Canucks Q+A: Why Willie Desjardins knew Game 1 loss in 2015 ...

27 Mar 2024

The Province

The current Canucks can learn something from the past. Getting off to a smart playoff series' start on home ice is crucial.

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Published Mar 26, 2024 • Last updated 3 hours ago • 4 minute read

Vancouver Canucks mentor Willie Desjardins coaches against the Edmonton Oilers in a regular- season NHL game at Rogers Arena on Dec. 26, 2015. Photo by Gerry Kahrmann /PNG

Willie Desjardins prepping for the playoffs is going to jog the memory bank.

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On this occasion, the coach and general manager is getting his Medicine Hat Tigers ready for a tough WHL opening-round series matchup against the Red Deer Rebels that opens Friday.

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On another occasion, it was something of more and lasting significance. Losing Game 1 in stunning fashion on home ice to the upstart Calgary Flames in the 2015 Western Conference quarter-final series was a crippling blow for his Vancouver Canucks.

The 101-point club lost in six games because it lost its way in trying to recover from a 2-1 setback in the opener. The Flames scored twice in the final period, including the winner with 29.6 seconds left.

“Game 1 is always the easiest to steal,” Desjardins recalled Tuesday. “Everybody expects the home team to win and we let it get away. I don’t know if we ever recovered. We got behind at the start and couldn’t find a way to get above it.

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“Looking back, I would have found a way to get Game 1 because we could never get control of the series.”

That result remains relevant today.

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The present-day Canucks have created a league-wide buzz and captured the imagination of a playoff starved and frenetic fan base of what could be when the second season commences here in late April.

However, there’s always a cautionary tale when entering the ultimate grind of meeting expectations. And what occurred to the Canucks nine years ago shouldn’t be forgotten. It’s a reminder that anything can happen in pursuit of the Stanley Cup and usually does.

Here’s our weekly Q+A with Desjardins, who remains a hockey junkie at age 67:

Henrik and Daniel Sedin had their minutes reduced during a crucial Game 1 home-ice loss to the Flames in the 2015 NHL playoffs.

Q: Henrik and Daniel Sedin played 17:29 and 16:14 in the opener. Why?

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A: It’s so much easier when you look back. You think it’s going to be a long series, so you want to keep your players fresh. Saying that, I would have played them (Sedins) more in Game 1 if I could have. And if we had won, it was a great move. It’s a fine line. You want them on the ice, and looking back, if I play them more maybe we’re up 3-0. (Henrik averaged 18:36 that season and Daniel 18:21).

Q: How tough was losing Alex Burrows to injuries after a Game 3 fight?

A: It really hurt because he was such an emotional leader and inspirational player. He tried to play (fractured rib and dislocated rib cartilage) but couldn’t. And when we lost Brad Richardson late in the season that also hurt because we got so much out of our third and fourth lines.

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Q: Seven of your players were in their 30s. Did that slow you down?

A: I don’t think it was a factor. You forget in the playoffs how close it is. Getting something early can make a difference. We weren’t super-quick, but it’s not just speed, it’s how smart you are in what you do. I know it was a character group that gave all it had.

Q: Both teams had goalies struggle and you blew leads. Why was that?

A: It never got to where we were in total control shift after shift and we’ve got them. We felt a little out of sync and losing a couple of guys didn’t help. And then we had to play guys too much late in the series.

Q: What do you like in today’s NHL game? Trending in right direction?

A: I like how close it is. On any given night, things can happen and I like the speed and the skill. It’s incredible. You see (Brock) Boeser finding a way to get his game back and the back end in Vancouver now is so mobile with (Quinn) Hughes. But I had the Sedins, Burrows and Kevin Bieksa and I’d still take that any day.

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Q: What do you make of the current Canucks who are playoff bound?

A: I see a team that’s excited again. They found a way and it’s a team that believes and loves to come the rink. They play hard as a group and maybe they appreciate each other with how hard they work. (Coach) Rick Tocchet has created a culture of players performing hard and enjoying it.

Q: Words of wisdom, or caution, for Tocchet in advance of the playoffs?

A: Oh, I think Tocchet knows way better than I do (laughs). I don’t think I need to tell him anything. He’s done an amazing job with that team. He knows what he has to do and is in control of it.

Q: When are you going to hang up your trademark coaching whiteboard?

A: People don’t ask that. You keep doing it as long as you’re having fun and enjoying the game. The excitement keeps you going. You have one goal when you start the year, to win a championship.

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