Canucks

British Columbia's provincial health officer says members of the Canucks jumped the queue when they received their H1N1 vaccinations earlier this week. "If they got the vaccine and they weren't in any of the risk groups as individuals then they were queue-jumping," Dr. Perry Kendall told the Canadian Press. "I don't know why they queue-jumped because they only had to wait a few days." Two members of the Alberta Health Services were fired last month after members of the Flames and their families were given the vaccine ahead of the general public.

News item: Rioting broke out in Vancouver after the Canucks were shut out by the Boston Bruins Wednesday night in the seventh game of the NHL Finals. Rowdy Canadians set cars on fire, looted shops and assaulted each other in the worst sports riot in the city since 1994. My take: I'm sure you're as appalled as I am. I mean, it's not like they lost to Duke. News item: In an upset that didn't seem to upset anybody outside of South Florida, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in Game 6 Monday night to win the NBA championship.

NEW YORK -- Vancouver goalie Kirk McLean was unbelievable when he had to be last night, and the Canucks walked out of Madison Square Garden with a 3-2 overtime victory against the New York Rangers in Game 1 of their Stanley Cup finals series.It took a little luck. It took Rangers defenseman Brian Leetch hitting the crossbar behind McLean and having the puck bounce out for an odd-man breakaway with 34 seconds left in the first overtime period.And it took a heart-stopping goal by Greg Adams -- that just cleared under the crossbar -- to give Vancouver the win and the Rangers a lot to think about before Game 2 of this best-of-seven series here tomorrow at 8 p.m.McLean had 17 saves in the extra session and 52 for the game, as he repeatedly repelled Rangers such as Mark Messier, Adam Graves, Alexei Kovalev and Steve Larmer.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Roberto Luongo put on his hoodie and his headphones and went for a walk along Vancouver's scenic seawall Friday afternoon. He had been thumped in Boston, chased from the net, subjected again to criticism that he's not a big-game goalie despite his gold-medal triumph for Canada at the Vancouver Olympics. To lose again would have put a huge burden on his shoulders and those of his teammates. "Sometimes I need to clear my head and put things in perspective," he said of his solitary walk after the team's pregame meal.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- During the long regular season, the Lo Angeles Kings battled for first place in the Smythe Division for two reasons. They wanted home-ice advantage in the playoffs, and they wanted to avoid Edmonton and Calgary in the first round.The Kings got their wish and drew the Vancouver Canucks. Unfortunately for the Kings, they dropped Game 1 and found themselves in a difficult series."We opened the door for them in Game 1," Wayne Gretzky said. "And when we opened the door, they took advantage."

The Washington Capitals against the Vancouver Canucks in the 1992 Stanley Cup final? Think about it. It's not that far-fetched. Remember, two other expansion teams, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota North Stars, were in the cup final a year ago.The Capitals and Canucks are the early-season surprises of the National Hockey League. Washington is at the top in the Wales Conference and Patrick Division and Vancouver is in a similar position in the Campbell Conference and Smythe Division.Washington has been in the Stanley Cup playoffs nine consecutive years and the Canucks have made it to the playoffs in 11 of the last 17 years.

EDMONTON, Alberta -- Edmonton goaltender Bill Ranford, whose solid play has been one of the Oilers' few bright spots this season, finally got some help.Ranford turned in a 33-save performance and the Oilers' dormant offense came to life to combine for a 7-0 drubbing of the Vancouver Canucks yesterday. The Oilers had averaged 3.04 goals in their first 25 games.The Canucks, tops in the Smythe Division and second overall in the NHL, allowed the Oilers to take a 3-0 first-period lead. Then Ranford went to work, stopping 16 shots, including a penalty shot, in the second period.

LANDOVER -- The Washington Capitals scored four goals in the third period last night to overcome the struggling Vancouver Canucks, 5-3, before 11,491 at the Capital Centre."

LANDOVER -- This battle of division leaders more than lived up to all expectations last night at the Capital Centre.The Washington Capitals, who regained the Patrick Division lead last night, hooked up in 65 minutes of end-to-end action and fights with the Smythe Division-leading Vancouver Canucks, and the two teams walked off the ice with a 3-3 tie before 16,789.When it was over, the shots were nearly even, the fights were close to being a draw and both teams had two chances to win it in the five-minute sudden-death overtime.

They will not receive a trophy and they will not be paid a penny for having earned this distinction. In fact, unless someone sends them a copy of this page, the Vancouver Canucks probably will go about their business without ever having learned that a select panel, consisting of yours truly, has named them the NHL's Surprise Team for the month of October.There were other candidates. The Washington Capitals, famous for rotten starts, were a powerhouse in the opening month. And the Winnipeg Jets, who don't get noticed much, were playing shockingly strong defense until the final three games.

