New Vancouver Canucks head coach Foote fields question about son's trial
Adam Foote held his first press conference as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks Thursday morning.
It’s the first NHL head coaching gig for the 53-year-old, who was promoted after two and a half seasons behind the bench as Rick Tocchet’s assistant.
While he’s lacking experience, the former NHL defenceman appears to have the confidence of Quinn Hughes, and that counts for something. So time will tell if Foote is the right man for the job.
There wasn’t a ton of new information revealed at his introductory press conference, and that’s to be expected. Foote’s coaching philosophy likely won’t divert greatly from Tocchet’s, and he’s already familiar with the players in the organization.
While most of the questions Foote fielded were standard, he and Canucks GM Patrik Allvin were asked about the elephant in the room.
Foote’s son, Cal Foote, is one of five former members of Canada’s 2018 World Junior Championship team who are currently on trial in a high-profile sexual assault case. Foote, along with Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, and Dillon Dube, have all been accused by a woman of having non-consensual group sex with her in London, Ontario, seven years ago. They have all pleaded not guilty.
Some wondered if Canucks management would go in another direction with the coaching hire given the pending verdict.
“Adam is not in trial,” said Allvin. “Obviously we respect the process that’s going on, but Adam is not in the trial there.”
Cal Foote was a first-round pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2017 and has played 145 NHL games with three different teams. He took an indefinite leave of absence from the New Jersey Devils in January of last year and has not been associated with an NHL team since his contract expired. The 26-year-old played in Slovakia last season.
“I respect your question. I understand that it’s your job to do that,” Foote said in response to the question posed by TSN’s Farhan Lalji. “You know I can’t comment on the trial, and I won’t. I’m there for my family, as we all would be. We’ll get through this.”
Foote was asked if the emotional toll that clearly must weigh on him and his family affected his thought process before taking the head coaching role.
“As far as the headspace, that’s not how I walk, I guess. If this is going to happen in a week or two weeks or a month, or a month ago, that’s life, and you keep walking. You keep moving. It had nothing to do with my decision to take this on.
“I love coaching and I love the opportunity.”
- You might also like:
- 9 assistant coaches Canucks could hire to complement Foote's style