Tocchet tired of Pettersson questions from Vancouver Canucks media: "Petey, Petey, Petey"
There were many ways to answer a post-game question posed to Rick Tocchet about Elias Pettersson on Tuesday night, but I bet you didn’t see this one coming.
The Vancouver Canucks head coach was asked about his star stepping up while J.T. Miller has been away from the team. Pettersson leads all Canucks players in points (15) in the 10 games since Miller has been on a personal leave of absence. He had 11 points in 17 games prior to Miller leaving the team.
Miller skated with his team for the first time in three weeks on Tuesday morning, and it sounds like he could return to the lineup in the next couple of games.
“With J.T. Miller due back soon, what can you say about the way Petey has elevated his game in J.T.’s absence?” asked TSN’s Farhan Lalji.
Tocchet seemed to bristle at the question before calling out the media for continually wanting to talk about the team’s highest-paid player.
“Yeah, that’s what you expect him to do, right? He’s done a good job producing. I don’t know what else to say,” said Tocchet.
The Canucks coach could have left it there. He was about to be asked a question about something totally different by another reporter, but that’s when things took an interesting turn.
“You guys are obsessed with Petey, huh? It’s Petey, Petey, Petey every game,” said Tocchet.
“I know what you’re saying. I love you guys, but it gets old… I know you want me to say the wrong thing. That’s why. I’m not falling for that trap anymore.”
Tocchet then said that he was joking and agreed that it was a legitimate question from the veteran reporter.
“He is producing. I’m screwing around with you. He is producing while J.T.’s been out. Hopefully, with J.T. coming back, those guys will both produce like they did last year for us.”
"You guys are obsessed with Petey huh? It's Petey, Petey, Petey every game…." #Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet seems tired of the Pettersson questions. He gives a fair answer and has some fun with the media.
It's worth the full watch 👇 pic.twitter.com/4BGqzIGqO2
— Noah Strang (@noahstrang_) December 11, 2024
So why the confrontation?
Pettersson has been playing his best hockey of the season of late, and he was especially good against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night. But of course, there is some important context in this situation.
It’s no secret that Miller and Pettersson aren’t best buds. They’ve admitted as such in the past. And with Miller out of the lineup, Pettersson not only gets Brock Boeser on his line, he also gets more puck touches on the power play.
Clearly, that doesn’t mean Pettersson is happy that Miller is out of the lineup. Pettersson is a competitor and wants to win, and there’s no doubt Miller makes the Canucks a better team.
The Canucks could sure use him right now, particularly on home ice, where they lost again on Tuesday. Vancouver has just four wins in 14 games (4-6-4) at Rogers Arena this season, which makes them one of the worst home-ice teams in the league. It’s a bizarre situation because they’re the second-best road team this season, with a 10-2-1 record in 13 games away from home.