Casey DeSmith is feeling right at home with the Canucks.
With what he feels is an incredibly talented Vancouver team at every position, he’s carved out his own special role over the last two months.
“I’m trusting my game, trusting the process,” DeSmith said. “Thankfully I’ve gotten a lot of games early in the season here, which has been really helpful. In the past, sometimes I didn’t play my first game for a week and a half, two weeks into the season. Having Training Camp then you don’t play for two weeks, that’s a little bit tougher, but I’ve played every week here which is really helpful for any goalie, but especially me.”
He relieved Thatcher Demko in the third period of the first game of the season, when Demko was under the weather, but got his first win the game after to kick off the team’s 14-day road trip. He made 37 saves against the Oilers, 14 of them in the third period to seal the win. DeSmith took home a win against the Panthers on that same road trip posting a .944 save percentage for the game.
The 32-year-old netminder has had early success and is happy to help the team, but he’s not satisfied, and continues to work to get better each outing.
“There’s always things I want to clean up, some goals I want to have back, and some plays I want to have back, but that’s just hockey. Clarky always tells me it’s an imperfect game, it’s never perfect, but as a whole I’m pretty happy with my body of work so far,” he said.
As a backup, he attacks practice exactly the same way he’d approach a game.
“I think practice is the most important thing for somebody like me because if you practice how you play then you play like you always do. If you have to change something, then that’s when you get in trouble,” he said.
Head coach Rick Tocchet has had some big praise for DeSmith that extends beyond the ice.
DeSmith is well-liked by his teammates and the coaching staff and although it’s only his first season with the team, he’s brought good vibes and makes other players feel comfortable.
“To me, it’s the dressing room stuff, his integration with Demmer and the players. He knows he’s our backup, but he’s got a smile on his face and he’s on the ice taking shots. As much as he’s a really good goaltender, his presence in the room, what he’s done since he’s been here, has been huge for our dressing room. I don’t think people realize how great a guy or teammate he is. He’s a great teammate,” Tocchet said.
Being kind to the people around him is important to DeSmith. He says he’s had countless people along his hockey journey take him under their wings and recalled his first goalie coach, Bill Brennan, as an influential person where he learned the value of showing up for others. Brennan would come over to his house and help him with his craft in his parent’s garage in New Hampshire.
“I’d be in full gear on the plastic ice, and he would be out there with me, 95-degree heat, shooting on me, throwing tennis balls, teaching me everything he knew about being a goalie and he did it just out of the goodness of his heart. I consider him one of the biggest impacts as far as coaches throughout my life and my career. Just the impact somebody like that has on a kid like me, little things go a long way,” he said.
The Canucks’ dynamic duo between the pipes is building its relationship every practice and game.
DeSmith and Demko are bonded by the goalie union, but DeSmith says they are similar at their core because they both take their performance seriously and play to the best of their ability.
“We’ve had a great relationship so far. Hopefully we can continue to push each other over the course of the season and more importantly support each other. It’s just really nice to see his smile at the end of a win after the game and he gives me a big hug. That’s just the start of a great goalie relationship and I think it’s just going to keep getting better,” DeSmith shared.
On the ice, DeSmith is 4-0-1 and has provided backup for Demko that’s reliable; he’s posted a .922 save percentage and 2.67 goals against average.
