from Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Province,

What a way to treat a human being.

Asked Friday morning about how much he values being a head coach in the National Hockey League, Vancouver Canucks bench boss Bruce Boudreau got so emotional he couldn’t answer.

“I’ll talk later,” was all he could manage in response to the final question of his pre-game media scrum, tears welling in his eyes and a lump clearly in his throat.

Everyone knew what it’s about: his days behind the Canucks’ bench are numbered.

He’s expected to be replaced within days, most likely by Rick Tocchet, the ex-NHLer who has been working for TNT’s NHL telecasts and who has served as head coach of the Arizona Coyotes and Tampa Bay Lightning.

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