i've been listening to jeff marek's podcast here and there and he recently talked about a 'newer' tactic players are using to score on goalies. they're aiming for what is being dubbed "the triangle." yes, it's still considered "five-hole," but they are deliberately honing in on this specific area within the five-hole. it's apparently very, very difficult for goalies to stop.
image for reference:
during the shootout against calgary on march 12, this is exactly where petey put his shot on wolf. see video here:
and it's also where huberdeau was able to get one past lanks. see pic here:
once you know what it looks like, you'll keep noticing it. and when broadcasters say a player put it "five-hole," you'll feel smart and know that *technically* it was the triangle, not just five-hole.
This is mostly for fun but i have felt very strongly about it all year and needed to get it out. If you also feel passionately about this, join me and share your own musings/ideas!
It’s been a while since I actually did some brand analysis (and to be honest, this isn’t that intense) but I tried to be pretty serious and genuine with my thoughts. That being said, this is all coming from the heart of a fan who just wants to see my team having fun. I didn’t go as deep as researching metrics and performance results to back up my observations and suggestions like a true brand analysis would, but I still hope think a lot of this will ring true for people. So, without further ado, here’s what I want to see from Canucks socials!
BRANDING
Reframing “All Together, All In”
It would be best for the sake of marketing ease and for branding consistency to pull from the current theme of “All Together, All In.” The issue is the majority of the social accounts feel very corporate and sterile. The graphics are top-notch and beautiful, but there’s a lack of personality. Socials should be utilized to foster a personal connection between the Canucks team and brand with the fanbase. You want your audience to care. Thus, the organization’s online presence should focus on adding more human touch and general light-hearted elements.
The cohesive underlying message of “it takes everyone” was appropriate for last season, given the “next man up” mentality, as well as the coming season, given how many players are choosing to return to the team long-term. These players want to be in Vancouver because they love the team, love the city, and love the fans. And they believe both in what has already been built and in what can be achieved. If the team enjoys playing hockey in an orca sweater, that NEEDS to be harnessed and shared with the fans who choose to give their support, both emotional and financial. Canucks fans go to games to have a good time – we would appreciate knowing the players are having a good time, too.
The Abbotsford Canucks accounts do a better job at posting with a bit of playfulness, as well as providing more behind-the-scenes access to the players. Just because we see players be more casual or silly doesn’t mean we will think they aren’t hard-working or focused. Hockey is supposed to be fun, right? It didn’t feel like much fun last season. I think a lot of the media content that was filmed preseason got scrapped, which is sad to think about. And what little we did get was often a brand deal thing. We have a team full of quality people - perhaps some of the best in the league - but it feels like we hardly saw much of them outside of the context of games. Again, there were nonstop struggles last year and perhaps the organization didn’t want to provide more opportunities for complaining or speculation. Fair enough. And as one of the teams with the highest follower counts, I’m sure they are extremely wary of their presentation. But I feel they went too far in the tight-lipped approach and created an aura of shallowness around the team on socials. Lots of beautiful graphics and slow motion videos but not a lot of genuineness and relaxed content. It felt forced, like the accounts were for a corporate brand that wanted to try to stay “hip” but is too afraid to have a little quirkiness, so they didn’t actually take the time to make anything feel personal or unique. That’s not good branding in the current age of social media.
Current Social Media Presence: Analysis
Strengths:
High-quality photos, videos, and graphic designers
Passionate fans
Teammates that care very deeply for one another and enjoy being a Canuck
Organization also filled with people who care deeply
Beautiful city as the team’s home
Elite commentators and announcers who are knowledgeable, witty, and good-natured
Fanbase that is very welcoming to new fans
Weaknesses:
Overall blandness with posts and captions/catering to too generic of an audience
Lack of laid-back content, everything feels like it had to pass a strict test to be shared
Avoiding trends due to a fear of seeming unprofessional, resulting in being boring instead
Management that either says too little or too much
Opportunities:
Embrace silly/meme culture in sports (Buffalo Bills in the NFL are top-tier. In the NHL, the Sharks, Sabres, and Panthers do a good job, too.)
