DiPietro aims to be ready when called on
Canucks goalie has been working out
Mike DiPietro isn’t wired to be a bubble boy.
The Vancouver Canucks’ goaltending prospect is instinctively gregarious, but his energetic, engaging and self-deprecating deportment is being tested amid the constraints of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
As the Canucks prepare to open training camp on Monday at Rogers Arena, DiPietro knows the crease pecking order is commanded by Jacob Markstrom and Thatcher Demko. And even though the real work starts at camp with goalie coach Ian Clark, any ice is good ice.
Off the ice, he has been adjusting to the new reality of training in a COVID-19 world, especially in hard-hit southern Ontario. DiPietro’s off-season home is the tiny town of Amherstburg, a 35-minute drive from Windsor.
“Everything was locked down tight in my area because we have a lot of migrants working in the greenhouses of Leamington (Ont.), DiPietro said Thursday. “Our arenas weren’t open, so one of my goalie coaches from back home had access to a puck-shooting machine. I found some synthetic ice and I would go out in my gear in my driveway and he took shots at me in March and April. It helped me see pucks better.”
DiPietro has appeared in two NHL games. This season, there was a third-period relief appearance in a 6-3 loss at Las Vegas on Dec. 15.
And there was the mind-numbing, confidence-zapping, circus-like 7-2 drubbing by the San Jose Sharks on Feb. 11, 2019 because Markstrom and Demko were injured — although Markstrom did act as the backup.
DiPietro took ownership and chalked up his first full outing to inexperience.
“And I never focus on stats. The only ones I care about are wins and losses and are we in a playoff spot and how can I help my team get there? There are so many stats and analytics that people harp on that sometimes it takes away from what hockey is — it’s a team game.”