“It Is A Family In Here”: Canucks Hughes & Tocchet Address Reported Rift Between Pettersson & Miller

One of the main storylines from this Vancouver Canucks is the reported rift between Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller. While this is not a new rift, reports have indicated that it has gotten worse this season and might be impacting both player’s on-ice production. Ahead of their game against the Ottawa Senators, both captain Quinn Hughes and Head Coach Rick Tocchet spoke to the media, addressed these reports, and gave their opinions on how this issue may be solved.

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“I think that it’s been a lot of learning for everyone in here,” said Hughes when asked about the reported rift. “Obviously, not to beat around the bush; everyone knows about the reports out there. But I think that everyone expects a lot from each other. There’s times where, you know, I get upset with Milsey (Miller), there’s times I get upset with Petty (Pettersson), there’s times I get upset with Hronek. That doesn’t mean that I don’t love those guys, and vice versa. And you know, I’m gonna make some bad plays; they’re gonna make a play where I wish, you know, they saw me there. Over the course of playing together for six years, I think that those things are normal, and they’re going to happen. As far as my leadership, I think just continue to keep everyone on the yellow brick road and what our ultimate goal is, which is short term, you know, having a good game today, and long term, being a successful team, getting in the playoffs.”

Hughes was also asked if he believes the two Canucks stars will be able to at least work together moving forward. Vancouver’s captain was optimistic, saying, “Yeah. I just think 100% I believe it’s workable, and I know it’s workable. Saw it last year; very evident. I think that both of them have been going through their own struggles this year, and I believe in both of them. I think they’re great players. Like I said, there’s times where we all get into it, but it is a family in here, and we just got to continue to push forward and play the way we want to play. If there’s a positive looking forward to this, I think Petey and Milsey would both say that they haven’t played their best hockey this year, and we’re still, you know, where we are in the standings. And I think that’s a positive thing that we can look at is that two of the best players out there can be better.”

Tocchet was also asked about the relationship between Pettersson and Miller. He said, “Listen, it’s all about the crest. It’s all about as long as I coach, it’s always about the crest. It’s not about the name on the back. You’re going to have arguments. You’re going to have fights. I’ve been fortunate to be Stanley Cup three times, two as a coach and one as a player, and there’s always been something that is galvanizing a team, or something like that. So whether people are complaining, it happens all the time, and it’s my job to make sure that guys have a voice and you move on from sort of stuff. But you also have to be mature too. It’s not that you have to play PlayStation with them or go to dinner with them, but if it’s your turn to go to the net, go to the net. I mean, that’s really when it comes down.”

If Vancouver is going to be successful this season, they need their two top forwards to step up their game. Regardless of how they feel personally towards each other, Pettersson and Miller need to find a way to coexist; otherwise, it could prevent the Canucks from reaching their ceiling. With the holiday break just around the corner, hopefully, some time apart will help act as a reset for Vancouver’s two top forwards.