McLean can feel Demko's playoff pain, having taken injuries himself
With aching knees, former NHL goalie understands challenges of modern game
It's cold and raining and Kirk McLean's knees are aching.
“They kind of keep me up, but I deal with them day-to-day. I get through whatever kind of exercises I need to keep in shape and for lifestyle,” the former standout Vancouver Canucks goaltender said Thursday.
“There was no doubt about it. They took a beating. Four operations later, I pay for it a little bit now. The first one in the AHL (1987) was an absolute collision, big pileup in front of the net. I could really feel it.
“All were contact-driven and had nothing to do with movement.”
McLean had cartilage procedures on both knees during his well-travelled, 873-game career with five NHL teams — and came within one victory of backstopping the Canucks to a 1994 Stanley Cup championship.
Forget his place in the Ring of Honour. If “Captain Kirk” had won that Game 7 at Madison Square Garden, they might have erected a statue of him outside Rogers Arena.
It's why McLean feels for current starter Thatcher Demko, who is sidelined week-to-week with a suspected knee injury suffered during the late stages of a 4-2 series-opening win over the Nashville Predators on Sunday. It has not only thrust backup Casey DeSmith into the spotlight, McLean sees a lot of similarities with that 1994 team, especially in Demko, who got them to this post-season place.
“Totally,” said McLean, 57, who now functions as a team ambassador. “It's the injuries he battled the last few years with the groin and now the knee. He's antsy. He's a competitor and massive part of the team.
“Your knees in rehab always feel better than they probably are. And when you start skating on your own and moving around, it can feel pretty good. Even when you take practice shots, everything seems fine.
“But game situations are completely different. Things happen quickly and you're moving a lot quicker. And the physical play when you get bumped is the real test.”
There is Game 1 video evidence of Jeremy Lauzon being checked from behind by Phil Di Giuseppe and launching himself into Demko — driving the stopper into the back of the net. However, it was more likely a jam on the post that did the damage.
Regardless, it was deflating. Demko had reached out to McLean when he wanted to pay homage to the legendary goalie by donning his famous mask, pads and glove during Retro Night in February of 2022.
“That's old-school respect right there,” recalled McLean. “I said, absolutely. I was very humbled that he would do that. If he reaches out in how to deal with this (injury), of course I would talk to him.”
The speed of today's game and physical demands on goalies to be fit and agile — especially towering stoppers like Demko — is putting a strain on staying healthy.
Post-to-post movements need to be lightning fast, puck tracking in front and behind the net needs to be at an optimum level, and controlling rebounds through moshpit, crease-crashes isn't easy.
“With the height that goalies are now, they're like basketball players, and they're not meant to be doing what they're doing,” said McLean. “A 6-foot-7 or 6-foot-8 goalie in the butterfly moving laterally, back and forth and in and out, and pushing off with the hips, it's pretty tough.
“And they're doing this at young ages. I don't know if they're allowing their muscles to develop. I hear stories of 16-year-olds that are getting hip operations, whether they've been injured or preventive.
“They're going in early and doing stuff to get to junior or college, or whatever their goals are. And it kind of scares me. It is affecting the goaltenders with the speed of play and they have to make these lunging movements.”
And because the game is quicker, equipment is more tailored to the manner in which goalies play today.
“They're pretty well protected, but it's only natural that when you shift, something is going to open up,” said McLean. “If you get caught there with a shot, it's going to hurt. I used to cut the padding out of my equipment because I just wanted to feel the puck and where the rebounds went. I see a lot of late reactions now to rebounds because of the padding they have.
“The way the pads are built now, they are no channels in the legs because pads are built to be completely flat on the ice.”
As for DeSmith, he can take something from coming out of the Pittsburgh bullpen last season and apply as “the guy” now.
He was often summoned to supplant often-injured Surrey native Tristan Jarry. The Penguins starter battled several injuries, was twice placed on injured reserve, and limited to just 46 games.
That gave DeSmith the net for a pair of three-game stretches in January and March and eight-consecutive starts from Jan. 24 to Feb. 17 in which he went 4-3-1. Sure, it was the regular season, but it counts for something.
And so does working with Canucks goaltending coach Ian Clark. He's known as `The Goalie Whisperer' for providing the foundation for his goalies to build their games.
DeSmith is the willing student cramming for another big exam Friday.
“There's no doubt he (Clark) is one of the best minds out there,” DeSmith told Postmedia. “He works hard for us and expects us to work hard. His general intensity is really good. But it's not so tense where he sucks the fun out of being a goalie.
“He keeps it light most of the time, but he expects hard work and results. Definitively, high expectations, but I love his general approach.”