Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers is excited about the chance to focus on hockey and nothing else since it’s been a busy summer for his family and they’re lucky to be healthy and happy.
The hockey player, who owned a home on Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, saw the wildfires ravaging the region come dangerously close to his property last month. The fires have burned nearly 14,000 hectares in the Okanagan Valley and although the flames have moved away from West Kelowna, they remain out of control and are expected to continue their devastation. According to the Sportsnet network, 405 homes remained under evacuation orders as of Sunday.
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Myers, his wife Michela and their three young children had to leave their home in August to spend a week in Vancouver and then return home. The situation was anything but amusing.
“I’m on the east side, but the fire came very close to us. I didn’t know anything about it. It was Schenner [son ancien coéquipier et également résident du secteur Luke Schenn] who texted me and advised me to be careful as it could go over the lake. I asked him what he was talking about. Twenty minutes later it was actually on the other side of the lake,” the Heck explained to the same station on Tuesday.
“The house is in good condition. When we returned, there was all sorts of rubble and ashes lying around the city. It was scary, that’s for sure, he claimed. We had good visibility when the fire broke out. I had no idea how quickly it could spread. It was sad and continues. Many people are still affected. Firefighters and first responders are great; They do a lot of work.”
Tired of losing
At the rink, Myers wants the Canucks’ performances to bring comfort to burned-out fans. The club has missed the playoffs seven times in eight years and the impatience is palpable. The first few weeks of the regular schedule will be crucial, as another false start would put head coach Rick Tocchet’s team in a precarious position in the table and increase dissatisfaction.
“It’s about changing the way we start the season. As I said, it was difficult to catch up the rest of the year, he noted. This is essentially what hurt us. We had moments where we proved that we can be a very good team. We just have to find that consistency and know that start that allows us to be in the fight and not get out of the race.