‘I asked if I could play and tried to push them, but the risks were too big. I had to protect my future’ — Brock Boeser
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Brock Boeser believes he could have made a difference when it mattered most in a one-goal, winner-take-all showdown Monday at Rogers Arena.
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Of course he did.
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The Vancouver Canucks right-winger lit up the Edmonton Oilers this NHL season — including four goals in the season opener — and could have been a two-way factor in Game 7 of a sensational second-round series finale. The Canucks rallied and nearly forced overtime in the 3-2 season-ending setback.
It made a blood-clotting issue that kept Boeser from competing and contributing in the series conclusion even more devastating. After all, he scored a career-high 40 goals in his season of redemption. He also became reliable without the puck and excelled in shutdown assignments in the regular season and post-season.
“I’m crushed,” Boeser said Thursday during his year-end address. “I wish I could have been out there with the guys. In a one-goal game. I’m sitting there and saying: ‘I could have scored.’ You don’t know what would have happened if I played.
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“I would have done anything to be out there. I asked if I could play and tried to push them, but the risks were too big. I had to protect my future and you don’t want health issues moving forward.”
Boeser also led the Canucks with seven playoff goals and tied for the team lead with a dozen points. He was also a net-front presence with a deft touch for deflections and tips.
Imagine all that in Game 7?
“Of course, I felt I could have made a difference,” Boeser said. “It just proved there’s another level there and my line took a ton of pride playing against Connor (McDavid) and against top lines through the year.
“It’s a role I haven’t had before and tried to embrace it. It gave a lot to my confidence.”
The trickle-down effect of what occurred to the hard-luck Boeser was a concern that became a blow. He has had more than his share of injury setbacks from his back, groin, wrist and hand, but the timing of this was excruciating.
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“I took a shot on Game 1 on the power play and got a bruise, but my leg was feeling fine,” said Boeser. “A week later, it started really hurting so we got it checked out. I had a clot in one of my small veins, and it wasn’t an issue, so I was allowed to continue to play.
“And then we got another scan after Game 5 and the next morning after Game 6. It showed that there was more clotting that moved into my deep vein. I wasn’t expecting that. I didn’t really understand and it was an emotional moment for me after giving all your energy and really striving and pushing for the ultimate goal.
“To get that swept out from under you and not be out there for Game 7 with these guys hurt.”
Boeser is on blood-thinner medication and will be able to train in the summer.
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“I have to be careful if I cut myself or hit my head,” said Boeser. “I’m good to train and skate with precautions.”
Replicating his sensational season won’t be easy because the Canucks have gone from hunters to the hunted after amassing 109 points and winning the Pacific Division.
And this season taught him that the encouragement to take his fitness to an elite level last summer was going to pay dividends.
“They (Canucks) asked me to change and knew a guy in Minnesota, who was an NHL trainer, and I felt comfortable,” recalled Boeser. “More turf stuff. We did hill days most of August.
“A lot of sprinting and agility and I feel stronger and I feel quicker. I’m moving better.”
So, no more laid-back Da Beauty League tournaments in July back home in his native Minnesota. It was fun, but it wasn’t productive. Boeser knew it was time to get his fitness to where it needed to be.
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He learned it. He’s living it.
“You just have to have the same mindset,” he said of off-season preparation for next season. “You have to feel that hunger and that drive and it starts in the summer.
“It takes a lot of hard work and focus. Personally, I didn’t think I was great the second half of the year. That’s the next step for me. Being more consistent.
“There are definitely ways to take care of your body and make sure you don’t get tired. I’m really driven getting a taste with these guys in the playoffs.
“We were right there, we were so close and that’s going to continue to push me.”
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