Messier praises Canucks ahead of playoffs

Lou Capozzola/USA TODAY NETWORK

Former Vancouver Canucks captain Mark Messier has some high praise for the current iteration of the team.

As the Canucks continue to fight to hold onto the top spot in the Western Conference, the NHL legend was very complimentary of the team in a recent interview with NHL.com.

“Vancouver has had an incredible year. I’ve got to take my hat off to Rick Tocchet and the job he’s done there. He’s really centred and focused that team. They do have a lot of talent, but you know, focusing that talent is not always easy,” said the now 63-year-old in the article published today.

Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet is a leading candidate to win the Jack Adams Award.

He went on to praise the addition of Elias Lindholm and the play of goalie Thatcher Demko, who is currently injured but expected to return before the postseason begins.

Another reason why Messier likes the Canucks’ chances this spring is their large defence corps, which features three regular players taller than 6-foot-5.

“So Vancouver has set themselves up. One of the things I like about the Canucks is they have a really big, strong defence. In playoff hockey, playing for two months, your defence is going to be tested – ground and pound – and they’ve got to be able to absorb that,” continued the former star in his response.

“Other than some inexperience in Vancouver, which is probably the thing that they’re lacking the most right now, you’ve got to look at their team as being really positioned well to play well in the playoffs.”

Messier played a total of 1756 NHL games, finishing with 1910 points and six Stanley Cups. While he has one of the most impressive resumes in the history of the sport, his time in Vancouver was not as memorable.

He was a divisive figure as the teams he led failed to reach expectations. Messier clashed with the fanbase on a variety of issues, including his assumption of the captaincy from fan-favourite Trevor Linden.

“I would never have done that again because it’s hard to unseat a sitting captain,” Messier told Daily Hive earlier this year about taking on the role. “He obviously had some very loyal support from the city, the players, the organization because of what they were able to accomplish.

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