DG's Quick Hits- May 5, 2002

This week:

Lumme on shelf

Anti-Clarke Site up

Canucks win “Spirit of Vancouver” Award

(Sources: TSN.ca, www.clarkemustgo.com, Canucks.com)

(World Issues Page Announcement Inside)LUMME ON SHELF

A concussion has sidelined Toronto Maple Leaf defenceman Jyrkki Lumme indefinitely, further depleting the Leafs’ roster. Lumme was hurt when checked by Ottawa Senator Chris Neil in Game 2.

This can only be good news for the Senators, who will have to contend with another St. John’s Maple Leaf farmhand on defence instead of the experienced Lumme, no matter how far Lumme’s skills have fallen. Despite the Leafs’ Game 2 win, it is the Senators who have been doing what they wanted to a banged up Leaf team. The Leafs stormed to an early 2-0 lead before the Senators, badly outshooting Toronto, tied up the game, and, though Toronto’s Gary Roberts scored the overtime winner in the third overtime, the Sens still had the shot advantage, 56-42. Coupled with the 5-0 victory in Game 1 and the loss by the Leafs of Lumme, it is the Senators who have the edge so far in the series, as the next two games are in Ottawa. In the first round, Ottawa buried the Philadelphia Flyers when the series shifted to Kanata and have the opportunity to do it here. Of course, that could all change if the Leafs can earn a split coming out of Ottawa.

ANTI-CLARKE SITE UP

www.clarkemustgo.com is a petition put forth by Philadelphia Flyers fans who think, as tsn.ca reports, that “the wrong man was fired last week”. Revealed here on HTR first by tgray, the Site is compendium of the Flyers’ fans disgust with Flyer General Manager Bobby Clarke, who feel that a “change is necessary” but will always remember “fondly” Clarke’s work as a player.

Whether or not Clarke does get fired is an open question, but certainly the frustration is brewing within in the Flyer fan base who cannot put up with another underachieving Flyers team. Here at HTR, the issue has been debated ad naseum and only adds to the heat Clarke now faces. Through it all, though, Clarke is probably going to stay, not because he’s doing a good job but because as long as Ed Snider runs the team and Comcast sees a profit, they’ll believe Clarke is doing well also.

CANUCKS WIN “SPIRIT OF VANCOUVER” AWARD

The Vancouver Canucks received the first ever “Spirit of Vancouver” Award recently from the Vancouver Board of Trade for the decades of commuity contributions by the team. Team President and General Manager Brian Burke was there to receive the award, saying that though his club’s win-loss record may vary, his club’s commitment to the community will not.

The Canucks have raised over $10.6 million through its Canucks For Kids fund, which helped 314,000 kids last year with various outreach programs including education and grassroots hockey development. The award adds another step in the right direction for the Canucks, as not only is the team becoming a Western Conference force it is also now bestowed with an award that could become prestigious. Burke has done a wonderful job with the Canucks, and, though Vancouver’s first round loss was a heartbreaker and could have been won if the club was confident, the team definitely has a bright future ahead of them.

-DG

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