Canucks Coffee: When will we see Quinn Hughes again? Good question

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Sometimes, you need a little levity amid all the seriousness.

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Ensuring Quinn Hughes eventually emerges from “lower-body injury” rehab so the reigning Norris Trophy winner can resume his electrifying presence is of paramount importance as the Vancouver Canucks pursue a playoff position.

However, there’s something to be said — or at least promote a chuckle — for how injuries are labelled.

Rick Tocchet is cut from an abrasive and old-school cloth and, like the rest of us, he doesn’t really understand the broad terminology of ailment disclosure. It’s not as if there’s something to hide when video replays zoom in on an injury and a player’s level of discomfort.

“To be honest, football is different. Eventually, I’d rather it be that but it is what it is. It’s kind of funny — lower or upper body — and coaches laugh about that,” Tocchet said Sunday. “But as of now, that’s the protocol.”

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The pursuit of player protection is understandable in what the NHL is attempting to accomplish. Name the exact injury and location and the player becomes a target. But, then again, check the replay. It’s there for all to see.

Which brings us back to Hughes.

He skated Sunday morning with the rehabbing Thatcher Demko (undisclosed injury). The prognosis for the blueliner’s recovery from a “tweak” remains a day-to-day work in progress. We’re told the ailment is not related to that Jan. 31 “lower-body” injury, which needs some clarity.

Sports medical experts will tell you Hughes suffered an oblique-muscle strain when he was cross-checked in the ribs by Dallas Stars winger Evgenii Dadonov. The trickle-down effect is that other parts of the body try to compensate and there can be stiffness.

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When Hughes does return, stability to absorb hits and in net-front battles will require the oblique to function and he may feel some pain as the muscle activates. The oblique will also be involved in any trunk rotation so that’s where shooting and passing can be impacted.

“He skated today with Demer (rehabbing Thatcher Demko) so they’re progressing,” said Tocchet. “A couple of good days for him and we’ll see where it goes. I don’t want to get too optimistic. Just go along with how we’re going with it now.

“He obviously wants to get some endurance. He’ll ramp it up and that’s OK. He did that today. It’s usually the next day and the recovery after the ramp up. He’s going to have to practise before my eyes and Footy (Adam Foote) and then we have to have the heart-to-heart and go from there.

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The Canucks play three games in four days this week, are scheduled to be off Thursday, and then play again Saturday. That likely means Hughes won’t practise until next week at the earliest.

Stick taps for Ovechkin odyssey

Tocchet played with Wayne Gretzky and admires Alex Ovechkin.

The Canucks bench boss has a unique perspective on how the Washington Capitals legendary winger is zeroing in on Gretzky’s league record of 894 career goals. Ovechkin had a short-handed, empty-net goal Sunday in a 4-2 win over the Seattle Kraken and is creeping closer.

The 39-year-old Moscow missile is nine goals shy of becoming the all-time goal king. You can see the headline: “Great 8 greater than Great One,” but not all the work Gretzky did and the setbacks Ovechkin had to overcome.

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“I’ll be honest. Two years ago, I didn’t think he was going do it,” Tocchet said Sunday of Ovechkin’s record pursuit. “I’m amazed what he did last year (31 goals to cap a three-season run of 123) and what he has done this year, even after that injury (Nov. 18 fractured fibula).

“Having that long layoff (16 games) and coming back and just scoring again. The guy knows how to score. He scores from in front and from his spot (faceoff dot) and he scores everywhere. And he’s not afraid to hit. That’s what I like about him. He’ll rattle some guys.”

Ovechkin is a 6-foot-3, 238 bowling ball of intent and purpose. He told this reporter a long time ago that the manner in which he plays the game could shorten his career because he didn’t want to hang on.

“The physicality is the most important thing,” he stressed to me. “You can play, but what’s the point if you can’t do anything out there?

That resonated with Tocchet.

“I remember in Pittsburgh and big playoff games against him. If he wasn’t scoring, he was hitting, and that’s what I love about him,” summed up Tocchet.

bkuzma@postmedia.com

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