Utilize the orca/aquatic theme (look at Sharks and Kraken. Find a niche.)
Let the players’ personalities do the work
Directly connect fans to their team - the team they choose to support and can choose to stop supporting at any time
Create a culture of authenticity
Experiencing Canucks Hockey™️ can be fun!
Threats:
Growing disconnect between the org and fans
Frustration with management spilling onto unrelated content
Not attracting new fans because of a lack of presence or a poor presence online
Bad vibes continuing to turn free agent talent AWAY from Vancouver
Negative voices being louder than the positive voices
Pricing out fans from watching games, both in person and online
Moving Forward: Key Words
Core Values: integrity, gratitude, commitment
These should be the principles that the organization returns to for everything, whether playing a game, speaking on a podcast, representing the Canucks in the community, and with every interaction, both public-facing and behind closed doors.
Integrity: Every person involved in the Canucks organization is due the same level of respect. On the ice, off the ice; in public, behind closed doors; from player to coach to trainer to fan to arena employee to C-suite. Everyone is essential to the success of the team and treated accordingly. The organization upholds a commitment to respect of all individuals and works to maintain a welcoming, supportive, and safe environment for everyone. Management should NEVER use the media as a weapon against their own players (you’d think this would be obvious…). Furthermore, those representing the Canucks are willing to take responsibility for and learn from their mistakes, to support anyone who needs a hand, and to approach every opportunity and every challenge with a curious and earnest disposition.
Gratitude: Just as the fans offer their time and money (and mental health…) to support the organization, the organization will return that support with gratitude. The dedication is tangible on the ice, off the ice, and throughout the community. Players grind to be their best, to inspire young players, to bring awareness to local programs and league initiatives. Community involvement is treated as a privilege and a responsibility. Nothing is taken for granted. We’re all in this together. We all work towards the same goal. We uplift each other. As our community shows up for us, we show up for our community. All Together, All In.
Commitment: Every win and every loss will be taken as an opportunity to grow as an individual and as a team. There is no replacement for work ethic. Losses are inevitable, but no one will outwork us. Success is earned. This is a team with grit and heart in equal measure, and we aren’t afraid to show it. We are relentless on the ice and focused off the ice. Our preparation, our confidence in our abilities, and our unwavering belief will lead us to victory. We will do what it takes because we know we can.
Brand Personality: humble, authentic, tenacious
If the Canucks brand were a person, these are the words that the audience should use to describe them (ideally, these are also applicable to the players):
Humble: Classy. Grateful. Knowing the balance between arrogance and self-assuredness. A quiet confidence.
Authentic: Every person is appreciated for who they are. Embracing connection. Honest without being unprofessional.
Tenacious: Never giving up. Pushing forward together. Unafraid to bring some bite. Canucks never say die.
Tonality: joyful, grounded, dynamic
The tonality of the Canucks’ social media presence can (and should) vary slightly by platform, but overall the content and language should align with at least one of the following descriptors:
Joyful: Lighthearted. Professional sports are meant to be entertaining and enjoyable. The shared love for the game is the lifeblood of the organization. It’s okay to celebrate the highs, no matter how small. It’s okay to be silly and whimsical. It’s okay to find the positives. And it’s even okay to be a little cheeky sometimes. All in good fun.
Grounded: Sharing the human side of the sport. Connecting the fanbase to the team. Allowing behind the scenes access to players, who are often beloved by fans. Letting the players’ personalities shine. Being real. Reminding everyone how talented and hard-working and, yes, normal these people are.
Dynamic: Bringing the energy. Willing to change and try new things. Showing excitement and passion. Standing tall and being fearless. Looking forward with a hunger to achieve everything possible.
