Who was that masked man? Or, in this case, the unmasked man?
The Thatcher Demko that met the media on Thursday morning on the opening day of Vancouver Canucks training camp in Penticton was virtually unrecognizable – and it had nothing to do with his appearance. No, on that front, he looks like we all remember and the same as he did when he was last seen pushing hard to overcome a knee ailment in an effort to return to the Canucks line-up late in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
This was all about the demeanour of the Canucks number one netminder and the way he carried himself as he stood in and answered difficult questions about a trying injury that has plagued him for months and continues to keep him from being a full participant as the new hockey season begins.
For the past couple of seasons, Demko hasn’t always been the most enthusiastic about handling the media duties that come with the territory of being a starting goalie in a Canadian market.
On Thursday, however, the San Diego native was a changed man and produced a masterclass in humility and honesty, as he stood in front of the assembled cameras and microphones for more than 12 minutes, detailing the nature of a clearly frustrating injury that has lingered for months now.
Surely the ordeal has taken a toll mentally, but to watch Demko on Thursday, you certainly couldn’t tell he had been through the wringer.
An hour after a 45 minute on-ice session with Canucks new goalie coach Marko Torenius to start the day at the South Okanagan Events Centre, a relaxed Demko emerged from behind a curtain outside the Canucks locker room area and dove into great detail about all that has gone on since he last suited up for game action. And, as he explained, there have been more twists and turns than he could have ever imagined.
Demko confirmed that he had undergone a surgical procedure in the offseason. He said he felt better, but didn’t have a clear timeline for his return to action. He pledged that he was confident that he would make a full recovery and be the elite puck stopper that he had proven to be before. And he admitted that he wanted to be the one to deliver the messaging about his injury situation rather than have someone in the organization speak on his behalf. Club policy is that injured players are not available to the media, but Demko elected to step up and did his best to clear up the uncertainty that has clouded the issue for months now.
“I’m a grown man and I feel like you guys have been kept in the dark all summer,” Demko explained. “Obviously, I’m not at training camp, and you guys probably see that as a big deal, and it is a big deal; I’d love to be out there. I just felt that to respect you guys, I’d like to address you directly. I don’t want there to be any mixed messaging or Tocc is telling you one thing and Patrik is telling you another. We’re all on the same page. Everyone is up to date. I talk with them frequently, giving them updates, and they talk to the medical staff every day. I just felt it was important to address you guys directly.”
Demko went so far as to spend part of his time with the media talking about the impact the injury has had on his wife and his ability to play on the floor with their one-year-old son. He displayed a humanity that we just haven’t seen from him for far too long now. He’s a bright, thoughtful and articulate guy – when he wants to be. And for whatever reasons, he’s chosen the path he’s taken for these past few years.
Thursday was wildly refreshing and hopefully signals a change moving forward.
Demko plays the most important position in the game and, as such, has an opportunity to share insights that few others have. He’s also established himself as a leader on the Canucks, and his voice carries significant weight.
The old act, quite frankly, had reached its best before date and needed to be disposed of. It just felt like misguided energy that could be better spent in so many ways.
Perhaps his time away from hockey these past few months has given him pause to reconsider his approach to the game – on and off the ice.
Whatever the case, with his honesty and the way he expertly dealt with a sensitive subject matter on Thursday, Thatcher Demko was very clearly the first star on the opening day of Canucks training camp.
