Thank heavens that atrocious road trip from hell is over. With the Canuck’s final stop in Pittsburgh today to take on Sidney Crosby and Evegin Malkin, no one expected the team to win. Not because the Canucks did not match up against the Penguins, but due to fatigue.

Well, the Canucks showed their fans that it takes more than the stupid NHL scheduling to break this team’s spirits as the Vancouver Canucks froze the Pittsburgh Penguins in their tracks 3-1 in Pittsburgh this afternoon.

The Sedin twins had a great afternoon where Daniel Sedin had a goal and two assists, Henrik Sedin had three assists and Pavol Demitra had two goals. That line combined for 8 points today. Absolutlely awsome.

What was more impressive is how they played their game when Captain Roberto Luongo was injured in the first period. When Curtis Sanford entered the game, the Canucks carried on with their game plan. They played a defensive style game where they shut down the high flying Penguins and had opportunities open up for them on which they capitalized. There was a 10 to 12 minute stretch in the second period where the Penguins did not register a shot on Sanford. This is the sign of a team that believes in one another and is not relying on one person to make a difference. They all contributed to make a difference. The team celebration at the end of the game showed this best.

They completed the road trip 3-0-1 where most were hoping they would achieve the 500 mark. This is truly aremarkable accomplishment by the team. All Canuck fans should be very proud of them. But in reality, no team should have gone through this type of road trip. Check out the map posted below and follow the order of the games keeping time zones in mind and the dates (map image from Google search).

The NHL really needs to help ALL 30 TEAMS have a fair travel schedule through the season. For example, if the New York Rangers had to travel to Calgary, then Edmonton, then perhaps to Toronto to play the next night and then travel back towards Vancouver before returning home, believe me, this would not happen again in the future or it would be corrected before the schedule comes out.

Honestly, my opinon is that Luongo’s injury is influenced by this road trip. Not only is this the last game on the trip, but it was an early game. Everyone has a morning routine they go through before they start their day. If anything disturbs your routine before you go work, to school or church it can throw your day off, or in this case Luongo’s timing.

Let’s just hope that the lower body injury they are reporting is not serious and that Luongo will back in the lineup soon.

This road trip was a success, but with all forms of success, there are usually some pitfalls, and in this case, our captain ended up injured. I hope the Canucks discuss this road trip with the NHL and try to ensure that a road trip like this does not happen again in the future.

Next Game: Vancouver Canucks versus the Detroit Red Wings on Monday November 24 2008