LATEST | Patrik Allvin finally opens up on the Rick Tocchet effect: It's growing on the organization

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Cooper Godin
September 17, 2023 (4:15 PM)

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When the Vancouver Canucks decided to make a coaching change back in January, firing Bruce Boudreau and bringing in Rick Tocchet, it was unclear how the players would react or how the remainder of the 2022-23 season would go.

But in the final 36 games of the regular season, Rick Tocchet led the Canucks to a 20-12-4 record. Part of that success was thanks to Thatcher Demko, who had a record of 11-4-2 since coming off the injured list in late-February.

Overall, there was a different vibe around the team under Rick Tocchet and General Manager Patrik Allvin says they had a big momentum boost after hiring the former NHL tough guy.

"It definitely feels different because I feel that we're more aligned from the top to the bottom," Allvin said. "I think we're all preaching the same message. We know the players. And there was definitely a big momentum boost after last year when we did the coaching change."

He added, "The approach Toc has and how he wants to play the game, you need to be fit to play. And I think that's what he emphasized to the players - the fitness level in order to be able to play the right way. That's where I give the leadership group a lot of credit because the players came together and sent out the texts, and everybody showed up earlier than ever before."

The Canucks are set to begin training camp later this week, with their first preseason game coming in exactly one week, as they take on the Flames in Calgary. It's going to be interesting to see how things play out in camp and who wins specific roles ahead of opening night, such as the third line center and who will be Thatcher Demko's backup to start the year.

Do you think Rick Tocchet is the right coach to lead the Canucks back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2020? Let us know what you think in the poll below!

Source: theScore