CAPTAINCY BRINGS CALM
Teammates happy with new leader
Now in his 12th NHL season, Jay Beagle has long been identified as a leader and for a player of his ilk, there’s no higher compliment.
But, without much prompting, Beagle will tell you not all leaders are created equally, that teams need an alpha dog, a voice that cuts through the noise of the locker-room and provides a clear and coherent direction.
Last season, the Canucks didn’t have that voice. As of Wednesday night they do. That represents a massive change for this franchise and while there’s a good chance the Canucks aren’t going to win every game 8-2 with Bo Horvat as their captain, you have to admit, the timing of the two developments is at least intriguing.
“When you get a guy with a C it calms everyone down,” Beagle said in a quiet corner of the Canucks’ locker-room.
“I don’t know how to explain it, but when something’s not working, the C will make the call. That one guy can bring a sense of order.”
It was suggested to Beagle that, in Horvat’s case, the C could also stand for clarity.
“That’s a good way to put it,” he said. “Clarity, for sure, is a good word for that. I think it’s very important and there’s no doubt they’ve got the right guy.”
It is, of course, easy to draw the connection between Horvat’s long-awaited promotion and the Canucks’ performance in their comprehensive pounding of the visiting Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday. From the pre-game ceremony — and you have to be moved by the reception for Todd Bertuzzi — to Quinn Hughes’ first NHL goal to J.T. Miller’s four-point night, the entire evening played out perfectly for a team that is trying to distance itself from a regrettable fouryear run of abject incompetence.
As much as the C is symbolic in the game’s mythology, this night was also symbolic for the Canucks. They’re trying to sell a new team going in a new direction, new stars and a new leader and, for one game at least, they offered a tantalizing glimpse of what could be this season.
Is it sustainable? Let’s talk again in a couple of months, but for a team that’s dithered on so many fronts over the past four years, Wednesday was important on a number of levels.
There is no longer ambiguity over the Canucks’ direction. There is no longer a question of their purpose. Are they rebuilding? Are they trying to stay competitive? It’s all irrelevant now. This is their team. Horvat is their leader. So let this all play out and see where things stand in April.
“We’re all very close and we all feed off each other,” said Chris Tanev. “But, I mean, Bo’s our leader. He’s put in the work. Ever since he’s been drafted he’s gotten better and better. You can see it off the ice too, how he carries himself and treats everyone. There’s definitely going to be no regrets with this decision.”
No regrets: The Canucks should have T-shirts made up with those words on the front.
“Everyone has their own personality and with Bo, he’s been the same guy,” said Brandon Sutter. “He doesn’t change who he is and he’ll be the same going forward. That’s what makes him Bo and makes him a leader.”
Just so you know, Beagle, Tanev and Brandon Sutter represent 34 seasons and 1,665 games’ worth of NHL experience. They’ve played on Stanley Cup-winning teams and teams that made the Cup finals. They’ve also played on horrendous teams that were out of the playoff picture by the end of November. I would tend to trust their perspective on this matter.
OK, you have to keep reminding yourself these are the Canucks and this season can go a million different ways. But for everything this franchise has been through in the past four years, the faithful can be forgiven for a certain level of giddiness following Wednesday’s win.
Hughes was transcendent. Miller, who sets up as a key player this season, enjoyed the first four-point game of his NHL career.
Sutter scored two goals. He scored four in an injury-ravaged 2018-19 season. Tanev, who had two goals last season, scored a beauty, finishing off a tick-tacktoe passing play with Hughes and Brock Boeser in the third period.
“Just went to the net with my stick on the ice,” deadpanned Tanev, who was here for the 2011 Cup run.
A veteran set up by two kids. As mentioned, there was a fair bit of symbolism going on this night.
On the other side of the Canucks’ locker-room, Horvat was holding his first scrum as the team’s captain and semi-official spokesman. In years past, it was Henrik Sedin in the middle of that scrum. For a blessedly short time it was Roberto Luongo. Before Luongo it was Markus Naslund.
All were different personalities and all wore the C in their own way. But they all wore it, true to themselves and their team and now the torch has been passed to Horvat, the only player to whom it could have been passed.
“I think right now the timing is perfect for him,” said Sutter. “And it’s the perfect time for the team and the organization.”
“You have to have a captain,” said Beagle.
And no matter where they go from here, they’ve got one now.
When something’s not working, the C will make the call. That one guy can bring a sense of order.