Unheralded goalie Spencer Martin stole the show in his Canucks debut
No Thatcher Demko or Jaroslav Halak? No problem, according to Spencer Martin.Ā
Making his Vancouver Canucks debut, Martin stopped 33 of 34 shots in an eventual 2-1 shootout loss to the Florida Panthers last night.Ā
Martin, in his first NHL start in almost five years, was named the game’s first star.Ā
Standing O for Spencer Martin. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/JttKthQeaY
— Lachlan Irvine (@LachInTheCrease) January 22, 2022
“I wasn’t as amped up as I thought I’d be given how much it meant to me to get a game,” Martin, who has posted a 73-74-24 record with a 2.97 goals-against average and .903 save percentage in 180 games over parts of seven seasons in the American Hockey League, said after the performance.Ā
“I just felt incredibly blessed to know how hard it is to get to this level. It’s hard to put into one answer but it felt incredible to get an opportunity.”
"I felt incredibly blessed, just to know how hard it is to get to this level…it's hard to put into one answer for you but it felt incredible to get an opportunity."
š£ļø Spencer Martin on tonight's game against Florida#Canucks | @TheProvince pic.twitter.com/r9wk1KgEh0
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) January 22, 2022
Martin got the shoulder-tap for his first start since February 1, 2017, with the Colorado Avalanche because Demko and Halak are each in NHL COVID-19 protocol.
The shorthanded Canucks were also without Bo Horvat, J.T. Miller, and Conor Garland because of COVID protocols.Ā
The 26-year-old Martin, selected in the third round (No. 63) by the Avalanche in the 2013 NHL Draft, had just three NHL appearances to his credit prior to Friday night.Ā
“I love when American [Hockey] League players that have played there for a while get opportunities and show what they can do, because there’s a lot of times a lot of good players get overlooked because of their age or for whatever reason and they’re really good players,” Bruce Boudreau said postgame. “For Spencer to come in and play a game like that against, I think the highest-scoring team in the league, I thought it was really impressive.”
GOALIE CELLY !!! Spencer Martin you are a gem pic.twitter.com/bAwVoUKqnz
— jam (@gripitandrippit) January 22, 2022
Impressive indeed.Ā
One save away from pitching a perfect game against the league’s biggest offensive force.Ā
And one stop away from his first NHL win.Ā
Martin is 0-2-2 in his brief NHL career, with a 3.44 goals-against average and .882 save percentage. His effort against Florida will officially be logged as a 65-minute effort in which he registered a whopping .971 save percentage.
The effort has likely earned Martin another start.Ā He could be back between the pipes on Sunday when the Canucks host the St. Louis Blues.
Demko and Halak aren’t expected to be available.Ā
“You don’t take it for granted,” Martin said. “I got a chance when I was really young to play some games. To play today was really exciting. It was just balancing excitement and dealing with the business of playing well.”
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