Willie Desjardins has had the benefit of spending a lot of time in two towns with a lot of great food: Austin, Tex., where the AHL Texas Stars called home, and now Vancouver, B.C., as the first-year coach of the Canucks.

What’s the best thing he’s eaten in his new home?

“Probably pasta. With chicken.”

Seriously?

“No, wait,” said the 57-year-old coach. “Sushi.”

Desjardins coached the Seibu Bears in Japan some years ago, and admitted that he missed the sushi boat while living there; which is weird, considering it was about as plentiful as oxygen. He didn’t really find a love of sushi until moving to Vancouver, where the team chef would prepare it for the coaches after games. Nothing too crazy – salmon, mostly – but Desjardins has learned to like the raw stuff.

He had better, considering how rough and raw and painful the NHL coaching grind can be for a newbie. Despite eight years with Medicine Hat, two years as an associated coach with the Dallas Stars and two as head coach with the AHL Stars, this is Desjardins’ first crack at being an NHL head coach.

We spoke with him this week about that transition; about joining a team with a fresh set of managers; about coaching the Sedins, Ryan Miller and Zack Kassian; and about how a toxic situation last season under John Tortorella has become happy sunshine under Desjardins.

(If we have but one regret, it’s not asking him about being from Climax, Saskatchewan. Oh well, next time.)

But first, we had to ask why he’s ruining our fun.

Q. On Thursday night, Roberto Luongo returns to Vancouver to face the Canucks for the first time. Why are you such a killjoy by not starting Eddie Lack?

DESJARDINS: [Laughs] “I thought about it. It was Eddie’s birthday the other day. I wanted to give him a present and give him a start that night.” [Ed Note: He beat the Islanders on Tuesday.]

What’s different between coaching in the AHL and the NHL?

“I don’t think there’s a big difference between the NHL and the American League. Maybe speed. And maybe the NHL players … I don’t want to say they’re not as quick to buy in, but they’ll study it a little longer before they buy in. They’re just really smart guys. They think the game so well. They go to this level based on how smart they are.

"It’s natural. They’ve heard a lot of things before. So when something new comes along they just wait a little longer before they jump in. It’s not that they’re disrespectful, because they’re respectful. It’s not that they don’t give it everything they have, because they do. They just evaluate it a little bit more.”

So does it then become an issue of “proof of concept?” Do you need W’s in order for them to buy-in?

“It helps, but not necessarily. They’re smart enough to know if something’s working even if their not winning right now, but if they do it over a period of time it will work. They understand that. But in the end, you’re going to have to win, or there’s going to be … some evaluation on it.

How much easier was the transition for you in Vancouver when both general manager Jim Benning and president Trevor Linden are new, too?

“I think it was because everybody was really excited about coming in and working together because it was our first chance at it. Your first time, you’re not as cynical. There was a lot of positive energy to feed off of everybody. That’s just great, to come into that environment.

“A lot of this is Trevor Linden, and his approach to the game. To me, when I come in here, it feels like we’re all working together. We all have different roles, but we’re working together. And he’s a real reason for that.

No one’s been there for years, trying to keep his job. If this was a Monopoly game, you’re all in “START.” No one has a hotel yet, no one’s got a house yet.

“I think Trevor has a few more houses than I have, to tell you the truth.” [Laughs]

Currently, you have the team slightly better than where they were last season. What’s going to prevent another second-half struggle for the Canucks?

“It’s about how you’re trending. We’ve hit a plateau here lately: Trending really good early, and flattening off a little bit. And the second time to trend up is going to be tougher than the first. It’s a lot of hard work, and we have a lot of really good teams to play.

“It’s a challenge, for sure, because I’m focusing on all the teams around us. But if I focus on us, then our goaltending’s been good. We’ve had good performances on the back end. Our forward lines are chipping in on different nights. And we’ve had some good games against top teams. So that helps you. If you don’t play well against them, then you start wondering if you ever can.”

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