head coach: Tom Renney

roster: C - Mark Messier, Trevor Linden, Mike Sillinger, Dave Scatchard; LW - Martin Gelinas, Markus Naslund, Gino Odjick, Donald Brashear, David Roberts; RW - Pavel Bure, Brian Noonan, Lonny Bohonos, Scott Walker D - Jyrki Lumme, Dana Murzyn, Matthias Ohlund, Grant Ledyard, Dave Babych, Steve Staios, Mark Wotton; Chad Allan G - Kirk McLean, Corey Hirsch, Arturs Irbe.

injuries: Adrian Aucoin, d (ankle sprain Sept. 20; 2-4 more weeks).

transactions: None. Alexander Mogilny, rw, and Bret Hedican, d, remain hold-outs.

standings:

GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   HOME      ROAD
 2   1   1   0     2    5    5  1-0-0     0-1-0

game results:

10/3  Anaheim     W 3-2 at Tokyo
10/4  at Anaheim  L 3-2 at Tokyo

team news:

by Carol Schram, Vancouver Correspondent

No one can say that the Vancouver Canucks haven't tried just about everything to distance themselves from last year's sub-.500, no-playoffs campaign. The Canucks are beginning 1997-98 with a new captain, a new defensive pair on the blue line, a new goalie, new uniforms, and even a new address for their home opener - Yoyogi Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

The Canucks usually don't have too much trouble keeping fan attention in hockey- mad Vancouver during the off-season, but this summer has probably packed in more action than ever before. The Orca Bay P.R. people have done everything in their power to try to create a strong, positive image of commitment and dedication around this year's Canucks, but their efforts haven't been without certain complications.

First, the new uniform design was leaked a couple of weeks before the official unveiling. This gave everyone enough time to make their Free Willy jokes before the big party, when the new attitude was officially launched.

Next, Pat Quinn stunned everyone when it started to look like the rumors were true that he was pursuing disgruntled unrestricted free agent Mark Messier. After 10 days of covert operations that the CIA would be proud of, it was time for another press conference at the end of July, this time to unveil Vancouver's new prize center -- one of the greatest players and greatest leaders in NHL history. As coach Tom Renney put it, the new uniform suddenly looked pretty good when Mark Messier was wearing it!

Then, Toronto Maple Leaf interim GM Bill Watters decided to see if the Canucks had overspent their budget with the Messier signing. He front-loaded a five- year deal and offered it to Swedish defense prospect Matthias Ohlund, Vancouver's 1994 first-rounder who was now considered a Group IV defected free agent. The Canucks could either match the offer or surrender Ohlund with no compensation. Pat Quinn made us wait for the entire seven-day period before announcing that he was matching, but he wasn't too pleased about it. Bottom line, though: Ohlund is already performing like one of Vancouver's best defenseman, and may turn out to be well worth $2 million this season, and possibly be underpaid by the end of his long-term contract.

After that, Quinn confused all his observers by signing free-agent goaltender Arturs Irbe from Dallas. Sure, Vancouver's netminding left a lot to be desired last season, but their team defense was nothing to write home about, either. Kirk McLean has remained a sentimental favorite among most Vancouver fans, and Corey Hirsch was still considered a legitimate number one prospect. So what were they going to do with Irbe?

That question got louder during preseason, particularly in one home game when the Canucks blew a 5-1 lead over the Edmonton Oilers with four quick, bad goals on Irbe, eventually losing 6-5. Hirsch was the backup that game, and was looking visibly more and more relaxed each time Irbe waffled a puck or let one slip by him. Nevertheless, at the end of that week, it was Irbe on Vancouver's waiver draft protected list, and Hirsch that had been thrown to the wolves (no matter that Nathan Lafayette, who the Canucks traded for Hirsch at the 1995 deadline, was also up from grabs).

To the surprise of many, Hirsch went unclaimed in the September 28 draft, as did utility forward David Roberts. So, for now, the Canucks are carrying three goalies, but they have solidly thrown their support behind Kirk McLean, who likes a lot of work and who looked steady in both of his early outings. Irbe is dressing as McLean's backup, and Hirsch is waiting in limbo until either one goaltender gets injured or his roster spot is required for someone else, like an Alex Mogilny or a Bret Hedican.

