Although Adam Foote is the new head coach for the Vancouver Canucks, he believes the team isn`t truly his; it belongs to the players.
However, Foote stressed that this responsibility must be willingly accepted by the players, who must be capable of establishing and upholding standards of accountability and performance.
In a recent interview, Foote shared that he adopted this principle during his own playing career, learning from Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy during the Colorado Avalanche`s initial Stanley Cup championships. He suggested Roy likely learned this ethos from legendary Montreal Canadiens figures like Larry Robinson and Bob Gainey.
Since being appointed by Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin on May 14th to take over from Rick Tocchet – the 2024 NHL coach of the year who departed the organization after a challenging season – Foote has been actively working behind the scenes.
He has assembled a new coaching staff, bringing in experienced assistants Kevin Dean, Brett McLean, and Scott Young. Nevertheless, his primary focus has been engaging directly with the players.
Shortly after his hiring, Foote met with key players, including Captain Quinn Hughes, goaltender Thatcher Demko, and alternate captain Elias Pettersson, who made the effort to fly in from Sweden specifically for the meeting on short notice. Foote has also conducted virtual sessions with the broader Canucks leadership group.
Further online meetings are scheduled throughout the summer.
“It`s not a simple fix; it`s a sustained effort,” Foote explained. “The core group, the leaders… they are responsible for governing themselves. It`s their space, right? They need to hold one another accountable and challenge each other to improve.”
Commentary from video previously embedded: Halford and Brough discussed the decision to largely keep the same roster for the upcoming season, stating the players must take responsibility for defining their team identity after a disappointing 2024-25 campaign.
Commentary from video previously embedded: Dan Murphy joined Kyper and Bourne to discuss the surprising seven-year contract extension for Brock Boeser and the signal it sends to the fanbase ahead of the next season.