Positioning Statement
The Vancouver Canucks organization, located in the stunningly beautiful province of British Columbia, is the proud home of hockey players who are not only world-class athletes but quality people, enthusiastic staff members united by a common vision, and one of the most passionate fanbases in the National Hockey League.
Last minute addition to this as the Canucks JUST posted their behind-the-scenes draft video. On choosing Braden Cootes: “We’re getting a good person and we’re getting a good player.” Note which attribute was said first.
CONTENT
Recommendations and Tactics
All of the proposed changes are intended to be: 1) something the organization has maybe done previously but stopped doing for whatever reason, 2) easy enough to execute whenever and wherever, and/or 3) done with the intention of connecting the fans to the players and franchise. The ultimate goal is just better vibes. It doesn’t need to be UNfiltered, but it needs to at least be LESS filtered. AND DON’T MAKE VIDEOS SO SHORT!!! It’s fine to post an edited version on social, but PLEASE post a full-length version on Youtube! Canucksmin, hear my plea!!!
General Ideas
BRING BACK AIR CANUCKS!
This is a great behind-the-scenes peek into the more “mundane” side of pro hockey, yet fans really enjoy seeing the more laid-back, normal guy side of the players. Having a teammate be the host is a great dynamic and helps them relax even more. We need these videos once a month at minimum.
Consistent mic’d up videos
Rotate players, potentially have two or three per video to get through more people on the team
Training camp, preseason, practice, games
Also at least one per month!
Wordplay, orca/aquatic themes, embrace the meme
Prep by finding rhymes/puns/phrases for each player based on their name (Boestie, etc)
Jokes based on 2 Elias Petterssons, 3 Petterssons, 2 Filips, 2 (and a half) Nilses
Rhymes/puns/phrases with Vancouver, Canuck, BC, etc.
Apply orca facts and puns if possible (team=pod, use the phrase “whale team” more?, etc.)
Coconuts Glow! (& Experience Canucks Hockey?)
Funny faces/moments (Quinn staring at the camera, Demko puck egg, players falling, etc.- à la Weird NHL)
Less serious game-day content
Do one arrival fit check every game - either have a player say what they’re wearing or have two of them describe each other’s fits
Make the star(s) of the game take a selfie (yes, THEY take a SELFIE) afterward
Award a salmon hat to the game MVP after every win!!! Silly orca shenanigans!!! And then post a picture of that player (same post as star(s) of the game?)
Weekly Question of the Day posts (pre- or post-practice). Abby Canucks already do a good job with these.
Example Questions (could also have a player pick the question sometimes!): Who could be a pro athlete in another sport? Who is the best singer? Who is the best dancer? Favorite takeout food? Who has the best music taste? Who can play a musical instrument? Who would you trust to (x)? If you were in jail and your only phone call could be to a teammate, who would you call? Who has the best hair (who is NOT named Brock Boeser lol)? Who is your favorite former Canuck? Who uses the most stick tape? Who uses the least stick tape? Who takes the longest/shortest to get ready for a game? Favorite away arena to play in? Who’s the best at sewer ball? Favorite scary movie? Favorite holiday movie?
Vancouver-specific questions/opinions. Away city questions/opinions.
Preseason media content (mostly just stealing ideas from other teams/channels)
Autocomplete interview with pairs/groups of players
Team Guess Who
Make them DO something - a craft, a recipe, etc.
Family Feud! Have several teams (three or four people?) respond to a survey with open-ended/opinion questions related to their teammates, Canucks history, Vancouver things, etc. Make sure each team does a survey that will not be used during their game. Have 3 different games? Example survey questions (these could also just be Questions of the Day, but this format would be more entertaining): Most beloved Canuck(s) of all time? What’s the ideal pre-game nap length? Vancouver-related questions. NHL-related questions.
Reacting to their best goals/plays. Ask them what they consider to be their best (from their entire career? Previous season?)
Explain your autograph/guess the autograph
Guess the players quizzes - two truths and a lie?
