Vancouver Canucks players and management say recent roster and culture shifts have helped create a more “egoless” environment in the dressing room.
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Several Vancouver Canucks players say the team’s locker room culture has shifted toward a more team-first approach, with “ego” cited as a factor they believe is less present than in recent seasons.
Paul Cotter said the group’s focus on improving together is part of what makes the team’s environment feel different, saying, “We have a very egoless group,” and adding that when “a room that’s that close and willing to get better together, it can take you so far.” Cotter also called the group “a very, very egoless” one, describing it as a fit among “Older guys, younger guys,” that “all fit together and mesh well.”
Brock Boeser, who has been with the Canucks longer than anyone mentioned in the report, pointed to personality dynamics from earlier seasons while describing the current environment. “I think it was some of the personalities there in the room; we just had some negativity,” Boeser said. “This year, I don’t feel like there’s anyone with much ego on the team. There’s not one guy that’s sticking out and bringing the group down. I think that’s a good thing. It’s good for us.”
The report links the change to roster moves made over the past couple of years, including trades of players identified as having “big personalities,” such as J.T. Miller, Quinn Hughes and Conor Garland. Max Sasson said that, in his view, the team has changed how players relate to each other, saying, “I don’t think anyone in here thinks he’s better than the next guy and that has ended.” He added, “We’ve turned a new page,” and said players can “just be themselves” while feeling more confident at the rink.
Sasson also described how that confidence can show up during games, saying, “On the ice, you’re going to see a lot more confidence because if you make a mistake, your buddy has your back.”
General manager Ryan Johnson said the organization’s intent is to create an environment that helps players be themselves, including in his comments about Elias Pettersson in the offseason. Johnson said, “What I’m stressing with him is I want to give him an environment that supports him, that allows him to be himself and not feel that he’s got to be anything other than himself,” and said he wants to help create a space where Pettersson “wakes up excited to come into the arena every day.”
While the report characterizes the team’s early culture as positive, it also notes that how long those “positive vibes” last across an 84-game season remains to be seen.
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