I pay close attention to the Canucks. I watch their games, I blog about them on occasion and I co-host a podcast where we talk about the team, weekly. Another thing I pay attention to is the guys themselves. Yeah, yeah I’m not a puck bunny but I am female and these boys are in the spotlight. I’ve blogged about Bieksa resembling Nick Lachey [Miss604] and there are a few more comparisons I could probably come up with but this time, it has to do with smiles. Zanstorm had a post about Marcus Naslund recently, sharing a concern I’ve had for some time.

Even after Markus Naslund scored a beauty goal last night, there was not a smile on his face as his teammates congratulated him. Has Naslund lost his smile? Why? Isn’t he enjoying the team’s success? Is he just ‘all business’ on the ice?[Zanstorm]

Photo credit: uncleweed on Flickr

Now, I’ve noticed this more with Trevor Linden, but really the dude had a lot on his mind in the last while. His performance on the ice, being President of the NHLPA up until this year, the law suit that was launched against him because of that role, etc. But does all the weight on your shoulders make you lose your smile?

I’d say someone like Luongo should be feeling the most pressure right now, but he’s always willing to flash a well-deserved and confident grin. What are some of the most memorable Canucks smiles?

Brendan Morrison’s smile is pretty notable but that’s mostly due to him being our overtime saviour (that, and he’s missing a few chicklets). His crooked, gummy expression is up there along with the likes of Matt Cooke and even Dave Babych - well Babych’s smile is memorable cause of the mustache. As for actually physically expressing the joy you feel after scoring a goal, Kesler’s got that weird glove twirl, but I think Dave mentioned it on a recent episode of the podcast - the Tiger Williams riding the stick down the ice thing Yeaahhhhh!

So what’s with all the pouty faces? I don’t think it’s too much to ask, say Cheese! We like to see our guys happy, celebrating goals and the success we’ve all enjoyed this season. I also can’t mention Canuck smiles without giving a shout out to Marc Chouinard. I’ve experienced his smile in person [Flickr] and after scoring his second of the year (after being called out on our podcast the other night) he has a reason to be smiling a little more lately.

At the second intermission watching the Canucks vs Flames on Hockey Night in Canada I’d love to have another reason to smile tonight.