Former Canucks Cliff Ronning Tells Young Players To Block Out The Noise Which Comes with Playing in Vancouver

PUBLICATION

Cooper Godin
November 5, 2024 (4:21 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

Former Canucks forward Cliff Ronning has shared his advice to young players in Vancouver.

Playing in a Canadian market in the National Hockey League isn't easy. It comes with a lot of pressure to deliver, especially since the Stanley Cup hasn't been north of the border in 33 years, going on 34 in June 2025.

We all know that Toronto and Montreal are two of the toughest markets to play in, but Vancouver is up there as well. Canucks fans are passionate and aren't afraid to let their opinions be known no matter if the team is performing well or not.

Former Vancouver Canuck Cliff Ronning shares advice for young players

In a recent interview with Steve Ewen of The Province, former Canucks forward Cliff Ronning shared some advice for young players in Vancouver, which included to block out any outside noise. He says that everyone has an opinion, but the best thing to do is block out that noise, keep everything in the locker room and focus on helping your team get the win.

"Back in my day, the only way you could find out what was going on the street was listening to Dan Russell," Ronning said. "The one thing about playing in a Canadian market is everyone has an opinion. The biggest thing that I could pass along to the young players on the Canucks now is to block out all the noise. Keep everything within the dressing room and really focus on playing your best to help your team win. The outside noise only brings you down."

He went on to add, "A lot people are opinionated and they're going to pick you apart. I just found for me that as long as I worked hard every shift and gave everything I had, the fans would leave you alone and move on to other players."

There have been a few Vancouver Canucks who have been struggling to start the season and being in a Canadian market, when you're not playing well, the spotlight is on you a bit brighter, as has been the case with Elias Pettersson so far. As Ronning says, if you block the noise out and keep everything in the dressing room, it'll certainly help you push through.