Photo by the incomparable Chuck Gormley

For those of you who need something optimistic to clutch onto after the first day of training camp, I have some news for you. Brooks Laich did not get injured within the first ten minutes of camp (unlike last year). So maybe this is the season he becomes healthy again. Fingers crossed.

On top of that, the good-groin’d Laich is returning to his role as a quote machine, which was sorely missed. On Thursday, he spoke to Mike Vogel and answered a question many of us have been wondering.

What is Barry Trotz’s system going to be laich (get it)?

To be honest Vogs, we haven’t really gotten into a lot of that yet. You’re not permitted to because of the CBA. I mean we haven’t hit the ice with him yet. What I do know from speaking with him is there’s going to be an effort demanded on both sides of the puck. And that’s non-negotiable all over the ice. If we have the puck, try to score. If we don’t, work your tail off to check and get the puck back to go score. There’s going to be an emphasis on playing in all three zones. It doesn’t matter what your last name is. There’s going to be accountability. And we’re going to work.

I think the tone is set in the gym already. It’s going to be set in practice. We are aware of this, he made us aware of this. And it should funnel right into the game being a very strong team.

So to me that sounds like Trotz will be a lot like Dale Hunter in a sense where no player will be given preferential treatment and every player will be depended upon to play well in each zone.

Laich went on to talk about the coaching changes and then started spouting good quotes like mad.

We had a call at the end of July and we were already given dates on this is the date this is going to happen, this is the date this is going to happen in camp, and in the regular season we’re going to do this on this date. It’s very organized. In my tenure in Washington, this is the first guy that’s been a veteran NHL coach and you can really see it. You can see how he handles people. You can see how he’s prepared. The organization that we’ve seen already – though camp hasn’t started – the organization prior to camp. I can’t wait to play for Coach Trotz and now we have Lane Lambert in, Todd Rierden, and obviously Blaine Forsythe is back with us.

I think we have a great group of coaches and as players it’s time now. It’s time. This isn’t a season to wait and adjust to the new coaches. It’s time to win and win right now.

And with that, let me conclude this article with a GIF of Brooks Laich flexing.