VANCOUVER — The absence of a dedicated practice facility has long diminished the standing and attractiveness of the Vancouver Canucks franchise within the National Hockey League. It would be a significant embarrassment if this issue also resulted in losing a successful head coach.
Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman’s report on his 32 Thoughts podcast, indicating that the lack of a practice rink is a concern for Rick Tocchet – who recently met with Canucks management – offered some insight into the delay in finalizing a new contract for the coach.
The Canucks organization is currently one of only two teams in the NHL without its own training complex. The other team, the Calgary Flames, is addressing this deficiency by including a practice rink in their plans for a new downtown arena, projected for completion before the 2027-28 season.
Vancouver has operated without a specific practice facility since its contract with the Eight Rinks complex in Burnaby ended in 2010. While the team has significantly upgraded its training area at Rogers Arena, it still needs to rent ice time, often at the University of B.C., when their main rink is unavailable due to other events.
As Tocchet pointed out to Sportsnet a couple of summers ago, not having a practice facility equipped with full medical and training support is particularly problematic during the off-season. This situation discourages players from spending their summers in Vancouver and skating together in preparation for training camp in September.
“I can`t be disappointed players were not here in mid-August because they probably had a facility or something where they were,” Tocchet said. “We`re working on that as an organization. We want players to stay and train under our umbrella, under our roof. The best teams do that.”
“There`s a lot of things that we just don`t have, so I can`t really blame the players.”
Yet, nearly two years later – and three years after President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford stated the Canucks were “very close to making a decision on the site” for a practice facility – little progress seems to have been made.
A clearly frustrated Rutherford assured reporters at a recent year-end press conference that a facility *will* eventually be built.
“I assure you we`re going to get this done — maybe long after I`m here and maybe long after I`m even on this earth — but… it`ll get done,” Rutherford told reporters last Monday. “We`ve tried hard to form a partnership with some of the local rinks. We`ve tried three or four different facilities, and for different reasons, it didn`t work out.”
“I know you`re not going to listen to me — you don`t trust what I say, and I don`t blame you — but I`m just going to tell you what I know. We have more people working on this, and it looks like a new facility is going to have to be built to get this done. There`s a couple of parcels of land that have been targeted, and that`s what we`re trying to work on now, but it`s going to take a while. And we`re all disappointed in that.”
This situation is a genuine challenge for the Canucks organization and, evidently, for Tocchet as he weighs his options. After 2 ½ seasons in Vancouver with a .608 winning percentage and having won the Jack Adams Trophy, he must decide whether to stay or explore opportunities with the seven NHL teams currently seeking a new head coach.
Tocchet’s frustration is certainly understandable, especially if he was informed upon taking the Canucks job in January 2023 (after declining multiple coaching offers during his time working at TNT) that a practice facility for him and the players was on the horizon.
However, considering the significant time required to construct a 20,000-square-foot training complex including at least one sheet of ice, it`s improbable that the practice facility issue will be the *sole* deciding factor for Tocchet`s decision.
Tocchet is 61 years old. He desires a chance to compete for championships and rightfully deserves a competitive salary.
Ultimately, the Vancouver Canucks organization might still present him with the best opportunity to achieve both his desire to win and financial goals.
The Pittsburgh Penguins recently became the seventh team with a head coaching vacancy after mutually agreeing to part ways with long-time coach Mike Sullivan. Sullivan had won two Stanley Cups with Rutherford in Pittsburgh and previously served as an assistant coach under John Tortorella in Vancouver for one season.
However, teams like the Penguins and Boston Bruins are facing the difficult reality of significant rebuilds or roster transformations that could take several years. The Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks are currently in disarray. The Anaheim Ducks have promising young players but haven`t yet developed a winning culture. The New York Rangers underperformed this season, similar to the Canucks, but without facing the same level of significant adversity. The Seattle Kraken also performed below expectations and have room for improvement.