Yes, yes, we've repeated ad nauseam about how no team has had to overcome more adversity so far in 2024-25, than the Vancouver Canucks. But for anyone wanting to accuse us of bias given they're the team we regularly write about, allow us to share -- yet again -- so indisputable facts to back up our stance.
To be clear, we take no pleasure in repeating some of our examples, but they are still extremely relevant to make our point. Chief among these, are Dakota Joshua having to undergo surgery after being diagnosed with testicular cancer, and Derek Forbort needing to understandably step away from the team for a while after his father passed away.
Still on Forbort, he had only been back from his bereavement leave for one game, before having to go on injured reserve with a knee injury. Also on the injury front, Brock Boeser missed playing time, and Filip Hronek has recently gone on long-term injured reserve and is expected to be out for around two months.
Finally on the casualty front is Thatcher Demko and his first-of-its-kind hockey injury, which has kept him out a lot longer than previously anticipated. (Albeit, he's now set to finally start on Sunday, against the Tampa Bay Lightning.) And we can't forget about J.T. Miller, who had a heated practice scuffle earlier this season with Elias Pettersson and has since taken an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons.
Aaaaand beathe!
Surely most reasonable people will acknowledge the combination of all the above is a lot for any team to deal with, and yet the Canucks have done just that. It's amazing to think how well they're doing in the standings and is a tip of the metaphorical cap to their collective mental fortitude in the face of ongoing adversity, which is undoubtedly influenced by their hard-nosed head coach Rick Tocchet.
Perhaps the best example of this, is the team's ability to recover from early deficits, which is just as well given how often it's happened so far in 2024-25. Consider that in 25 games this season, the Canucks have allowed the first goal on 15 seperate occassions.
At 60 percent of your games this is clearly too often, and yet the Canucks don't seem to get particularly fazed, which actually makes sense considering all of the aforementioned adversity off the ice. Certainly, it would go some way to explaining why the Canucks actually have an impressive 9-5-1 record in those games in which they give up the opening goal.
For some context, last season's team won 12 times in total when falling behind early, although we appreciate that was a more consistent roster which finished with the third-most points in franchise history. At the same time, this season's version should become more consistent themselves as the likes of Demko, Forbort, Miller and Hronek return.
Tocchet full of praise for the team
The latest example of the Canucks coming back from an early deficit, came in Friday night's 5-2 win versus the Columbus Blue Jackets. As per Noah Strang of the Daily Hive, coach Tocchet said:
"You’ve got to credit them because they don’t give up. ...(The) team is getting some adversity this year, there’s a bunch of stories that have hit us, and we’re dealing with it in a good way."
As a knock-on effect, the Canucks have also shown remarkable resilience on their travels. Ahead of Sunday's action they have a phenomenal 10-2-1 record on the road, which actually calculates to the second-best win percentage in the NHL.
Not that Tocchet is completely happy -- no shock there -- with him sending a warning to the players, which still acknowledging their tremendous resilience. He said:
"We’ve got to start learning, if we don’t have our legs…we can’t use that excuse. ... It’s tough to come back in this league, so kudos to the guys coming back, some keys guys making some good plays, but that first period we’ve got to learn from it."
As mentioned, with Demko now back and others coming -- as well as the ever-present possibility of a trade to further strengthen this roster -- Canucks fans have a lot to be excited about. Throw in a undeniable team spirit, and this is a teams which will be tough to beat come playoff time.