Murphy’s Mailbag: Which Canuck would you want to quarantine with?

March 20, 2020, 12:41 PM

Hey folks!

Hope everyone is doing the best possible during these challenging times. Just remember, wash your hands, spend quality time with family, and Quinn Hughes definitely would have won the Calder. So until hockey picks up again, here is the latest mailbag.

I would like to be quarantined with Chris Tanev. He cooks. He has a dog. He’s quiet.

I start everyday at Petey 4. By late morning it’s 9. I hit 11 when my daughter wants to watch Boss Baby again! Late afternoon I roll into 1 when the pressure washer runs out of gas. Then it’s 14 followed by 6 when I realize there are zero sports to watch on TV.

It was pretty early in my career when Alex Mogilny was around. I always found him challenging. I don’t think he was cold or didn’t like me — it’s just he wanted you to work for your answers. If Ryan Kesler was in a bad mood (was he ever not?) it was like drawing blood from a stone. Todd Bertuzzi could be a grump, too, but then he would usually laugh about it after the camera turned off. I didn’t know what to think the first few times I interview Mikael Samuelsson, but he turned out to be one of of my faves (although it seemed awkward at times).

My favourite NBA executive is Al Whitley. But there was never a doubt about that. I was a Sonics fan as a kid, but that didn’t work out too well when they bolted to OKC. My allegiance to the Dallas Mavericks started with Steve Nash, continued with Dirk and I don’t see any reason to bolt now that the Unicorn and Doncic are there.

Murph’s note: That’s Dirk Nowitzki in the middle and my friend Rory on the left.

I’m not sure who the best is at self quarantine, but I’m guessing Jake is the worst. Just kidding Jake (kind of). As for Peach, she’s great. She loves having all of the humans home 24/7. There are constant walks and lots of treats. Here she is watching Smallfoot with my daughter. She gets zoned in on the TV sometimes. On an unrelated note, of all the “kids” movies we’ve watched (Smallfoot, Despicable Me 3, The Lorax, Boss Baby among them) The Greatest Showman has been my favourite.

All Time: Bieksa, O’Brien, Burrows, Schneider
Current: Stecher, Miller
Underrated: Vanek, Bergevin, Salo

You may not believe this, but I don’t really collect any memorabilia at all. I have one thing that I’ll never get rid of which is a signed Rick Rypien photo. The weirdest is a St. Louis Cardinals hat signed by Mark McGwire. I have a Jason Strudwick Blackhawks jersey, a Ruutu baby blue Penguins jersey and a black Penguins Glass jersey. Maybe I should make more of an effort to get some things signed, but it’s never been a priority for me.

Neither frankly. Especially Shoebill Storks. Those things are dinosaurs. But If I had to choose, then one Lack-sized stork. I just like those odds better. I texted Eddie, and as you can see he tried to manipulate things. Just like he manipulated Luongo’s exit out of Vancouver!!

First off, I’m not a wine snob. Don’t get me wrong, I love good wines but I can enjoy inexpensive ones as well. That said, I lean towards Italian wines. Barolos and Brunellos. I will say the best wine I can remember having was at an event in Whistler. Penfold’s Grange.

First off, can we just marvel how great Gaunce’s profile photo is? Amazing. We have a magnum of Caymus in the cellar. That’s my pick.

2003. That version of the Canucks should never have lost to the Wild. And I’m not just laying the series on Dan Cloutier either.

Also the story about Bertuzzi telling Wild fans not to buy tickets for Game 6 is way overblown. I was right there and Bertuzzi was just returning a chirp. Everyone was chuckling at the back and forth.

I’ve wondered about this. I think the only way the Canucks get out from under Eriksson’s contract is after July 1 (when he’s owed a $3 million bonus). At that time the Canucks will owe him $5 million total (salary and bonus) for the final two seasons. Either you find a taker who needs to add AAV to get to the floor (without owing the same amount of salary) or you tell Louis that he has zero chance of playing in Vancouver the final two seasons. He can ride the bus in Utica or retire. Harsh? Yes. But the Canucks are already in a cap crunch — and that’s not even factoring in how this pandemic may affect the salary cap for next season and beyond.

I’m not a watch guy at all. In fact I’ve never been a guy to wear any jewellery or accessories. The last watch I bought? In the early-2000s I saw a Swatch store in San Francisco. It brought back some ’80s memories for sure. Although the design was a lot different as you can see. I’m not sure I wore it more than 3-4 times. Solid purchase.

I hope Adam Gaudette is coming back! However, I realize that you’re asking about Nikita Tryamkin. I think both sides would be open to it, but I’m guessing the two camps don’t feel the same way about possible re-entry, so to speak. Would Tryamkin take a two-way contract? Would Tryamkin agree to put time in with the Comets? I have my doubts. I could be wrong though. We have a romantic vision of the big Russian, too. Those two seasons were so bad and he was someone who fans were really getting behind. A much-needed light to distract us from a dark time. Let’s put it this way – he needs to prove that he is an NHL defenceman. That question has not been answered yet.

I’ll just go with the most recent one. When Brendan Dillon’s name was out there before he got traded to the Capitals, I sent him an article which suggested he might be a good deadline pickup for the Canucks. He replied, “That would be a dream come true.” With that said, Dillon absolutely has loved his time with the Capitals so far.

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