Vancouver sports fans have a few things to unwrap under the tree this year, indeed. The Vancouver Whitecaps, Canucks and Giants are all giving in the spirit of the season. To start, this is for you, ladies…
The Whitecaps signed a striker!
After a season of hand-wringing, hair-clutching and nervous joking, the Vancouver Whitecaps finally found someone to put fear into opposition goaltenders on a regular basis. Uruguay’s Octavio Rivero was announced this morning — that’s right, on Christmas morning — as officially signing with the blue and white. At just 22 years old, the man they call El Cabeza (“The Head”) is still developing, but his skill set is undeniable; he fits under one of the MLS young designated player rules, so just $200K will hit Vancouver’s salary cap.
Most recently, Rivero has excelled in the Chilean Primera Division, where he scored 10 goals in 16 matches. As well, he has played before with countryman Nicolas Mezquida — they suited up for Uruguay at a couple of U-17 events in 2009 — so no doubt he got some intel on Coach Robbo and the locker room prior to agreeing to the transfer.
The Caps don’t play till March, but we’ve got you covered: here’s El Golazo de la Cabeza — a beautiful goal by Octavio Rivero in Chilean Premier League action.
Whitecaps announcement
Vancouver Sun coverage
That’s Still Ugly — and darn, it’s beautiful
Last week we announced the 17th Initiative, which is a monthly project to teach my daughter Milla about the power of community service. January 17 is our target date for donating to Now That’s Ugly and the Children’s Wish Foundation — please consider giving just five bucks to the cause. Hashtags include #17thInitiative and #NowThatsUgly.
The Vancouver Giants are on a massive win streak
The Giants had a rough fall, but in December they gave fans seven straight wins. No team in the WHL went into Christmas with more than four straight victories, making the G-Men the hottest junior team in the west. The London Knights and the Moncton Wildcats have the longest active streaks in the Ontario and Quebec leagues, respectively — they have also won seven straight.
After Christmas, the Giants play Saturday in Everett before three straight home games at the Coliseum. Yes, they’ll be looking to continue Claude Noel’s undefeated streak behind the Vancouver bench. No, they won’t be wearing these awesome ugly Christmas sweaters.
The Canucks found their legs — with one exception
Rogers Arena was even more sombre than usual for a fortnight or so, as the Canucks had their longest winless drought of the season. Five games without a tick in the W column took some of the shine off an enjoyable campaign thus far, and especially worrisome was the team’s combined two goals scored in the previous nine periods of hockey.
So it was with Christmas-like cheer that we enjoyed two solid wins before the break, including a surprisingly entertaining overtime win against Calgary and a converted touchdown against the woeful Arizona Coyotes.
The only lump of coal at the moment, then? Jannik Hansen’s bizarre collapse after sustaining a bodycheck from Calgary’s Dennis Wideman. It was a clean hit, and Hansen skated off the ice unassisted as play continued; on the bench, however, he laboured for breath and briefly lost consciousness.
The team’s on-call doc examined him, and pronounced him Grade A Honey Badger, but it was recommended that he sit for a few days to ensure nothing bigger than being simply winded was afoot. I’m not a huge fan of Gary Bettman’s style, but we have to give kudos to the folks at the evil head office for mandating ER doctors be on hand for every NHL game after Rich Peverley’s heart issues last season.
Merry Christmas, everyone