I am toxic
. . . even in small doses
I don't particularly disagree with most of this, and as I said I've had issues with reponses in the past, and in a general sense yes this has needed to be improved in the past. But we honestly have no idea what the coaches are doing here so I don't feel like I can really comment as to whether there's a breakdown coming from that end.
This is not one of those times. There was just no way, ever, there was going to be a response to a slightly bad hit from a clean player (who, again, would have been having beers with these guys at Horvat's wedding and is probably considered a friend) when Boeser didn't even appear to be injured at the time. If this was a Borowiecki and Boeser was knocked out, I'd be on board with you. But that's not what happened and the play did not appear significant at the time.
And I highly doubt that he intended to throw that hit from behind. One of my pet peeves is when people act like all bad hits are maliciously intentional. When you're playing, these plays happen in an instant - you're skating hard, see a target present itself, and try to catch a piece of that target all in a half-second. Get your angles right and it's a great legal hit. Get your angles wrong or guess wrong on their movement, and you're catching a knee or getting behind a shoulder instead of in front or on the side. And you could see from Tierney's slumped shoulders immediately after the hit that this was not what he was intending.
Oh, I fully agree that Tierney immediately regretted what he did.
But Tierney did it because he had a "hit first/think second" mentality, which is no doubt common for players from teams facing the Canucks.
NHL players have absolutely amazing reflexes and situational awareness. A half second is an eternity for them. They are responsible for their stick. They are responsible for their hits. If they can't do that, they should be heavily suspended such that their mentality is always think first/hit second, or else they are gone.
I may try to get further clarification on what the coaches are doing. I already know much of what is being taught vis a vis puck protection, at least as of last spring. Not from Manny or Alex or Henrik, I don't ever talk Canucks stuff with them.