Latest news with #VancouverCanucks'
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Adam Foote steps into Vancouver spotlight with championship mindset and deep belief in Canucks core
Adam Foote was officially introduced as the Vancouver Canucks' new head coach, bringing championship experience and a clear plan to revive the team's playoff hopes. Backed by GM Patrik Allvin, Foote is focused on developing talent like Elias Pettersson and strengthening the Canucks' defence to restore success in Vancouver Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads There was a buzz in the air Thursday morning, May 15, as Adam Foote took the podium for the first time as the Vancouver Canucks ' new head coach. Standing beside General Manager Patrik Allvin, Foote wasn't just another bench boss, he brought a championship aura and an unmistakable edge rooted in years of elite defensive spoke first, noting how swiftly the organization moved to find the right leader following Rick Tocchet's departure. After interviewing several candidates, the GM said it became clear that Foote was the right fit to guide the Canucks read: Unstoppable Artūrs Šilovs delivers another shutout as Abbotsford Canucks seize Game 1 win over Colorado 'I interviewed a couple of former head coaches, assistant coaches, up-and-coming coaches and the deeper we got into this process — Adam being one of them — I felt really comfortable that Adam was the choice to lead this franchise moving forward,' Allvin a Stanley Cup-winning defenceman with a gritty playing career behind him, is now tasked with returning playoff hockey to Vancouver. And he's embracing the opportunity to coach in a Canadian market where expectations and passion run high.'The way hockey is huge here, I understood that a long time ago,' Foote said. 'I always enjoyed playing here, and I love coaching here. This city wants to win, and it's nothing but what we all want to do, so it's very exciting times for me.'The new Canucks head coach also touched on his early relationship with team captain Quinn Hughes , saying they shared 'good laughs' during a Thursday morning conversation. Foote emphasized the importance of building a strong connection with players, especially stars like Elias Pettersson , who struggled this season.'Petey and I had some pretty good discussions this year. I really think he wants it,' Foote said. 'He's got a great group around him, supporting him and being a team for him, and I'm going to make sure that I have that conversation with him and we continue that relationship.'Also read: Jurors say they were mocked; know what led to the collapse of the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial As for his coaching staff, Foote and Allvin are still in discussions. They are open to bringing in fresh faces or experienced voices, with the priority being chemistry and fit.'The guy that we want is the best for our situation, and works well with me,' Foote said. 'In a perfect world, yeah, we want an experienced coach with us, that would be the ideal thing.'On the ice, Foote sees the Canucks' defensive depth as a major asset. He praised the team's young defencemen and believes their development is key to future playoff success. While known as a defensive specialist, Foote hinted that fans might be surprised by his offensive vision, something rooted in his days lighting up lacrosse the Sedins involved in player development and the front office aligned behind him, Foote believes the Vancouver Canucks have the foundation needed to compete.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ty Jerome dials from long distance
Canucks' Quinn Hughes Named Most Exciting Player For 2024-25 By The Fans Quinn Hughes has won the Vancouver Canucks' Pavel Bure Most Exciting Player Award for the 2024-25 season. With the win, Hughes becomes the first defenceman in franchise history to win the award. Hughes now joins some notable names like Elias Pettersson, Bo Horvat, Tony Tanti and Roberto Luongo, who have also won the award. 2:54 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Five burning Canucks questions to ponder post-season
The Vancouver Canucks' season is over. Players are meeting with the media on Saturday. Management will face the media sometime after that. Until they speak, here are five questions to keep your mind occupied. As everyone knows, the Canucks' head coach needs a new contract. The Canucks hold an option on his deal for next season, but it's hard to fathom him wanting to come back in such a situation. The Canucks are understood to have made him an offer on an extension but given his solid reputation around the league plus his 2024 Jack Adams award, he's got strong bargaining power, even in a league where there are only so many coaching openings. He's after a wage that he thinks is fair, but he's also surely interested in what the plan going forward is going to be. He and his bosses got a glimpse at some young players, players they hope will be part of the future. Did Tocchet like what he saw? Is there enough there? The Canucks' No. 1 centre had