Ian Cole vividly recalls how he felt before skating out for his first NHL playoff game.
鈥淗onestly, I just remember being scared,鈥� he said, punctuating his sentence with a mild expletive.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e so scared because you know how important it is. You鈥檙e like 鈥楯ust don鈥檛 make a mistake! Don鈥檛 make a mistake! Don鈥檛 make a mistake!鈥欌��
The fear didn鈥檛 last, but Cole鈥檚 playoff career did. The veteran defenceman has made 116 post-season appearances and he won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017.
Now he鈥檚 sharing that experience with his Vancouver Canucks teammates as they prepare for their first playoff run in four years.
鈥淚 think the biggest thing that we should focus on is getting our game to its peak, to the very best it can be before we enter into battle,鈥� Cole said.
The Canucks (45-20-8) secured their post-season berth on Saturday, becoming the first Canadian team to book their spot.
The upcoming run has been a long time coming.
The Canucks last played post-season hockey in Edmonton at the end of the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.
Six players from that squad are on the current roster. But games in the bubble didn鈥檛 provide a typical playoff experience, said Canucks forward J.T. Miller.
鈥淲e had some special times as a team. That鈥檚 the only thing you鈥檙e really going to take away,鈥� said Miller, who鈥檚 seen action in 78 playoff games, including Eastern Conference finals with the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers.
鈥淭he intensity is in the game but there鈥檚 just no emotion in the game, obviously. And that鈥檚 a gigantic part of the game. I鈥檓 not going to discredit the teams that went far 鈥� It was a hard time, but we learned a lot.鈥�
The Canucks haven鈥檛 hosted a playoff game since 2015. Three of Vancouver鈥檚 top stars 鈥� right-winger Brock Boeser, centre Elias Pettersson and defenceman Quinn Hughes 鈥� hadn鈥檛 been drafted at the time.
They鈥檙e among several Canucks players who鈥檒l get their first taste of true NHL playoff action next month.
The team鈥檚 veterans 鈥� including Cole 鈥� are keen to share lessons they鈥檝e learned along the way.
鈥淔or the most part, the message is just that it鈥檚 the same game,鈥� Cole said. 鈥淟et鈥檚 not make it something that it鈥檚 not. Let鈥檚 not make it this entity that鈥檚 so massive that you can鈥檛 process the situation.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the same game, but it鈥檚 not the same desperation. The desperation goes up. Every play matters exponentially more.鈥�
As the intensity ramps up, so does the need to pay attention to the little parts of your game, said Teddy Blueger.
鈥淥bviously the cost of mistakes is a little higher,鈥� said the centre, who won a Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights last season. 鈥淪o I think you鈥檝e just got to be really dialed in and focused and committed to doing your job, be willing to put your body on the line physically, blocking shots, all those little details.
鈥淎 lot of playoffs games or even regular-season games are decided by really small margins. It鈥檚 a matter of kind of getting all those little details dialed in playing hard, doing your job and executing well.鈥�
One difference between the regular season and a best-of-seven matchup is the ebbs and flows that come with a series, said Nikita Zadorov.
鈥淚t鈥檚 no panic, it鈥檚 long game,鈥� said the defenceman, who鈥檚 played 45 post-season contests. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a seven-game series, anything can happen. There鈥檚 definitely emotional swings during the series so I think you鈥檙e going to win those momentum games. There鈥檚 a lot of games inside the games, there鈥檚 a lot of tricks, for sure.鈥�
Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet has seen many of those tricks first hand.
During his playing career, the power forward suited up for 145 playoff games and won a Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 1992. He added two more championship titles to his resume as an assistant coach for the Penguins in 2016 and 2017.
Coaches have a key role to play in keeping players on an even keel as they weather the emotions of playoff hockey, Tocchet said.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got to be calm, too. You鈥檙e in a plane and the cockpit door鈥檚 open and you see the pilot in turbulence, biting his nails and sweating, what are you gonna do?鈥� he said. 鈥淪o I can鈥檛 be biting my nails, being (upset). Like, I鈥檝e got to be calm too.鈥�
The Canucks have hovered near the top of the NHL standings for much of the season and, with nine games to play, they lead the Pacific Division, four points up on the Edmonton Oilers.
There have been challenges, including a stretch in February where Vancouver went seven games without a win in regulation (1-5-1). But there have been successes, too, like the 11-game point streak (9-0-2) the Canucks were on heading into the all-star break.
Lessons learned throughout the campaign will serve the team well in the coming weeks, Cole said.
鈥淚 think that consistency can give you something to kind of lean on when things get stressful and in situations that go haywire. Because inevitably they will,鈥� he said.
鈥淭hey鈥檒l win a game, you鈥檒l be down 5-on-3, whatever the case may be. You鈥檙e going to have to lean on what you鈥檝e experienced throughout the course of the year.鈥�
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