Vancouver Canucks fans chanted Demko's name and this is what he said about it
It was only a matter of time before Thatcher Demko delivered an All-Star performance for the Vancouver Canucks.
The 29-year-old recorded his first shutout of the season, against the Colorado Avalanche of all teams, at Rogers Arena on Tuesday night. Demko made 25 saves and was named first star for his outstanding effort.
His night was not filled with just routine saves. Demko made several acrobatic stops that will surely make his highlight reel. After one impressive run of saves in the second period, Canucks fans at Rogers Arena got loud, stood on their feet, and chanted his name.
“That-cher Dem-ko,” cheers rained down from the stands.
THATCHER DEMKO TAKE A BOW pic.twitter.com/BUYHJeDptp
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 5, 2025
“I was just trying to get a piece of something,” explained Demko. “It was a big sequence there, lots of bodies flying around, a couple scoring chances, but I thought the guys collapsed really well and managed the guts of the ice.”
The fans loved Demko’s incredible play, and he showed them just as much love right back when speaking to the media postgame.
“It’s great to hear,” he said about the chants. “We’re trying to establish that home ice, and we take a lot of pride in playing here.”
“We’ve struggled at times this year stringing games together but I don’t want them to feel, for a single second, that we don’t take pride or we’re not aware of the impact that they have on the game.”
The Canucks have just a 10-10-7 record at home this season. They’ve struggled at Rogers Arena, and that’s part of the reason why they’re sitting just outside a playoff spot, tied with the Calgary Flames in points but losing the tiebreaker for the second Wild Card spot.
However, things are looking up. Since the roster underwent a massive overhaul, the team’s performance over the past few games has been very encouraging. Demko’s recent individual efforts have also been positive, as he’s put up two of his best starts this season in the past three games.
“I know where my game’s at right now. There’s been some games that probably didn’t reflect that. Sometimes that’s the challenging part as a player, being able to have confidence and trust in yourself internally when externally it might not look that way.”
“I know what direction I’m heading, and certainly tonight was a good game.”
The Canucks have two more games before the 4 Nations Face-Off break, the first against the San Jose Sharks before facing off against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Stringing together a few victories would go a long way for a team looking to build their confidence.