Secret talents - hockey trick shots, off-ice talents
In-season content
An actual NEW photo taken for the player’s birthday, not just an already available image. Give them a gift/treat? Or make them wear something silly?
Let’s bring back #TBT and post photos of the players from early in their careers or from childhood. Also post a “This Day In Canucks History” type thing?
Highlight staff - commentators, rink workers, admin people, trainers, etc. Mini-interviews? Day in the life? Just to get to know them a little bit.
Brocktober (yes, we need a whole month of Brock content) - Ask every player and coach their favorite thing about Brock! Best of Brock goals, Best of Brock suits, Brock fun facts/pop quizzes
Spotify-wrapped inspired playlists - they kinda did this but i want more - Music Mondays or something simple
Compilations of players doing something well - Petey passes, Quinn anklebreaking, etc
Small, day-to-day moments
Take cues from players - what do they enjoy seeing on social media?
———
Abrupt ending but that’s all I got. Thank you for reading if you got this far! 💙 I’m going to be positive and hope the new Canucksmin will have more fun this season because our team is so lovely🤞 And I also hope that there will be circumstances that naturally provide more fun than last season…but in the end, if they won’t do it, then we will!
Captains can’t enter the referee crease unless invited like some sort of vampire…🧍♂️
How important and serious the captaincy role is taken. No other sport really puts the role on quite as high a pedestal.
Blocking shots (as a skater) is not only normal but a strategy and responsibility. Willingly putting your body in the line of fire of a hard projectile. With a not-low risk of being in pain if you’re successful. Is this evident in any other major sport??
Goalie tandems bc i can’t imagine what it’s like to have a role where you’re a second string/backup and want to prove your worth but you also want your team to do well, which means you DON’T get put in the game. Of course you’re rooting for your counterpart. But of course *you* want to play. And if the team’s success comes without you, you have to be okay with that. The inner machinations of goalies’ minds are an enigma 😵💫
Goalies get to design their mask and gear and they are always so excited about it :) and it’s the only major 4 sport where just one player gets to be able to have that design freedom on their gear
Fans throwing hats onto the ice when a players gets a hat trick. So silly but so fun. Yay sports traditions 👏
Line names! I love line names!! These guys have so much synergy and chemistry and success together that we MUST give them an honorific
The only player you can sub out/replace is goalie. If any other player can’t continue in the game, you just have to deal with it. There aren’t any backup forwards or dmen. There’s a strictness and commitment i like about that. And i don’t think that’s emphasized enough when discussing sports.
The intimacy of knowing how your teammates like to receive a pass and working to get it right. For them.
When players get a new blade in their skate on the bench and it looks like a horse getting a new shoe on their hoof
In a similar vein, the amount of gear hockey players wear. Basically every piece of equipment an athlete could wear. Because they are a human vessel for inertia. They are a weapon, draped in armor and sent into the foray.
Also when a player loses a blade while on the ice and the patheticism of trying to get to the bench…Flopping over. Down on one knee and using their good blade to slide. Being pushed and dragged by teammates AND refs
Goalies smacking their stick to let their teammates know when the power play is coming to an end. They’re always trying to be helpful 😌
Players giving pucks to fans during warmups. The direct interaction with the crowd like that is so essentially “hockey” and creates these great memories for fans ☺️ i love moments of human connection!
When a player scores and immediately after points to their teammate who gave them the assist. There’s a humility to that that. *I* may have scored but it wouldn’t have happened without *you* setting me up.
When a player is on hatty watch, their teammates are conscious of that and will do their best to try to set them up for their third goal to get them a hat trick
Centers have so much on their plate. They are responsible for driving play on their lines and scoring goals, but they also have a responsibility to take care of their linemates and help set *them* up for goals. Oh, and they also need to be totally solid defensively. I think of them kind of like an older sibling taking the lead while watching out for their little siblings (aka wingers).
