If you giggled at the headline, you’re not alone.

According to a new story published on Monday by Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet is seriously considering “Embrace the hard” as his team’s official slogan for the 2024-25 season.

No, it wouldn’t sound one bit out of place as the name of a certain type of video store. But for the Canucks’ purposes, it means embracing the challenges that come with facing increased expectations after capturing a Pacific Division title.

“Whatever it is … like, I don’t believe in ‘Hey, you work hard today, it’ll be easier tomorrow.’ It’s always going to be hard,” Tocchet said in his interview with MacIntyre. “That’s just the way it is, so why not condition your mind?”

“I talked to the players after a game in the playoffs. You know, you’re limping, you’ve got an ice pack (after winning). That’s the best feeling in the world. But it’s not going to get easier tomorrow. It’s going to be even harder. That’s the way I look at this season.”

Under Tocchet’s tutelage, the Canucks shocked the hockey world during the 2023-24 season by winning 50 games, collecting 109 points, and beating out the Edmonton Oilers and the Vegas Golden Knights for the top spot in the ultra-competitive Pacific Division.

Before Tocchet came along, the Canucks had qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs just once since 2015 — and that was under the relaxed rules of the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season. Last year, they made it without breaking a sweat.

But it’ll only get more challenging for the Canucks from here as they attempt to build on what they accomplished last season. As Tocchet says, they’ll have to embrace that fact — and whether they go with “Embrace the hard” or a different slogan, those words will be extensively emblazoned throughout Rogers Arena.

“It’ll be signage around the room and stuff,” Tocchet said. “We’ll probably do T-shirts. I’ve got a couple of ideas with hats and stuff. I don’t know, we’re kicking these ideas around. But I like visuals. I like stuff on a T-shirt or hat. I think when a guy puts it on … there’s a pride factor.”

“We made strides [last season]. Let’s face facts; we made strides. But if we only do the same thing we did last year, we’re going to get the same result. So our expectations have to be higher, and we have to embrace that it’s going to be harder.”

With Jake DeBrusk, Daniel Sprong, Danton Heinen, Kiefer Sherwood, Derek Forbort, and Vincent Desharnais now in the fold, the Canucks are slated to kick off their 2024-25 slate of games against the Calgary Flames on October 9th.