By Ajay Baines

  I love Corey Schneider as a goalie, but that is not what this is about.  This is about the media in Vancouver and Canucks fans.  The same fans that probably cost this team the Stanley Cup last year.

  All I hear about everyday in the paper, on the radio, and even when I am at the games, is how bad Loungo is and what a joke he is.  I'll admit, I am a Lou supporter, heck, I'm East Indian, and all of us East Indians love Lou.  That's just the way we are.  In saying that, I'll be the first to admit, Lou has to be better.  He makes it tough to defend him, no doubt about that.  And his comments after Game 5 vs Boston really pissed me off.  He should of just shut his mouth and kept playing.  Hockey is an emotional game, and Lou will be the first one to tell you, he shouldn't of said what he said.  

  Looking back on the last 20 years of Canucks hockey, everyone knows how tough it is to play goal in this city.  Captain Kirk McLean, who was one of my hero's growing up, did it all and heard it all in this market as well.  McLean led the Canucks to back to back division titles in 1992 and 1993.  He then led them to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals in 1994.  What a goalie he was.  From 1994 to 2006, guess how many division titles the Canucks won? One.  You hear that?  One.  2003 was the year.  1 title in 12 long years.  And we had some good teams, I think good enough that we should have had a few more at least.  So in the summer of 2006, Bobby Lou comes over in a trade from Florida.  He has been a Canuck for five years, and guess how many division titles the team has won, in the so-called toughest conference in the world?  4.  That's right 4 in 5 years.  Not too bad eh?  But it's never good enough for this city. 

  Even when Lou won game 7 vs Chicago, the defending champs, with probably the most pressure I've seen put on one individual player in all my life watching hockey, he held the high flying Hawks to one goal in the deciding game, and even made a series saver on Patrick Sharp, while killing a penalty in the extra frame.  In the conference finals, all we I hear is how we beat the Sharks in 5 games.  Remember what happened in the 5th game?  I believe the injury-riddled Sharks fired 55 shots at Lou, and we win 2-1 in double overtime.  No one cares, no one gives a shit.  Ya, I know Lou had a rough go in Boston in the Finals, there is no hiding that.  We scored 8 goals in 7 games.  8 goals in 7 games.  Lou pitched 2 shutouts, games 1 and 5, and was key in the game 2 victory.  But it's all Lou's fault.  Embarrassing.  The Canucks lost 4-0 to Rangers last week, and the heading of the Province Sports section was "Deja Lou."  The media calling out the goalie, when the team gets shut-out.  I'd love to sit down with some of these writers sometime.  But hey, that's what sells, so they will continue to write about their OWN hockey team this way.  Even more embarrassing. 

  A couple years ago, Carey Price was getting booed in Montreal.  Bob Gainey called out the media and the fans and stuck up for his young goalie.  I saw Vigneault tonight sticking up for Lou, by educating people with some of Lou's stats over the past few years prior to the game tonight. I appreciated that.  Mike Gillis has done a wonderful job with this team the last few years, and I have the utmost respect for him.  But it wouldn't hurt for someone to say something to the media, or the fans, publicly and stick up for Lou. He is part of the team, and sometimes you need to stick your neck out there to defend someone.  It might piss some people off, but hey, it's for the right reasons.  I hope this thing can end positively, but as of right now, this is a very poisonous and toxic environment for any hockey team.