(Vancouver) Ian Cole remembers well how he felt before his first NHL playoff game.
“Honestly, I was scared,” he said. You’re really scared because you know how important it is. You tell yourself many times not to make mistakes. »
The fear did not last. The veteran defenseman has played in 116 post-season games, winning the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017.
He shares this experience with his Vancouver Canucks teammates, on the eve of their first playoff series in four years.
“The most important thing is to get our game to the highest possible level before we go into battle,” Cole said.
The Canucks on Saturday became the first Canadian team guaranteed a playoff spot this year.
They played post-season hockey in Edmonton most recently at the end of the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.
Six players from this team are still there. But the games in the bubble didn’t offer a typical playoff experience, forward J. T. Miller said.
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J.T. Miller
“The intensity was there but there was just no emotion connected to the matches. And emotion is hugely important, said Miller, who appeared in 78 playoff games.
“I’m not going to discredit the teams that went far [dans la bulle]. It was a difficult time, but we learned a lot. »
The Pacific Division leaders haven’t hosted a playoff game since 2015. Key players Brock Boeser, Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes went undrafted at that time.
He is among many Canucks players who will experience their first real NHL playoffs, starting next month.
The team’s veterans, including Cole, are eager to share the lessons they’ve learned along the way.
“For the most part, the message is just that it’s still hockey,” Cole said. Let’s not make it something it’s not. Let’s not make it such a mountain that it’s no longer manageable.
“It’s the same sport, but the sense of urgency is much more present. Every game matters so much more. »
As intensity increases, so does the need to pay attention to the little things, Teddy Blueger argued.
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Teddy Blueger
“Mistakes become more costly,” said the center, who won the Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights last year. You just have to be really focused, be willing to put your body on the line and block shots, all those little details. »
Head coach Rick Tocchet knows something about that.
The former forward played 145 playoff games, winning the Cup with the Penguins in 1992. He added two more championship titles as an assistant with Pittsburgh, in 2016 and 2017.
Coaches have a key role in helping players keep their cool during the playoffs, Tocchet said.
“We too must be calm. You are in a plane and the cockpit door is open and in the turbulence you see the pilot struggling and sweating — what image would that give?
“I can’t bite my nails and get angry. I have to stay calm too. »