Guess who’s back? Back again, back again, back again. Nucksaid IS back! It has been WAY too long away from being in this space! I’ve missed it. Some negative experiences within this space and on social media initiated why I stepped away temporarily but I AM BACK. This space will be filled with thoughts on the current Canucks/NHL season, and bringing back Canucks Round Tables featuring fellow Canucks fans and the OUR VOICE series that helps give women in hockey(fans, working in the field) their voice to tell THEIR stories.

Shall we jump right in with some current season thoughts? The 2023-2024 NHL season is well underway and it has been a stellar start for the Vancouver Canucks. Can you feel that feeling beginning to sweep through Canucks nation? That feeling of potential and hope beginning to swell as core players step up and take the lead. It has been a LONG time since that feeling has been anywhere near Canucks fans. Rogers Arena is rocking louder than it is has in nearly a decade! Through 15-games, they boost a 11-3-1 record and lead many of the MVP categories as they’ve jumped out to their best start in franchise history.

BUT their PDO is due to regress! WHO CARES?! It likely will regress some but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy this current run. It’s incredibly fun watching this team most nights, and that has definitely not been the case in recent years. Last season, if they had been outshot 19-2 in the first 10 minutes of any game as they were against Edmonton on Nov.6, it would have been game over. Instead, Demko was rock solid giving them the opportunity to find their game, score some goals and get the regulation win. This team has found different ways to win games and ways to bounce back after a loss that just were not part of their repertoire last season.

Newly minted Captain Quinn Hughes has been leading the way and putting on a show most nights. Filip Hronek has been the perfect defensive partner for Hughes, the pair is setting the standard for the rest of the blue line. Elias Pettersson is lighting it up. Brock Boeser is continuing to have a resurgence after a few difficult seasons, it’s good to see him having fun playing hockey again. Thatcher Demko is taking his game to a new level and has a very solid counterpart in Casey DeSmith. AND Tyler Myers who often has been labelled the chaos giraffe and had a pair of particularly horrendous games on an early road trip, has really found his game of late, and boosts a +10!

Rick Tocchet along with his coaching staff have instilled their systems of structure and accountability into this roster. Could Coach Tocchet be putting himself in the running for the Jack Adams award? It’s far too early to tell, but he’s certainly found a way to make his players buy in and set themselves up for early season success.

Are we having fun yet Canucks fans? Whatever the season holds, let’s enjoy this magic that is Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson taking the NHL by storm.

As always, until next time, nuck said.

Sarah E.L.