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Canucks tough guy Curtis Douglas describes heartwarming feeling after first NHL goal

Rob Williams
Rob Williams
|
Apr 13 2026, 5:14 pm
Canucks tough guy Curtis Douglas describes heartwarming feeling after first NHL goal
@Canucks/X

There haven’t been many feel-good stories surrounding the Vancouver Canucks this season.

But Sunday night in Anaheim? Well, the vibes were off the charts.

Not only did the Canucks win, 4-3 in overtime, but they also stuck up for each other. They played hard.

And they got a goal from Curtis Douglas.

It was the first in the NHL for the 26-year-old rookie, who also had a fight in the game. Douglas banged home a rebound and was mobbed by his teammates.Ā The 6-foot-9 forward, who was sporting a mullet and moustache, is clearly a popular guy in the Canucks’ dressing room.

“Did I score? I kind of blacked out,” Douglas joked in an interview with Canucks reporter Olivia McDonald.

“It’s pretty cool having everyone so excited. I mean, it was almost like they scored,” Douglas said in a television interview with Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy after the game. “It’s just a testament to all the great guys we have here. I’m excited to go celebrate on the plane with them.”

Douglas played 29 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning and another 12 with the Canucks this season. He admitted post-game that going so long without a goal was starting to weigh on his mind.

“Goosebumps. I have chills just talking about it. I don’t want to get emotional, but it was really, really special. Just coming down the line and seeing all the smiles and people freaking out, because they’ve been there the whole time and cheering me on, and making sure I don’t get down that I haven’t scored yet. It’s been a lot of games, will it ever come? That kind of thing. Once you’ve went that many games and you haven’t scored, it gets into your head. Seeing them pulling for me, it was really special, I’ll never forget it.”

Douglas has bounced around since being drafted by the Dallas Stars in the fourth round of the 2018 draft, and appeared in 261 AHL games before getting his first shot in an NHL game.

The Oakville, Ont. native said his first phone call would be to his parents.

“Could have never done it without them. It’s been a long road. I didn’t take the easiest route to get here. They’ve been in my corner for every single second of it. I can’t thank them enough, and my friends and family back home.”

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