an empty-netter, he'll roof one,? Bertuzzi said with a laugh during a conference call Wednesday.
Opposing goaltenders find nothing funny about the destruction of their statistics by the Canucks top line this season.
With five games left on their schedule, Naslund leads the league with 99 points, including 45 goals. Bertuzzi, who has 94 points, leads in goal-scoring with 46.
They have a shot at becoming the first NHL teammates each to score 50 goals in a season since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr did it for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1995-96.
Lemieux, with 69 goals that year, and Jagr, with 62, are also the last teammates to post 100-point seasons together.
No two Canucks have ever accomplished either feat.
?It would be pretty neat for the team and the line if we finish at 50,? said Bertuzzi, 28, the trio's six-foot-three, 235-pound power winger. ?But most important, it hasn't taken away from our team play.
?We're a pretty unselfish line and I think that's why we've been successful.?
The Art Ross Trophy for leading the league in points and the Rocket Richard Trophy for leading in goals are within reach.
But there is fear that Bertuzzi and Naslund may split what could be the closest voting in years for the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player, clearing the way for another candidate to win.
Colorado Avalanche centre Peter Forsberg, with 96 points and counting after missing the regular season last year with injuries, is another leading candidate for the Hart, as are Boston centre Joe Thornton (95 points), Lemieux (89) and New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur, to name a few.
?We set goals as a team,? said Bertuzzi. ?But obviously, with the way we've been playing, individuals will succeed, too.?
Competition for awards or the scoring title has not been a strain on their relationship, however.
?Markus and I are friends off the ice,? he added. ?We're competitive.
?We want to bring the best out of each other. That's why we're successful. We push each other hard and that's good for the team.?
When asked who he would choose if he had a vote for the Hart Trophy, Bertuzzi said: ?After Markus, I'd probably go for Forsberg.
?I had the opportunity to play with him at the all-star game, which was awesome. It's just for the way he came back for the playoffs last year and how dominant he's been this season.?
The Hockey News this week took a poll of one player from each of the 30 NHL clubs on who should get the Hart. Naslund was the clear winner.
The Pearson Trophy is also awarded annually to the MVP as elected by his fellow players. It usually ends up being the same as the Hart winner, but last year it was split, with Montreal's Jose Theodore taking the Hart and Calgary's Jarome Iginla winning the Pearson.
The slick Naslund and the bruising Bertuzzi will be candidates for that one, too.
The Canucks, who are only two points shy of the team record of 101 points in a season set in 1992-93, meet only one playoff bound team -- Anaheim -- over their final five games, which could be conducive to scoring goals.
Vancouver plays host to Phoenix on Thursday, then hits the road for games in Los Angeles, Anaheim and Phoenix before ending the season at home April 6 against the Kings.
And Bertuzzi is hot, winning NHL player of the week honours last week when he scored six goals and added two assists in three games. He leads the league with 25 power-play goals, including one in a 4-3 loss to Dallas on Tuesday night.
Notes: The Canucks' last 50-goal scorer was Pavel Bure with 51 in 1997-98. Their last 100-point man was Alexander Mogilny with 107 in 1995-96.
? The Canadian Press, 2002
Canucks' duo has 50/50 shot at history
Brendan Morrison must feel like the freak in Vancouver, his lofty 25 goals pale in comparison to the numbers put up by his linemates Todd Bertuzzi and Markus Naslund.
(posted Mar. 26, 4:09PM EST)
VANCOUVER -- The kidding has already started over the race for 50 goals by Vancouver Canucks linemates Todd Bertuzzi and Markus Naslund.
Their centre Brendan Morrison, with a mere 25 goals, had the best line.
?He said if we're both at 49 and we all go in for an empty-netter, he'll roof one,? Bertuzzi said with a laugh during a conference call Wednesday.
Opposing goaltenders find nothing funny about the destruction of their statistics by the Canucks top line this season.
With five games left on their schedule, Naslund leads the league with 99 points, including 45 goals. Bertuzzi, who has 94 points, leads in goal-scoring with 46.
They have a shot at becoming the first NHL teammates each to score 50 goals in a season since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr did it for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1995-96.
Lemieux, with 69 goals that year, and Jagr, with 62, are also the last teammates to post 100-point seasons together.
No two Canucks have ever accomplished either feat.
?It would be pretty neat for the team and the line if we finish at 50,? said Bertuzzi, 28, the trio's six-foot-three, 235-pound power winger. ?But most important, it hasn't taken away from our team play.
?We're a pretty unselfish line and I think that's why we've been successful.?
The Art Ross Trophy for leading the league in points and the Rocket Richard Trophy for leading in goals are within reach.
But there is fear that Bertuzzi and Naslund may split what could be the closest voting in years for the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player, clearing the way for another candidate to win.
Colorado Avalanche centre Peter Forsberg, with 96 points and counting after missing the regular season last year with injuries, is another leading candidate for the Hart, as are Boston centre Joe Thornton (95 points), Lemieux (89) and New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur, to name a few.
?We set goals as a team,? said Bertuzzi. ?But obviously, with the way we've been playing, individuals will succeed, too.?
Competition for awards or the scoring title has not been a strain on their relationship, however.
?Markus and I are friends off the ice,? he added. ?We're competitive.
?We want to bring the best out of each other. That's why we're successful. We push each other hard and that's good for the team.?
When asked who he would choose if he had a vote for the Hart Trophy, Bertuzzi said: ?After Markus, I'd probably go for Forsberg.
?I had the opportunity to play with him at the all-star game, which was awesome. It's just for the way he came back for the playoffs last year and how dominant he's been this season.?
The Hockey News this week took a poll of one player from each of the 30 NHL clubs on who should get the Hart. Naslund was the clear winner.
The Pearson Trophy is also awarded annually to the MVP as elected by his fellow players. It usually ends up being the same as the Hart winner, but last year it was split, with Montreal's Jose Theodore taking the Hart and Calgary's Jarome Iginla winning the Pearson.
The slick Naslund and the bruising Bertuzzi will be candidates for that one, too.
The Canucks, who are only two points shy of the team record of 101 points in a season set in 1992-93, meet only one playoff bound team -- Anaheim -- over their final five games, which could be conducive to scoring goals.
Vancouver plays host to Phoenix on Thursday, then hits the road for games in Los Angeles, Anaheim and Phoenix before ending the season at home April 6 against the Kings.
And Bertuzzi is hot, winning NHL player of the week honours last week when he scored six goals and added two assists in three games. He leads the league with 25 power-play goals, including one in a 4-3 loss to Dallas on Tuesday night.
Notes: The Canucks' last 50-goal scorer was Pavel Bure with 51 in 1997-98. Their last 100-point man was Alexander Mogilny with 107 in 1995-96.
? The Canadian Press, 2002
