VANCOUVER – At the end of their nightmare, the Vancouver Canucks had a California dream.

Jake DeBrusk guided in an overtime setup from Elias Pettersson as the Canucks beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 Tuesday to complete a four-night, three-game sweep of the National Hockey League’s California teams.

The Canucks long ago clinched last-place overall, and this has been one of the most bleak and disillusioning seasons in franchise history. But the shape of what comes next for the rebuilding team can be seen in the enthusiasm, emotion and intensity of its final week.

Like his players, coach Adam Foote displayed some emotion after the team collected just its ninth home win on Fan Appreciation Night at Rogers Arena. And that emotion was not anger or despair or even regret. Foote was proud.

“With the trade deadline (March 6) and the names flying around, we're going into rebuild, we're getting rid of some older players and some money,” Foote began. “And guys’ names are flying around. I mean, yeah, they're paid pros, and they're supposed to be able to handle it. But they're human as well, and this is a market we all know that’s tough. To see who’s here, and how these leaders now are forming the new culture, I mean, you see Teddy (Blueger) fighting, you see Fil (Hronek) fighting. 

“There’s been so much going on with our captain leaving, you know, the injuries. And it's not excuses, it's just fact. And they've been getting torn apart as a group for a very long time. And they decided, ‘Hey, this is our team.’”

Foote praised not only Blueger and Hronek, who........

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