‘I let the market down’: Desjardins reflects on time as Canucks head coach
VANCOUVER — With the logo of the team that fired him just 72 hours earlier covered by a black curtain on the wall to his right, Willie Desjardins started to go through a list of people he wanted to thank.
The former head coach of the Vancouver Canucks began Thursday’s press conference with glowing words about his family, the club and its fans. Desjardins even gave kudos to the media, but his voice started to crack when he returned to a conversation he had with Alexandre Burrows after the veteran forward was traded at the end of February.
“When he was going to leave, he goes: ‘I was just really disappointed that I couldn’t win a Cup in this market. I felt I let the market down,’” said Desjardins, his eyes starting to water. “And that’s what I think. It’s the same thing.
“(Burrows) gave everything he had … I did the same.”