Demko named first Canucks Vezina finalist since Luongo

Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko might be relegated to the press box right now with an injury, but he did get a bit of good news today.

On Monday morning, Demko was revealed as one of three finalists for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goalie, along with Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky and Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck.

The nomination is the first of Demko’s career, and he is just the third-ever goalie in Canucks history to be up for the award.

Long time coming for the Canucks

Roberto Luongo was the most recent Canuck to be nominated back in 2011 (and 2007), while Kirk McLean was nominated in 1989 and 1992. Neither goalie won, however, with Luongo losing out to Martin Brodeur and Tim Thomas, while McLean lost to Patrick Roy on both occasions.

In 51 games this season, Demko put up a record of 35-14-2, along with a 2.45 goals against average mark and a .918 save percentage.

A San Diego native who played his NCAA days at Boston College, Demko was selected 36th overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by Vancouver and has spent his entire pro career with the organization. He made his NHL debut in the 2017-18 season, before emerging as the No. 1 option for the first time in his career in 2021-22, when he suited up for 61 starts and 64 games in total.

After backstopping Vancouver to a Game 1 playoff victory over the Nashville Predators, news quickly came out that Demko was dealing with a major injury, which will sideline him for at least the opening round of the playoffs. Now up 3-1 over Nashville, Vancouver has used three different goaltenders to get the wins, with Casey DeSmith and Arturs Silovs winning Game 3 and 4, respectively.

The Demko-less Canucks have a chance to close out the series on home ice on Tuesday, with puck drop set for 7 pm PT at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena.

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