Canucks have folded Harvey Fialkov Sun Sentinel Despite the last five Stanley Cup champions going 14-2 at home in the finals, unless the Rogers Arena ice morphs into an extra skater, this 2-2 series is over after the Bruins' utter domination of the Canucks at TD Garden. Why? Vancouver's top-ranked power-play unit has vanished under Boston's smothering penalty kill, going 1-of-22. Because a gimpy Ryan Kesler has gone from MVP to MIA. Because the Sedin twins have a combined two points.

British Columbia's provincial health officer says members of the Canucks jumped the queue when they received their H1N1 vaccinations earlier this week. "If they got the vaccine and they weren't in any of the risk groups as individuals then they were queue-jumping," Dr. Perry Kendall told the Canadian Press. "I don't know why they queue-jumped because they only had to wait a few days." Two members of the Alberta Health Services were fired last month after members of the Flames and their families were given the vaccine ahead of the general public.

Vancouver Canucks general manager Mike Gillis says Peter Forsberg is going to stay in Sweden this season. Gillis was considering signing the former Avalanche star but said he learned Monday that Forsberg wanted to stay in his home country. Forsberg, who is playing for Modo of the Swedish Elite League after 12 NHL seasons spent mostly with the Avalanche, has dealt with nagging ankle and foot problems for several years. "My understanding is Peter is going to stay and play in Modo, and he won't return to the NHL this year," Gillis said Monday.

Canucks star goaltender Roberto Luongo returned to the roster for Vancouver's game Tuesday against the Blues after missing two weeks with a broken rib. Luongo could make his first start since the injury on Thursday in Detroit. Luongo was injured when a sharp-angle shot hit a seam in his chest protector during a game Oct. 24 against Toronto. He finished that game and posted a shutout against Edmonton the following night before the pain in his rib cage flared up during a loss to Detroit on Oct. 27. Backup Andrew Raycroft was 4-1-0 during Luongo's absence.

Moves Baseball ANGELS -- Activated C Mike Napoli from 15-day DL. Optioned P Ervin Santana to Triple-A Salt Lake. BRAVES -- Activated P John Smoltz from 15-day DL. Optioned P Joey Devine to Triple-A Richmond. Agreed to terms with IF Julio Franco. DODGERS -- Recalled P Roberto Hernandez from Triple-A Las Vegas. Optioned IF Tony Abreu to Las Vegas. Basketball BULLS -- Re-signed F Andres Nocioni to multi-year extension. Signed F Joe Smith (Maryland). SPURS -- Re-signed F Fabricio Oberto.

If the NHL decides to open the 2005-06 season with replacement players, two of its Canadian teams most likely wouldn't be able to play any home games. Provincial labor laws in Quebec and British Columbia prohibit companies from hiring replacements to fill in for striking or locked-out workers. That means the NHL's most storied franchise, the Montreal Canadiens, and the Vancouver Canucks at the very least could not play games at their home arenas. Labor laws in Ontario and Alberta, the homes to the four other Canadian franchises, are similar to those in the United States.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Roberto Luongo put on his hoodie and his headphones and went for a walk along Vancouver's scenic seawall Friday afternoon. He had been thumped in Boston, chased from the net, subjected again to criticism that he's not a big-game goalie despite his gold-medal triumph for Canada at the Vancouver Olympics. To lose again would have put a huge burden on his shoulders and those of his teammates. "Sometimes I need to clear my head and put things in perspective," he said of his solitary walk after the team's pregame meal.

LANDOVER -- The Washington Capitals used two third-period goals by Peter Bondra to overcome a 2-1 deficit and go on to beat the Vancouver Canucks, 3-2, last night at USAir Arena.The victory keeps the Capitals' winning streak alive at four games. And now, three weeks after starting 0-6, Washington is 7-7, .500 for the first time this season and one of the hottest teams in the NHL."We all had a bad start and now we're all playing good," said Bondra, who collected his fifth and sixth goals of the season.

HARTFORD, Conn. - With calls for the NHL to curtail rough play, the league reacted yesterday to its latest violent incident. The league suspended Vancouver Canucks forward Todd Bertuzzi for the rest of the season, including the playoffs, for hitting Colorado Avalanche forward Steve Moore on Monday night. Moore's neck was broken and he suffered a concussion when Bertuzzi, a two-time All-Star who outweighs Moore by 30 pounds, punched him from behind, slamming him head-first to the ice. Moore remains hospitalized with face cuts and two cracked vertebrae.