This year, the Canucks would barely qualify as a NHL team if they didn't have a Group II free agent holdout or two. Bret Hedican loves Vancouver and desperately wants to stay, but at age 27, he still hasn't managed to parlay his great speed into solid, consistent overall defensive play. At last report, the Canucks offered Hedican a two-year deal at $850,000 and $950,000 US, and Hedican's agent countered with one-year at $950,000. The sides aren't too far apart, so look for a deal to be done soon.

Meanwhile, down in Malibu, California, the Canucks recently sent Alex Mogilny an offer that they termed "reasonable -- on the generous side of reasonable". They have yet to receive a response directly, and Hockey Night in Canada's Greg Millen quoted Mogilny's agent Mike Barnett as saying, for the first time, that his client may now be seeking a trade. Mogilny's talent would add yet another dimension to an outstanding offensive core, but it is starting to look like the Alex situation is a long way from being done.

Of course, no one can talk about Alex Mogilny without bringing up Pavel Bure in the same breath. The Russian Rocket made headlines of his own just before training camp opened, when word leaked out of a one-on-one meeting between Bure and Pat Quinn. Rumor had it that, after two injury-filled, sub-par seasons, Bure had asked for a trade and Quinn was considering accommodating him. But then...

* Bure disassociated himself with the source of the rumors, Serge Levin -- a Russian assistant of his agent, Ron Salcer.
* Bure fired Salcer and replaced him with NHL Players' Association champion Mike Gillis.
* Rumors flew that Bure had fired his personal trainer, his father Vladimir. When questioned, Vlad did imply that he had a falling out with his son and that his services were no longer required (although he is employed by the Canucks, not by Pavel directly). Pavel, who has taken to answering every media question with riddles, said "I did not fire my father. Maybe he fired himself".

Then the media started speculating that Bure wasn't going to show up at training camp as he held out for a trade. But he was there with bells on at Whistler -- skating on a line with Mark Messier and Markus Naslund, sitting in a locker stall next to Messier, and generally soaking up the advice and good spirits that Messier has to offer. Agent Mike Gillis was also at Whistler meeting with Quinn, which looked like a good sign. The best sight by far, however, was looking at Bure on the ice. The fire was back in the Russian Rocket's jets, and he was playing with a spirit he seemed to have abandoned for most of the past two seasons. Bure continued to play well throughout the preseason, didn't hurt himself in the final exhibition game for the first time in awhile, and after toying with the press about whether or not he was going to accompany his team to Japan, Bure not only made the trip but was arguably Vancouver's best player. He is showing his trademark fearlessness again as he revs up his amazing speed and blasts straight to the front of the net.

Plus, he already has two goals in his first two games to show for his efforts -- an amazing start for a guy who, even in his 60-goal years, was notoriously slow out of the starting gates. Bure has also left behind his number 96 and gone back to his old number 10, thinking maybe the change can help him to regain his form of three-plus seasons ago. So far so good...

So, Bure was awesome. What else happened in Japan?

Well, the great overall success of the mission was countered somewhat by the very poor ice conditions at the Yoyogi Arena -- actually an Olympic swimming pool which had been converted for this occasion.

Bouncing pucks and falling players were the norm, and the ice got so thin towards the end of the second game that Tomas Sandstrom's skate actually ruptured a pipe under the surface and there was some danger that, with three minutes to go and the Ducks up by a goal, the two teams might not be able to finish what they had started. The ice was repaired enough to finish the game, but the score remained the same, so the Canucks head back to North America with a split.

Scott Walker scored the first-ever NHL regular-season goal outside of North America, and his puck is headed to the Hockey Hall of Fame. For a guy who lives, eats, and breathes hockey and has only scored nine goals in his entire NHL career, the moment is likely one that he'll remember for the rest of his life.

Along with Bure's two goals, the other Canuck scorers in the first two games were Messier and Trevor Linden. These two made more headlines from Tokyo when Trevor Linden announced that he had decided to hand over his captain's "C" to Messier.

