Todd Bertuzzi weighs in on Miller-Pettersson drama and the Vancouver Canucks
The locker room drama that sidelined the Vancouver Canucks season was not only the major story for this town, it spread to the entire hockey world.
Everyone was talking about the feud between Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller. It resulted in the Canucks trading Miller to the Rangers, and the distraction it caused is one of the major reasons this team won’t make the playoffs.
Former Canucks winger Todd Bertuzzi played his last NHL game in 2014 but still keeps up with the league. He was quick to bring up his frustration with how the drama played out when asked about the Canucks today. It’s a feeling a lot of fans can surely empathize with.
“I follow them. Unfortunately, there’s just so much drama that happened out there that it was getting kind of annoying and hard to watch,” explained the former power forward on Donnie & Dhali today.
“I just don’t understand how two men couldn’t figure it out and come to a compromise because that J.T. Miller, he’s a legit gamebreaker, he’s one of those guys that when you have them, you want to keep them.”
“It was hard seeing that, especially [because] I’ve got so much respect for Tocch, Adam Foote, and that staff. I was surprised that it carried on that long.”
The Canucks picked Pettersson over Miller, and toward the end of the season, the Swedish star seemed to be finding his mojo. However, Pettersson got injured when playing against Miller and the Rangers and appears unlikely to play again this season.
“I’m really hoping at some point they get back on the map because the game is way, way better when the Canucks are rolling and in playoff and Stanley Cup contention,” added Bertuzzi.
While the Canucks season might’ve not provided a ton of entertainment, Bertuzzi was quick to mention how much fun he had watching the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. The best-on-best tournament drew massive ratings as Canada beat the USA 3-2 in overtime in the final.
“That 4 Nations blew my mind. I actually wasn’t watching much hockey, and then I watched that. It absolutely blew my mind. The amount of skill and amount of talent that was out there, it was poetry in motion, it was beautiful. I really hope the players continue to buy in on that and put on a show like that because it took over the hockey world.”
Bertuzzi still has a lot of love for Vancouver
Bertuzzi is starting a new job in hockey as the head coach of the Cambridge Redhawks, a junior team in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. He mentioned he’s been getting advice from another former Canucks player Ryan Kesler, who has also become a coach in his post-playing days.
While his job keeps him on the East Coast, he loves going back to visit Vancouver, which he says he tries to do at least once a year. A more permanent move could be in his future.
“Vancouver is very important in my life. I love that place. I’ve always wanted to move back out there, and I’m hoping that at some point in my life, I can get back out there, move back out there. I love the people, I love the city, very outdoorsy guy, hiking guy, biking guy, I just love the atmosphere going to Vancouver.”