Culture.

Itsa国际传媒檚 a word that is used extensively in sports and in business.

There are different interpretations of it but when you ask Vancouver Canucks Head Coach Rick Tocchet to come up with a definition, the response is a quick one.

sa国际传媒淐ulture to me is doing the right things every day - earning every day. Wesa国际传媒檙e owed nothing and I feel the message that the players have bought into is that every day we have to earn our day. And thatsa国际传媒檚 how you build culture. There is no entitlement sa国际传媒� itsa国际传媒檚 about earning. I call it the two Esa国际传媒檚. Either yousa国际传媒檙e going to be a team thatsa国际传媒檚 entitled or team that earns it and I think wesa国际传媒檙e a team that wants to earn it every day,sa国际传媒� Tocchet explained after the game day skate prior to the contest against the St. Louis Blues at Rogers Arena on Friday night.

Building that culture is an ongoing process. Success, they say, is a journey and not a destination. Itsa国际传媒檚 about constantly trying to find ways to improve through the sa国际传媒榮taplessa国际传媒� that Tocchet mentions on a regular basis - staples such as discipline, a consistent work ethic, attention to detail and holding one another accountable.

The good news is that the organization is trending in the right direction when it comes to building that culture.

Tocchet and his staff are holding players accountable to a level that wasnsa国际传媒檛 seen with previous head coach Bruce Boudreau. As much as the players liked Boudreau, to a man they will agree that there is a different standard now.

sa国际传媒淔or sure, yeah,sa国际传媒� Brock Boeser replied when questioned about there being more accountability with Tocchet. sa国际传媒淚n general, hesa国际传媒檚 not afraid of calling someone out if theysa国际传媒檙e not doing their job. Thatsa国际传媒檚 one of the things he said from the start is that there is going to be more accountability around here and hesa国际传媒檚 been good with that.sa国际传媒�

Itsa国际传媒檚 something that Canucks captain Quinn Hughes has also noticed.

sa国际传媒淚 do (think theresa国际传媒檚 more). Hesa国际传媒檚 so smart that he sees things that maybe other coaches would let slide. Hesa国际传媒檚 really on the details. Hesa国际传媒檚 not crazy about it and yelling at guys every meeting but he wants to work with the players. He doesnsa国际传媒檛 want to embarrass anyone. He just wants to teach and help us get the best out of each individual,sa国际传媒� Hughes stated.

Tocchet, however, will take more of a direct approach if needed to make sure his message is getting across.

sa国际传媒淗esa国际传媒檚 not afraid to call someone out if theysa国际传媒檙e not doing their job. Thatsa国际传媒檚 one of the things that he said from the start - that theresa国际传媒檚 going to be more accountability around here. So hesa国际传媒檚 been good with that,sa国际传媒� said Boeser.

Better yet, Tocchet has communicated to his leadership group to hold the players accountable amongst themselves.

sa国际传媒淲hen Rick came in last year, we started talking about that. Guys have become better with each other when it comes to communicating and talking about that aspect. I think we kind of set the standard and we want to continue to build on that,sa国际传媒� noted Boeser.

For Tocchet, a positive sign in that regard was how the team responded to a lacklustre effort in a 2-0 loss in Philadelphia on their recent five-game road trip.

sa国际传媒淲e stated the fact. The leadership group knew where we were at and they chipped away at it and I thought we got better each game (afterwards). To me thatsa国际传媒檚 a positive sign - that theysa国际传媒檙e running the room and not the coaches. Obviously, we have to guide the team and do our thing but I really like it when theresa国际传媒檚 a little bit of a brush fire and the players can put it out. It doesnsa国际传媒檛 always have to be the coach. If you donsa国际传媒檛 put out those little fires, they become forest fires and I think our leadership group has done a nice job of getting to the problems before they get to me,sa国际传媒� said Tocchet

But building that culture doesnsa国际传媒檛 stop in Vancouver, itsa国际传媒檚 a focal point with the AHL farm team in Abbotsford and down the line according to Tocchet.

sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檒l actually take it a step further for you. I think thatsa国际传媒檚 important that you know what is a Vancouver Canuck? What are our values? How do we practice? How do we play? Whatsa国际传媒檚 important to us? I think thatsa国际传媒檚 really what it comes down to. Itsa国际传媒檚 the (Mike) Komisareks, the (Chris) Higginssa国际传媒� and the (Mikael) Samuelssons that are running our player development. Theysa国际传媒檙e preaching what wesa国际传媒檙e talking about. And then all of a sudden, itsa国际传媒檚 a conveyor belt. Now they go to Abbotsford where Jeremy Colliton, who is a great coach, takes it. So now they get to us. You donsa国际传媒檛 have a finished product, but at least you got some parts to work whereas sometimes you have an 18-year-old player that really hasnsa国际传媒檛 been taught and now you get him at 23 and you have to re-teach him things,sa国际传媒� explained Tocchet.

Tocchet and his staff have a lot of currency with the players for a couple of reasons.

Itsa国际传媒檚 easier to get players to buy in to your program when yousa国际传媒檙e winning sa国际传媒� which is what the Canucks are doing now sa国际传媒� because winning reinforces the process.

Then throw in the fact that Tocchet has three Stanley Cup rings to his credit and knows what it takes to win in the NHL, which is something that hasnsa国际传媒檛 gone unnoticed by his players.

sa国际传媒淗esa国际传媒檚 a guy thatsa国际传媒檚 been there and done it. He understands how the players might feel. Hesa国际传媒檚 done everything wesa国际传媒檙e trying to do. He loves the game and has a lot of passion for it and understands at a high level. He has a high compete level and just wants to win. Hesa国际传媒檚 going to give the players the best opportunity to perform at their best,sa国际传媒� said Hughes.

Despite the Canucks solid start to the season which saw the team improve to 5-2-0-0 after knocking off the Blues by a score of 5-0, life in the NHL is only going to get tougher according to Tocchet.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 great (the start). We all wanted it. I was just worried that guys would be too tight but I felt they were sticking with the process. The mental toughnesssa国际传媒�itsa国际传媒檚 going to get harder. If guys think itsa国际传媒檚 not going to get hard, well itsa国际传媒檚 going to get really hard. So we have to embrace that itsa国际传媒檚 going to get harder,sa国际传媒� said Tocchet.

The good sign for the hockey club is that it appears to be better-equipped to handle the grind of an 82-game NHL season given what theysa国际传媒檙e building in that dressing room.

Veteran B.C. sports personality Bob sa国际传媒渢he Mojsa国际传媒� Marjanovich writes twice weekly for Black Press Media.