Ask it to Bulis is a semi-regular feature wherein casual readers and hardcore Bulies alike can submit their questions and get an answer from some guy who knows some things and doesn鈥檛 know a whole bunch of other things.
听
which bear is best
鈥� Patrick Johnston (@risingaction)
听
.
听
What are your expectations for this year, and is the low bar for hope a good thing for Travis Green?
鈥� somebody (@Steve_May)
听
I have extremely low expectations for the coming season, but the second half of this question intrigues me most. Is it better for Travis Green as a rookie head coach in the NHL to have low expectations?
In one sense, yes. He鈥檚 unlikely to lose his job if the Canucks post a losing record over the next couple seasons and he鈥檒l have quite a bit of leeway in his lineup decisions in the name of 鈥渄evelopment.鈥� Fans will likely be patient as he and the team progress and any level of success, no matter how small, will earn Green some kudos.
On the other hand, when the Canucks are moving into the next phase of their rebuild and are looking to compete for a playoff spot, Green could very quickly find his head on the chopping block. Head coaches tend not to last very long in the NHL At that point, will a losing record with a bad team stain his reputation as he looks for further NHL opportunities? Will other teams be willing to take a chance on Green as a head coach if he flames out with the Canucks?
听
What was your premier Jan Bulis moment?
鈥� Jawn Jang (@jawnjang)
听
I have strong opinions about this question!
There are essentially three key moments in Jan Bulis鈥檚 career as a Canuck. There was his legitimately brilliant assist on the . There was the time he , leading to Tom Larscheid calling him a 鈥渄umb hockey player.鈥�
But my favourite Jan Bulis moment is also one of my favourite Canucks moments ever. It was Jack Johnson鈥檚 first NHL game with the Los Angeles Kings. He was the third overall pick in 2005 and was coming off a stellar sophomore season at the University of Michigan; he was brimming with the unearned confidence of youth.
The 20-year-old came flying through the neutral zone, rushing the puck like he probably did a dozen times per game in college hockey. He came up on Bulis, head-faked towards the middle of the ice and tried to beat him wide.
And Jan Bulis laid him out.
It was the most pure and perfect open-ice hip-check I have ever seen. It was a work of art that sent Johnson flying tuchus over teakettle. It was the ideal 鈥淲elcome to the NHL鈥� moment for Johnson, who needed to realize that he wasn鈥檛 going to be able to rush the puck up the ice that easily in the big leagues.
听
When do you think we will see Daniel will join in the 1000 points club?
鈥� Sarah Laug (@nucksaid)
听
Barring a catastrophe, Daniel Sedin will join his brother in the 1000-point club this coming season. He鈥檚 just 14 points away from the milestone, which means the Canucks and practice their handshakes.
It took Daniel 23 games last season to put up 14 points, hitting that mark on November 29th in a home game against the Minnesota Wild. If it takes him another 23 games this coming season to reach 14 points, his 1000th career point will come in New Jersey against Cory Schneider and the Devils.
While it would be better for Daniel to reach 1000 points at home where he can receive an ovation from the hometown crowd, there would be a certain poetry in Daniel scoring his 1000th point against Schneider after Henrik scored his 1000th point against Roberto Luongo.
听
Love the PITB output this offseason, but have noticed only one name in byline. Have all the other contributors melted in the heatwave?
鈥� Zach Abbott (@zkabbott)
听
You have a keen eye, or perhaps a myopic eye with some sort of ocular device positioned in front of it. A lens, perhaps, that would focus the light reflecting off objects to a more precise part of your retina.
At this time, Pass it to Bulis is a one-man show. Harrison Mooney is now a reporter with Postmedia, with his work regularly appearing in The Province and 麻豆传媒映画Sun. His replacement this past season, the inimitable Will Graham, discovered that writing a hockey blog on top of a full-time job is immensely more stressful than he realized it would be and burnt out.
On the plus side, I am now writing about the Canucks as a full-time job. That鈥檚 right: I am now a full-time Canucks reporter/blogger. Hence the increase in content this summer, as well as the coverage of training camp and the interviews of prospects, players, and staff.
For the past seven years, I鈥檝e been writing Pass it to Bulis part-time on top of working full-time at other jobs or taking care of my kids as a stay-at-home dad. That has limited the amount of time I can devote to the blog and, in particular, the amount of creative energy I can pour into improving it and making it better.
But now this is my full-time job and it鈥檚 my goal to make PITB the go-to place for Canucks coverage, whether it鈥檚 interviews and reporting, analysis and analytics, or humour and silliness. Once the season gets closer, I鈥檓 aiming to produce even more must-consume content, including a return of the Pass it to Bulis Podcast on a regular basis.
听
