Ah ha! Game 5 versus the Ducks might have been very different had Luongo been at 100%. The very strange "equipment problem" that prevented Luongo from starting in net in overtime was in fact not an equipment problem at all (as Kelly Hrudey insisted was the case)...

VANCOUVER (CP) - Goaltender Roberto Luongo still won't say why he was late returning for the first overtime period of Vancouver's loss to the Anaheim Ducks Thursday night that eliminated the Canucks from the NHL playoffs.

''It was not an equipment problem,'' Luongo said Sunday as the Canucks cleaned out their lockers. ''Let's leave it like that.''

''It was an illness and nothing serious.''

Luongo didn't answer when a reporter asked if the delay was caused because he was forced to use the bathroom (see Luongo won't say why he was late in OT (TSN)).

Many have postulated that whatever the "illness" Luongo had to go on intervenus support between the periods. And there was a real possibility that Sabourin would have had to finish the game.

Ah ha! Game 5 versus the Ducks might have been very different had Luongo been at 100%. The very strange "equipment problem" that prevented Luongo from starting in net in overtime was in fact not an equipment problem at all (as Kelly Hrudey insisted was the case)...

VANCOUVER (CP) - Goaltender Roberto Luongo still won't say why he was late returning for the first overtime period of Vancouver's loss to the Anaheim Ducks Thursday night that eliminated the Canucks from the NHL playoffs.

''It was not an equipment problem,'' Luongo said Sunday as the Canucks cleaned out their lockers. ''Let's leave it like that.''

''It was an illness and nothing serious.''

Luongo didn't answer when a reporter asked if the delay was caused because he was forced to use the bathroom (see Luongo won't say why he was late in OT (TSN)).

Many have postulated that whatever the "illness" Luongo had to go on intervenus support between the periods. And there was a real possibility that Sabourin would have had to finish the game.

There was some speculation that Markus Naslund might have been hurt and was playing hurt during the season. Ditto for Brendan Morrison. But apparently not....

VANCOUVER (CP) - Captain Markus Naslund promised Sunday he will play better for the Vancouver Canucks next season.

Naslund struggled through his worst NHL season as a Canuck in a year where goaltender Roberto Luongo became the face of the team and Daniel and Henrik Sedin finally made good on the promise of their potential.

There were many nights Naslund, 33, looked like a passenger on a train driven by Luongo, fuelled by the scoring of the Swedish twins, and kept on the rails by the Canucks commitment to tight defence.

''I know I can play better,'' Naslund said as the Canucks cleaned out their lockers and said goodbye for the summer. ''It wasn't a lack of effort, I wanted to do well. It just wasn't there.''

''I know I can do better, that's the bottom line. I'm proud of what I do. I want to show I can still perform. I'm going to come back and prove that I can play better.''
(See Naslund promises to be better next year - TSN)