By Iain MacIntyre
July 03, 2025
Vancouver, BC — While the Vancouver Canucks have a new head coach in Adam Foote, he stresses that the team isn`t “his” team; rather, it belongs to the players themselves.
However, Foote indicated that the players must embrace this responsibility willingly, establishing and upholding stringent accountability and standards within the group.
In an interview with Sportsnet, Foote shared that he adopted this philosophy during his playing career, learning from Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy during the Colorado Avalanche`s early Stanley Cup wins. He suggested Roy likely learned it from Montreal Canadiens greats like Larry Robinson and Bob Gainey.
Since being appointed head coach by Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin on May 14, stepping in for Rick Tocchet (the NHL`s 2024 Coach of the Year who departed the club after a tumultuous season), Foote has been diligently working behind the scenes.
He has assembled a new coaching staff, including experienced assistants Kevin Dean, Brett McLean, and Scott Young. Nevertheless, his primary focus has been engaging with the players.
Shortly after his hiring, Foote met in Detroit with captain Quinn Hughes, goaltender Thatcher Demko, and alternate captain Elias Pettersson, who traveled from Sweden on short notice at his own expense. Foote has also held Zoom calls with the broader Canucks leadership group.
Additional virtual meetings are scheduled for the summer.
“It`s not some kind of magic dust; it`s a process,” Foote explained. “That core group, the leadership… they need to take ownership. It`s their locker room, right? They have to hold each other accountable. They have to push each other.”
Duncan Priestley