116 versus 143.
That鈥檚 the number of playoff games Vancouver鈥檚 Ian Cole has participated in versus the combined total of J.T. Miller, Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and Thatcher Demko entering this post-season.
Take Miller and his 78 games out of the equation and that鈥檚 116 games versus 55.
When it comes to playoff experience, Cole is the dean of the Canucks dressing room.
The 35-year-old native of Ann Arbor, Michigan was part of back-to-back Stanley Cup championships with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017 and has been part of playoff runs with Colorado and Carolina.
For Cole, the playoffs are familiar territory.
While most of his teammates were soaking in the rabid atmosphere at Rogers Arena on Sunday night when Vancouver defeated Nashville 4-2 in game one of their first round series, Cole didn鈥檛 let the moment get too big.
Although he appreciated the fan support, the veteran defenseman didn鈥檛 try to soak it all in.
鈥淣o, not really to be honest. All that stuff is awesome and you can feel the energy but personally for me I do better when I block out all the external stuff,鈥� stated Cole.
He admits that having experience in that type of environment does help in terms of focusing on the task at hand.
鈥淲hen you go and you step out here, it鈥檚 your fans and the atmosphere is so great. It鈥檚 like 鈥榳ow, this is amazing.鈥� Then you go to Nashville, and you鈥檙e like, 鈥榳ow, this is so intimidating.鈥� Well, it鈥檚 neither. It鈥檚 great here. Yeah, I feel the energy and use it. And there? It鈥檚 going be loud. It鈥檚 not intimidating - feel the energy use it,鈥� explained Cole.
鈥淚t all should be the same mindset right? It shouldn鈥檛 matter where you鈥檙e playing, there鈥檚 going to be energy everywhere at this point of the year. The fans were great. They were awesome and you could definitely feel that but I don鈥檛 think focusing on it is beneficial.鈥�
As a veteran on the team, Cole picks his spots when to say things and is always open to helping out teammates when asked.
鈥淵ou try to say some things here and there but I also don鈥檛 want to stand up here and pontificate 鈥榦h, I鈥檝e done this and this is what we need to do.鈥� No one really appreciates that either. When guys come to you and ask questions, you answer them. If you see things that you think you can add some insight to or fix, you do that when the time is right. But again, I don鈥檛 think standing up and telling people what to do or how to play鈥e got here for a reason.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got a great hockey team. We鈥檙e deep. We鈥檙e skilled. We have elite players from our goaltending all the way through our 鈥楧鈥� all the way through our forwards. So let guys do their job and let guys experience it for themselves and grow and learn.鈥�
Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet recognizes that Cole鈥檚 experience is valuable and pointed out and example of it from earlier in the year.
鈥淭here鈥檚 been times this year I felt our team get a little antsy and Coler鈥檚 demeanor after the game has helped our team. I鈥檝e seen it. It鈥檚 easier when it comes from the player or their peers than the coach when you have that player that can settle guys down,鈥� said Tocchet, referring to a four-game late-February swoon that was snapped with a 3-2 win over Boston at Rogers Arena. 鈥淚 think we lost four in a row one time and Coler talked to the guys. The next night we played we had a good night. Some of the older guys I think won us that game.鈥�
Cole is the epitome of what Tocchet and the organization want from players in terms of a mental approach.
Now in his 14th NHL season, Cole has seen it all yet he doesn鈥檛 get too high after success or too low after failure.
鈥淚 mean, listen, we鈥檝e talked about this many times over the course of the year, which essentially is 鈥榟ey, we win a couple games everyone鈥檚 riding high. They鈥檙e amazing! Or we鈥檙e gonna win the cup!鈥� Well, it鈥檚 not true. We got to win a heck of a lot more hockey games.
鈥淥r just like if we had lost the first game and got blown out 8-1. 鈥極h man! They鈥檙e a phony - they鈥檙e a fake. They鈥檙e not there.鈥� That鈥檚 not true either.
鈥淟et鈥檚 try to stay level-headed through this whole thing. Let鈥檚 try to stay even-keel. We have a lot more hockey games to win. They (Nashville) are going to push back. They鈥檙e going to come back even better. And we need to be ready for them.鈥�
OVERTIME
* The discussions have already started about the 鈥榗oaching adjustments鈥� that take place in a series but don鈥檛 kid yourselves. You don鈥檛 change the foundation of what got you to the post-season. The adjustments are more like 鈥榯weaks鈥� according to Tocchet. 鈥淟et鈥檚 face it. They know us. We know them. There might be some stuff they might adjust to and we have to be ready for it and vice versa. A lot of times there are in-game adjustments too whether you take a guy off a line or try different things. You can鈥檛 be afraid to do that in-game. I think that鈥檚 important,鈥� stated Tocchet.
* Asked if he learns anything more about his team after watching game video, Tocchet said it reinforces what he sees from the bench during the course of a game more so than any eye-opening revelations. 鈥淔or me in real time I kind of know. I don鈥檛 need the next day to validate it. There is the odd time where I may have misread (what occurred in the game) but I kind of know what I thought last night is what I watched today.鈥�
* Tocchet believes the main purpose of looking back at games is to use the video as a tool to help players moving forward. 鈥淭o me, good coaching is how do you present it to the players without being negative or even too positive. I think it鈥檚 important you tell the story. Whatever our story is today with the players is going to help us tomorrow. I think that鈥檚 what I look at video for 鈥� creating your narrative to the players. What can we do to get better?鈥� he explained.
Veteran B.C. sports personality Bob 鈥渢he Moj鈥� Marjanovich writes twice weekly for Black Press Media.
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