Enough already.

That鈥檚 the first thought that came to my mind when I read the comments of Vancouver鈥檚 Elias Pettersson following a 2-1 loss to the Utah Hockey Club on Monday.

As per Sportsnet鈥檚 Iain MacIntyre, 鈥淲hen we asked Pettersson whether confidence is a factor when struggling to score, the alternate captain said: 鈥淚t's more annoying dealing with the media.鈥�

Simply put, I鈥檝e had it with Pettersson and his attitude towards the media. And, as a Canuck fan, you should feel the same way.

You鈥檙e a professional. Believe it or not, dealing with the media is part of your job. The media is your conduit to the fans. The same fans that pay a small fortune to bring their kids to watch you play or purchase your jersey for exorbitant sum.

First off, let me describe to you Pettersson鈥檚 鈥榞ruelling鈥� schedule when it comes to the media.

At every Canucks home game, a team media rep walks down the row in the press box late in the third period and takes post-game interview requests.
That usually winds up being three or four players who have played a significant role in the game.

A Canucks practice or game day skate at home? Same drill. 

The requested players names are written on a grease board at the front of the dressing room, and when the media arrives to a usually vacated room, the players are brought in from a restricted area to do their three-to-four-minute session. When done, they exit the same way they came.

These are the sessions that you will see on the Canucks website or other media platforms.

You don鈥檛 need to be a MENSA candidate to realize that Pettersson鈥檚 play hasn鈥檛 warranted too many requests this year.

Life on the road is even easier.

There was a time when The Vancouver Sun and The Province would send a beat writer to travel with the team. They would usually be accompanied by a columnist from one of the papers. Cutbacks have eliminated that practice and there are no members of the Vancouver media that cover every single game on the road.

Individuals such as MacIntyre and Thomas Drance of The Athletic cover some games but the media requirements for a Canuck player on the road are almost non-existent.

Yeah, I can understand how it can be so annoying.

I laugh when I think about the level of criticism that Pettersson has faced because of his poor play. Relatively speaking, the 26-year-old has had a free pass.

Since Jan. 1, Pettersson has played in 18 games and scored once while recording six assists. I wonder what it would be like listening to Neil MacRae鈥檚 noon sportscast on CKNW given that type of production and that type of attitude. MacRae never held back in his commentary and was absolutely ruthless at times. His editorials in which he would rip into 鈥楾he Sedin Sisters鈥� were legendary. I guarantee you MacRae would be skewering Pettersson on a daily basis.

I wonder what Tony Gallagher or Ed Willes of the Province would be writing about when it came to Pettersson? I鈥檓 pretty sure even the late Jason Botchford would be critical of what we are seeing.

The fact of the matter is that Petterson is the highest-paid Canuck and the fifth-highest paid player in the NHL. Unfortunately, you are going to take some heat when you鈥檙e producing like a third-line forward.

What makes matters worse is that Pettersson is a supposed team leader as his alternate captain status would attest to. Leaders are supposed lead. Leaders are supposed to be accountable. Leaders are supposed to hold others in their group accountable.

There was a time when players would actually remain in their dressing room stall and just do interviews on an informal basis. They would take the bouquets when they won and take the bricks when they lost. They were professionals who held themselves accountable for their performance and their team鈥檚 performance. They would face the media under the toughest of circumstances and try to explain to the fans 鈥� those fans that pay their salary 鈥� why they were not playing to the levels expected of them and the team.

I鈥檝e been walking into the Canucks dressing room since 1994. I鈥檝e witnessed what the previous leaders of the hockey club all did. Whether it was Trevor Linden, Markus Naslund or Daniel and Henrik Sedin, or even Bo Horvat, they accepted their role as a leader and dealt with the media in a professional and respectful manner.

Yes, it was tough answering questions some nights but the aforementioned players knew the responsibilities of being a leader and never shied away from that responsibility.

They made their teammates accountable as well.

I remember one time during Naslund鈥檚 tenure as captain when the Canucks got absolutely drilled at home by like five goals. Post-game, Naslund was the only player in the room answering questions. Midway through his session, he looked over towards Canucks PR man T.C. Carling and told him to get some more players to come out and face the media.

There would be no free passes that night as eventually four or five players came out to talk about the embarrassing loss.

We respected them because of it, and in turn, they respected us.

Now we have someone who finds dealing with the media on a semi-regular basis annoying? Someone who you can tell just despises media availability sessions despite being treated with respect at all times? Someone who was asked ONE question regarding his relationship with J.T. Miller and reacted like a 12-year-old who just had his PS5 taken away? A reaction, by the way, which I鈥檝e been told angered upper levels of Canucks management.

Give me a break.

What boggles me is that the ownership signed-off on a long-term contract extension for eight years despite some of the red flags that were present.

All of this leaves you wondering what鈥檚 next? The fans, the media and the pressure aren鈥檛 going anywhere. Dealing with all of that is part of being a professional and it鈥檚 part of playing in a Canadian market.

It鈥檚 something that Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said as much in an interview with MacIntyre that was published on New Year鈥檚 Eve.

鈥淚 believe in him. I believe that he's capable. (But) he needs to mature and understand that there are certain expectations and it does not get easier. And you need to face the music when things don't go well,鈥� said Allvin.

It鈥檚 time for Elias Pettersson to learn to accept that fact and deal with it accordingly.

Veteran B.C. sports personality Bob 鈥渢he Moj鈥� Marjanovich writes regularly for Black Press Media, brought to you by . For the very best car buying experience, be sure to