Keeping the pucks for milestone goals/points as a souvenir. It’s just very cute and very human. 😌
The “Jerseys Off Our Backs” tradition is so wholesome, so personal, and so HOCKEY.
need to do a reverse obi-wan on canucks management:
🌀brock is the top 6 winger you are looking for🌀
At his best, Brock is a bonafide top 6 winger and averages 53 points per season. That’s nothing to turn one’s nose up at…But he embodies more than just numbers.
Brock Boeser is (amongst other things):
A fantastic human to have wearing your jersey and representing your club. Kind, wholesome, chill, classy. Never has anything bad said about him because he’s just a really good guy.
Incredibly resilient - probably more than any other Canuck, given the amount of personal tragedies and multiple physical injuries he’s already experienced. And he’s never been anything but a ray of sunshine throughout all of it.
The bridge between the previous era and now. Literally brought fans BACK to the franchise because of the hope HE provided.
A CORE MEMBER. THE *LONGEST-TENURED* CORE MEMBER. AND HE’S NOT EVEN 30.
YOU ALREADY HAVE WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR.
Brock has still hit 25 goals in a season where:
He got fucking concussed!!!
You traded his center he had the best chemistry with for years in January (and that was after that center was out of the lineup for several weeks). And the other center he was just getting back in sync with got injured.
There was constant noise around him, his contract, and the potential of him being traded (which he has had to endure *repeatedly* with this org). And much of this noise was management’s fault!!! Brock said himself that this trade deadline was the second-longest week of his life; the only week that was worse was when his father passed away. That’s fucking AWFUL (and rather damning, honestly).
Many forwards who had career years last season have struggled to produce consistently. Brock is not the only one.
The shitstorm of ~everything else~ happening with the team.
Can you blame him for not performing to last year’s ridiculous level?!? Nobody on this team (that’s left…) is going to hit last year’s numbers (edit: EXCEPT for our Swiss Army Knife Suter!!!). This cursed season has been nothing but rumors, drama, injuries, inconsistencies, INTERNAL pressure, and bad luck. Yes, professional athletes are supposed to perform no matter what. But they will always be human. And no human (not even the superhuman Quinn Hughes!) is impervious to the amount of chaos this team has weathered.
And as much as you (management) absolutely suck and publicly degrade your own players, he wants to STAY. That MEANS something. You preach and harp about “professionalism” and building the right culture - a standard which you seem to conveniently exempt yourselves from over and over - and have someone who has always embodied those traits. A homegrown (drafted) star who has a glowing reputation amongst his teammates, the fans, and in the whole fucking league. Who loves Vancouver and is loved in return. Yet you have never afforded him the proper respect he’s due. A running theme, it seems, with this franchise’s top brass. But you can change that narrative. Prove you are capable of returning the commitment Brock has always given to the team, through some very dark years where he was one of the few beacons of light.
You want special players whom you can be proud of, yes? Well, anyone with a heart can see that Brockstar is special.
Rereading the canucks *article* from today and it’s actually aggravating me how the adjective “sensitive” will be used almost exclusively for Petey (in so many publications and fan discussions. And ‘fans’ will say MUCH worse than that) while BOTH of them are highly sensitive individuals. They are probably two of the most sensitive players on the entire team. We all know this but just because Petey internalizes and JT externalizes doesn’t make either ‘better.’ But because they contrast that word with “alpha male” for JT, something typical male NHL hockey fans would admit to preferring in a hockey player, it presents Petey as the weaker of the two. Now compare that with Quinn, who is also quiet and internalizes his emotions BUT he’s American. Of course, he’s carrying the team on his back and excelling to levels he (nor the franchise) has never reached before. This sort of removes him from critique as he’s not struggling - he’s leveling up actually - so his soft-spoken manner of speaking and vacant stares on the bench are excused and accepted because look! He’s racking up points! But he hardly ever reacts to ANYTHING in games. He and Petey have very similar game time personalities. Idk where I’m going with this but it just bugs me that, once again, the underlying “North American vs European” stereotypes on acceptable masculinity are being upheld. And I hate that it’s with our players.
