Canucks Are the Best Team in Canada: Three Reasons Why

The Vancouver Canucks are surprising everyone. They have had such a good start to the 2023-24 regular season that they have – after 10 games – established themselves as the top hockey team in Canada. In this hockey post, I discuss three reasons why the Canucks are experiencing surprising success and why they are currently the best team in the country.

Reason One: Canucks Head Coach Rick Tocchet Has Had an Impact

For years, the Canucks struggled with inconsistency. As a result, it’s been tough for the team to be challenging to gain a playoff spot. However, under the guidance of head coach Rick Tocchet, the team’s mindset has shifted dramatically. Tocchet has instilled structure and discipline into a team that sorely needed it.

Related: Quinn Hughes Named 15th Captain in Vancouver Canucks History

His leadership and approach to coaching have set the foundation for the Canucks’ resurgence. He’s created a culture that his team is buying into – really as if there’s any choice. He is the coach, and his voice is the bottom line.

Tocchet’s accountability-driven coaching style was evident when he benched star player J.T. Miller for taking ill-advised penalties. Despite Miller’s $8 million salary cap hit, Tocchet’s message to the entire team was clear. Everyone will be held to the same standards. Miller might not like being benched, but he sure responded in the right way by scoring a goal. This is an example that shows the impact of Tocchet’s approach.

Reason Two: The Canucks Star Players Are Playing Well

The Canucks’ success can also be attributed to their star players stepping up when it matters most. Miller, I already noted, But there’s also Elias Pettersson, who is a potential Hart Trophy winner. He’s been playing that well. These two, as well as others like Brock Boeser who started the season on fire and hasn’t really slowed down, have played pivotal roles in the team’s resurgence. Canucks’ players Miller, Pettersson, and Quinn Hughes rank in the NHL’s top five scorers. They are giving the team the offensive firepower it needs.

Captain Quinn Hughes, who recently put on a show against the Florida Panthers that the East Coast media finally had to take notice of, has had an exceptional on-ice performance. Hughes is one of the NHL’s best defensemen. And, he’s scoring a ton as well.

In goal, the Canucks have Thatcher Demko. He’s playing at an elite level. With a top-ten ranking in goals against average (1.79), save percentage (.940), and wins (with five), the team’s goaltender has been instrumental in gaining victories. Even Casey DeSmith has been playing almost as well. He was a good pickup.

Reason Three: The Sad State of Rival Canadian Teams

The fact is that the other Canadian teams are simply not playing as well as the Canucks are playing. In Alberta, both the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers are struggling to win. The Ottawa Senators are getting more press off the ice than on it. The Toronto Maple Leafs seem listless, although they barely have a winning record. And the Montreal Canadiens are playing well enough considering they are in the midst of a rebuild. It isn’t their season.

This disparity in the performance of these other Canadian teams, when compared with the Canucks, is huge. No one is keeping up with Vancouver at the moment.

The Canucks’ impressive start to the season has injected positivity into a fan base that hasn’t witnessed this level of success in over a decade (since 2011). With the team’s transformation under Tocchet’s coaching leadership and the standout performances of their star players, the Canucks are making a compelling case as the best team in Canada’s NHL.

They are a fun team to watch. But not if you’re a San Jose Sharks fan. What happens if these Canucks actually begin to believe in themselves?

Related: Vancouver Canucks Crush San Jose Sharks with 10-1 Victory