Lack makes a splash on 27th birthday
Vancouver Canucks backup Eddie Lack celebrated his 27th birthday Monday with a variation of last summer’s ice bucket challenge. Only Eddie didn’t know about it.
At the conclusion of Monday’s practice, the team posed for an apparent impromptu photo with Lack up front and in the middle. Then rookie Bo Horvat doused him. Splash! Happy birthday, big guy — you’ve just been pranked.
“That was good,” a smiling Lack said after he peeled off his water-soaked equipment.
What would be better, though, is another start for the Canucks’ No. 2 netminder. His last game was Dec. 17 against Dallas, a 2-0 loss. The natural spot to insert Lack would be Thursday against the Florida Panthers with old pal Roberto Luongo at the other end, assuming Luongo is good to go after his on-ice collision Sunday with Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin. (The Panthers did recall goalie Sam Brittain from ECHL Cincinnati on Monday, although that may be due to regular Panthers backup Al Montoya back home with his wife expecting.)
Lack was planning to meet Luongo following the Canucks’ Monday practice as the Panthers arrived in Vancouver on Sunday night.
“I know he’s having lunch with a couple of guys, but I still have family in town so I think I’m going to go over and give him a nice, big hug and say hi to him,” Lack said.
Asked if he would like to face Bobby Lou on Thursday, Lack replied: “God, leave me alone. I mean, I would like it. I would like to play (tonight) too. So we’ll see.”
It might be a better choice than facing the New York Islanders, who lit him up for six third-period goals in a 7-4 loss last season, a debacle in which the Canucks led 3-0 after 40 minutes.
“I knew that question was going to come, too,” Lack responded, chuckling. “Really, on my birthday. I mean, yeah, that was probably the worst game of my pro career, so it was something during the summer, when I was working out, it gave me more motivation and stuff like that. Obviously it’s something I want one more shot at. I was a pretty big contributor to that collapse, for sure.” JOHNNY BE GOOD:
Canucks head coach Willie Desjardins was an assistant under the late Pat Quinn when Canada captured the 2009 world juniors and John Tavares, the Islanders’ captain, was the tournament MVP. Desjardins was impressed with Tavares then and he’s more impressed with him now.
“He was pretty good (in ’09) but now he’s really, really good,” Desjardins said. “He’s just moved to another level. You always thought he’d be a good player, but maybe his skating wouldn’t be quite good enough.
“He worked at his game to get to this next level. He has always really been gifted, he wants to win and he always plays hard to win. So those are pretty good qualities.”
Tavares, 24, leads the Isles in goals (17) and points (36). He has scored seven times on the power play and averages 20:26 of ice time per outing. It is already his sixth year in the league.
QUOTABLE: “I’m totally happy with Linden Vey. I think he’s a way better player now than he was at the start of the year. He’s better defensively and he’s better offensively. He didn’t have a great game against L.A. and basically it was just a really bad time to have an average game because I was looking for a time to get Zack Kassian in the lineup.” — Desjardins on benching Vey for the Detroit game. Vey appears to be the odd man out again tonight, as he was skating as a defenceman in Monday’s line rushes.