Emerging from the rubble of last seasons spectacular run and hapless finish, the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Canucks proved over the weekend that a short off-season has not hindered the team's overall physicality.
Results from Friday's fitness tests and medical evaluations show the Canucks have returned in better form despite last years marathon season.
For tried-and-tested goaltender Roberto Luongo, the team is moving in the right direction and optimism is a vital organ in the Canucks system when it comes to making forward gains.
"We've got the talent, that's why we play the game. If you're not optimistic about going to the final, then I don't think we're playing in the right sport," Luongo said, dismissing criticism that suggests optimism is merely wishful thinking.
Head coach Alain Vigneault arrived Friday for the main training camp all-smiles, all-jokes and all-tanned. He said the club is moving onmust move on.
"We have to turn the page on last year," he said. "We have to stay in the moment and focus on now. Focus on what needs to be done and that's what we're going to work on with our players."
The Canucksthe NHLs best regular season team that lost the Cup in a 4-0 shutout to the Boston Bruinsopened the pre-season last night with two split-squad games, one at Rogers Arena in Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»and a second in Calgary. The score in Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»was 4-3 for the Canucks. In Calgary, the Flames beat Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»5-1.
Back to the starting line, but not back to scratch, Vigneault said.
The Canucks wrapped with a 117-point regular season, winning the Presidents Trophy, and garnering many other performance awards and nominations along the way.
"Pretty good? Pretty good?" Vigneault quipped when a reporter noted the "pretty good" approach last season. "I think we were first in the league last year. I think we were first in power play. I think we were [tied for second] in penalty killing. I think we were first in goals-for and I think we were first in goals-against.
That said, Vigneault also noted that list of accolade didnt include a Stanley Cup, the biggest first-place finish of all.
"At the end of the day, we didnt win," Vigneault said. "Were in this to win and we know our process is a good process. We know there are some areas where, like any other team, we can improve.
The Canucks begin their regular season Oct. 6 at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins, a team the Canucks would do well to mimic this season, at least in terms of their comeback history.
The Penguins lost the Stanley Cup in 2008 to the Detroit Red Wings, only to return the following year and claim the NHL title.
It's possible, although history points to the Penguins 2009 championship as an exception.
For Henrik Sedin, the team's leader who returned to the gym at Rogers Arena only a week after the June 15 loss and who is topping the physical testing results behind only his brother, the singularly best way to get over the loss is by returning to the cycle and starting the season strong.
"We're going to have to start over," he said, "and win just off of game one."
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