A barometer measures atmospheric pressure and is used to forecast the weather.
If there’s a rapid drop in pressure, it usually signals a strong storm is brewing, while a slow and steady fall could indicate only a few days of unsettled conditions.
The Vancouver Canucks have an instrument to gauge pressure to win in a hockey-mad market, especially when the clouds roll in and a constant rain of ridicule suddenly envelopes the NHL club.
Veteran right-winger Conor Garland has weathered downpours because, in his fifth season here, he has applied the lessons learned when his game went awry, his playing future in Vancouver was in doubt and the team struggled to make the playoffs.
The diminutive dynamo often leads by example and lets his play do the talking. And if that doesn’t resonate in the room, well, there’s a problem. He not only adds a measure of calm to put everything in perspective, he was one of the last players off the practice ice Tuesday, long after his teammates left the arena.
That’s dedication. And so is passing on an early start to a long summer by helping the U.S. claim its first world title in 92 years in May.
Team U.S.A.’s Conor Garland raises the world title trophy on May 25. He had 10 points (5-5) in the tournament.
Garland, 29, knows a sputtering start by the Canucks and a 1-2-0 record could develop into an atmospheric river. Especially if the club can’t find cohesiveness and compete on a five-game road trip that opens Thursday in Dallas against a loaded Stars lineup.
On Monday, Garland had five shots and eight attempts in a disturbing 5-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues. He leads his club with nine shots, but just one assist isn’t going to cut it. At least he’s driving the play, unlike too many others in the top-six mix.
So, what does he make of the start?
“It’s just three games and I wouldn’t even call it a start,” Garland stressed to Postmedia News. “We can better assess after the road trip. I don’t need to speak up. It’s early. I’m playing fine but you’ve got to bury your chances. I’d love to let my play speak, but I missed four or five chances (Monday) to turn that game around.
“I always get chances, I don’t have many lulls throughout a season. I feel good and would love to just capitalize more, especially in big times of the game. That’s the stuff that irks you when you have a chance to make it a one-goal game or tie it.”
Garland’s game isn’t complicated. His motor runs hot, he engages on the forecheck, goes to the dirty areas and often cleans up garbage when loose pucks pop up into the crease area. However, his line with Filip Chytil and Evander Kane has to find more chemistry, but like he says, it’s early.
Garland has to temper expectations by ensuring he doesn’t stray from a team game. He’s also part of the penalty kill that has denied the opposition on nine attempts to start this season and is 11-for-12 in efficiency. Last season it ranked third overall at 82.6 per cent.
The Stars present the right kind of challenge to commence an arduous trip. They’re deep down the middle, had a trio of 30-goal scorers last season, an elite defence and superb goaltending. What better way to see how you measure up?
“A good test and we’d like to be a good road team like we were last year (21-14-6) and we just need to get into a routine,” added Garland. “A lot more young guys and a learning experience for them as much as they don’t realize it will be. You learn how to play and live on the road.”
Conor Garland, front centre, tries to skate with the puck past St. Louis Blues’ Logan Mailloux, left, Pavel Buchnevich, back centre, and Jake Neighbours, right, during the third period on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025.
Garland is in a good place because he learned to be driven and grateful at a young age. He didn’t make the bantam team at the famed Shattuck-Saint Mary’s hockey factory in Minnesota that produced NHL stars in Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews and Zach Parise.
Garland was deemed too small, and even as a young teenager, he realized carving out a career required considerable resolve. Fast-forward and it has brought him to a city he has come to love. He lives in different neighbourhoods each season to explore and develop connections.
Signing a six-year, US$36 million extension July 1 that kicks in next season was a reward to help carry the culture.
“I’m very blessed,” said Garland. “To play my favourite game is unbelievable and I want to be part of a club here that eventually wins a Stanley Cup.”
Garland appeared expendable in fall 2023. He changed agents and pondered whether a change of scenery would help him, and the salary cap-challenged Canucks. His cap hit of US$4.95 million for three more seasons was considerable for a third-line winger.
That’s when the competitive side of Garland took over. Despite a glut of wingers vying for roster spots, he played and seized every day. It wasn’t easy. He buckled down, and his 20-goal campaign helped drive the Canucks to a Pacific Division title and within a victory of the Western Conference final.