There is widespread disdain for the trade war tariffs tactic triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order, which has been delayed for at least 30 days.
The Colorado Avalanche are here Tuesday. And you know what that means.
Good luck with that.
On Sunday, an obvious disdain for the trade war tariff tactic triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order — it has now been delayed for at least 30 days — drowned out guest anthem singer Agasha Mutesasira.
She looked somewhat shocked, as if the booing was directed at her. Of course, it wasn’t. She did a remarkable performance considering the uneasy circumstances.
Which brings us to Tuesday.
Regardless of who sings the U.S. anthem, it’s going to be greeted by boos. How loud and how long is anybody’s guess. In our land of free speech, and booing, how do you handle all this?
For staters, why not play a recorded version of the U.S. anthem? It was brought to the attention of the Canucks on Monday and this was their response:
“Nothing to share externally right now, but are discussing internally,” said a club spokesperson.
Well, there’s still time to take down the temperature Tuesday night.
Fans here are responding and supporting what occurred in Ottawa and Calgary on Saturday — booing the U.S. anthem before the Senators hosted the Minnesota Wild and the Flames met the Detroit Red Wings — so don’t expect this to go away.
In fact, it could get bigger. The Carolina Hurricanes are in Winnipeg on Tuesday.
The Senators sided with their fans booing in a news release: “Our fans in Ottawa-Gatineau are passionate about their hockey team and their country.”
Well said.
Soucy scratched, ‘needs reset’
It’s never a good combination to be a healthy scratch in the same game where newcomers impress.
Soucy hasn’t been that.
Whether turning over pucks in his own zone, poor positioning and bad zone-exit pass decisions, or just too many penalties, his first scratch of the season was coming at some point to right the wrongs.
He has the worst club plus-minus rating (minus 15), has taken the second-most minors (16), and is second in giveaways (57). He had been a second-paring staple, but has seen time in a third pairing.
Soucy, 30, has also just eight points (2-6) in 51 games. He’s under contract for one more season at a $US3.25 million salary cap hit.
“Sometimes, players need a reset and step away from the actual game and do some video to get the refresh.”
Pettersson and Pettersson praised
It was quite the debut for the elder Pettersson, 28, who showed why he was on the Canucks’ radar before finally landing here in a trade Friday with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
And it was another night where the younger Pettersson didn’t look out of place on the big stage.
While with the Penguins, the elder Pettersson had the best plus-minus among club rearguards this season and his efficiency in defending, moving pucks and chipping in offensively enamoured the Canucks. He had 18 points (3-15) in 47 games and led the club in blocked shots (86) and was second in hits (57) among blueliners.
“The simplicity of my game is when I’m at my best,” he said. “A two-way game and moving the puck as quickly as I can. Make a good first pass and use my reach and my skating.”
Making a good impression has allowed the younger and thick-framed Pettersson to stay with the big club instead of remaining in the AHL at Abbotsford. Quite frankly, he has earned a trio of NHL games.
“Of course, this is where you want to be,” he said of playing and getting the point. “It was fun, it felt good. I’m still learning a lot every day to play at this level.”