Much had been made of the captaincy issue ever since Messier arrived in Vancouver. While Linden has been a long-suffering, dependable captain with many good qualities, there is no denying that Messier is one of the great leaders in all of team sports, and his character has made a palpable difference to the Canucks right from the first press conference, when he said he had come here to try to win a Stanley Cup.

Messier's personality and experience carry weight with his teammates, and they carry weight on the ice, with opponents and officials. If Linden had not offered the "C", it would have become an issue the moment the team started to struggle, or anytime Messier showed more leadership characteristics than Linden did. Furthermore, with Linden a player who has never quite lived up to the offensive potential he showed in his early years, perhaps this move will free him up to concentrate more on his game. Linden is now wearing Dana Murzyn's "A", which was offered to him by the defenseman. Bure continues to wear the other "A".

There was a scary moment in the first game of the Tokyo series, when it looked like the Canucks' $20 million investment in Messier may have been for naught. Toward the end of the second period, with the score 3-1 Vancouver, Messier went down in a heap in the offensive zone, and the man with no pain threshold was writhing on the ice clutching his leg. Early fears were that another knee injury had struck the Canucks, and Messier grudgingly allowed himself to be assisted off the ice in obvious agony. By the end of the game, the report came in that the injury was a charley horse -- a deep blow to the thigh area, inflicted by the knee of the Ducks' Mark Janssens. Messier was officially deemed "iffy" for Game Two, and after less than two periods in a Vancouver uniform, there was doubt about how the Canucks were going to get by without him. They sagged noticeably after he went down, quickly allowing the Ducks a goal to make it a 3-2 game, then holding on through an offensive onslaught in the third period to preserve their victory.

While Messier likely wasn't 100% the following night, he managed to convince team doctors that he was well enough to take the pre-game warm-up, then talked them into letting him play. He still kept up with Bure in a number of offensive rushes during the game, and even managed to get himself hauled down as he split the defense with just over a minute to go in the game and his team down a goal, leading to a frantic game-ending power play that Vancouver couldn't quite convert.

It's not the first time that Messier has played hurt, but it may be the first time that the second game of the season has seemed so important to him and his team. It is imperative that the Canucks get off to a good start, and while a split isn't the ideal result from Tokyo, there are many signs pointing to a much better year for the talent-laden Vancouver Canucks this season. Their week-long "field trip" to Asia may be just what they needed to help heal some of the bad feelings that lingered after last season, and it appears that the players are growing closer and developing the type of unity that is needed to succeed in team sports.

While Messier's addition easily overshadows the other changes in the Canucks' opening-day roster, a few other notable changes have also been made. Late- season acquisition Sergei Nemchinov turned down the Canucks' richer offer to return to the Big Apple and play on Long Island. Center Mike Ridley was willing to come back for another year, but the team passed on him after two years of mysterious recurring back and leg troubles that were likely a draining influence in the dressing room. Tough guy Troy Crowder wasn't issued a qualifying offer, as he became a spare part after last season's acquisition of Donald Brashear. On the blue line, Leif Rohlin chose not to accept the Canucks' qualifying offer and went back to play in Europe, and Chris Joseph signed on with Philadelphia.

In addition to veterans Messier and Irbe, Grant Ledyard brings 16 years of NHL defensive experience after signing as a free agent from Dallas this summer, and he has been paired with the impressive rookie Matthias Ohlund. Rookie Chad Allan is also still on the defensive roster while Adrian Aucoin sits out with a sprained ankle. Mark Wotton has also stayed with the big club after filling in on an injury-ridden defense last season, and 6'7" Goliath Chris McAllister may still get a shot once he recovers from a preseason knee injury. At forward, big rookie Dave Scatchard saw his first-ever NHL action in Japan as a fourth-line center, and there is still some buzz surrounding nifty little Slovak Lubomir Vaic, who impressed in camp but is starting the season, at least, on the farm in Syracuse. The Canucks have already made many adjustments, but expect more roster adjustments once the Mogilny and Hedican situations are resolved.

It may only be game two, but here in Vancouver, it has already been quite a ride!

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