The Copper & Blue, an Edmonton Oilers community

Pre-game Nov. 24... also known as "Fuck You Jeff Brown Night"

An eclectic quintet of ex-Cats dot TSN's All-Time 'Nucks squad of 20 players over the past forty seasons.

From an adult's perspective the game was a bit of a disappointment. It's not easy drawing great Canucks Alumni talent up to the cold white north. The biggest names to play here on Saturday night were Kirk McLean, Blair MacDonald, Gary Nylund, Gary Monahan and former Canucks captain Chris Oddleifson. Most disappointingly, Kirk McLean (pictured) did not play in goal and does not do so in these alumni games. I am not sure why that is. He played on defence instead, and his lack of skating skill was quite apparent (sorry Kirk). It would have been great to see Greg Adams or Tiger Williams show up, but that is easier said than done. There is plenty of politics involved in order for that to happen. The game itself was great from an entertainment standpoint. The Canucks beat up on the C.O. team 11-7 and could have run up the scoreboard. The natural talent of these guys was very apparent. Gary Nylund may be 45 years old, but he still has a great effortless stride. He was the biggest standout. He also played competitively right up to the end. You could see that fire in his eyes still. I know the kids had a great time though. Many lined up to get an autograph from Captain Kirk. Many were not even born yet when Kirk retired. The legend lives on. Wayne VanDorp scored a shootout goal with a beach ball. Hilarious. Proceeds from the event went to BC Children's Hospital and Kidsport. For some great images of the event, check out Aspect Arts, a great photography site run by my twin sister Lisa Novakowski. The McLean image in this post is hers as well.