Canucks relying on Adam Foote’s ‘brilliant hockey mind’ to stoke big season

VANCOUVER — The most valuable Vancouver Canuck last season was probably their coach, so Adam Foote is trying to replace not only his friend and mentor but the team’s MVP.

It’s not a bad outcome if Foote turns out to be Rick Tocchet 2.0. 

He didn’t even plan to coach the Canucks — “I thought I was going with Rick” — until general manager Patrik Allvin and Canucks president Jim Rutherford approached him in May, asked Foote to interview, and then hired him.

But what has become clear as the Vancouver Canucks prepare to open their season of salvation Thursday (7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+) against the Calgary Flames is that Foote, hired partly for organizational continuity, has strong ideas of his own and is his own coach.

He is not trying to be Toc 2.0, although, like the coach who brought Foote back into the National Hockey League as an assistant less than three years ago, the new head coach has been the Canucks’ most important figure so far.

“You know, even when they were working together, they had different ideas about things,” Rutherford told Sportsnet. “I mean, not always, but certainly (sometimes) they didn’t view things exactly the same. So, yeah, Adam is very much his own guy. He’s a real thinker — thinks things through and thinks things ahead of the curve.

“We don’t have to rehash everything that happened here last year but, you know, we all understand that it didn’t go right. And Adam was aware of most of those shortcomings or issues that were dealt with, so he was prepared to tackle them. He understands the importance of communication, and the fact that he knew what went on here last year was a great advantage to him getting this job.”

Immediately after he was hired, Foote began repairing the Canucks’ leadership, reaching out to key players over the summer and imploring them to take accountability and support each other. Quinn Hughes, Thatcher Demko, Brock Boeser and Filip Hronek, among others, have been setting an example since training camp opened, and the team seems transformed by this new dynamic.

Foote also made it a priority to connect with enigmatic centre Elias Pettersson, who was like a hologram last season but now looks inspired and confident. And the head coach and his staff have re-energized players with fresh ideas about attacking and playing with pace and aggression. The speed and intensity of Vancouver practices, even in the pre-season, appear to be higher than last season.

“We’re in a different place than we were last year, probably more at peace,” Hughes said this week.

Winger Kiefer Sherwood said: “I think we’re all feeling a lot more comfortable and on the same page. There’s a different energy around the team this year, a different buzz. Footy is really good at communicating and allows guys to, you know, be themselves. But he’s also very clear in what he expects. And, obviously, he was a leader, too, right? Like, he knows. Anytime you’re a captain in the NHL, let alone win a couple of Cups, with his pedigree, you know what it takes. I think he’s done a great job of just getting everyone to kind of pull the rope in the same direction.”

After an 18-year playing career that saw the ferocious shutdown defenceman from Whitby, Ont., win a pair of Stanley Cups with the Colorado Avalanche and Olympic and World Cup gold medals with Canada, Foote is a rookie NHL head coach at age 54.

“I mean, this doesn’t happen every day at my age,” he said, smiling. “I’d let (opportunities) go. I was always in hockey, but I wanted to be around my family. But Rick took a chance on me and taught me a lot. And now Jim and Patrik took a chance on me.

“I didn’t even know until a year and a half ago that, OK, I might be able to do this (as a head coach). Or want to do it and put in the time. This is fun, it’s good. It’s the closest thing to playing. It’s just fun to be around the guys.”

Regarding the critical importance Foote has placed on Canucks leadership as a catalyst for team-building, he said he would have done the same thing were he hired to coach an experienced, Stanley Cup-winning team like the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“It’s like raising kids; if they understand the contract, they’re part of it,” he explained. “They agree to it, and then there’s more accountability. And the thing is, they hold themselves accountable. I just look at it like this is what we have to do. Because when the puck drops, we’re going into a battle and if you’re not on the same page, people get into trouble.”

“My confidence in Footy, obviously, is very high,” senior defenceman Tyler Myers said. “For me, it’s just the way he manages people. I think he’s got a read on a room that is as good as I’ve seen in any coach. He really knows what the room needs at different times throughout the year, and I expect him to take that into his head coaching position. 

“Honestly, this just seems natural to him. I can tell he’s kind of carried it from when he played. It just seems like it’s part of his personality, part of his identity. It doesn’t seem like he has to force anything.”

Foote said his transition has been helped immensely by his rebuilt coaching staff, which includes respected assistants Kevin Dean and Brett McLean, and Foote’s old friend and teammate, Scott Young, who had been a major part of hockey operations as the Canucks’ player-personnel director.

The head coach said the only time he felt nervous was the first day of training camp in Penticton, B.C., and during his initial address to players and team staff.

“You don’t know if they’re going to understand your jokes, but you want to send the right message,” Foote explained. “But I think the preparation we did with the leadership group in the summer, they understood my message. We don’t talk about it every day, but we practise it.

“I believe in the process. As a player or a coach or as an assistant coach, there’s a process. We put the work in, and we create good habits and we believe in it. I know that sounds boring, but that gives me more confidence. It’s confidence that can help you rest at night, rest your brain a little bit more.”

The Canucks were able to sleep well during the pre-season because they were able to play faster and more aggressively without sacrificing the defensive ideals that Tocchet introduced — details that were as responsible as anything for the team finishing with 90 points despite last season’s drama, chaos and injuries.

A surprisingly broad youth movement, headlined by 18-year-old centre Braeden Cootes, has further stoked internal enthusiasm. The Canucks went 4-2 in the pre-season, and noticeably got stronger and built momentum as it progressed, and had none of the injuries to top players that helped torpedo last season.

Players have looked as connected and cohesive on the ice as they seem to be in the dressing room.

But now they’ve got to show this in games that count.

“We’re not talking a lot about last year,” defenceman Marcus Pettersson said. “We put that behind us. It’s this year. We’re talking about here and now, and how we can get better today, and how we can get closer together as a group today.

“There’s not one recipe for winning. Every group is different, every player, every personality is different. You’ve just got to find your thing and kind of roll with it. Find your identity. I think that’s one thing that I’ve learned: the years that it hasn’t gone well, maybe you struggle, you’re talking about your team’s identity and how you want to play. The teams that win, they know their identity. Florida is a great example of that. Identity, I think, is a real thing.”

Captain Hughes said: “The structure is really good. Footy’s kind of got a brilliant hockey mind, so that also makes it easier on everyone. It’s fun to be around the rink now. I think we’ve got a great group of guys. I don’t know how the year is going to go, but I think that we played good hockey in the pre-season, and usually … that (leads to) a good start. Our attention to detail is in a good spot. Everyone’s in good shape. Camp was put together intelligently. We’re ready to go.”

With Adam Foote 1.0.