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‘Best news ever’: Max Lapierre thrilled to see Canucks put Sedins, Johnson, and Malhotra in charge

Photo credit: © Anne-Marie Sorvin-Imagn Images

By Clarke Corsan

Oct 9, 2026, 13:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 9, 2026, 12:53 EDT

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Former Vancouver Canucks forward and current host of La Poche Bleue Max Lapierre joined Halford and Brough to discuss Daniel and Henrik Sedin becoming co-presidents of hockey operations, their impact on the organization’s culture, and why he believes the Canucks are moving in the right direction.

Lapierre praised the Sedins’ approach to leadership, pointing to their personalities, attention to detail, and the culture they want to build in Vancouver.

“Best news ever. These guys are unbelievable. They’re so calm, think about everything and don’t judge with emotion but analyze with their brain. They’re good people, Vancouver as a city and of course the Canucks are very important to them. Very smart people in the hockey world who see the game differently. It’s easy to say they were skill players who were so good with the puck but there’s a reason why, they’re just so smart out there.

“They have the perfect personalities to manage an organization with the right emotion and you see it with the hiring. It’s all about the same culture, people who care, people who treat others the right way, they respect everyone around the league and everyone as teammates. They’re the type of guys who say hello to everyone at the rink every single day. This is where it starts.

“I’ll compare it to Montreal; they started to build a new culture to rebuild the team and it started with Marty St. Louis and Kent Hughes, the way they behave as managers and coaches. It’s the right pick and I feel like if it wasn’t in Vancouver, someone else would have taken them for sure because they’re special people.”

Lapierre also recalled how the Sedins treated him when he joined the Canucks, saying their respect for everyone in the organization made a lasting impression.

“Just the way they treat people that are third or fourth liners, the sixth or seventh D-man, the guy who doesn’t play, the assistant coach, the video guy, everyone is part of a big family. I know it seems like it’s supposed to be that way with every team in the NHL but it doesn’t work that way. There are some teams where the superstars don’t really even talk to the lower guys.

“You spend so much time with these guys, so it’s important to be surrounded by people and have a vision, and the Sedins have that special eye for the right guys. We lost Game 7 of the Cup Final; they have a chance at one point again to win with the Canucks, and they’re on a mission. It doesn’t matter if it takes one year or five, they’re getting there.”

Lapierre also reflected on the Canucks’ decision to move on from several key members of the 2011 team, arguing that building a winning culture requires patience and continuity.

“When they traded all those guys after the 2011 run, Burrows, Raymond, Bieksa, Vigneault, everyone left. We talk about having good people but you also lost good players there and I thought that was rushed. If you don’t win the Cup in the NHL, that doesn’t mean you failed. It’s not easy to win and it’s a matter of patience.

“A good example right now is Carolina. Every single year was tough; they were a good team but lost every year, first round, second round. At one point, after they stuck together and added a few pieces, they won the Cup. It’s long to build the right culture and to win in the playoffs. You need the same core with the same attitude all the time. This is what they had in Vancouver, and they destroyed it, but now I feel like they’re going to rebuild it.

“It’s the Sedins, it’s Manny, and it’s going to work. I can guarantee you right now it’s going to work, maybe I can’t guarantee a Cup, but it’s going to be a team that shows up to play the right way every single night.”

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