Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet is seeing some bad habits seeping back into his club.
Last year’s Jack Adams Award winner turned this club around, but he’s seeing some of those negative traits he exiled last season coming back.
“I had that speech last year,” said Tocchet when asked about his team’s body language. “We’re 4-2-3, we’re in OK shape in that sense that way, but to me, it’s the mental aspect, and I think body language is something we’ve got to work on.”
Before Tocchet’s tenure, it was not unusual to see bad body language up and down the Canucks bench when things weren’t going their way.
“A little bit,” admitted Tocchet when asked if he saw those ugly habits rear their head. “Not to the extent when I first got here, but it’s creeping back in. That’s my job to make sure I address it.”
The Canucks practiced today at UBC before flying down to California, where they have a three-game road trip. It’s the start of a relatively easy November for the team.
“It was a good practice after a day off,” said Tocchet. “It’s a little bit on me, I’ve let it, I think the practices have to be a little more fundamental and driven, more detailed… I think that’s more on me, where I got to make sure I steer that ship more in the fundamental department.”
While the Canucks have a solid record at 4-2-3, they have yet to find their top gear. They’ll be looking to get there over the next month.
The team got some good news on the injury front today. Dakota Joshua spoke to reporters for the first time since his cancer diagnosis and talked about his recovery process.
“Until you’re in that position, you can’t really describe it,” said the forward about learning he had cancer. “It’s obviously scary no matter what age. I’m just very thankful and happy to be standing in front of you guys today. Hard to go through but thankful for how it’s turned out so far.”
Thatcher Demko was also on the ice before practice per Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston. The latest estimates have him returning to the team within the next two-to-three weeks.
The Canucks play their next game tomorrow night as they take on the lowly San Jose Sharks. They’ll be looking to get back into the win column after two straight losses.