Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Oct 7, 2026 1:00 PM
“I always say, I don’t remember a lot of games, good or bad, guys have had, or a lot of plays along the way. But I remember getting to know the guys and stories along the way, and some of the best memories are just getting to know your teammates," Canucks defenceman Luke Schenn says.
Luke Schenn has never ordered room service from a hotel when on an NHL road trip. Not a single time in his 1126-game NHL career.
As the Vancouver Canucks prepare to embark on one of their longest road trips throughout the 2026–27 season, Schenn is looking at keeping things that way.
The act of rallying teammates together for a dinner on the road is something known throughout the NHL as a custom for team-bonding. It serves as a good means of spending time in different cities after practices and team-obligations wrap for the day.
“That’s the best part about the NHL, is getting out there and getting to know your teammates,” Schenn told The Hockey News ahead of Vancouver’s trip out east.
The Canucks’ upcoming road trip will push the team through six different games in the span of a little less than two weeks. After facing the Carolina Hurricanes on October 8, Vancouver will head to New Jersey and New York to face the Devils, Rangers, and Islanders on the 10th, 11th, and 13th respectively, before heading down-south to Florida to play the Panthers on the 15th and the Tampa Bay Lightning on the 17th.
It’s the first long road trip for the Canucks during the early stages of the 2026–27 season, which means this trip will be when things like team-dinner organizers and airplane seatmates are sorted out.
Given his experience throughout the league, the role of the team’s rallying figure is usually something Schenn takes on.
“I would say 70 percent [of the time], probably. Decent amount,” he said. “When you’ve been around a long time, you kind of know the spots to go, and it’s easy to get a group together — throw it in the group text, and get some guys together and have some fun, have some laughs.”
Those 1126 games have seen Schenn take on roles with 10 different teams throughout the NHL — the Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, Arizona Coyotes, Anaheim Ducks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Nashville Predators, Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres, and, of course, the Canucks. Through these experiences, he’s seen how the road-trip team-bonding culture has changed.
“I think probably few guys that meet up for a beer a little more often, probably when you get into a city, that’s just kind of the old school environment of how the NHL used to be, I would say [...] now, obviously, with the speed of the game and the schedule, it’s a lot more recovery, I would say.”
Oct 1, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Luke Schenn (2) skates onto the ice prior to the start of a game against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn ImagesIt’s still early in the season, which means Vancouver still hasn’t quite gotten the opportunity to do their fair share of team-bonding on the road other than their short one-game trip to open the season against the Edmonton Oilers. While they also went up to Penticton for 2026 training camp, due to the hectic schedule and large groups of players, there wasn’t much room for the players themselves to organize their dinners on their own.
“[It’s] just a little bit different now to have the group together.”
The road trip team-bonding experience is an essential part of the NHL experience, according to Schenn. Back at home, there are personal and familial elements to life that keep players busy off the ice. Things are different on the road.
“I always say, I don’t remember a lot of games, good or bad, guys have had, or a lot of plays along the way. But I remember getting to know the guys and stories along the way, and some of the best memories are just getting to know your teammates.”
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