Lalime pulled his groin at some point, and Vanek hasn't practiced since the Montreal game, though Lindy feels that Vanek will be ready for the Season Opener in Ottawa. No guarantee that Lalime will be ready by then, so I guess we'll probably have to keep Enroth up here to back up Miller.
You said it. I'm starting to feel concerned about general durability.
81 games, 82 games, 82 games, (would have been) 82 games (if not for that freak broken jaw), and then since last offseason he's getting banged up every other Thursday.
WTF happened? Seriously, I'd love for someone to explain this to me.
81 games, 82 games, 82 games, (would have been) 82 games (if not for that freak broken jaw), and then since last offseason he's getting banged up every other Thursday.
WTF happened? Seriously, I'd love for someone to explain this to me.
having children sapped all the calcium out of his bones.
could be that he's just had horrible luck with hitting the boards and such...
Vanek's job on this team is to take a beating in front of the net. He's maybe the best in the league at it (Holmstrom is still fantastic in that role).
Vanek obviously brings more to the table, but he's getting hacked at, cross-checked & body slammed all game long.
Vanek's job on this team is to take a beating in front of the net. He's maybe the best in the league at it (Holmstrom is still fantastic in that role).
Vanek obviously brings more to the table, but he's getting hacked at, cross-checked & body slammed all game long.
It's not surprising that he gets hurt.
I don't really buy this though. Vanek was perfectly healthy for four entire seasons (again, not counting getting hit in the face with an errant slapshot), and then since last offseason he's been constantly banged up. What changed?
I don't really buy this though. Vanek was perfectly healthy for four entire seasons (again, not counting getting hit in the face with an errant slapshot), and then since last offseason he's been constantly banged up. What changed?
Time? He's gotten older and all the shots he takes build up?
That's my theory, anyways, but hey, I dropped my Biology major after a year.
You said it. I'm starting to feel concerned about general durability.
Let's bear in mind the kind of punishment Vanek keeps taking by standing in the slot - the Canadiens cross-checked him over the head right after his goal Thursday. I'm not surprised in the least that he's hurting from the beating he absorbed.
I admire the way he accepts it as his role and willingness to continue going into the areas he knows he'll get pounded but I wonder how long before he has to wear the kind of horse collar Vaive used to in his latter years as protection.
I don't really buy this though. Vanek was perfectly healthy for four entire seasons (again, not counting getting hit in the face with an errant slapshot), and then since last offseason he's been constantly banged up. What changed?
What changed should be obvious - the NHL's enforcement of the rules and subsequent impact on the style of play. Go back and watch any of the games in Vanek's first two seasons between 2005-2007: he was much more of an attacking forward that carried the puck on rushes or cycles within the zone. He scored a lot more goals off pretty solo rushes or beating a defender off the boards and taking the puck to the net than he does now.
With the league gradually allowing more of the obstruction back into the game, that kind of freedom and flow is now harder to find. Vanek's size and great hand-eye coordination, as a result, is being used now more in a stationary role to screen the goalie, deflect shots from the point and collect rebounds around the crease. Obviously, that's where all the physical punishment takes place, which is starting to show up in the minor injuries he's accrued the past 3 years.
