Demko puked in his mask before leaving Canucks game early

For one night at least, everything that could go right, went right, for the Vancouver Canucks.

Well, except for one thing.

Midway through the third period, with the Canucks up 7-1 on the Edmonton Oilers on opening night at Rogers Arena, Thatcher Demko left the game.

It wasn’t clear what happened to those watching, but the Canucks’ star goalie headed to the dressing room and didn’t come back. Thankfully, it wasn’t an injury.

“He didn’t really want to come out, then when he puked in his mask I said you gotta come out,” Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet explained to reporters after the game.

Demko is one of many Canucks players that has had the flu recently.

“He started feeling dehydrated,” Tocchet added.

“It kind of went through our team. A couple guys were dehydrated. It kind of hit them. That’s why I’m proud of them. The guys sucked it up.”

Demko made 21 saves on 22 shots before exiting the game, making way for Casey DeSmith.

Connor McDavid must not have seen Demko throw up, because he actually seemed to take offence to DeSmith getting thrown into the game.

“A few decisions in the third period that I thought were interesting,” McDavid said, referring to how the Canucks conducted themselves with a big third-period lead. “Throwing the backup goalie with 10 minutes left, I have not seen that.”

"Overall, we checked well. We had a really good game plan and I thought the guys really stuck to our game plan."

🗣 Hear from Head Coach Rick Tocchet speak on what the team did well against Edmonton, Brock Boeser's night, update on Demko, and more.@theprovince | #Canucks pic.twitter.com/t5ECYIKois

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) October 12, 2023

While the Canucks enjoyed the win and were excited for Brock Boeser in particular, Tocchet and the players were careful not to celebrate too hard once they faced the media. They know the Oilers will be tough to beat in Saturday’s rematch in Edmonton.

“It’s one game. Obviously, everything went our way tonight and I’m proud of the guys. But this is a long haul,” said Tocchet. “We’ve got to keep our boots on the ground… We’re not ordering rings around here.”