Tag Archives: Ballard

Changes not enough for Ballard; Blueliner has reined in the risk aspect of his game, but is still overlooked

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>Keith Ballard is taking some ribbing over his lack of experience.
Jason Botchford The Province Keith Ballard can never quite catch a break. He was benched in St. Louis Thursday, in a game the Canucks defence surrendered the puck so frequently, it would have been easy for him to look good. Even on a bad day. Compounding it, Alex Sulzer, the surprise starter, blocked a shot with his jaw and kept on playing. In the post-game analysis, head coach Alain Vigneault gave Sulzer a little love, underscoring the harsh reality that faces Ballard. As a Canuck, he has never played better than he has since November. That's by Ballard's account, and his coach's. In 17 games, he was a plus-5 with five points. He has consciously dimmed some of the "flash" in his game, trying to provide Vigneault with what he wanted. That's less puck carrying, fewer risks and more dull. But after Sami Salo suffered a concussion on that low-bridge Brad Marchand cheap shot, surprisingly - or not - Ballard was benched, passed yet...
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There’s no place like home as Ballard recalls rich Minnesota hockey history

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>Keith Ballard remembers the holiday's ‘organized chaos.'
Ben Kuzma The Province ST. PAUL, Minn. - The family fishing lodge in northern Minnesota is in seasonal transition and the symbolism is not lost on anybody who has watched Keith Ballard try to transition back to being an every-game NHL player. It's a hot topic after the debacle of last season that included summer hip surgery, concussion and knee ailments and enough indifference in Ballard's play to force Alain Vigneault to resort to roster options. And to hear the Vancouver Canucks coach pump the tires of newcomer Alexander Sulzer and sound like he's rolling out the welcome mat for a healthier Aaron Rome, it's never going to be an easy existence for Ballard. Not when you're a team worst minus-9 after a dozen games with replacements waiting in the wings. However, Ballard is wired differently. He masks disappointment with determination to make the next game better than the last and has never lost perspective or his sense of humour. And as...
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Ballard hesitant due to hip; New defenceman still working out the kinks

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Vancouver Canucks v Los Angeles Kings
Gordon McIntyre The Province If you Google Keith Ballard and hip, you'll come across dozens of stories and YouTube clips of the defenceman sending opponents head over heels -- and often having to drop his gloves immediately afterward. What you don't find are stories about hip surgery he had in May in Vail, Colo., a procedure that required two months of putting no weight on the joint, a procedure that might explain the poor preseason Ballard's undergoing. "It hasn't been very good," Ballard said Monday when asked to sum up his camp so far. "In the two exhibition games I've played I feel a little rusty, I'm just a bit hesitant with the decision-making. "You have to get to a point where everything you're doing is automatic, where you're making the reads and you're comfortable with the guys you're out there with, with the system here, all that stuff. "That takes time, that's why we have the preseason and play these exhibition games." In Sunday's...
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Ballard’s a good pickup, but bring the earplugs

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Vancouver Canucks v Anaheim Ducks
Tony Gallagher The Province Defencemen the calibre of Keith Ballard don't come on the trade market very often so the Vancouver Canucks were certainly fortunate this offseason to have such a player available. It's hard to know for sure why this came about but certainly one of the contributing factors may have been the screaming match, or matches, he had with Florida coach Peter DeBoer during their closed-door meetings that became so bellicose last year. The Panther players are quick to let everyone know, of course, because DeBoer is extremely unpopular with most of the Florida players because he largely treats them like juniors. This year, he's expected to modify that approach significantly, given he has a new general manager in Dale Tallon at the helm, and as most coaches know, when the GM that hired you is gone, you're sometimes not on such solid ground. But as the story goes, Ballard was one of the guys who decided he'd taken enough and wasn't...
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