Archive: Former Avs Star Adam Foote Wrote 2002 Story on Shutting Down Playoff Opponents
Current Vancouver Canucks assistant coach Adam Foote carved out a special place in his career as an elite NHL defenseman And in this cover story from The Hockey News’ April 26, 2002 edition (Volume 55, Issue 33), Foote wrote a first-person story on the challenges of being a defensive stopper in the Stanley Cup playoffs. (And here’s your friendly reminder: to access The Hockey News Archive, go to THN.com/Free and subscribe to the magazine.) Foote played most of his 19-year NHL career with the Colorado Avalanche, winning a Cup twice with the team. And he was fully aware that his main job was shutting down the other team’s top players. For that reason, providing offense was a notably secondary option when he was on the ice.
“You can’t take the chance of going on offense when you’re up against players with speed such as Pavel Bure and Paul Kariya,” Foote wrote. “Some players are so fast and so adept on turnovers, all it takes is for you to leave your spot for a split-second in an attempt to score to have it backfire and have the puck wind up in your own net. There are defensemen in the NHL who take chances like that all the time; I am not one of them.” Foote played 1,154 regular-season NHL games and 170 playoff games, and he thrived as a physical force who was a difference-maker in his own zone. He welcomed that challenge, knowing full well what a difficult hill that was to climb. “There are guys who, if you rub them out, they actually play better,” Foote said. “They welcome the challenge. I try to leave those guys alone. And there are other players who, if you rub them out, it takes them off their game. You can get under the skin of some players. You might give them a little extra jab after the whistle to see if they react. It’s funny what will get a guy going – it’s usually something fairly innocent.”
