After the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 overtime loss on Wednesday night to the St. Louis Blues, it seemed to many that Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet had taken a shot at team leader Elias Pettersson. However, when Pettersson was asked about the comments, he seemed to understand exactly what his head coach meant.
For Pettersson, as far as one can read on the surface, the Swedish forward was ready to take the feedback and move forward. However, as the Vancouver media does, it asked coach Tocchet what he meant by the comments and if he had delivered a “blast” to his player.
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Tocchet Shared His Frustration with the Media About Its “Take” on the Issue
A day or two after the game, Tocchet took time to address recent media coverage that suggested he had blasted forward Pettersson after a subpar performance. Tocchet expressed his frustration about the headlines that seemed to spin what he saw as an incorrect narrative around the team’s recent loss.
Tocchet clarified his stance. He pointed out that, while he acknowledged Pettersson’s challenges in the game, it wasn’t an extensive criticism. Tocchet believed the headlines had blown the situation out of proportion. He then emphasized the need for balanced analysis.
Tocchet Warned the Media to Be Careful in How They Report Issues
In his engagement with the media, Tocchet urged the media to be more careful in its approach to how it interpreted his comments about players. He agreed that the media had a job to do, but he encouraged it to better understand the nuances of the game and player performance. Specifically, Tocchet noted that addressing a player’s struggles is not equivalent to blasting them. He hoped that the media would “get it right” and more accurately represent the context of his statements.
The Canucks’ coach underlined the importance of asking questions that provide a fair representation of the situation. Yet, he cautioned against misinterpretation. He also stressed the need for a balanced perspective. Specifically, although he didn’t say it, he emphasized that Pettersson’s issues in the game were part of the natural ebb and flow of any player’s performance – even a star like him.
The Bottom Line Is that Tocchet Wants More Considered Reporting
In conclusion, it was an interesting conversation between Tocchet and the media. In his talk, he dismissed any notion of a major issue with Pettersson. He hadn’t “blasted him.” Instead, his job as a coach was to remind players to play well and that’s what he was doing wrong – if anything.
For the media’s part, Tocchet encouraged it to bring a more thoughtful approach to the game when it was interpreting comments made during press interactions. Interesting. One would think that because Tocchet has been around the game long enough, he’d understand how the media worked.
It might be that the Vancouver media because hockey was front and center, might differ from the Phoenix media where he had coached before.
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