116 versus 143.

That乌鸦传媒檚 the number of playoff games Vancouver乌鸦传媒檚 Ian Cole has participated in versus the combined total of J.T. Miller, Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and Thatcher Demko entering this post-season.

Take Miller and his 78 games out of the equation and that乌鸦传媒檚 116 games versus 55.

When it comes to playoff experience, Cole is the dean of the Canucks dressing room.

The 35-year-old native of Ann Arbor, Michigan was part of back-to-back Stanley Cup championships with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017 and has been part of playoff runs with Colorado and Carolina.

For Cole, the playoffs are familiar territory.

While most of his teammates were soaking in the rabid atmosphere at Rogers Arena on Sunday night when Vancouver defeated Nashville 4-2 in game one of their first round series, Cole didn乌鸦传媒檛 let the moment get too big.

Although he appreciated the fan support, the veteran defenseman didn乌鸦传媒檛 try to soak it all in.

乌鸦传媒淣o, not really to be honest. All that stuff is awesome and you can feel the energy but personally for me I do better when I block out all the external stuff,乌鸦传媒� stated Cole.

He admits that having experience in that type of environment does help in terms of focusing on the task at hand.

乌鸦传媒淲hen you go and you step out here, it乌鸦传媒檚 your fans and the atmosphere is so great. It乌鸦传媒檚 like 乌鸦传媒榳ow, this is amazing.乌鸦传媒� Then you go to Nashville, and you乌鸦传媒檙e like, 乌鸦传媒榳ow, this is so intimidating.乌鸦传媒� Well, it乌鸦传媒檚 neither. It乌鸦传媒檚 great here. Yeah, I feel the energy and use it. And there? It乌鸦传媒檚 going be loud. It乌鸦传媒檚 not intimidating - feel the energy use it,乌鸦传媒� explained Cole.

乌鸦传媒淚t all should be the same mindset right? It shouldn乌鸦传媒檛 matter where you乌鸦传媒檙e playing, there乌鸦传媒檚 going to be energy everywhere at this point of the year. The fans were great. They were awesome and you could definitely feel that but I don乌鸦传媒檛 think focusing on it is beneficial.乌鸦传媒�

As a veteran on the team, Cole picks his spots when to say things and is always open to helping out teammates when asked.

乌鸦传媒淵ou try to say some things here and there but I also don乌鸦传媒檛 want to stand up here and pontificate 乌鸦传媒榦h, I乌鸦传媒檝e done this and this is what we need to do.乌鸦传媒� No one really appreciates that either. When guys come to you and ask questions, you answer them. If you see things that you think you can add some insight to or fix, you do that when the time is right. But again, I don乌鸦传媒檛 think standing up and telling people what to do or how to play乌鸦传媒�we got here for a reason.

乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檝e got a great hockey team. We乌鸦传媒檙e deep. We乌鸦传媒檙e skilled. We have elite players from our goaltending all the way through our 乌鸦传媒楧乌鸦传媒� all the way through our forwards. So let guys do their job and let guys experience it for themselves and grow and learn.乌鸦传媒�

Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet recognizes that Cole乌鸦传媒檚 experience is valuable and pointed out and example of it from earlier in the year.

乌鸦传媒淭here乌鸦传媒檚 been times this year I felt our team get a little antsy and Coler乌鸦传媒檚 demeanor after the game has helped our team. I乌鸦传媒檝e seen it. It乌鸦传媒檚 easier when it comes from the player or their peers than the coach when you have that player that can settle guys down,乌鸦传媒� said Tocchet, referring to a four-game late-February swoon that was snapped with a 3-2 win over Boston at Rogers Arena. 乌鸦传媒淚 think we lost four in a row one time and Coler talked to the guys. The next night we played we had a good night. Some of the older guys I think won us that game.乌鸦传媒�

Cole is the epitome of what Tocchet and the organization want from players in terms of a mental approach.

Now in his 14th NHL season, Cole has seen it all yet he doesn乌鸦传媒檛 get too high after success or too low after failure.

乌鸦传媒淚 mean, listen, we乌鸦传媒檝e talked about this many times over the course of the year, which essentially is 乌鸦传媒榟ey, we win a couple games everyone乌鸦传媒檚 riding high. They乌鸦传媒檙e amazing! Or we乌鸦传媒檙e gonna win the cup!乌鸦传媒� Well, it乌鸦传媒檚 not true. We got to win a heck of a lot more hockey games.

乌鸦传媒淥r just like if we had lost the first game and got blown out 8-1. 乌鸦传媒極h man! They乌鸦传媒檙e a phony - they乌鸦传媒檙e a fake. They乌鸦传媒檙e not there.乌鸦传媒� That乌鸦传媒檚 not true either.

乌鸦传媒淟et乌鸦传媒檚 try to stay level-headed through this whole thing. Let乌鸦传媒檚 try to stay even-keel. We have a lot more hockey games to win. They (Nashville) are going to push back. They乌鸦传媒檙e going to come back even better. And we need to be ready for them.乌鸦传媒�

OVERTIME

* The discussions have already started about the 乌鸦传媒榗oaching adjustments乌鸦传媒� that take place in a series but don乌鸦传媒檛 kid yourselves. You don乌鸦传媒檛 change the foundation of what got you to the post-season. The adjustments are more like 乌鸦传媒榯weaks乌鸦传媒� according to Tocchet. 乌鸦传媒淟et乌鸦传媒檚 face it. They know us. We know them. There might be some stuff they might adjust to and we have to be ready for it and vice versa. A lot of times there are in-game adjustments too whether you take a guy off a line or try different things. You can乌鸦传媒檛 be afraid to do that in-game. I think that乌鸦传媒檚 important,乌鸦传媒� stated Tocchet.

* Asked if he learns anything more about his team after watching game video, Tocchet said it reinforces what he sees from the bench during the course of a game more so than any eye-opening revelations. 乌鸦传媒淔or me in real time I kind of know. I don乌鸦传媒檛 need the next day to validate it. There is the odd time where I may have misread (what occurred in the game) but I kind of know what I thought last night is what I watched today.乌鸦传媒�

* Tocchet believes the main purpose of looking back at games is to use the video as a tool to help players moving forward. 乌鸦传媒淭o me, good coaching is how do you present it to the players without being negative or even too positive. I think it乌鸦传媒檚 important you tell the story. Whatever our story is today with the players is going to help us tomorrow. I think that乌鸦传媒檚 what I look at video for 乌鸦传媒� creating your narrative to the players. What can we do to get better?乌鸦传媒� he explained.

Veteran B.C. sports personality Bob 乌鸦传媒渢he Moj乌鸦传媒� Marjanovich writes twice weekly for Black Press Media.

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