Every player saying thank you to their goalie with a lil post-game head bump (love you! bonk!)
Rookie laps. Look at our boy!! 😊 🥹 Tell him congrats!! Be nice to him!!
When players doing faceoffs fall over lol. Like little kids Fighting So Hard they lose balance and end up on the ground. But that’s what happens during a joust when you’re fully bent over and your face is less than a foot from your opponent’s and you’re trying to use the lowest part of your stick to fling a rubber disk to your teammate in less than one second.
Dmen being the personal bodyguards for their goalie every time the goalie covers the puck/stops play. They materialize immediately and make sure to get in between their tendy and any players on the other team like 😤 back the fuck up!!!
Players looking up to the heavens (aka watching replays). The sports/religious imagery is never ending.
When a breakaway is happening and one player uses their stick to ‘boost’ the other in the hopes of catching up. Goofball behavior. A failed attempt is potentially very pathetic. That being said a successful attempt is very impressive and wowdidyouseethat?!
Big players basically stepping over the boards. Medium players jumping over the boards. Small players rolling log style over the boards.
The Rules of the Scrum. When a fight breaks out and players immediately look around to grab onto any jersey that's not theirs. and not even to fight. just to hold onto and keep close :) i'm keeping my eye on you and you're keeping your eye on me.
just. the whole concept of the penalty box. STOP EVERYTHING!!! you're in trouble!!! now go get encased in this glass box (because we simply must be able to still watch you NOT play hockey). sit here in shame and reflect on your actions (unlikely).
Goal horns. 📢 They’re obnoxious. They’re iconic. They’re strange. They’re unique. It’s not hockey without them.
Same vein: goal songs! Actual pavlov’s dog trigger when out in public hearing it play. WE SCORED? wait i’m in the grocery store.
Three Stars. It’s endearing to me how they give out lil ‘good job’ head pats to not one but THREE players every game.
More goalie love: when they just fuckin’ lie flat on their back with the puck somewhere under them. channeling “heavy as *a thousand* feathers …stiff as a board” and “if i don’t move they won’t see it” energy
Welcome to my ramblings…Please be warned that most of the time when I write shit like this, it’s just to get it out of my head. It is more flow of consciousness than a perfectly constructed essay, and it may not make sense to anyone else but me. :) Ok, here we go!
I’ve been thinking about relationships within sports and how there are specific roles that, due to the nature and requirements of the positions, are more closely bonded to each other than to their other teammates. The sports I’ve had the most exposure to are hockey, baseball, and (American) football. In each of these, I would say the players who have an extra layer to their relationships would be defensemen and goalies, catchers and pitchers, and wide receivers and quarterbacks. Due to my love for hockey and appreciation for baseball being deeper than my interest in football, I’m more drawn to the defenseman/catcher similarities and their respective pairings, but I will carve out some space to quickly talk about wide receivers and quarterbacks.
The basis of football is every player executing a specific job for every play. All 11 players need to be acting as one unit at all times. That being said, there can exist a unique tether between a wide receiver and a quarterback. Those positions operate with more freedom and creativity than what’s afforded to the other players. When they have a solid connection, it can be magical to witness. My hesitancy to include the WR/QB duo in this discussion comes from the fact that the sole purpose of the quarterback is to be in charge. They need to know where everyone is, initiate every single play, manage the game, and adapt when necessary. I would argue there’s no singular role in hockey or baseball that’s as pivotal or has as much responsibility as the QB does in football. I do recognize the special bond that can exist between a wide receiver and a quarterback, but I’ve decided it’s not quite the same as what I’m going to talk about. Now, back to hockey and baseball.
