Vancouver Canucks forward Marco Rossi is looking forward to a fresh start this season.
Entering his fifth full NHL season, Rossi had a great summer of training and came back to Vancouver early before training camp, feeling good about his game.
He’s enjoyed getting to know Head Coach Manny Malhotra and appreciates Malhotra’s professionalism and the standard he set at training camp.
“It's amazing so far,” Rossi said. “First of all, I think what's really nice to see is he wants every day [to be] 100 percent, you don't have an off day, you’ve got to be prepared. You play pro, you're here for a reason, and you’ve got to be prepared. The message he gives us is really good for us, and as a coach, he's a really smart guy, and he knows the game. He has played the game as well, so it's always easier to have a coach who played it. It's nice to see when he skates too at the end of practice.”
Rossi’s got up to more than training this summer, he hosted a hockey camp in Austria, highlighting the growth of the game in his home country.
“I've been young too. I've been looking up to other guys, so it's nice to see the young guys out there having fun and just try to help them wherever I can,” Rossi said.
“When I was young, I looked up to Thomas Vanek, and my dream was to be like him one day; play in the National Hockey League. Now I'm here and it's probably the same goal for young guys, and I just try to tell them you can do it too. You just h ve to believe in yourself, and everything will be possible.”
In addition to all of his on-ice summer work, he got married in Italy at Lake Como, sharing that it was a memorable day.
Rossi also celebrated his 25th birthday with Canucks Insider Host Chris Faber on the podcast. Listen to this and much more as Rossi joins Chris Faber on the latest episode of the Canucks Insider Podcast.
