New Canuck Derek Forbort shows his toughness with series of scrum
In the Vancouver Canucks' final preseason match against the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night, both teams iced what appeared to be their regular season lineups, with maybe a few absences including Canucks forward Conor Garland, who was a last-minute scratch. This game, a preview of what's to come this season, featured the new found rivalry between these two squads, which was started during their 7 game second-round playoff battle last season. The Canucks came out on top of the Oilers with a 4-1 victory at home.
The tension boiled over for the Canucks when mid way through the second period in the form of a notable fight involving several new Canucks eager to make an impact and show their willingness to battle. It all started when Oilers' defenseman Darnell Nurse laid a big hit into the boards on Keifer Sherwood, sparking a quick response from new free agent acquisition Derek Forbort, who wasted no time dropping the gloves to defend his teammate. As Forbort and Nurse tangled, Vincent Desharnais reacquainted himself with his former team, getting in a heated tussle with his ex-teammate Adam Henrique, adding more fuel to the rivalry.
Under head coach Rick Tocchet, the Canucks seem intent on showing they're ready to battle for each other. Tocchet's leadership style has clearly resonated with the team, as evidenced by last season's hot start and their fiery preseason play. On a recent episode of the «Missin Curfew» podcast, Jordan Schmaltz mentioned a conversation with Forbort, who described Tocchet as «just the coolest person.» It's obvious Tocchet is getting the best out of his players, and they're eager to go to war for him. This team has the potential to be another tough out come the regular season.
