Demko can break Dan Cloutier's 20-year-old Canucks record next game
Thatcher Demko has the chance to break a Vancouver Canucks franchise record that’s been held by Dan Cloutier for more than 20 years.
After last night’s victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, Demko has won nine consecutive starts. That ties the team record set by Cloutier during the 2002-03 season.
A win for the record books.
With his 9th straight win last night, Thatcher Demko ties Dan Cloutier for the longest win streak in franchise history! pic.twitter.com/hXreUZmD26
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) February 7, 2024
The American-born goalie will likely get a chance to break the record tomorrow night when the Canucks take on the Boston Bruins.
If he triumphs in his next start, not only will Demko break Cloutier’s team record for consecutive wins, he’ll also be tied with the now-retired goalie for fourth-place among all goalies in career Canucks wins.
Demko is tied for the most victories among all NHL goalies with Alexandar Georgiev this season at 27, although the Canucks netminder has appeared in six fewer games.
The 28-year-old’s strong play has him in contention for the Vezina Trophy, an award he has received votes for just once in the past.
Cloutier was never a serious Vezina Trophy candidate but backstopped some very strong Canucks teams during the West Coast Express era.
The Quebec-born goalie played five seasons in Vancouver, finishing with a 109-68-24 record. Unfortunately, those teams struggled to translate their regular season success to the postseason.
Even with the franchise-record winning streak, the 2002-03 Canucks finished second place in the Northwest Division and fourth in the conference. They managed to come back from a 3-1 deficit against the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the playoffs before taking on the Minnesota Wild in the second round.
That playoff series will forever be marked by Todd Bertuzzi’s early celebration. With the Canucks winning the series 3-1 and needing one more victory to advance to the conference finals, the bruising winger told Wild fans not to worry about tickets as the series would not be returning to Minnesota.
The Canucks would lose the next three games by a combined score of 16-5. This year’s team hopes to avoid that same type of tragic playoff heartbreak.
The puck drops at 4 pm PT tomorrow for Demko’s likely chance at history. It’ll be a tough test as the Bruins are in second place, just two points back of the Canucks. While he has not been confirmed as the starter, it seems probable that Demko will start against such a tough opponent.
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