Sports Have a story idea? Contact us at sports @theotherpress.ca @ By Josh Martin, Sports Editor ( “avec and New Year’s have come and gone and we're already heading into the great, yet short, month of February. Oh yes, February. Nothing like Valentine’s Day (for those of you who aren’t bitter towards the bitter-sweet holiday), reading break (I am particularly ecstatic that this year we have a full week off), the nervous and exciting (and extremely overrated, in my opinion) NHL trade deadline on February 27, and, of course, the 14 exciting Canuck matchups coming at you ina month of 29 days. What's that? You can’t watch all 14 games? You have a life? No worries. Luckily for you, here’s a list of a few games that might catch your fancy and will surely not disappoint you in the least when you’re looking for a good-old-fashioned-beer-in-hand- hockey-game to watch in your spare time. Canucks vs. Detroit Red Wings, Thursday February 2, 7 p.m. The battle between the top two teams in the Western Conference. Need I say more? The Detroit Red Wings hold V. 18 Za J , : oom nt m ¥ - the number one position with a 33-16-1 record and 67 points through 50 games while the Canucks are 30-15-4 with 64 points through 49 games. The season series is tied at one game apiece with the Red Wings 2-0 victory at the beginning of the season and the Canucks most recent 4—2 win on December 21. A definite player to look out for is Detroit’s superstar Pavel Datsyuk, who is ripping it up this year and leading his team with 14 goals and 39 assists—53 points in 49 games. He was recently picked first overall in the NHL All-Star draft last week by Team Chara, which is quite the compliment considering all of the talent in today’s league. Datsyuk, along with goaltender Jimmy Howard—who has been lights out so far this season with a dazzling 30-11-1 record, a .924 Save Percentage, and a 2.03 Goals Against Average—have been the bread and butter to the Red Wings’ success. This game is going to be a doozy! Canucks vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, Saturday February 18, 4 p-m. A Canadian rival matchup between the West Coast and the East Coast. The last time these teams met up was on December 17 in a pre-Christmas clash that resulted in a 5-3 Canucks victory. Mmm, such a sweet victory indeed. It’s probably one of my favourite sounds when I hear the Canucks score against the Leafs and when the buzzer goes in the final frame and the Leafs march off to their dressing rooms while Luongo is congratulated by all of his teammates for a solid win. It never gets old, especially when you have friends that have been Leafs fans their whole lives for some reason, even though they were born and raised in Vancouver. Anyway, this team is having a somewhat successful season considering that they haven’t made the playoffs for the past several years. The Leafs are in ninth position in the Eastern Conference with 55 points and a 25-19-5 record. They’re tied with the Florida Panthers and the New Jersey Devils, points wise, who are in the seventh and eighth position in the standings, respectively. Joffrey Lupul (20-32-52) and Phil Kessel (26-25-51) have been instrumental this season as the dynamic-duo for the Leafs and — SAOMUICKS CO MET Upcoming games to watch | eS \ “ / i ee as SSS have been leading the way on the number one line. It will be an exciting matchup to see the Sedins against Lupul and Kessel once again in a Hockey Night in Canada matchup on a Saturday night. Don’t miss it! Canucks vs. New Jersey Devils, Friday February 24, 4:00 p.m. It is almost a given to have to watch hockey if it’s a game between an Eastern Conference team and a Western Conference team... and the fact that this particular matchup involves your Vancouver Canucks just means that there is no excuse to miss it. Yes, the Devils are not the hottest team in the league right now, with a 26-19-3 record and 55 points, but they do have the likes of 39-year-old Martin Brodeur—who will no doubt be inducted into the Hall of Fame once he retires—and superstar Ilya Kovalchuk. The 40 points that ‘Kovy’ has put up this year don’t necessarily compliment the style of play that he possesses. This guy alone is a show on his own which makes this game a must see.