Zadorov calls Vancouver Canucks stint coolest of his career, explains breakup
Nikita Zadorov’s stint with the Vancouver Canucks clearly made a lasting impact.
Despite being with the organization for less than a complete season, the hulking Russian defenceman seems to have greatly enjoyed his time on the West Coast.
That love was reciprocated by the fanbase who adored Zadorov. When he left for the Boston Bruins in free agency, there were a lot of disappointed fans in Vancouver.
“Those were probably the coolest six months of my career. It’s a blast to play hockey there. The fans are awesome, the city is cool, the team is cool too. The team, the coaching staff – everything was super. Head coach [Rick] Tocchet, [Daniel and Henrik] Sedin, [Adam] Foote, [Sergei] Gonchar – wherever you look, there’s a Hall of Famer,” said Zadorov to RG’s Igor Rabiner in a recent interview.
“You can learn a lot from everyone. When Sergei Gonchar came in, he worked a lot with all the defensemen individually. I think those six months were a big boost for my career, I changed a lot as a player.”
It was in the postseason where Zadorov really endeared himself to Canucks fans. He finished with four goals and four assists for eight points in 13 games, good for fifth on the team in scoring.
The 6-foot-6 blueliner didn’t only impress with his play on the ice. He also caught people’s attention with his great personality, delivering excellent quotes and rants on a near-nightly basis.
“The playoffs in Vancouver were crazy in terms of atmosphere. I remember that before, the atmosphere during the Cup in San Jose, Nashville, Vegas, Edmonton, Calgary seemed really cool to me. But what happened in Vancouver was on another level,” said Zadorov.
“In terms of energy, in terms of volume, in terms of how the city lived hockey. During the playoffs, you try to eat at home, but, when you go out for dinner, you don’t have a single chance to pay for it yourself. Either the restaurant owners will come over right away, or someone at the next table will pay for you. The city lived for hockey, and I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Ultimately, the adoration from the fanbase wasn’t enough to convince Zadorov to re-sign, even though the contract offers he received from the Boston Bruins and Canucks were virtually identical.
He’s talked in the past about how he felt disrespected by the Canucks during negotiations. It seems the way they conducted business was part of why he picked the Bruins, although he also liked other aspects of raising his family in a major city south of the border rather than Vancouver.
“In terms of money, it was basically the same contract that I got in Boston. Vancouver didn’t offend me, everything they offered was very good. There were a couple of moments in the negotiations that I didn’t like – both the way they were conducted and the way the information was presented to me. But that wasn’t the main thing.”
It’s been reported that the Canucks didn’t increase the term on their offer to five years until late in contract talks, something that irked Zadorov. In addition, the team was busy pursuing other free agents such as Jake Guentzel.
Zadorov has 11 points in 48 games this season and is +9. He leads the NHL in penalty minutes with 91 and has generally been playing as expected with his new team.