Will history repeat itself for the Canucks or is there hope for the near future?
It may sound like the same old story for the Vancouver Canucks – with their third coach since 2013, some exciting prospects in the system at the expense of several key veterans, and two very disappointing seasons of missed playoff appearances behind them, the Canucks are determined to rewrite the story they’ve been telling the last few years.
Just as each new season brings about the opportunity to win more games, grow as a team and become a Cup contender, the Canucks believe that this season is no different. Vancouver fans may not have high expectations, after watching their team finish 29th in the standings last season, but that doesn’t mean the team hasn’t set the bar high. The 2017-2018 Canucks aren’t the same team that has struggled in the past; this year’s Vancouver team is one that hopes to capitalize on its differences and bring some excitement and enthusiasm back to a hockey town in desperate need of a team it wants to cheer for.
Defenceman Erik Gudbranson believes the team simply plays a different way, attributing much of that to new head coach Travis Green, hired in the off-season from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate in Utica. “We play a much more aggressive system,” Gudbranson told DARPAN. “It’s a more exciting system to watch, in my opinion. It’s more fun to play. If you see something, it’s a ‘you go make it happen’ kinda of idea.”
Excitement is just what the fans need and it may come by way of speed. “We play fast. It’s a skating man’s system so you have to be able to move and I think it’s going to work well for us,” Gudbranson said confidently.
Centreman Bo Horvat agreed on what will distance the team from the past. “I think we have a little bit more grit this year, we’re playing with a little bit more speed,” he said.
The Canucks hopes are certainly hinged on Horvat, last year’s leading scorer who signed a six-year, $33 million contract extension before the season began. Horvat spoke about what the Canucks aim to do. “We want to make an identity for ourselves to make it hard on other teams, be hard to play against, and I think we’re doing a good job of that so far.”
Rewriting their story won’t win games on its own but Horvat acknowledged that coming together as a team is a big part of helping them achieve their goals. “For us, for this year, we want to make the playoffs – that’s our main goal,” he says. “It’s what we want to do but at the same time we have to develop and build our identity as a team. And I think if we get that identity, and we play like that every night, then we’re going to be fine.”
Gudbranson echoed Horvat’s hopes for the future: “Biggest goal is [to] win the Cup,” he said. “It always is, coming in to [a season], and the first step of that is making the playoffs.”
And just how do the Canucks plan on doing that? “Just keep getting better every game, every shift,” said Horvat.
“It really comes down to a day-by-day basis,” Gudbranson said. “Putting in the work every single day to get better. You’re stepping on the ice in a morning skate and you want to be sharp, you want to be doing things the right way. Practice days are huge, they’re competitive and that’s a huge thing that I think Green and the coaching staff have brought in. He’s made our practices more competitive, there’s a lot more emphasis on execution in practice.”
He adds, “On a day-to-day basis, you want to continually grow towards the end of the year and culminate with winning the Cup.” The Canucks may seem a long way from winning the coveted Stanley Cup but they haven’t taken their eyes off the prize. The season may be off to a similar start to that of years past but it’s a different Vancouver team determined to keep looking ahead.
Photos: Jeff Vinnick / Vancouver Canucks
