“Life gets tough sometimes,†the 33-year-old defenceman said Tuesday. “Youâ€ve just got to kind of keep going.â€
Three games into the one-year contract he signed with the Canucks last summer, the defenceman left the team a year ago to be with his dying father and family back home in Duluth, Minn. Keith Forbort, a school teacher whose backyard rinks were neighborhood hubs when Derek was growing up, passed away from colon cancer on Oct. 16 at the age of 62.
One game after returning to the Canucks, Forbort collided with teammate Nils Hoglander during a practice in Anaheim on Nov. 4 and tore the medial collateral ligament in his knee.
By the time Forbort recovered and returned again in December, the Canucks were wobbling under a mass of injuries and dressing-room dysfunction.
And then, just because, Forbortâ€s National Hockey League season ended on April 12 when he suffered facial fractures from a punch delivered by the Minnesota Wildâ€s Yakov Trenin while the Canuck was defenceless after the players fell to the ice during a brief fight.
For Forbort, life was tough for most of last season.
“You know, I got back from the funeral, and then played one game and then in practice the next day, I run into Hoggy,†Forbort said of his start. “It was definitely a different kind of adversity. You kind of lean on the guys. It helped having such great buddies here like (Jake) DeBrusk and Danton Heinen (before he was traded) – a good crew of guys that were hanging out and you just kind of lean on them.â€
After all that Forbort went through in what was an immensely disappointing year for the Canucks, each side wanted the other back and the six-foot-five defenceman agreed in June to another one-year contract – with a $500,000 raise to $2 million.
As the recalibrated and re-energized Canucks prepare to open another regular season Thursday against the Calgary Flames at Rogers Arena (Sportsnet West, 10 p.m. PT), most of the buzz around the team is about 18-year-old Braeden Cootes and the group of young players who have poured into the bottom half of the roster.
But within the Canucks, the best news Tuesday was Forbortâ€s return to practice after missing four days due to an undisclosed injury. The rugged, penalty-killing ace is expected to partner (and mentor) 21-year-old Elias Pettersson (Junior) on the third pairing of a Vancouver defence that hasnâ€t looked this solid since the 2011 Stanley Cup Final team was disbanded.
“He brings a lot for this team, and especially for me,†Pettersson said after practice. “Just to have him beside you, it just calms things. I mean, anything on the ice, you can talk to him. I can learn a lot from him. He stands up for his teammates, he’s always doing the hard work. I really appreciate him here.â€
“First off, he’s just an incredible guy, and a really fun person to be around,†Canucks captain Quinn Hughes added. “We’re lucky to have him in this room. And a veteran guy, heâ€s just seen a lot. Obviously, when he’s healthy, that’s big for us on the penalty kill and, you know, the defence he brings. When he’s healthy, we’re a little different back there. But also in the room, he just brings a lot.â€
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The Canucks are Forbortâ€s fifth NHL team, and third in Canada after stints in Calgary and Winnipeg. He signed in Vancouver after three seasons with the Boston Bruins, but spent the first half of his 10-year, 550-game NHL career with the Los Angeles Kings, who drafted him 15th overall in 2010.
A stay-at-home defenceman, Forbort was never going to be a star. But heâ€s one of those capable and inclusive “glue guys†who help stabilize teams.
He hits and blocks shots, protects the front of his net, fights for teammates and can make an outlet pass. Forbort was also exceptionally good last season on a Vancouver penalty kill that led the league after his return from injury in December.
In Forbortâ€s 114 minutes of five-on-four penalty killing, the Canucks were outscored 5-3.
He averaged 17:06 of ice time in 54 games, contributed 11 points and finished with a 47-per-cent shot share.
“I mean, he went through a lot last year,†senior defenceman Tyler Myers said. “But that shows the type of guy he is, too, (because) you wouldn’t have known it seeing him every day in the room.
“Even this summer, the conversations that we had as a group, he had such a big presence. He’s got a really good handle on the room. That’s a big reason why he turned into a leader for us so quickly. And then you follow that up with the way he plays on the ice – classic example of a warrior.â€
On wanting to return to the Canucks despite last seasonâ€s ordeal, Forbort said: “It seemed like we kind of found something the second half of the year. Even though the games where we might not have been winning, it just kind of felt like we had everyone pulling in the right direction. You know, with the two goalies we have, the D-corps we have, we can beat anyone. And then the coaching staff here, theyâ€re awesome. City’s awesome, great place to live. That was all part of it.â€
Forbort said he has felt no effects from his post-season surgeries, which included reinforcing bones below his left eye with a metal plate.
“Wish they could have done both sides,†he joked.
“You know, people talk about the code or whatever,†he continued, referring to Treninâ€s low blow. “But it’s hard to go from fighting a guy and then to kind of turn that off in an instant. So stuff happens. It’s unfortunate what happened, but that’s what we signed up for sometimes. (Expletive) happens, but you just keep grinding.â€
After Tuesdayâ€s practice, coach Adam Foote on 18-year-old Cootes†hockey IQ: “He’ll let his brain, his body, defend, kind of like (Ryan) O’Reilly defended for a long time. People in Colorado were concerned about his feet. Well, he defended with his body, his brain, his positioning. And Cootes is pretty smart where he’s been defending as well (by) getting above pucks, getting above players.
“He earned it. I mean, we kept going, ‘We’ll see what tomorrow looks like.†And that’s just to answer a lot of your questions . . . moving forward. That’s how we’re going to keep going.â€
The Canucks recalled Victor Mancini, another of their top defence prospects, from the American Hockey League on Tuesday by placing Pierre-Olivier Joseph (groin) on injured reserve to start the season. Fourth-line centre Teddy Blueger missed his second straight practice after twisting his knee or ankle trying to block a shot in the Canucks†final pre-season game on Friday.
DeBrusk-Pettersson-Boeser
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Forbort-Pettersson (Junior)
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