PAUSE THE GAME, MAN
Canucks ban Fortnite on the road
Fortnite is a global obsession.
The Vancouver Canucks are so wary of its popularity they have banned playing video games on the road. Citing everything from ensuring players get proper rest and recovery — to a transitioning NHL club becoming closer on the road — the new policy is a bigger deal on social media than in the locker-room.
“It’s a group decision,” Canucks centre Bo Horvat said Wednesday. “It’s important, especially for the young guys, to see different cities and do different things and be more of a tight-knit group, instead of staying in your room and ordering room service.
“Go for dinner and enjoy being around the guys. I’m just not a video guy, but it’s important on the road to enjoy each others’ presence and talk away from hockey. That’s going to be real important because we’re young and we need to get better.”
Troy Stecher doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about.
He plays video games at home and not on the road because the Canucks’ defenceman understands the demands of being a professional athlete. He’s even aligned with Jake Virtanen, Brock Boeser and Ben Hutton as a quad in Fortnite and the group plays only at home and in the evening after practice.
“I don’t think (the ban) is a big deal and you guys (media) are making it a bigger issue than it is,” stressed Stecher.
“Were not babysitting anyone here. Even when guys were bringing it on the road, it’s not like they ’re skipping dinners or anything. If you’re up at 2 or 3 a.m. playing Xbox, then there’s an issue. We trust each other that we’re going to do the right things away from the rink.
“There’s nothing wrong with playing video games for an hour at night. When I went to college (North Dakota) it was a good way for me to connect with my friends back home in Vancouver with the time change. So, there are pros and cons to it.”
Canucks coach Travis Green laughed when the video game ban topic was broached.
“It has been overblown a lot and this is just simply players trying to bond as a team,” he said.
“My kid plays Fortnite and I have not banned it from him or anybody on our team. Players want to make sure that all are at the team dinners and that’s the way it is in team sports.
“It’s not an issue.”