Assistant coach could play key role in improved defensive play and penalty killing
Assistant coach could play key role in improved defensive play and penalty killing
A hard-rock, no nonsense defenseman during a playing career that yielded two Stanley Cups, an Olympic gold medal and a World Cup title, Adam Foote seems like the kind of coach players ought to pay attention to. The 52-year-old oozes experiences in the game at the highest levels that he is now trying to share with the players he works with.
Brought on board by Rick Tocchet when the Vancouver Canucks made their mid-season coaching change last January, Foote is starting into his first full season of coaching in the National Hockey League. He's been tasked with shoring up a Canucks blueline that bled goals all of last year and perhaps Foote's greater challenge will be finding a way to improve the league's worst penalty killing from last season.
It's on the penalty kill where Foote and JT Miller's worlds collide. And the veteran forward has taken an immediate shine to Foote and the wisdom he's trying to impart.
"He’s a player I’ve looked up to and a guy I watched playing as a kid," Miller says. "He’s super hard-nosed, an old school guy. He’s pretty black and white, says it how it is and is a guy I really respect. He’s pretty transparent and I lean on him for a lot of information mainly in my own end and mainly on the PK. He’s really knowledgeable, he’s got a great demeanor about him and he’s a great fit with the rest of the staff. He’s a guy I think a lot of the players have been leaning on and he’s been super helpful."
Miller's style of play matches his personality -- both can be gruff at times and rough around the edges.
He's had enough coaches at the NHL level to know what works for him and what brings out the best in him. And he finds Foote refreshing in his direct approach to getting his message across.
"He doesn’t baby me, he’s direct," Miller explains. "That seems like a lost art where too often you have to massage players to make sure their feelings aren’t hurt. We might have an F-You match, but at the end of the day I know what he’s doing, I know what he’s saying. I really respect that. It’s black and white. I love feedback as a player. It helps me a lot."
Tyler Myers has also come to appreciate all that Foote has brought to the hockey club. Myers works directly with Foote on defensive assignments and on the penalty kill.
The veteran blueliner says Foote's impressive resume in the game brought instant credibility, but Myers has been equally impressed with the individual attention the coach has given to each of the Canucks blueliners.
"Footer has been awesome," Myers says. "As soon he stepped in last year, you could tell right away he was going to be very hands on with each guy on the back end. He’s ready to work with each and every one of us. In this game, you’re constantly making adjustments from game by game and practice by practice especially as a coach you can see it. And Footer really tries to involve us in as many talks as he can for us as a D corps to develop."
When Rick Tocchet was approached about taking the reins in Vancouver, he quickly had to find available options to round out his staff. That's not as easy as it sounds with many of the best minds in hockey working elsewhere in the middle of the season.
But Foote was eager to jump at the chance to work full time in the NHL.
"I’m lucky that he was available and he wanted to get into coaching," Tocchet says. "He nailed it with his interview with Patrik and Jim. He nailed it, so I didn’t even have to convince those guys."
In Foote, Tocchet has found someone that approaches the game the same we he does. Both loved to bang and crash as players, and and now as coaches share the same philosophy about the way the game should be played.
"He sees the game the same way I do, but he’s not afraid to challenge me," Tocchet explains. "He’s very good at leadership. He was with Sakic and Forsberg and those guys and he was a guy that was always in leadership meetings with those high level players. I think the D has learned a lot from him and they’ll tell you that. And I think that’s really helped our club. We don’t run around. Guys know where to be."
While the Vancouver Canucks underwent an overhaul of personnel in the off-season, one of their most important additions may be behind the bench. The Canucks are clearly Rick Tocchet's team, but make no mistake that Adam Foote is right there, too, offering a strong and guiding hand.
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