There’s no bigger potential blow to a team’s psyche that losing your leading goalscorer on the eve of the biggest game of the season. But no matter the result Monday night at Rogers Arena, the Vancouver Canucks weren’t shy about facing down their latest difficulty. The 2023-24 Canucks had a whole lot go their way, for a very long time.
Over the regular season, their injuries were few. They got plenty of bounces on offence, especially in the early going. As the season wore on, there were some real dips along the road.
There was a four-game losing streak in February, when things looked like they might turn south. But the Canucks found a way. They kept finding a way all season.
Over the first 80 games of the regular season, they averaged nearly 27 points per 20 game segment. In the big picture, they were remarkably consistent, no matter what bumps they faced along the way. In the playoffs too — they lost their starting goaltender at the beginning of the Nashville series, then the backup too.
They’ve come back in dramatic fashion more than once. Their confidence really never wavered. That, in the end, is how they got to Game 7 on Monday.
They’ve been a team of resilience. When Rick Tocchet arrived in Vancouver in January of 2023, the team was reeling. The idea that they had be pressing for a spot in the final four, let alone actually make the playoffs, in a year’s time, seemed far-fetched.
Under Tocchet, they found confidence. They found a discipline to their execut.