an awful season. It started badly and only got worse, save for a late-season surge before an injury ultimately ended his year. Management signed him to a massive contract believing he was a player to invest the team's future in. They must still think that was the correct decision, right? But what if they don't? Can they find a team to trade him to? Can they find a replacement for him to play big hard minutes? Replacing J.T. Miller is essential. Filip Chytil is a talented player but he's not an out-and-out No. 2. And there's forever going to be concussion worries around him. They need to find a guy who has the engine to be a dependable No. 2, night in, night out. Pius Suter is close to that guy, but did he show enough in his two seasons here for the Canucks to make a bet on him being that guy again? Or, do they want a centre who plays a stiffer game? In 2023-24 the Canucks certainly had some puck luck but they also controlled play in such a way that they were one of the NHL's strongest offensive squads. But with Pettersson and Miller struggling, the Canucks were a defensive black hole on too many nights. They can't afford a repeat of that next season. It's why Pettersson rediscovering his game and finding a high-quality replacement for Miller is also essential. Tocchet's offensive game plan demands on the centres be active and moving, leading attacks through the middle of the ice. Pettersson at his best is a master of this. Chytil has also proven to be good at this. And the team was better to close the season, especially after the defence corps was re-set. In the end it all comes back to having centres who can play. Rutherford is 76. He still clearly loves the job. But he's talked repeatedly about how he knows he won't do this forever. How frustrating was this season for him? Surely very — but other than a pre-deadline chat with the Globe and Mail's Gary Mason, he's kept a low public profile. And if he leaves, what's the succession plan? Would Allvin, who isn't exactly keen on being in the public eye, get a promotion? Would ownership chase after another veteran hockey man? Happy pondering. pjohnston@ Canucks off-season: Wing and prayer if Brock Boeser bolts. Riddles in the middle to solve Canucks Coffee: Something always goes wrong in year four
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rangers 5, Canucks 3: A drunk hockey game puts playoff hopes on edge
You gotta get these ones done. That's the simple truth about the Vancouver Canucks' loss to the New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon. The Canucks were without question the better team. They were all over the Rangers. But they couldn't put the game away early and then didn't bear down quite enough as the Rangers never went away. The Canucks were up 1-0 after one but couldn't find a second goal and ended up losing because they gave up four goals in the third, including an empty-netter. Four goals on six shots to be clear. And of course the empty netter was scored by ex-Canuck J.T. Miller, the ultimate salt in the wound. Not only is he a player the Canucks desperately miss, but the Canucks also lost Pettersson to an injury. Listen Igor Shesterkin is a great goalie. But he's become fallible. He's not having a great season. The Canucks should have had more than three goals in this game. They probably should have led 2-0 after two. Shesterkin is some of the story, but shooting luck is surely some of it too. At the other end of the rink, Kevin Lankinen wasn't bad and he had little chance on a couple shots, but did he give himself the best chance to stop any of those? This is a rough shot chart, either way: the Rangers generated little and still scored four goals. Basically all the prediction models saw this game as a 20-point swing in the Canucks' playoff hopes: a win would boost their chances 10 percentage points or so, a loss would drop them 10 percentage points or so. This was a bad loss. Realistically the Canucks need to win the remaining three games on their road trip. It's hard to win when your No. 1 centre only plays 6:43 at five on five. Elias Pettersson suffered some kind of arm or shoulder injury in the second period Saturday and barely played after. On a team that's now very thin in the middle, losing any centre would be bad enough. But to lose your best centre, who has been highly impactful of late, was a brutal blow. Brock Boeser's value has been very evident the last week. Sure, he was in a brutal slump, but now that he seems to have found his game again and his ability to score huge goals at gut-check time is once again highly evident. He has five goals in three games and they've all been key. pjohnston@ Canucks: Elias Pettersson is ready to face off against J.T. Miller Canucks mailbag: Fans weigh in on J.T. Miller's legacy
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Canucks notebook: Quinn Hughes says 'no shying away' from do-or-die playoff push
