On Friday’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal touched on a topic that’s been quietly simmering in Vancouver for years: the Canucks’ long-standing lack of a dedicated practice facility, and how excited Rick Tocchet seems to now have one.
Tocchet, now back in Philadelphia, couldn’t help but rave about their setup.
“I walked around that facility; there’s so many tools to work with,” Tocchet said during his introductory press conference as Flyers head coach. “There’s three sheets of ice. Those are attractive things to help me be a better coach. I can’t speak for the past, all I know is what I see now and the people I deal with now and it excites me.”
It was a short quote, but for Canucks fans, it said a lot – especially when placed in contrast with the Canucks’ own situation.
“There were rumours that was a thing that annoyed Tocchet about Vancouver,” said Quadrelli. “Part of the reason he didn’t want to come back was because they didn’t have a practice facility built –  nor even plans to build one. I found that [quote] to be interesting.”
The issue of a practice facility in Vancouver has become something of a running joke among fans and media alike. Despite being one of the few NHL teams without a dedicated facility of their own, there hasn’t been a concrete update in years. And while it may seem like a luxury, it plays a meaningful role in how teams prepare, recover, and operate day-to-day.
As Harm pointed out bluntly: “I’m not holding my breath.”
Unless there’s a surprise announcement at this year’s training camp – something along the lines of, “Hey, we’ve found a site” – the outlook remains grim.
“Unless they make an announcement at training camp,” said Quads, “like, ‘Hey we found a site’, there’s no way this is getting done before 2030. That’s the reality of it.”
It’s a sobering thought when you consider the impact that facility infrastructure can have on a team’s performance and retention. The Flyers, for example, are repurposing their space and modernizing with three full sheets of ice, rehab tools, video rooms, gym space, and more. Meanwhile, the Canucks continue to rent practice time out of local rinks.
Technical producer Jacob Lazare weighed in with some context around just how long something like this would take.
“It depends if you’re building one from scratch or retrofitting an existing one,” said Lazare. “There’s a few different things. At one point in time, there were talks about using an old Olympic venue. If you have a facility that already exists and you’re putting a practice facility in, you can do that really quickly.”
Lazare pointed to the Utah NHL expansion franchise as an example.
“Utah has a temporary practice facility. They turned it around in a few months by repurposing an old 2002 Olympic venue. But if you’re building from scratch, it’s going to take five to seven years.”
So far, the Canucks haven’t done either. No public site identified, no official timeline announced, and, as far as anyone knows, no construction crews digging in.
And while this issue might not be the headline every day in Vancouver, it matters. Whether it was a small piece of the puzzle or a key sticking point in Tocchet’s exit, it’s another reminder that NHL teams operate in the details. Infrastructure, facilities, and support matter – and right now, the Canucks are trailing in that department.
For Tocchet, he gets to return to a city that’s investing in hockey infrastructure. For the Canucks, the wait for a long-promised practice facility drags on.
You can watch the full segment here:
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