Marriage of the minds as Canucks training camp starts

A hockey team that disagrees about its fundamental direction on the opening day of training camp is about as common as an infatuated couple that gets into a fistfight on a first date.

Pretty rare stuff, in other words. And so when the Vancouver Canucks brought out their head coach and veteran players to meet the media at GM Place after fitness testing and physicals on September 12, it was no surprise that everyone was coming from the same place philosophically.

After all, the Canucks set a franchise record with 105 points last season under the guidance of Jack Adams Trophy winner Alain Vigneault. They’re well aware that the keys to success this season will be increased offensive production, continued defensive excellence, and heightened performance in the playoffs—once a post-season berth is secured, of course.

“We must respect the NHL process,” Vigneault said. “We must respect the NHL season. You can’t start talking about what you’re going to do in the playoffs. We’ve got great examples of teams that have maybe got caught looking too far ahead. Carolina won the Cup and Edmonton were the finalists [in 2006]. They didn’t make the playoffs last year. The league now is so competitive in both conferences that to make the playoffs, you need a great season. You almost have to get 100 points. That means your team needs to bring its A-game to the table almost 80 or 90 percent of the 82-game schedule.”

An individual performer who excelled at that level last season was goalie Roberto Luongo, whose 2.28 GAA and .921 save percentage in 76 games earned him runner-up status for the Hart, Vezina, and Pearson Trophies. One thing Vigneault has learned is that this 28-year-old Montreal native thrives on work like honeymooning couples thrive on free trips to Hawaii.

“I don’t think I’ll be getting any questions this year like, ‘Do you think Roberto’s tired? Do you think he needs a break?'” said Vigneault. “When we added up the number of games he played last year, including overtime, he played 96 games. And his best one was the last one. So he’s a workhorse. He doesn’t need time off, and he gets upset at me when I want to give him some time off!”

“Last year, it was new for both of us,” Luongo said of his relationship with Vigneault. “I didn’t know him and he didn’t know me. It was hard for him to know what kind of an athlete and person I am. I think this year we’re starting off on a new page, but we’ll both be on the same one.”

Luongo is Vancouver’s highest-paid player at $6.75 million, and no one would quibble with the amount of cap space he eats up.

But since the Canucks barely dipped into a pricey free agent market this summer that included star forwards like Scott Gomez, Chris Drury, and Paul Kariya, talk has centered on how captain Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison need to contribute more than the 60 and 51 points they generated respectively last year.

Not only did Naslund and Morrison emphasize that they’re healthy and excited about the coming season, but each one separately reaffirmed that he wants to remain a Canuck, even though both could become unrestricted free agents at the end of 2007-08.

“Right now, I don’t know what my future looks like,” Naslund said. “All I know is that I’m really happy to be back. For me, this is the only place I see myself playing. I’m not looking to play this year out and go somewhere else. I’d like to retire as a Canuck.

“It’s something you have to deal with as part of the business,” said Morrison. “If you’re asking if I want to be back here, of course I do! This is my hometown. It’s a pretty good situation. Not only that, but we have a team that I believe has a chance to win. As you become older, that becomes more and more important.”

On September 26, Daniel and Henrik Sedin will turn 27, and the twin Swedish forwards are now truly entering their prime. Unsurprisingly, they said they’d like to revive their partnership with Taylor Pyatt, who scored a career-high 23 goals while mostly playing right wing with them last year. They’ve also continued their pattern of ramping up their summer workout routine.

But one heartening bit of news emerged for those who think the Ornskoldsvik redheads are capable of generating more than the 46 goals they produced together in 2006-07 (36 for Daniel, 10 for Henrik).

“We worked a lot on our shots [in the summer],” said Daniel. “I think that can get better, and we can use it more too. Henrik had just over 100 shots last year, and I think he can shoot a lot more, because his shot is better than ever. Myself, too, I think I can shoot a little more and get more quality chances.”

One Canuck had a different stick-related concern. Defenseman Willie Mitchell, already notorious for the length of his lumber, would like to take steps to increase his ability to cut off passing lanes.

“I’ve sent a memo in to the league,” Mitchell said with a grin. “I want to talk to them about [6-9 Boston captain] Zdeno Chara’s length on his stick. He’s got an exemption. I’m wondering why he gets an exemption. I want to use a longer one.”

Reflecting the exhilarated mood, players kidded around about their prospective leisure-time activities at training camp in Victoria, where on-ice sessions at Bear Mountain Arena start on September 13.

Mitchell has been making plans to go fishing, but his defense partner Kevin Bieksa retorted: “I will not be fishing with Willie Mitchell anywhere. If he wants to go on the golf course, into my territory, I’ll take him there. But I don’t think I trust going on to a boat with him!”

Mitchell responded: “He portrays the image that he’s a big tough guy, but he’s a little soft. He’s got a soft stomach, so he doesn’t want to go out on the water. He might get sick or something. I’ll work on him. He’ll get out there. He’ll have to!”

Of course, when it comes to fishing, all that matters is that the Canucks don’t end up fishing the puck out of their own net too frequently when the regular season kicks off (Friday, October 5 versus the San Jose Sharks).

“I think that as a group, we want to focus on one thing, and that’s winning,” said Trevor Linden, who’s still seeking his first Stanley Cup at age 37. “As we all know, making the playoffs in the Western Conference is going to be a challenge, and it starts with Game One.”

If Linden’s attitude carries over to his teammates, the Canucks will be wedded to the right goals this season.