‘They put respect back in that jersey’: Canucks eliminated from NHL playoffs
Posted May 21, 2024 7:25 am.
Tuesday is a bittersweet day for Vancouver Canucks fans who are trying to get rid of the sting and heartbreak of their team losing Game 7 of the second round and being eliminated from the NHL playoffs.
The Canucks had two opportunities to close out the Edmonton Oilers but failed to do so. They didn’t play well enough in either Games 6 or 7 to deserve to win and despite a valiant push near the end of the third period on Monday night, the unofficial comeback kids couldn’t complete the task.
There were a few things that led to the team’s exit, including a lack of execution, specifically on the powerplay, a lack of shots on net, and top guys not stepping up when it was needed most.
Despite any negatives that will be scrutinized by the players and coaching staff in the coming days, head coach Rick Tocchet explained there are a lot of positives to take away from his team’s efforts this year.
“There’s no quit in this team, obviously. Really proud of the guys. Unreal,” said Tocchet.
“The buy-in. The way they want to play. Listen, they put respect back into this city and this jersey. Let’s face it. Fans got something to be proud about and it’s all because of the players.”
He said not scoring on the four-minute powerplay in the first period was a huge blow.
“I think we lost some juice. I thought we lost some energy because of it. That’s a big factor, but other than that, the second half — I was really proud.”
Tocchet also addressed the lack of shots even though the Canucks scored twice in five shots in the third period.
“We missed the net. We had shot blocks. I don’t know what else to say. Yeah, we need more shots, but you got to hit the net and stuff — that’s the only negative I got. You got to hit the net. We had two breakaways, and we missed the net. Those are the things that you got to work on.”
The coaching staff believes the loss will make them stronger in the end.
“I was talking to [Adam Foote] after and he thinks we’re going to be better for this but experience, at certain times in a game, how to handle when a team makes a push, I thought maybe we could get better at,” stressed Tocchet.
The coach had nothing but praise for Artūrs Šilovs, who stood on his head many times to give the Canucks a chance in the post-season.
“Arty played his ass off for us. What a playoff for that kid. What about his growth? So, there are a lot of positives out of that.”
Tocchet touched on how impressed he was by the fans.
“They’re unreal. Chanting the guy’s names. I didn’t know much about the fans, but they were incredible.”
That sentiment was echoed by Conor Garland.
“They’re the greatest. They really are. It was hard not to get emotional at the end there because they are the best. It’s too bad we came up short, but we’ll be better for this. This past month has been a blast.”
J.T. Miller held back tears as he spoke after the loss.
“I love the team. I just love that we don’t give up, ever. It’s a good sign.”
He explained the series was hard fought and knows they were just a bounce away from the Western Conference Final.
“They executed a little better, got off to a faster start, so that’s on us. Right now, it just sucks. When you’re that close and … played with a lot of resiliency and we’ve come back a lot of times and for the game to end like that, is a good representation of the culture we’re trying to build here. They just won some more battles.”
Miller, like everyone else who spoke after the game, also praised the loyal fanbase.
“Emotionally, at the end of the game when they’re cheering for us and clapping for us when you walk down the President’s Club — when you see that, you know you’re in a good place, in a good market and it’s just the beginning of, hopefully, really good things here in the future.”
Post-game, captain Quinn Hughes was having a hard time absorbing the loss.
“Hard to know what to say right now,” said Hughes. “Can’t change anything now, but [the four-minute powerplay] would have been nice to have more success than what we had there, and who knows if that changes the outlook of the game.”
Hughes also praised the fans.
“It’s very special. It’s a special place to play and that’s part due to the city and the passion that the people have here but also to this group and what we’ve accomplished the entire year,” he said.
“A special atmosphere here in the playoffs in my first go around in five years here, it was very special for myself.”
“I truly believe we’ll be back here,” said centre Elias Pettersson.
In the short term, the players will clean out their lockers, take some time to heal, and reflect on an overall, successful season.
In the long term, the organization will need to figure out how to make a deeper run in the playoffs next season and hammer out some contracts to decide who stays and who goes.
