Vancouver Canucks F Jason Dickinson blasts “garbage” season

The season for the Vancouver Canucks appeared destined for the toilets at the start of the 2021-22 NHL campaign. They started off 9-15-2 and were dead last in the eight-team Pacific Division. Of course, that resulted in the termination of both head coach Travis Green as well as general manager Jim Benning. 

In came veteran bench boss Bruce Boudreau, who helped as much as anyone to seemingly change Vancouver's fortunes overnight. So far under his leadership, Vancouver has amassed a record of 29-13-8, a pace that would easily have them in the postseason. 

However, tonight's matchup against the Dallas Stars at Rogers Arena is a pivotal one, especially in the mind of forward Jason Dickinson, a former Star who is in the first year of a three-year pact with the Canucks. 

“That’s the only thing that’s on my mind, the only reason I’m playing right now,” Dickinson told Sportsnet ahead of Monday’s last chance against the Stars. “I want to be in the playoffs so badly, and you can see it there. It’s still within reach. Everybody’s dropping like flies right now, it seems, so we need everybody we can get out there. I just really want to be in the playoffs.”

The Canucks, despite their poor start, are not mathematically eliminated from postseason contention, as they're just five points behind the Stars for the last Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. 

“I mean, on a personal level, no,” the 26-tear-old said candidly. “It’s still a garbage season that I’d love to forget. But making the playoffs is a great achievement as a team and that is something to be proud of. But it’s been a lot of work for a lot of other guys. . . and I didn’t contribute near as much as I would have liked to or should have.

“The mental part of it has gotten in my own way. I expect a lot for myself, and when it’s not happening, I tend to get hard on myself and I tend to maybe shut down some days. I don’t want to say I don’t bring 100 per cent (effort), but I don’t have 100 per cent of my attention if I’m mentally beating myself up. It’s hard to kind of recover day to day because you’re constantly just in your own head, stopping yourself from meeting your true potential.”

Dickinson missed several games this year with a lower body injury, and you can't blame the former Stars forward for stating the obvious. 

“It’s been extremely tough, both mentally and physically,” he said. “I’ve dealt with a lot of injuries this year. And then the mental aspect, everything just kind of piles on and it starts to take its toll. There’s a lot of self-doubt that happens throughout the year and a lot of questioning yourself and what you’re doing, and trying to find some sort of peace with everything and make it all work on the ice. It does get tough when you’re battling your mental demons.”