Copyright Yardbarker
As Nathan LaFayette looked over the concourse of the Pacific Coliseum during the Vancouver Goldeneyes’ first day of training camp, it brought all the memories back from his time as a Vancouver Canuck. Sandwiched between stints with the St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings, LaFayette’s 58 combined regular season and playoff games in a Canucks uniform were as impactful as they come. The fans dressed in white and waving towels to welcome the Canucks onto the ice during the 1994 playoff run stuck out, as did his goal on Felix Potvin in Game 5 of the conference final against the Toronto Maple Leafs. “Being a part of that [1994] team, just coming on the ice, it’s a feeling that I remember,” Lafayette said. “I scored the goal of my life against Toronto the one year in the playoffs, so I remember that very fondly.” But the moment he remembered most was his pass to Geoff Courtnall in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. Courtnall’s backhander hit the back bar of Mike Richter’s net and ricocheted out so fast, video review was required to confirm the puck had gone in. “He and I knew he scored, and the rest of the world didn’t know that it went in. [The Rangers] went down and scored, and it was just some crazy play that could have gone either way and really turned the momentum in that game.” Now 52 years old, LaFayette returned to the Coliseum to soak in the $6 million worth of renovations made to the Rink on Renfrew. With a brand new videoboard, freshly painted ice and improvements to the concourse, the 57 year old arena seems to sparkle like it did when LaFayette played there in 1994 and 1995. “Obviously I have a soft spot for this building. It looks fantastic, the lighting is amazing. Opening night is going to be amazing.” The return of pro hockey to the arena in the form of the PWHL’s Goldeneyes is not only a welcome one to the NHL veteran, but long overdue. “The women’s game is such a big part of Canadian culture, but obviously there’s been a big void for many years [in Vancouver] on the professional front and this helps fill that in,” LaFayette said. “I think it’s amazing. Everything about what’s happening here today I think is fantastic.” When it comes to the current crop of Canucks, LaFayette feels it’s hard to compare the teams of today to the ones from his time. The game has simply changed too much for that. But he’s a big fan of Quinn Hughes. “Honestly, I think Vancouver has the best player in the league right now in Hughes,” LaFayette said. “What I love about him is that he makes everyone else on the ice better. There’s superstars that create stuff on their own and then there’s superstars like Hughes, which make every other guy on the team get better. They’re more open because he finds them, they’re in better places. They don’t even know the puck’s coming sometimes when it’s on their stick. When you’ve got a guy like that on your squad, you’re headed in the right direction.” “In terms of where the league is today, he epitomizes the skill level that’s in the game right now because I think he’s the most skilled there is.” The job Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin have of keeping Hughes in Vancouver long-term is a task LaFayette doesn’t envy. “It’s a top priority for the Canucks, but it’s also a top priority for probably every other team in the league. It’s going to be tough.” But if that plan doesn’t come to fruition, LaFayette chose to look at the glass half full, while comparing Hughes to a prominent player he faced off against. “Wayne Gretzky got traded and Edmonton did okay after that. It’s not the end of the world when you lose the best guy.” As for what the Canucks and Goldeneyes are experiencing now, each in their own way, LaFayette had two sets of advice. One is to enjoy the time you have left playing at the highest level because “it doesn’t last forever.” The other is never stop learning. “The little things mattered more than I realized. I was a student of the game and I paid attention to the details or so I thought,” LaFayette said. “But looking back now when I watch, I can see little things with a perspective that I didn’t see before. Whether it’s little plays at the hashmarks or positioning on a faceoff or where your first step goes, all those little things matter and they add up to success or friction.” “Pay attention to the little things. The big things will take care of themselves.”
