As the Canucks embark on the second half of the season, the noise is going to get louder.
No, we含羞草研究社檙e not talking noise as in the roar of approval the 19,005 in attendance at Rogers Arena on Thursday night gave the Canucks after they defeated the Arizona Coyotes by a score of 2-1.
We are talking about the noise away from the rink.
As the Canucks continue to defy pre-season predictions and meet every challenge in front of them, more and more people are noticing on a league-wide scale - whether it be fans or the media.
With that comes a lot of attention and pressure.
For most of the players on this team, it含羞草研究社檚 uncharted territory.
The only meaningful games that the likes of Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and Thatcher Demko have played in was in 2020 when Vancouver was part of the NHL bubble in Edmonton due to the Covid epidemic. The three playoff rounds that Canucks participated in were in the cold and sterile environment of Rogers Place with no fans attending and obviously no travel taking place.
Of the current core group, only J.T. Miller has some true playoff experience, participating in the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals with Tampa Bay.
If the Canucks want continued success, this group will have to remain focused which reminds me of a great story that Troy Aikman once told us about his Dallas Cowboys and his first-ever Super Bowl appearance with America含羞草研究社檚 Team against the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII.
At the start of that week, Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson walked into the locker room with a 2x4, threw out on the floor, and then asked how many players could walk across it. Of course, every player raised his hand. Johnson then asked who would walk across the same 2x4 if it was between two buildings ten stories high. Needless to say, there weren含羞草研究社檛 as many hands being raised.
含羞草研究社淵ou含羞草研究社檝e been walking across this 2x4 all year long,含羞草研究社� Johnson proclaimed. 含羞草研究社淏lock everything else out and just keep doing what you are doing.含羞草研究社�
If the Canucks are going to continue at the level at which they are playing at, they will need to adhere to that principle.
含羞草研究社淚含羞草研究社檓 at the stage now where can this be a special team. I含羞草研究社檝e heard that word special. To be a special team, you have to do special things. That means discipline and (sticking to) the staples. We have to do those things consistently to be special. You come to the rink and don含羞草研究社檛 feel like practicing but special teams do. You have to do extraordinary things to be a special team. We are trying to strive for that,含羞草研究社� Tocchet explained.
What does bode well for this Canucks team is that it hasn含羞草研究社檛 bought into any of the hype of how good they are and is a group that continues to stay in the moment.
The players don含羞草研究社檛 look back nor do they look toward the future 含羞草研究社� it含羞草研究社檚 only about today according to Pettersson.
含羞草研究社淭hat含羞草研究社檚 all we can focus on and dictate - what we do today. I think the coaching staff has done a very good job with that and with the culture,含羞草研究社� he noted.
Tocchet and his staff coined the expression 含羞草研究社榚arn the day含羞草研究社� during training camp and that mantra will be tested as the games become bigger and the noise becomes louder.
含羞草研究社淚 guess that含羞草研究社檚 just down to the individual. We talk all the time about being day-to-day. Nothing has changed. We feel like our record is 0-0 - we go into every period like it含羞草研究社檚 0-0. I think it含羞草研究社檚 a great mindset for our group and it含羞草研究社檚 worked for the most part for us. We含羞草研究社檙e happy where we are at. It含羞草研究社檚 everything we worked for in the summer yet at the same time we haven含羞草研究社檛 achieved nothing yet. We含羞草研究社檙e not a satisfied group,含羞草研究社� said Miller.
含羞草研究社淭here has to be a maturity level含羞草研究社eing a professional含羞草研究社nowing what to expect from yourself and your teammates and also just focusing on what you need to do which is just doing your job,含羞草研究社� added Hughes.
As we mentioned in a previous column, this hockey club has a new mindset and if you ever need more proof of it, all you had to do was talk to some of them about the recent Eastern road trip in which the Canucks went 5-1-1.
含羞草研究社淚 think the thing with me is that I feel like we should have won every game. We should have gone 7-0,含羞草研究社� said Hughes, who went on to refer to how they could have won the first game in St. Louis and the last one in Columbus.
含羞草研究社淎fter that St. Louis game, no one was happy and we were all pretty pissed off but I thought we had a really good bounce back game (against New Jersey) and that kind of built that little win streak from there,含羞草研究社� added Boeser.
Tocchet is happy with the approach his team is taking but is even happier that it含羞草研究社檚 originating from the players themselves.
含羞草研究社淕uys were happy (about the trip) but I didn含羞草研究社檛 see guys pounding their chest. Guys were like 含羞草研究社榞reat win but we含羞草研究社檝e got to do this tomorrow.含羞草研究社� It含羞草研究社檚 that mantra right now, and honestly, it含羞草研究社檚 not like we含羞草研究社檙e pounding it down their throat. They含羞草研究社檝e taken that over. It含羞草研究社檚 a very even keel team,含羞草研究社� said Tocchet.
含羞草研究社淎ny time we lose, we try and learn from what mistakes we made in that game and try and be better in the next game. I just feel we have guys that aren含羞草研究社檛 satisfied with winning one and losing one. We just want to continue to win and keep driving the bus,含羞草研究社� noted Boeser.
OVERTIME
* Pettersson and Dakota Joshua scored for the Canucks while ex-Canuck Travis Dermott notched the only Arizona goal in a somewhat chippy affair that featured a fight between Vancouver含羞草研究社檚 Nikita Zadorov and Arizona含羞草研究社檚 Liam O含羞草研究社橞rien.
* Boeser was pretty giddy about his Green Bay Packers destroying the Dallas Cowboys 48-32 in the NFL playoffs last weekend. His enthusiasm was quickly tempered when asked how the Packers could beat the San Francisco 49ers this Saturday. 含羞草研究社淥h boy,含羞草研究社� he paused. 含羞草研究社淚 think the Packers should pray含羞草研究社nd hope that (Christian) McCaffrey doesn含羞草研究社檛 show up that day.含羞草研究社� As big of a Packer fan as he is, Boeser has never made the pilgrimage to Lambeau Field because of the obvious conflict but insists it含羞草研究社檚 on his bucket list.
* Montreal Canadiens Director of Pro Scouting Eric Crawford took in the game Monday night. The younger brother of former Canucks head coach Marc Crawford, Eric Crawford spent 16 seasons in the Canucks organization in several roles before moving to the Habs and is now based in his hometown of Belleville, Ontario.
Veteran B.C. sports personality Bob 含羞草研究社渢he Moj含羞草研究社� Marjanovich writes twice weekly for Black Press Media.
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