A Personal Letter to Bruce Boudreau

The popular coach may be gone in Vancouver, but he left a lasting impression on those who worked with him, including Rachel Doerrie.

Since my departure from the Vancouver Canucks, I have not had the opportunity to fully gather my thoughts on what it meant to work with Bruce Boudreau and the staff. When it became increasingly obvious the direction this was going, I began to reflect on my time under Bruce. Some things will remain private, but I believe it is important to shed light on why he’s a great coach and person.

Dear Bruce,

The time has mercifully come. The long, drawn-out, unnecessary process has come to an end. Our time together may have been shorter than we wanted, just as I know your time in Vancouver was shorter than you wanted. Through all of this, you have shown everyone what your staff already knew: there is only one Bruce Boudreau.

When people speak of you, they’ll mention your love for the game, your infectious positivity and your ability to connect with everyone. After the past few months, there is no doubt that everyone will remember what I knew from the moment I met you: your compassion, care and class make you one of a kind.

I remember the first time we chatted about the possibility of me joining your staff. I was intimidated going into the meeting. Here’s one of the best coaches in our sport, and I was supposed to help incorporate analytics into how we did things on a day-to-day basis. Truthfully, I was more excited to learn from you than I was about anything else. Bruce Boudreau's teams play entertaining, offensive hockey, and having the opportunity to see how you viewed coaching was an opportunity I could not pass up.

You explained to me, in plain terms, how you saw things playing out. I made a promise that I would never tell you how to do things or who to play – you were the coach, and I was there to make the lives of the coaches easier. In the month we spent together, I learned more by being around the coaches than I could have imagined. Regardless of being the newbie and being somewhat apprehensive about joining the staff, I felt welcome and valued. It is very motivating to work as part of a group when you feel valued and heard. That is the type of environment you foster. It is the type of environment that hockey needs more of.

Everything you do as a coach was with the purpose of making the players their best. Your approach to relationships that Luke Schenn laid out on Saturday is a difference-maker. The importance of checking in with players every day, even if it is for 30 seconds, makes people feel valued. Asking someone how the move into town is coming along, how their family is doing, or just cracking a joke goes a long way. You have this innate understanding that some people need a laugh or a joke while others need a pat on the back. It is that recognition that makes you special.

There was that fateful week for me. It felt like a decade and probably took one off my life, too. To be left twisting in the winds of uncertainty is not something I’d wish upon my worst enemy, let alone someone as kind and compassionate as you. There was not a meal, a practice or a meeting that you did not check in with me. Through the stress, tears and cardiac episodes, your unwavering support and compassion for me on a human level kept me going. It extended to the rest of the staff – we were a team.

There was never a moment where I felt you didn’t have my back. In the toughest of moments, you were willing to go to bat for me, a new staff member with almost no experience. That says more about you than any forecheck or DZ coverage ever could. I took many lessons from you and the staff, but the most important one was this: No matter how tough it may be, you must stand up for what is right. You cannot back down because the situation may be inconvenient or confrontational. It is more important to have compassion and support your colleagues than it is to fall in line. That is something I will carry with me forever.

Watching this process unfold from afar, powerless to help or support you, has been tough. In a way, I feel I let you down. You had my back when I needed it most, and I could not return the favour. Seeing you tear up in pressers or on the bench on Saturday night pained me. You deserved the chants and the ovation from the fans. Canucks fans, they’re smart. They recognized you deserved better, and I hope their outpouring of appreciation is your lasting memory from the past few months.

Through all of this, I hope you’ve seen how much everyone in hockey appreciates you. There is no doubt in my mind you will bounce back from this. Wherever you go, they are getting a man of character who puts others before himself and owns an incredible sense of humor. They are also getting the second-fastest coach to 600 NHL wins, a testament to your coaching ability. The numbers speak for themselves.

I’ll finish with what you told me: Keep your head up because there are people out there who recognize and appreciate your value. Right back at you, boss. Who’s to know what’s next, but what I do know is the world would be a much better place if everyone treated people the way Bruce Boudreau treats his colleagues and players.

Thank you for everything.

Rachel