Tocchet’s favourite slogans to push performance are part of the buy-in. The challenge is pushing the right buttons at the right time.
Marc Crawford is pretty good with the one-liners.
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It was a playful play on the predicament that faces all bench bosses. You’re only as good as your last productive season and Crawford parlayed his Jack Adams into a Stanley Cup championship with the Colorado Avalanche the following season.
He also had veteran assistants Joel Quenneville and Jacques Martin to help guide that bench. They did a lot of the heavy lifting and deserved considerable credit. Which, again, sparked another great line from Crawford: “When there’s a parade, make sure you’re at the front.”
However, that becomes more complex with a number of factors at play.
Nearly advancing to the Western Conference final last spring brings that natural feeling of easily picking up where they left off. That’s not easy. It’s hard.
Adding four veteran wingers in free agency, and two giant defencemen to anchor the third pairing, brings potential, but also the stress of learning new systems. The Canucks went from positional-play priority at camp a year ago to pushing the pace for this campaign.
Tocchet’s rants about too many home-ice no-shows, too many miscues, poor breakouts, and lack of pace and aggressiveness to win puck battles to trigger scoring opportunities are justified.
Tocchet’s favourite takes of meeting pressure with pressure and embracing the hard stuff are part of the buy-in. Tuning out is not an option.
And the challenge for Tocchet is pushing the right buttons at the right time.
“Sometimes, you get a little comfortable,” said Tocchet. “I want these guys to be comfortable but play uncomfortable. It’s a sweet spot we’re trying to find. If something bad happens, we revert to 1-on-1 hockey and that’s a trend we have to stop.
“I think I’ve been too soft this year. Our efforts at home aren’t good. Accept it and move on.”
Another way is to reward ice time on merit. Aatu Raty, Jonathan Lekerrimaki and Erik Brannstrom are worthy of more than just a few cups of NHL coffee. The yo-yo option of development deployment between the AHL and NHL for waiver-exempt prospects is a tool, but growing their games at the top level is the priority.
The message can also be sent by addition in subtraction.
You can get players’ attention by making a move that plays to your mantra. The rationale for acquiring winger Daniel Sprong in free agency was based on speed and an uncanny knack for scoring highlight-reel goals.
The baggage was his penchant for blowing the defensive zone in search of goals. Tocchet hoped Sprong would embrace the challenge to be as good without the puck as he can be with it. It didn’t work.
Sprong was dealt the Seattle Kraken on Nov. 8 for future considerations.
Here’s what awaits the Canucks in rest of this week:
Canucks vs. Rangers
When and where: Tuesday 7 p.m. | Rogers Arena
TV: SN Pacific. Radio: Sportsnet 650
Why watch: The circus is coming to town.
The 11-4-1 Rangers are always entertaining on the ice and even the bench. A video last season of Chris Kreider grabbing a computer tablet from inquisitive linemate Mika Zibanejad and slamming it to the ground is gold. So is the Rangers’ high-octane offence that’s fifth in goals per game and sports the seventh-ranked power play.
The Rangers are also 6-1-0 on the road following a 2-0 triumph in Seattle on Sunday.
Who to watch: Left winger Artemi Panarin.
They call him “Bread” because it’s a play on the Panera Bread company and because the Russian can really bake. He leads the Rangers with 24 points (10-14), including four power-play goals, and 55 shots. He was on a heater prior to Sunday with seven points (3-4) in his previous five games including 20 shots and an 18.5 per cent shooting percentage accuracy.
Canucks vs. Senators
When and where: Saturday 4 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre
TV: HNIC, SN, CBC. Radio: Sportsnet 650
Why watch: It’s “The Travis Green Effect.”
It was called “The Bruce Bump” after the Canucks won their first seven games with Bruce Boudreau at the coaching helm. In Ottawa, former Canucks bench boss Green accepted the challenge of getting more out of a Senators’ lineup that boasts elite talent. He’s got Brady Tkachuk, Josh Norris and Tim Stutzle buying in to power the NHL’s sixth-ranked power play.
Who to watch: Centre Adam Gaudette.
Nothing captures the imagination like a player recapturing his game. The former Canucks forward had seven goals in his first 16 games with the Senators on the fourth line with Zack MacEwen, another former Canuck. Gaudette struggled to replicate his 33 points (12-21) in 59 games with Vancouver in 2019-20 and never scored more than four goals with Chicago or St. Louis.