From hitting a revenge Griddy against the Red Wings to protecting his teammates, Nikita Zadorov’s personality on and off the ice has endeared the Canucks, and their fans, to him. “Exactly what the doctor ordered,” said Rick Tocchet.

VANCOUVER – Returning from suspension against the Detroit Red Wings, the team whose excellent young player he clobbered three games earlier, Vancouver Canucks defenceman Nikita Zadorov was ready for anything on Thursday night. Except the Griddy.

Zadorov said his sly shimmy after a post-whistle skirmish late in Vancouver’s 4-1 win was unplanned. So it was more like a moment of creative, comical, improvisational genius as the Russian defenceman mocked Jake Walman, the Red Wing who celebrated his overtime game-winner Saturday against the Canucks by dancing the Griddy at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

Zadorov had been ejected with a match penalty in the second period of that 4-3 loss after mistiming an open-ice hit on Lucas Raymond and contacting the 21-year-old in the head. Luckily for both parties, Raymond was uninjured. The National Hockey League suspended Zadorov for two games.

The convenient duration of the suspension meant all the central figures were back on the same sheet of ice Thursday night.

“First of all, I was shocked nobody challenged me,” Zadorov told Sportsnet after Friday’s practice. “And I kind of feel sad because the league’s changed. I mean, I feel like if a young guy in my team would get a hit in the head and an opponent’s guy would get suspended or whatever, you still have to send a message. So I was, like, shocked nobody actually challenged me or anything. I was ready. 

“I was ready to answer the bell because it was a dirty hit. Unfortunate hit — I didn’t do it on purpose — but it was dirty on one of their top young (players). So that kind of shocked me, first of all. Second of all. . . there’s still a little disrespect when somebody is dancing on you in overtime. I mean, people are different. I’m a little bit more old s