"He's fine": Canucks coach Tocchet explains tough-love Miller benching

It wasn’t a long benching, but it was a significant one.

Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet wasn’t in the best mood following his team’s 5-2 win over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. Hard to believe given the final score and the fact that the Canucks have jumped out to an impressive 6-2-1 start.

For instance, when Tocchet was asked post-game about Elias Pettersson scoring a hat trick, he pointed out his star player’s defensive miscues in the game.

“That’s not our brand of hockey,” Tocchet said about his team more generally.

The Canucks’ bench boss has a point. Instead of playing structured, they played loose.

It wasn’t Tocchet hockey, certainly, but they found a way to win.

The game featured a brief benching of one of Vancouver’s star players, which is a rarity. When was the last player with the stature of J.T. Miller was sat by a Canucks coach?

Miller was stapled to the bench to end the second period after he exited the penalty box with 4:47 left. The Canucks assistant captain was skipped over for a power play and sat and watched as Pius Suter took his spot on his line at five-on-five.

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Miller went to the box for a retaliation penalty as he reacted to getting cross-checked by Predators defenceman Roman Josi moments earlier. It was his third minor penalty in the game, as Miller was assessed a double-minor in the first period. Miller was called for unsportsmanlike conduct for something he said to the referee after he was assessed a weak hooking penalty.

But when the third period began, Miller was back, and he even scored a goal.

Nice response.

Post-game, Miller didn’t speak to reporters — officially because he was getting “treatment.” But Tocchet did explain his decision.

“He’s played unreal hockey for me. I felt at the time he needed to sit for four minutes. It could have been J.T., it could have been anybody,” said Tocchet.

“Accountability. And he responds with a goal… He’s fine.”

And his reaction during the intermission?

“He was good. He was fine. He came up to me, he talked to me, he apologized, I apologized. We went at it. I love the kid. I got no problem with J.T. Miller.”

“We’re happy we won, but this is a good lesson for us.”

🗣 Head Coach Rick Tocchet shares his thoughts following the win against the Predators.@theprovince | #Canucks pic.twitter.com/7gyW7mmH3c

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) November 1, 2023

The move took courage from Tocchet, given the score was tied at the time of Miller’s initial power play benching. Because if Tocchet can bench Miller at a time like that, who can’t he bench?

Pettersson and captain Quinn Hughes spoke about the team not being satisfied with this strong start. And that seems to be true for the coach as well.

“I think it makes everyone know they’re accountable, whether it’s J.T. Miller or Pettersson or [Nils Höglander], or it doesn’t matter. I think it’s important,” Tocchet said.

Tocchet has always spoken highly of Miller, who he described as the “emotional leader” of the group. Miller is arguably playing his best hockey as a Canuck right now, sitting tied for seventh in the NHL with 13 points in nine games.

Miller is tied for fourth in the NHL in plus-minus (+8) and sixth in even-strength points (8) too, which is especially impressive given he has often played in a matchup role against the opposing teams’ top lines.

“He’s done too many good things for me, and his teammates,” Tocchet said, explaining why he put Miller back on the ice in the third period. “And when he scored, his teammates were so happy for him.”

The Canucks will look to keep the good times rolling into November. They’re on their best nine-game start to a season in 18 years.