Canucks’ Demko impressing both on and off the ice: ‘He’s one of the leaders’

VANCOUVER – In explaining his decision to play Thatcher Demko for the 15^th time in 19 games, Vancouver Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said if he didn’t return his starting goalie to the net after missing one game, Demko would “choke him out.”

This was silly. The National Hockey League is organically moving away from fighting, coaches aren’t allowed to hit players anymore, and, like, have you seen Rick Tocchet? The dude could make John Wick run and hide.

Demko confirmed Thursday he would not, under any circumstances, want to engage Tocchet in mixed martial arts. But then, he doesn’t have to put a choke hold on his coach to play; Demko just has to play like he did when he shut out the Chicago Blackhawks 3-0 at Rogers Arena to end the Canucks’ four-game losing streak.

Demko simply has to play like he has over the five weeks since he returned from a serious groin tear.

Demko made 33 saves Thursday – even the difficult ones looked routine – for his first shutout since a 4-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Dec. 6, 2021, which was Bruce Boudreau’s first game behind the bench after replacing Travis Green. In January, Tocchet became the Canucks’ third head coach in 14 months.

“He just looked big in the net tonight,” Tocchet said. “It looked like nothing would get by him.

“I knew, obviously, he was a top goalie. But I didn’t know the work ethic he had. And leadership qualities; he’s one of the leaders.”

Like most NHL goalies, even the ones who don’t miss half the season with an injury, Demko wants to play every night. But Tocchet has said he won’t overplay his starter in the final days of the season and that backup Collin Delia will get extra work. The Canucks have just four games remaining.

“I would say that for me, like, I’m on board with whatever plan they have,” Demko said post-game. “I’m not a guy that’s going to get grouchy over any situation. I know that they have the best interest of all the guys in here, so at the end of the day, that’s what I’m going to trust.”

Does Tocchet, as intense as a coach as he was ferocious as a player, actually think Demko could choke him out?

“I’m almost 60,” Tocchet said. “He could probably take me now. But listen, he wants to play. Obviously I’m going to manage the minutes, but this was a good game for him to play. He played great.”

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SPEAKING OF COMBAT HOLDS. . .

Quinn Hughes, the Canucks’ highly-skilled Norris Trophy candidate, was assessed a double-minor for roughing with seven minutes remaining when he went after Blackhawk Andreas Athanasiou and took him down with a headlock. The players had traded whacks with their sticks before Hughes flew off the turnbuckle.

“Textbook,” teammate Kyle Burroughs observed of the headlock.

The nearest Hughes has come to a fight during four seasons in the NHL was a skirmish at practice with teammate Dakota Joshua in February, but the five-foot-10 defenceman was clearly upset with Athanasiou.

“You get matched up against certain guys, and I saw him two weeks ago (in Chicago),” Hughes said. “I’m not going to say anything bad about him, but I was frustrated for sure.”

Hughes was also trying not to smile when he was sitting in the penalty box and getting loudly cheered each time the in-house camera went to him after showing shots of Athanasiou getting booed.

“I was definitely trying not to smile,” he said. “But it sucked to put the team shorthanded there.”

The Blackhawk received only a single roughing minor, but Canuck penalty killers went three-for-three against Chicago’s power play.

“It was good to see,” Demko said. “I know the team likes seeing that from a guy like that, for sure.”

“Hughsie is a competitive guy,” Tocchet said, “so it doesn’t surprise me him going in there and doing that.”

NO TEAM USA

Demko said he has turned down an invitation from USA Hockey to represent his country at the world championships in May, explaining that his wife, Lexie, will be seven months pregnant with the couple’s first child.

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VITALI’S VITAL SIGNS

After being a healthy scratch the last three games while watching recent college grad Aidan McDonough take his place in the Vancouver lineup, winger Vitali Kravtsov looked motivated and engaged when he got the chance to play Thursday. The Russian registered five hits, won some puck battles and scored his first goal as a Canuck, 15 games after his deadline trade from the New York Rangers, when his power-play pass went into the Blackhawks’ net off defenceman Seth Jones in the first period.

Tocchet has challenged Kravtsov, telling reporters on Wednesday that the 23-year-old has to prove he wants to be an NHL player. 

“Well, it’s a step in the right direction,” Tocchet said Thursday. “It’s an inch going up, you know what I mean? (But) the next day, you’ve got to practise hard. It’s just not a one-and-done thing. You’ve got to do it consistently in this league. You’ve got to show it.”

Kravtsov said after the game that he wants to show it for the Canucks. He is a free agent this summer and could return to the Kontinental Hockey League.

“Hard to say right now, but I want to stay on this team in this league,” Kravtsov told Sportsnet. “After the season, I’m going to think about it, but the biggest thing right now is just stay here. I want to come back. I need to show I want this.

“I understand. . . I need to play better. Every time in small battles, I have to win this puck and show my effort. I have to play right (way) and don’t think, like, I’m going to cheat and try to score the goal. Play the right way and help the team to win.”

SWEET 16

Three days after leaving Ohio State University to sign with the Canucks, Cole McWard became the 16^th defenceman to play for the team this season when he logged 14:35 of ice time against the Blackhawks. The 21-year-old mishandled the puck a couple of times, but avoided big mistakes in his NHL debut and showed he can play a robust game.

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Defenceman No. 15, Minnesota State-Mankato grad Akito Hirose, picked up two assists during 20:30 of ice time. His excellent stick and clever decision-making continue to impress.

“There’s something there,” Tocchet said of McWard. “Like, he’s a big kid, and he’s going to even get thicker. Right-handed shot, he’s got some good skill, there’s something there. 

“Akito, I liked his game tonight, too. He’s a smart kid. I just think his hockey IQ. . . I’d rather sometimes have an average skill guy with high hockey IQ than the opposite. I’m being serious. I’m not saying he’s got average skill, he’s got good skill. I’m just saying he’s got a really good hockey IQ, so a smaller guy like that can survive.”

The Canucks play their final home game Saturday against the Calgary Flames before ending their season with a three-game trip next week to Los Angeles, Anaheim and Phoenix.

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