Even in the darkness, Quinn Hughes always finds the light. For the Vancouver Canucks' captain, it's always been about embracing challenges instead of succumbing to the pressure to produce, even after a tough 3-1 setback Sunday against the upstart Utah Hockey Club. The durable and reigning Norris Trophy winner has been injured on three occasions this season, but knows what matters. Be grateful. Be humble. Be hungry. And that's why he was planning to prop-up a problematic power play minutes after it cost the Canucks a victory. With six minutes of man-advantage time in the third period — including a four-minute power play midway through the frame — the Canucks couldn't strike for the equalizer. They aborted a net presence that led to a first-period power play goal by Hughes through a maze of bodies. As it stands, the best strategy is a drop pass to Hughes to enter the offensive zone at speed. That allows him to quickly reverse at the point when pressured to find passing or shooting lanes. Or, he can continue to motor around the net to cause confusion and seek scoring chances. Hughes has four power-play goals and is third among all blueliners with 20 man-advantage assists. So, how does Hughes see the 15th-ranked power play operating at 22.3 per cent efficiency improving? It's gone 6-for-28 over the last 10 games, including being blanked on four occasions, but at 21.4 per cent it's not terrible. But it could be better and a difference-maker. And it has to be in a four-team push for the final wild-card payoff spot. The Canucks continue to struggle at even strength and are 24th with 2.73 goals per outing and 31st with just 24.4 shots per game. The power play has to be the dagger. 'We've got to be better there,' Hughes said post-game Sunday. 'I definitely have some ideas and I'll just keep that to myself and work on it as a unit of five or 10. We shot ourselves in the foot with the power play and we could have cracked open the game.' The Canucks missed Filip Chytil. The big and speedy centre transports the puck well for zone entries, can establish position and make smart plays. However, he's in concussion protocol from the brutal and unpenalized blindside blow to the back from Jason Dickinson on Saturday. It sent Chytil cashing into the sideboards and he crumpled to the ice. He then fell trying to regain his balance. 'It weakens your centre position a little bit,' said Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet of Chytil. 'You lose speed and it does hurt short-term 100 per cent.' As time and space evaporate in games with that edgy playoff feel, the Canucks need veterans to score. Jake DeBrusk has a team-high 11 power-play goals and most have come from a strong net presence. That was missing Sunday when it mattered most. 'That's on all the guys on the ice, including me, and that's unacceptable,' said DeBrusk. 'They (Utah) were very aggressive up top, and as a down-low guy, I've got to do better at getting open and pop into spots. 'We're trying to distance ourselves from teams and that's what a playoff mentality is all about, staying even-keeled. And when things are out of sync, you've got to rely on details.' The Canucks could tinker with their units. Maybe give winger Jonathan Lekkerimaki a man-advantage look. He has a quick and accurate release and seven AHL power-play goals in 32 games this season with Abbotsford. But he's still a rookie with a big upside. 'We scored on our first power play (Sunday) and I'm not going to take (Brock) Boeser off — I've got to get him going,' stressed Tocchet. 'Lekkerimaki is not the answer, but he will be eventually.' Boeser had a team-high 16 power-play goals last season and has but seven PPG this season. A lot of that success was chemistry with J.T. Miller and now, whether in the bumper or down low or whatever, he can't score. Boeser hasn't lit the lamp in 12 games and has but two goals in his last 20. His body language speaks to the struggle and reality of an unrestricted free agent without a contract extension and not doing enough to increase his value in free agency. He needs a goal. Badly. And the Canucks also need a big win Tuesday after a disappointing loss Sunday. 'Big Winnipeg team coming in and we've got to gain energy,' said Tocchet. 'You can't be down. We have to figure out what happens when the pressure hits us. Why can't we make reads? We have to rise to the occasion.' That's when you never see Hughes sweat. Regardless of personal or team circumstances, he has always maintained belief. Even after the Utah loss. 'I don't think it should take away much,' he said of maintaining a stretch-drive push. 'We could have separated ourselves and everyone knew how big that would be. But now, we're in the same position of pretty much do-or-die every day. And that's exciting. 'Everybody should be up in here (dressing room). Everyone should understand where we're at and nobody should be shying away of looking at that (standings). 'It's a nice opportunity to see what type of group we are.' bkuzma@ Canucks: What's the most iconic play-by-play call in team history? Oilers notebook: When Ekholm returns, will he be paired with Bouchard? Or someone else? Canucks' Filip Chytil in concussion protocol after brutal hit