I’m currently 1) a hockey defenseman enthusiast and 2) rediscovering my appreciation for baseball. I went – or rather, I was brought along – to a lot of baseball games growing up, so it’s taken a while to enjoy the game again, as opposed to being bored by it, especially when I would claim hockey as my primary love at this point. But as I seek baseball out more, I’ve grown particularly fond of the catcher position. It’s only recently that I’ve taken time to mull over the roles of defenseman and catcher and been able to discern why I am drawn to them, as well as (a bit surprisingly) the traits they share. While not a one-to-one comparison, I feel the connections between the two make them more alike than they are not. They’re cut from the same cloth.
It’s tempting to draw a line between goalie and catcher – the extra gear, their locations relative to the action, their job requirements being to stop a flying projectile and to prevent opponents from scoring – but, to me, this isn’t totally accurate. Goalies exist in a different reality on the ice; we’ve heard time and time again, from goalies and non-goalies alike, that they’re playing a different game than everyone else. Furthermore, it’s very clear how important goalies are in the game of hockey. But I don’t think the average person would go to bat (hehe) for baseball catchers being critical in the same way. Also, catchers are constantly involved in the game in a way goalies are not. Catchers receive (or plan to receive) every single pitch; hell, they’re involved in the calling of every pitch. Comparatively, goalies can be uninvolved from gameplay for long(er) periods of time. All of this is actually a compliment to goalies – they are just too singular of a position in sports. There’s truly no one like them.
Instead, I’m focusing on the players that surreptitiously function as a lynchpin for their team. The players that can go under the general public’s radar. They’re not a flashy forward or a diving fielder. They’re often low-key and sometimes unnoticeable (which can actually be a compliment). It’s defensemen and catchers who, to me, are integral to their teams playing well because if they aren’t playing their best, everything can fall apart. I would argue that those positions need to have a deeper understanding of their respective sports than their teammates, purely as a result of the duties of their roles. Defensemen have to defend the net, obviously, but they must also support the forwards, scan for seams and weaknesses, drive play themselves, and directly contribute to offense. And catchers aren’t just backstopping for the pitcher; they’re monitoring the runners, doing what they can to manage the pitch count, and helping cover the entire area behind the baseline from first to third. You’ll hear from people in the sport and witness it firsthand when watching – when these players (dmen and catchers) are relaxed and poised, it calms everyone else down, too. When defensemen are getting beat and failing to stand up opponents, and when catchers can’t hold onto the ball and are making poor throws to second base, that’s when all hell can break loose.
Let’s talk about the more cerebral things I feel these positions deal with. Both are trying to predict and influence the future by attempting to get in their opponent’s head, guessing what they’re going to do before they do it. Catchers will call pitches they believe will beat the batter. Defensemen must anticipate an opponent’s shot and position themselves accordingly in mere seconds. Both have a vantage point from which they scan the entire scene. It’s their job to hang back; defensemen are always closest to their net and the baseball diamond literally comes to a point at the catcher. They’re looking at the bigger picture while trying to control the details to the degree they are able. They know what everyone should be doing and what should happen next. And when that doesn’t happen, they have to problem-solve immediately.
And that’s why they can’t relax. They can’t zone out. They’re always involved. This (sort of) leads me to one of the more compelling aspects I feel these positions have in common: both positions share a unique relationship with another player. Defensemen have their goalie and catchers have their pitcher. It’s these pseudo-arranged sports marriages that compel me. There’s an obligation for defensemen to take care of their goalies, just as catchers act as a direct support for their pitchers. Defensemen offer protection when opponents get too close, appearing from thin air to shove anyone who dares encroach upon their goalie. They willingly and fearlessly sacrifice themselves by stepping in front of a slapshot. I’ll do my best to bear the burden so you don’t have to. Catchers will always be on their pitcher’s side and fight for the strike call. They offer comfort, taking time to assuage their pitchers when they are showing signs of stress or jitters. It’s okay. I’m here with you. I believe in you. I would wager these pairings have more direct communication (both spoken and unspoken) between them than any other players on their teams. They’re inextricably tied together. They learn each other’s thought processes, anticipating what the other will do. They know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and tendencies. We need to be on the same page, us two. You and I have to think about the game differently. I’m here to protect you. I’m here to help you. I know what you’re thinking and what you’ll do before you do it. I would also argue that just as goalies are weird, pitchers are weird. They each have one job: stop puck or throw ball. So, defensemen and catchers each have their own little freak to take care of.
