Willie Desjardins allows himself some rare excitement

Willie Desjardins finally caved in Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
The Vancouver Canucks coach has tried not to get too excited while leading an NHL bench for the first time. But he couldn’t help but celebrate a little after the Canucks made the playoffs as a result of the Los Angeles Kings’ loss in Edmonton on Tuesday night.
“I was at home and watching it,” said Desjardins after practice Wednesday at Rogers Arena. “It was big. It’s been a long season, and you never allow yourself to think about getting in because, for me, I don’t want to lose my edge. I want to make sure we’re just focused on getting in. So it’s great to get in. Hopefully, we can find a way to win a couple games and start at home.”
The Canucks (46-29-5) sit second in the Pacific Division and close out the regular season with home games Thursday against Arizona and Saturday against Edmonton. Desjardins has returned them to the playoffs after they failed to qualify last season, for the first time since 2008, under former coach John Tortorella.
But Desjardins downplayed the accomplishment of being a first-year NHL head coach and getting his team into the post-season.
“Wherever you’re at, it’s always exciting to get into the playoffs,” he said. “You’re focused on it for the whole year. Right from the start of the year, as soon as you’re in training camp, that’s the one thing you start thinking about. And throughout the year, you look and monitor your spots. There was lots of times when we went on the road and we’d say: Well, this will define the team. And, there was three or four times that happened. When you’re in that situation, you know this is a real tough trip coming up. Can we get through it? Where are we going to be at?
“So, I think, for myself, the whole year has been a grind where there’s good teams and, every night, you play a team that can beat you. You have to be ready. So it’s been a long grind, but it’s so exciting right now to finally get a chance to get in – and it’s a great feeling.”
Actually, the Canucks have stayed in playoff position for virtually the whole season. After going 16-7-1 in the first two months, they battled through injuries and adversity to keep the Kings and Calgary Flames, among others, chasing them. At one point, the Canucks defence corps was decimated by injuries, but they still managed to win key road games and beat top teams like Montreal, St. Louis, Anaheim, Chicago and the New York Rangers. They also bettered Pittsburgh and the New York Islanders when they were at the top of their game and in the upper echelons of the standings, contrary to their current plight.
“What stands out to me is, certain times, you look at teams and they win games that they probably, on paper, shouldn’t win just (because of) the nature of the schedule, just how they’re playing,” said Desjardins. “And, this team has had the ability to win games where you’d think: Oh, they’re not going the right way right now. It’s gonna be tough.
“I think, whenever you have a team like that, it makes it a little bit special. This team has found some ways to win some games. To me, that’s a real good sign when you look back at it.”
Desjardins, who rose to the NHL from the Canadian university, junior and minor pro ranks, appears unlikely to be a coach of the year candidate, but he is beginning to gain some notoriety. General manager Jim Benning and players were quick to praise the job that he has done.
“Willie’s done an excellent job,” said Benning. “He’s a tireless worker, first of all. He’s taken this group and I think he’s getting the best out of every player in that team, and the guys have bought in and they play hard for him every night. Even when we get down in games and stuff, our guys never give up. They might run out of time and stuff at the end of the game, but they never give up til the final buzzer.”
Desjardins has managed to refresh a veteran core that Tortorella contended became “stale” last season. Defenceman Kevin Bieksa, critical at the best of times, refused to compare the two campaigns but praised Desjardins
“I don’t care too much about what happened last year,” said Bieksa. “I think Willie’s done a great job this year of coming in and getting the most out of guys and approaching different guys different ways allowing guys to grow and to make mistakes and to mature. You’re seeing different lines and different defence pairings out at crucial times throughout the season. That’s to grow and prepare them, to them in difficult situations so, come playoff time, everybody’s ready to go and really contribute.”
Winger Jannik Hansen said Desjardins has done many little things right while rolling four lines all season and emphasizing a puck-possession game. As a result, they’re creating more offence and not “throwing pucks away as much.”
“He came in and he wanted to play to our strengths,” said Hansen. “You’ve seen what the (Sedin) twins can do when they have the puck. You don’t want them to dump the puck in and try to run guys out of the building.”
Defencemen have also become more involved in the play, and the loyalty to the four-line approach has allowed the use of different combinations depending on the circumstances.
“It hasn’t really mattered who’s been in and out of the lineup,” said Hansen.
In addition to refreshing the veteran core, Desjardins has integrated rookies into the squad, including centres Bo Horvat and Linden Vey, and winger Ronalds Kenins. Despite their first-year status, they have seen considerable ice time.
Horvat has excelled after Tortorella made it clear he was not willing to give him ice time last season and sent him back junior. Tortorella was also prone to reducing his bench drastically late in games.
Captain Henrik Sedin said Desjardins has made everyone feel that they’re involved.
“When you’re playing for him, it doesn’t matter what line you’re on,” said Sedin. “You feel that, if you play well and you contribute, you’re going to play and get more minutes – and you get a chance to contribute each and every night.”
Sedin said the playoff berth does not necessarily put closure on last season's forgettable campaign. He noted that the Canucks excelled until January. But Desjardins feels that players suggested that they want to make up for last season's playoff miss.
“A lot of our guys feel that it’s a chance to prove some things and make a difference,” said Desjardins. “I know, through the season, how passionate the fans are here, and I know we’re excited to get into playoffs. But, now, we want to do something with it.”