page_title: 2013–14 Vancouver Canucks season
section_title: Training camp
hierarchical_section_title: 2013–14 Vancouver Canucks season / Off-season / Training camp
caption_attribution_description: English: Eddie Lack talks with Roberto Luongo following a Vancouver Canucks game
context_page_description: The 2013–14 Vancouver Canucks season was the franchise's 44th season in the National Hockey League. The Canucks missed the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since the 2007–08 season, ending their five-year playoff streak. In addition, the team recorded its worst regular season since the 1999–2000 season. Head coach John Tortorella, who had been hired in the pre-season, was fired.
  In addition to hiring Tortorella in the off-season, for financial reasons the decision was made to retain goaltender Roberto Luongo instead of Cory Schneider. As a result, along with a reduced salary cap, the team was unable to pursue top free agents signing a number of restricted and unrestricted free agents instead.
  The team had won their division five years in a row previously, and had finished first in the entire league twice in the last three seasons. With the addition of a new head coach, and players such as Brad Richardson, both management and fans were optimistic that the team could be a Stanley Cup contender.
  The team was inconsistent, playing well in October and December, but badly in November. In January the team's situation worsened.
context_section_description: At the start of training camp Tortorella promised to make changes to the way the Canucks played. He wanted to make the team tougher to play against. Some of the techniques he felt would accomplish this were hard forechecking, protecting the puck, being strong along the boards, and increasing shot blocking. The Canucks finished the 2012–13 season as the 27th ranked team in blocked shots while the Rangers finished sixth. Tortorella also said that he would use the Sedin twins to kill penalties. The Sedins had asked Vigneault to be used on the penalty kill, but he opted to keep them rested for their offensive role instead. Upon learning that they would be killing penalties Henrik Sedin said: "It's something that I think is a big part of becoming a great player. You have to be on the ice for all situations. For us, we were counted upon to score goals, and if we didn't, then we were terrible. I think you grow as players when you play all situations." Tortorella put the Canucks through a physically demanding training camp. Players were asked to run two miles in 12 minutes and were put through a series of intense skating drills. Tortorella believed he could learn about his players when they were exhausted and asked them to give a little more.
  For the second consecutive year, goaltending was a focus of training camp. After choosing to keep Luongo, the team did not hear from him. He had fired his longtime agent, and hired new representation. This development set off speculation that Luongo would not report to training camp and would try to force a trade. Shortly after the change in representation, his new agents announced that Luongo would attend training camp. In his first interview following the Schneider trade, Luongo stated that he had looked into voiding his contract, but he planned to honor it, and wanted to re-establish himself as an elite goaltender.
  The Canucks had two competitors for the back-up goaltender position, Eddie Lack and Joacim Eriksson. Lack had been seen as the heir apparent for the back-up role, but following a season-ending injury after playing only 12 games in the AHL, his future was called into question. Eriksson was signed to a two-year, two-way, entry level contract with the Canucks in the off-season after helping Skellefteå AIK to the Swedish Hockey League championship. Though neither player had any NHL experience, Lack was seen as the front runner because of his one-way contract, which paid him the same at the NHL or AHL level.
caption: Roberto Luongo and Eddie Lack (right)
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