On a more mushy note, there’s just something about this inherent care and understanding demonstrated by defensemen and catchers that is, dare I say, attractive? Purely from a human standpoint, I appreciate that quiet steadiness so many of them display. But I would say it’s the selflessness – as much as there can be in a sport – that these players exhibit that makes them fascinating. It’s not about them. They don’t need the spotlight. Their goal is simply to offer support. To be dependable. To take on the metaphorical weight of the game and make their teammates’ lives easier; to uplift them. It can be a thankless and exhausting job, but they do it graciously and without complaint because it’s what they signed up for. There’s a groundedness and humility required to fulfill a role like that in a sport, something not everyone can lay claim to. That’s why I think defensemen and catchers, in particular, are special.
A bit of an abrupt ending but that’s about all I can think to say right now – does this resonate with anybody or was it nonsense??? Let me know!
- tocchet is very good at dealing with vancouver media in the sense that he knows how they operate. “and i know what your next question is gonna be” and “i gotta watch how i say this” moments galore
- good to see thatch is confident about his summer. Sucks that he felt so lost last summer 😢
- brock’s little huff/sly smile when asked to follow-up on his reflection of his time in vancouver. Like “i was so hoping you all would have forgotten about that but of course you didn’t”
- quinn is sooo discerning and i know that he knows what the media is trying to extract from him in terms of getting quotes for articles. You can almost see the gears working in his head for each question. 🧐
- pius is just the chillest of chill guys!!!!
- jake is so damn personable. And he always takes responsibility for his performance. i love him.
- fil making sure to fulfill his one question/one response quota lol
- typical mysie offering a very grounded, thoughtful, and honest perspective 🙂↕️
- conor, once again, wearing a hat that obscures the top half of his face…
- PETEY THROWN TO THE WOLVES 😫 WHERE ARE BROCK AND QUINN???? WHY DO WE NEED TO ASK PETEY A THOUSAND QUESTIONS ABOUT THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN ALREADY DISCUSSED AD NAUSEAM THIS YEAR??? “Hey petey why did you fucking suck this year? And don’t answer this wrong or we’ll twist it into another reason for the haters to feel false validation”
- kevin proving he always looks effortlessly cool. Cooler than everyone else. And he’s just wearing a fucking tshirt.
- marcus giving me hope!!!! “Everybody loves each other and wants to push each other”
- kief is such a beauty 👏 has a great head on his shoulders and you know he’s gonna come back after the summer even hungrier than before. League better watch out. Again.
- filip excited to get back to it! Hopefully he’s good to go and can really shine come next season
- i say this with love: höggy always has a bit of a fratboy look when he’s in casual clothes with a backwards cap. Plus he has this mischievous/cheeky energy about him. Like he’s about to flash those dimples and give you a wink at any moment.
- i always forget how teddy doesn’t have a latvian accent like at all when he speaks
- dak is so hard on himself 😔 i fully believe he’ll bounce back next season!
- d-petey!!! Our son!!! Repping the baby canucks 🥹
- again, drew, to me, is that kid in class who is kinda quiet and maybe you sometimes forget he’s there because he just puts his head down and works hard but he is nice to everyone and minds his business so therefore everyone likes him
- now i actually DID forget about noah. sorryyy 😬
- nils must take time to make his hair look like that and i find that both endearing and amusing
A lot of the questions were boring or unnecessary, imo. Let me in there!!!!
