By David Hollinshead

Te Canucks lost their best

faceoff man in Manny Malhotra
Wednesday during a game against
the Colorado Avalanche when a puck
ricocheted off a stick and hit his eye,

an injury which has already required a
surgical procedure, Malhotra, who does
not wear a visor, saw a specialist on
Thursday.

“T couldn’t speculate until the
specialist sees him and more tests are
done,” Canucks head coach Vigneault said
when asked if there was any indication
on how long Malhotra will be out of the
line-up.

The Canucks were the first team to
clinch a playoff spot with the win, and
are used to filling holes in the line-up
left by injuries. They have used a league
leading 39 players this year, but filling
the shoes of Malhotra may be a bit more
challenging. The third line center, who
is second among all faceoff men in the
league with a sparkling 61.7 winning
percentage, plays on the penalty kill
and shares time on the second power
play unit. He’s scored 11 goals with 30
points this year after being signed this
off season, but defenseman Kevin Bieksa

18

 

says more of Malhotra than that.

“He’s a lot more valuable,” Bieksa
said of the Toronto native, “You could
even call him our most valuable player for
the season.

“He’s a leader in the dressing room
and off the ice. He’s a voice on the bench,
does a lot of things right but first and
foremost we just hope he’s OK.”

Malhotra has won 778 faceoff’s this
season, including 145 while the Canucks
were on the penalty kill, easily killing
25 seconds of the opponents power play
allotment, which has helped the Canucks
in forging the best penalty kill record in
the league with a 28.8 killing percentage.

Vigneault said he expects his players
to be able to step it up to fill the shoes

~ of the Toronto native just as they did

when the defence corps was riddled with
injuries. Henrik Sedin will most likely see
more time in the circle and trade deadline
pickup Chris Higgins is being promoted
to the second line to take place of winger
Mason Raymond , who will try his hand
at center on the fourth unit, moving Max
Lapierre up to the third line between Raffi
Torres and Jannik Hanson, Winger Viktor
Oreskovich has been called up from the
Manitoba Moose to fill the final wing slot
on the fourth line.

 

Whitecaps sign four players

By Josh Martin, Sports Editor

ast Thursday the Vancouver

Whitecaps FC prepared themselves

for their big debut against Toronto
FC with last minute touch-ups by signing
midfielders Russell Teibert and Alexandre
Morfaw, striker Camilo da Silva Sanvezzo
and centre :
back Michael
Boxall. The
four players
joined the rest
of the roster
right before the
season opener.

Teibert is
the youngest
of the bunch
at 18 years
of age. The
Niagara Falls,
Ontario native |
has represented [f
Canada at_
the youth
international
level and appeared at the 2009
CONCACAF U-17 Championship in
Tijuana, Mexico. The small framed,
5-foot-7, 145 pound winger is‘excited to
be playing in Vancouver.
“It’s a great feeling to be signed

by this great club. Vancouver is like a
hometown to me.” said Teibert. “The
Whitecaps have helped me grow as a

Russell Teibert

 

player since I arrived here in 2008, so it’s
exciting for me to break through to the
first team.”

Morfaw, the 23 year-old from Paris,
France, is beeoming a part of the MLS
Whitecaps after having initially joined

_the club on August 10, 2010. He spent a

couple of seasons with Sweden’s Bodens
Bandyklubb
prior to his stint
with the ‘Caps
and helped them
earn a promotion
to the third-tier
Division 1 Norra
for the 2010
season.

Boxall, from
New Zealand,
and Camilo,
from Brazil, both
at the age of 22,
join the team as
well. Camilo was
the top scorer in
both the Maltese
Premier League
(24 goals) and Maltese FA Trophy (six
goals) while Boxall joins the Whitecaps
after being the top pick in the 2011 MLS
Supplement Draft back on January 18.

It’s quite-an impressive range of players
from all over the world which brings a
very exciting time in the world of soccer
to Vancouver which I’m sure will leave no
one disappointed.

 

 

 

  

B.C. youth to a conference
in Vancouver from August 19-21, 2011

If you're aged 18-30, live in BC, and want to
learn about transportation, sustainability and
planning, apply to attend by January 31, 2011.

See translink.ca/ocyouthsummit for full details!

 

 

We're inviting

— all expenses paid!