Canucks' Brock Boeser hopes exercise change results in renewed success

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Is lean and imply going to be Brock Boeser’s key to success for the Vancouver Canucks within the 2023-24 NHL season?

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That’s actually the veteran winger’s perception.

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“I modified gyms and tried one thing new,” Boeser revealed to reporters Wednesday after a tough “casual” skate on the College of B.C. with a dozen or so of his teammates.

“I’ve been working actually exhausting and began within the fitness center a bit earlier. I’ve been skating exhausting.”

Boeser mentioned the brand new coach has NHL expertise and had him and his exercise companions doing totally different lifts than he’d accomplished up to now.

There’s nonetheless two weeks to go till the official starting of Canucks coaching camp in Victoria, however Boeser and lots of of teammates arrived again in Vancouver a bit early, having heeded the urging of coach Rick Tocchet to get themselves able to go in a gaggle setting of their residence metropolis within the weeks, relatively than days, earlier than the beginning of camp.

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“Everyone knows how we began final yr and we will’t have that occur this yr. So I believe it’s actually necessary that we’re right here and I believe we’re all excited to get going,” Boeser mentioned.

The Canucks had a disastrous begin to the 2022-23 season and by no means discovered a groove within the first half of the season. Head coach Bruce Boudreau was fired due to the workforce’s struggles, simply over a yr after he’d taken over the squad from Travis Inexperienced, who was fired in early December 2021 after the Canucks acquired off to a equally poor begin.

Each seasons, the Canucks completed on a excessive word, successful greater than they misplaced, however couldn’t climb out of the standings gap they’d dug for themselves and missed the playoffs.

Boudreau discovered success within the 2021-22 season due to sturdy goaltending and high-flying scoring from the likes of J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson. Rick Tocchet changed Boudreau, and located comparable outcomes.

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The assumption this yr is that Tocchet’s method, which leans a bit extra on private self-discipline, will assist the workforce get off to a greater begin.

On a private stage, a scorching begin for Boeser might be good for himself in addition to the workforce.

He went into final yr’s coaching camp on a mission, vowing to lastly rating 30 targets. Then he broke his hand on the camp’s third day.

He pushed to return however then his surgical scar opened again up and he was sidelined once more, having to attend for the scar to shut.

It was a depressing begin to the yr for the extremely paid winger. It took 12 video games for him to attain his first objective and he had simply 5 targets at Christmas. And off-ice his frustrations grew to the purpose the place his agent, Ben Hankinson, was given permission to speak to different groups to see if there could be curiosity in buying and selling for Boeser.

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He additionally struggling mentally after the demise of his father, Duke. Originally of the season, he mentioned he’d discovered some internal peace, figuring out his father wasn’t struggling anymore and that his mother wouldn’t have to hold the burden of caring for him 24/7 anymore.

However as struggles set in for Boeser, not with the ability to play, not to mention rating, he realized how large his father’s absence was weighing on him.

His teammates might name their dads after their video games and speak about how issues had been going. He might now not do this, he identified to Postmedia final April after being nominated by the Vancouver chapter of the Skilled Hockey Writers’ Affiliation for the Invoice Masterton Memorial Trophy.

“That was the most important hurdle I’ve needed to overcome,” he mentioned.

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However by the season, even having scored the second-lowest objective complete of his profession, he believed he had lastly discovered himself once more.

Off the ice, he and his household have discovered peace over his dad’s demise.

That can assist lots this season.

Nonetheless, to be the participant he believes he can nonetheless be, a top-tier sniper, one thing needed to change. And being fitter, or a minimum of match differently, stands out as the reply he’s on the lookout for.

“I believe we’re all simply sick and bored with having these expectations and never following by and Tocc got here in right here and preserve pushing us, although we weren’t within the playoffs. He stored pushing us every day and it’s necessary to come back in higher form,” he mentioned.

One factor Boeser says he does know for certain: no extra guarantees on objective targets.

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“I believe you already know I’m not gonna sit right here and promise you something anymore,” he joked.

“I simply acquired to take it daily and show myself to not simply you guys however to my teammates and town.”

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