Patrik Allvin knows that the feeling of playoff hockey in the air is exhilarating.
And this year, the Vancouver Canucks’ fanbase is going to experience that emotion following a 50-win season where the team captured the Pacific Division title and now looks ahead to their opening-round series with the Nashville Predators.
“This is the next level for our group. They will learn how to handle this and compete,” said Allvin. “So far this season, the group has raised the bar for their standards. So, this is just another step for us. If we’re talking about being evaluated over time, this is the first step on our path.”
In his second full season as the Canucks’ General Manager, Allvin has seen accelerated improvement and gives much of that credit to the hard work and planning being executed well by his coaching staff and players.
Bringing in Rick Tocchet as the head coach last season allowed the team to establish a new culture that focuses on habits and consistency while raising the bar of expectations in all areas on the ice. From there, Allvin worked on continually raising the same standards in the management offices.
Each of Tocchet and Allvin will tell you they are process-driven people. The Canucks’ GM had a past relationship with Tocchet and that has helped create uniformity in both the locker room and hockey operations floor.
“It's clear when we talk. We challenge each other every day to make better decisions for the organization and the team. That’s one of Rick’s best strengths, how he communicates and delivers his message to the players and how he empowers his staff and utilizes their strengths to deal with each individual,” said Allvin.
“That’s been a key for us as well, having a coach that doesn't have any ego. Rick has the final say but he would allow his staff members in on most of the discussions. That's how a good coaching staff is built. They utilize the strengths of each coach or staff member to help work with the individuals to become a team. I think that's been a key for us."
The improvements we are seeing in this Canucks’ strong season is something that Allvin believes began when they brought in their head coach last season and bled into the offseason, and ultimately, Canucks training camp in Victoria.
“The biggest thing when we made the coaching change last year was to prepare ourselves,” said Allvin. “The last part of the season last year helped implement the system and the practice details and habits we want. We were ready and up and going from training camp and the relationship and trust that was built between the players and the coaching staff starting last year when Rick came in went through the summer and helped create a good start.”
From day one of training camp, Allvin has observed his group's buy-in to the system and structure that he believed would help this team reach its potential. He put together a coaching staff with close to 700 playoff games under their belt as NHLers and knows that their experiences of winning in this league are precious for the current players.
As much as there is to gain from just being in the presence of guys like Sergei Gonchar, Adam Foote, Ian Clark, Mike Yeo, or the Sedins – Allvin views his coaching staff’s strength as something that shows up in the form of their communication skills, along with the extra work they commit to giving the players.
“It’s an impressive amount of experience on the staff but the time they take with players to review games and the details, the players get their confidence built up from having that,” said Allvin. “It definitely helps in many different situations. The time they take to make sure that the player is being seen and heard is really impressive to see.”
At this time of the year, Allvin wants the group to keep up with the way they have been working all season but knows that the players with playoff experience have value they can bring in this critical part of the year.
“We expect the vets to lead by example and be available for the guys,” said Allvin. “You have the same habits that you’ve had for 82 games and because of that, you treat your approach like it is just another game. There’s going to be more media attention. There's going to be a louder building. But our focus is just going to continue to be the same and keep the next day, next practice, next game mentality.”
With the core of this team locked in for years to come, Allvin sees incredible importance for this group to learn what winning in the playoffs requires and how much of a focus there needs to be on every little detail.
Winning is difficult in this league but can be downright grueling in the playoffs. There is a plateau that these players have not experienced together and from his years in Pittsburgh, Allvin sees this playoff run as them taking a step to the next stage of them developing into a team that can be competitive every season.
“I am very confident in our structure, and it’s shown in that we were able to win 50 games this year,” said Allvin. “Our practice habits and the details have been set and we're just going to continue to challenge and demand more out of each other moving forward here. Again, I'm very confident in the group. I feel we have a strong team. We have several players that have thrived under this structure we have, and I believe that more will come as we play our best hockey in the next couple of months."
The feeling in the front office has gone through massive change in the past couple of years and Allvin continues to learn how to get the best out of his hockey operations team.
“That is something that starts from the top and again, we are a team. We empower our staff to be the experts in their area. And that makes it easier for me to make a decision,” said Allvin. “We've come a long way; we can see the growth in the people we have and that's something that will never get satisfied. We will always try to find ways to get better. The challenge is to never be satisfied. You always need to find better ways to get better and we'll continue to do that and build our staff up.”
There’s certainly excitement for the playoffs but the management group knows they need to stay even-keeled as they have all season long. There is still so much to accomplish and though Allvin is happy with what his staff has been able to get a lot done this season, they are not satisfied whatsoever.
Allvin is ecstatic about giving Vancouver a chance to come together and support this team as they make their way through a playoff run. He thinks that the fans have been unbelievable to him and his staff. From the grocery store to the sidewalks, Allvin is always impressed with how respectful fans are with him and how invested they are in the Canucks.
“I'm very grateful for the support and very happy that our fans get to watch playoff hockey again,” he said. “It's well-deserved for them.”
On Sunday, Vancouver will see their first home playoff game in 2,386 days. But who’s counting, right?
This team has seen a turnaround that is unwonted in today’s NHL and the club will continue to invest their time and effort into what got them here.
Playoffs are here, folks.
We are all together and all in.
