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When the Vancouver Canucks pulled off a third-period, four-goal comeback win in Game 1 against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, May 8, Rick Tocchet did something very out of character.
Vancouver’s head coach, usually stoic and undemonstrative, let his emotions show on the bench. When the clock hit zero, Tocchet jumped into the air and started high-fiving fans as he walked back to the dressing room. The crowd at Rogers Arena erupted into hysterics in celebration of the Canucks taking a 1-0 lead in their second-round playoff series.
“I don’t know, it’s usually not me,” Tocchet said when asked postgame about his outburst of emotion. “I don’t even know if I cheered when [Elias Lindholm] scored that overtime goal in Nashville.”
Tocchet, for his part, suggested that he didn’t like that he reacted that way. He even joked that he might need to get Canucks assistant coach Adam Foote to fine him for it.
“I just liked the demeanor of the guys,” Tocchet said, chuckling as he added, “I don’t know, I just let it out. I just like the way these guys came back, resilient. It’s Game 1, you know. I actually don’t like seeing me doing that, to be honest with you. I really don’t, not Game 1.”
Rick Tocchet Helped ‘Get the Stink Out’ of Canucks’ Team Culture
The Canucks trailed the Oilers by three goals late in the second period of Wednesday’s game, but they refused to lose. After all, they had been in this situation before.
After a hat trick by Brock Boeser in Game 4 of the first round against the Nashville Predators allowed the Canucks to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the final frame, Vancouver once again pulled off a third-period, multi-goal comeback win – this time, after trailing 4-1 then 4-2 through 40 minutes. Nikita Zadorov scored to tie the game in the third and then factored on Conor Garland’s winner just 39 seconds later.
While Vancouver’s players may have chosen the word “resilient,” they were quick to give credit to their head coach following Wednesday’s win for fostering a winning culture in the locker room.
“[He’s] a big part of it,” Canucks captain Quinn Hughes said of Tocchet’s role in the team’s never-say-die mentality. “I think it starts in September – really, it started last year – and trying to get us to believe and kind of get the stink out of here [from] the previous years.”
Tocchet Named a Finalist for the Jack Adams Award
Tocchet’s dedication to building a winning culture in Vancouver has not gone unnoticed. Last month, he was named one of three finalists for the Jack Adams Award, which is given annually to the top coach in the NHL as voted on by the National Broadcasters’ Association.
Tocchet, in his first full season as head coach of the Canucks, led them to a first-place finish in the Pacific Division, their first division title in 10 years, and an improvement of 12 wins and 26 points from 2022-23.
“Honestly, it’s an organizational award for me,” Tocchet said at a media availability after he was announced as a finalist. “I mean, it’s the GM, the ownership, the assistant coaches, the players, like you’re a piece of the puzzle. I think it’s an organizational type of trophy. I’ve got a huge support group that helps me. That’s the way I look at it.”
A first-time finalist, Tocchet would be the third Canucks coach to win the award, and first since Alain Vigneault in 2006-07.
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