Whether assessing a Tim Thomas snub of President Barack Obama, or put-ting his plight with the Vancouver Canucks into the proper perspective, Cory Schneider has always found an articulate means to rationalize decisions made on and off the ice.

When told by coach Alain Vigneault before the NHL all-star break to pre-pare for a start Tuesday night against the Chicago Blackhawks - his first since Jan. 10 - the backup goaltender took it as a vote of confidence. Rather than reading anything into the notion that Roberto Luongo is being protected against teams he has struggled against, Schneider sees a different scenario unfolding.

"I just read into it that coach trusts both of us," he said. "He has faith to play me in these games and the confidence that I can win them. To me, it helps a lot and to get used to playing against teams like this. It's very important or what's the point of having two guys that you want to get in the net?

"If they didn't believe or trust me, they would just play Lou the rest of the way and every game in the play-offs. We have all the faith in Lou, but if he looks like he's running out of gas or needs a mental break, that's the benefit of having two guys. Traditional logic says you go with one guy throughout the playoffs, but having an option is always a good thing. They may use me at some point in that capacity, so I have to be ready."

The optics also suggest something else may be in play. The Canucks are either prepping Schneider for a more prominent post-season role or showcasing the restricted free agent who could command a hand-some return in an offseason trade. And depending on what you want to focus upon, any argument seems to have some merit.

After all, amid the hoopla of the Stanley Cup finalists clashing once again, Schneider got the Jan. 7 start and the win in Boston. Three nights later in Tampa Bay in a back-to-back situation for the energy-zapped Canucks, he was on display again against a team in dire need of goaltending help and backstopped a shootout victory. On Tuesday, Schneider beat the Blackhawks, who opened a nine-game road trip with captain Jonathan Toews and winger Patrick Sharp - who have combined for 47 goals - returning from wrist injuries. In a 5-1 loss to the Blackhawks on Nov. 16 at the Rog, Schneider learned the hard way that elite teams find ways to bounce back. Especially after the Canucks hammered the Hawks 6-2 on Nov. 6 in Chicago.

"They don't really waste opportunities and they don't waste a lot of shots," recalled Schneider, who had sports a 11-5-0 record, 2.28 GAA and .928 save percentage.

"They get into good scoring areas and if they don't have a good look, they'll make that extra pass and try to create a better opportunity. I remember a couple of times, I thought I had a read on it and they slid it back and made that extra play and had a look at an open net. You have to be patient and you can't cheat on any of them."

Luongo is the first to trumpet that his crease companion can do the job when called upon. With wins this season over contenders like San Jose and Boston, Schneider is getting a taste of the competition he could face in the postseason, if the Canucks are prepared to go the two-goalie route in the playoffs.

"That's a judgment call," Luongo said. "Playoffs are a bit of a different ball game because you're facing a team every night and you kind of want to get a rhythm going. But at the end of the day, it's about winning and whatever it takes to win. I don't think there's a set pattern. You want to go with the hot hand and I don't think there's a specific pattern or schedule. Especially in the play-offs, you play it as you go and it's all about the team first and getting there again."

Vigneault acknowledges that Schneider provides the luxury of ensuring Luongo is fresh for the stretch drive and the playoffs.

"Roberto has played in all the pres-sure situations a goaltender can play in," said Vigneault. "He understands. For us, Cory is a real young guy who has a tremendous amount of potential and it's important for him to play some games like this. That's part of our reasoning."

The other part will play out in the postseason.

CAN'T GET ENOUGH CANUCKS? THERE'S MORE ONLINE

If you can't get enough of Tuesday night's Canucks-Blackhawks tilt, head to our White Towel blog at thewhitetowel.ca, where Province Sports' Jim Jamieson has lots to say about how things went down. This should also be a popular day for the Legion of Blog at provincesports.com/blogs, as our guys dissect the game - from J. Bowman's "Last Night's 4th Star" to Wyatt Arndt's "The Rock Reviews Canucks-Blackhawks." Plus, our numbers man, Cam Charron, will provide an advanced statistics recap of the game.

Meanwhile, Paul Chapman's chosen theme for this week's podcasts - the wide world of entertainment - continues. On Monday, he and Jonathan McDonald discussed music. On Tuesday, they talked about the TV shows they once watched (not surprisingly, McDonald revered The Greatest American Hero) and the ones they still watch (Dexter, Walking Dead, Justified, Storage Wars). Today they'll move on to movies, and you can catch all the Province Sports pod-casts on iTunes or at theprovince.net/podcast. (And yes, they do talk sports. Lots of Canucks-Blackhawks chatter, plus some talk about Chad Ochocinco's predicament as a member of the New England Patriots.)

Remember when the Grizzlies signed forward Othella Harrington? He made his distaste - and ignorance - for Vancouver known quickly. His first trip to our sunny shores, he showed up . in a fur coat. In mid-June.

Well, fast-forward 12 years, and Philadelphia Union forward Sebastian Le Toux took to Twitter lamenting the low-point of his career after finding out he'd been traded to Vancouver. Both Harrington and Le Toux figure prominently in our gallery of athletes who've made their hate for our fair city known. Head to theprovince.com and click on photo galleries.