General manager Patrik Allvin feels strongly that his Vancouver Canucks needed a coaching change B次元官网网址� whether the passionate fan base wanted one or not.
The change came Sunday when the Canucks officially fired head coach Bruce Boudreau and replaced him with Rick Tocchet.
The former coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Arizona Coyotes is the 21st head coach in the franchiseB次元官网网址檚 history.
B次元官网网址淭hose decisions are never easy,B次元官网网址� Allvin said in a press conference. B次元官网网址淏ut at this point I felt there was needed a new voice to see if we can get this group to buy in, to play a different way.B次元官网网址�
Talk has long swirled that the beleaguered Canucks (18-25-3) were planning a coaching change, and many criticized the organizationB次元官网网址檚 decision to keep the 68-year-old Boudreau behind the bench amid rumours that management was already in talks with his replacement.
Jim Rutherford, the teamB次元官网网址檚 president of hockey operations, said heB次元官网网址檚 been B次元官网网址渢oo direct and too honestB次元官网网址� in interviews, and that affected Boudreau.
B次元官网网址淯nfortunately, itB次元官网网址檚 turned out the way it did. Nobody takes great pride in this,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e known Bruce for a long time. HeB次元官网网址檚 been a friend and I feel very bad about it. And if IB次元官网网址檝e offended anybody in the process, I apologize personally, on behalf of the Canucks.B次元官网网址�
Assistant coach Trent Cull was also dismissed Sunday.
In addition to the 58-year-old Tocchet, the team has added Adam Foote as an assistant coach and Sergei Gonchar as a defensive development coach.
Foote and Gonchar were both NHL defencemen, and Tocchet played 18 seasons as a forward.
While Vancouver consistently found ways to score this season, the team also given up an average of 3.96 goals per game. The CanucksB次元官网网址� penalty kill has been a liability, operating at league-worst 65.9 per cent.
Fixing the teamB次元官网网址檚 back end will be a priority, Tocchet said.
B次元官网网址淵ou canB次元官网网址檛 win this game if youB次元官网网址檙e going to be at the bottom of those categories,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲ith that, there is structure. There is some hard rules to keep the puck out of your net without sacrificing offence.
B次元官网网址淒onB次元官网网址檛 get me wrong, but thatB次元官网网址檚 one thing we all know thatB次元官网网址檚 got to improve around here, absolutely.B次元官网网址�
Change wonB次元官网网址檛 happen all at once, the new coach said.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e just got to go in every day and take a bite,B次元官网网址� Tocchet said, noting that he has work to do in evaluating the roster and determining where he can get more out of players.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just really small bites at times, slow it down a little bit. IB次元官网网址檓 sure the players heads are spinning and my job is to get their heads to slow down a little bit and just play the game.B次元官网网址�
The changes come after the Edmonton Oilers handed Vancouver a 4-2 defeat Saturday, marking the CanucksB次元官网网址� third loss in a row and their ninth in the last 10 games.
Vancouver has given up multi-goal leads in eight losses this season and sits sixth in the Pacific Division, 14 points out of a playoff spot.
Boudreau B次元官网网址� who holds a 617-342-128 coaching record over 15 NHL seasons B次元官网网址� was hired on Dec. 6, 2021, replacing former head coach Travis Green. Under his guidance, Vancouver went 32-15-10 to close out last season and missed playoffs by five points.
The coach took some time after SaturdayB次元官网网址檚 loss to stand on the bench and applaud the crowd as they chanted B次元官网网址淏ruce, there it is!B次元官网网址� to the tune of Tag TeamB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淲hoomp! (There it is)B次元官网网址�.
B次元官网网址淚 just wanted to savour looking at the stands because who knows if IB次元官网网址檓 ever going to get this chance again,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淎nd just keep that in my mind and the memory, let it burn there forever.B次元官网网址�
Canucks defenceman Luke Schenn said players continued to compete for Boudreau despite an abundance of outside noise and a disappointing string of results.
B次元官网网址淥bviously, we feel like we let him down in the room. He deserves better. I think thatB次元官网网址檚 on us as players,B次元官网网址� he said after SaturdayB次元官网网址檚 loss. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e played obviously a long time and IB次元官网网址檝e gone through, I donB次元官网网址檛 know, a handful of coaching changes. And a lot of time you do need a shake up and sometimes coaches do lose the room and I donB次元官网网址檛 think this was the case here.
B次元官网网址淕uys enjoy playing for Bruce and in this room, we feel like we let him down. We wanted to continue to try to do better for him and unfortunately, just too many losses pile up.B次元官网网址�
Boudreau made an impression on both the players and the fan base, Allvin said, but the decision to make a change was based on results, process and where the Canucks sit in the standings.
Asked whether he was concerned about rebuilding trust with the teamB次元官网网址檚 loyal followers, the general manager said what fans really want is to see the Canucks succeed.
B次元官网网址淚 believe the fans here and the city of Vancouver is missing a banner up in the rafters. ThatB次元官网网址檚 what theyB次元官网网址檙e waiting for, right?B次元官网网址� Allvin said. B次元官网网址淎nd winning hockey games. I think thatB次元官网网址檚 what the fans want to see. And I believe that fans want to see a team that competes every night and plays the right way.B次元官网网址�
After last seasonB次元官网网址檚 success, expectations for the Canucks were high heading into the 2022-23 campaign.
B次元官网网址淣ot making the playoffs would be a disaster for us,B次元官网网址� Boudreau said ahead of training camp.
B次元官网网址淏ut to make the playoffs we have to do better and be more consistent over 82 games, not just 56 games or whatever the number was. B次元官网网址� I would call it a failure if we didnB次元官网网址檛 succeed in our goals this year.B次元官网网址�
The Canucks lost their first seven games of the season and made history by becoming the first NHL team to lose its first four outings while giving up multi-point leads in each.
In late October, Allvin told reporters Boudreau still had his support, but weeks later, Rutherford publicly criticized the teamB次元官网网址檚 performance.
B次元官网网址淚f we were playing in a real strong structure, it would make it easier for our defence to play,B次元官网网址� he told a Vancouver radio station on Nov. 7. B次元官网网址淎nd it wouldnB次元官网网址檛 matter who was on our defence. But right now, we donB次元官网网址檛 have that strong structure, and we need to change the makeup of our defence.B次元官网网址�
The Canucks hired Boudreau before either Rutherford or Allvin took their roles in Vancouver.
The coach said Saturday that he believed his tenure was over after B次元官网网址渃ertain things were saidB次元官网网址� in November.
B次元官网网址淎nd it wasnB次元官网网址檛. We kept going. We kept going,B次元官网网址� Boudreau said. This last stretch was pretty tough. B次元官网网址� The guys gave it their all. IB次元官网网址檓 so proud of them.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址擥emma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
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