“Second-round picks were the flavour of the month and they went for players that are short-term players either to teams to recover from injuries or try to get into the playoffs.” – Canucks GM Mike Gillis

A large greying man in a Kevin Bieksa jersey watched Monday’s practice, but the Canuck defenceman — Bieksa, not the large greying man — scoffed when asked if it was his dad. Unlike Al Bieksa, the spectator did not have a pony tail.

“Big Al will never cut off his ponytail,” Bieksa said. “My dad’s in the Northwest Territories for work. He watched Saturday’s game [a 3-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs] at a bar in Yellowknife. It was a total Canucks bar, Vancouver jerseys everywhere. But there was one Flames’ fan running his mouth.

“I said: ‘I hear you almost got beat up by a Flames’ fan.’ He said: ‘Yeah, that will be the day.’ My dad’s been in a few extra-curricular activities.”

HISTORIC SWEEP: A win tonight will cap the Canucks’ cross-Canada tour at 4-0. They went 5-0 on a single trip in January, 1992, but have never swept a four-game road trip.