You might hear three “C” words a lot about the Vancouver Canucks this season.
Connected, Committed, and Culture.
These were the first words that came out of new Co-Presidents Henrik and Daniel Sedin’s introductory press conference in mid-May.
“Every successful team we have been a part of had values,” Henrik said. “Why are we here? And what do we stand for? Three words we will live by. Connected, Committed. Values
As far as the commitment part, the Sedins have that covered. Having played their entire hockey career in Vancouver, they retired in 2018. As they said, “they became fans for three years”. Then joined the organization in 2021. Doing some player personnel and some coaching. They have also lived in Vancouver for 26 years. They also have been great corporate citizens. This includes the Sedin Family Foundation that has funded grassroots grocery and meal programs. They will also be doing a Sedin vs Sedin Grouse Grind Challenge to help Vancouver Sun Children’s Fund Adopt-a-School Program.
The Sedins also talked about reestablishing themselves in the community. Not only in Vancouver.But in B.C. They will be hosting Training Camp in Penticton. It also did not seem to be a coincidence that one of the first social media posts after the Sedins were hired was this one below.
Connected would also be a good way to describe their hiring approach. They hired former teammate Ryan Johnson to be the team GM. Manny Malhotra is the Head Coach. Alex Edler was also hired in a development role. Both have significant ties to the Sedins.
The third word they used was purpose. Purpose is defined as “the reason for which something is done, created, or exists, as well as an intended goal or a firm determination to succeed.” The word “rebuild” has been used for many years in Vancouver. But it has never been established what anyone is building. The Sedins have added purpose
A key conversation piece will be the culture of the Canucks. The culture issues have been well documented in Vancouver. To reestablish the culture, the Canucks brought in culture influencers Brendan Gallagher and Luke Schenn. Gallagher and Schenn were both asked if culture created winning. Or does culture create winning?
“Everything starts with culture,” Gallagher says. “You don’t get to win without it. There’s a lot of work that goes in before you feel those good feelings.”
“Culture is a broad term,” Schenn said. “There are a lot of ways we are going to chip away, work at it, and build something.”
The Canucks are not expected to have a great on-ice record this year. But that does not mean that there are not enormous expectations on being a Canuck.Not only on the ice.But off it.
“To be a Vancouver Canuck, you must be fiercely committed to being one of the leading organizations. We expect everyone to leave this organization to better than they found it.”
The Sedins will attempt to do just that.
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