Kiefer Sherwood scored his first career hat trick. Fans threw their hats onto the ice and a roaring “Kiefer Sherwood” chant rang through Rogers Arena. Sherwood said he hasn’t scored a hat trick since his AHL days, and getting his first in the NHL was different.
"That's a pretty special honour, I was trying to take it in. I really appreciate the fan support. Their passion is something that Vancouver is known for, and it was pretty cool, I'll definitely remember it,” Sherwood said.
Sherwood has 11 goals on the season, which is a career-high for him – his previous career high was 10 goals with the Nashville Predators last season.
“I’m just thankful for all the opportunities. Everyone's journey is a little different. So for me, I'm just thankful for each and every day, and I’m just trying to earn the next one and just play the game the right way. I feel like when you do that, good things take care of itself,” Sherwood said.
Head Coach Rick Tocchet recounted a chat with Sherwood last summer while Sherwood was on his way to shooting practice and told the Canucks’ bench boss he has offence in his game.
“He does,” Tocchet said. “He's obviously an aggressive guy, and a guy that you need on the ice who gives us juice.”
Tocchet praised all four of his lines and said the defence was solid against a strong Colorado team.
“These guys are a resilient group, we've very rarely put a bunch of stinkers together, so I give them a lot of credit. So, all kudos to the players tonight,” Tocchet said.
Thatcher Demko had multiple sequences where he stopped multiple shots and sticks swatting at him, turning aside 30 of 31 shots he faced.
“It was big one for me,” Demko said. “Certainly, wouldn't like going 0-3 my first three back. So, it was a good game.”
