<p>It&#8217;s Roberto Luongo week here in Vancouver, and that clearly wasn&#8217;t lost on Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko, who debuted a new mask on Saturday night with a Luongo tribute painted on the side:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Demko&#39;s new mask with a Luongo tribute on the side. <a href="https://twitter.com/TheStanchion?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheStanchion</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/canucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#canucks</a> <a href="https://t.co/MRfN6mO9nJ">pic.twitter.com/MRfN6mO9nJ</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Dragon Was Slayed (@522IntoOvertime) <a href="https://twitter.com/522IntoOvertime/status/1733693970008691140?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>This isn&#8217;t the first time the Canucks&#8217; starting netminder has honoured past franchise greats with a tribute on his equipment. In the 2021-22 season &#8212; what&#8217;s hopefully the last season where the Canucks wear the black skate jerseys just once &#8212; Demko donned an entire replica setup on Kirk McLean&#8217;s iconic gear setup:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thatcher Demko is rocking a Kirk McLean-inspired set up tonight and it&#39;s incredible! 👏 <a href="https://twitter.com/Canucks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Canucks</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Canucks</a> <a href="https://t.co/gfrkX3aVMr">pic.twitter.com/gfrkX3aVMr</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1497067533605687326?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>&#8220;Yeah, there&#8217;s a lot that goes into it for me,&#8221; said Demko of his tribute to McLean. &#8220;I always try to be cognizant of who&#8217;s come before me and paved the way for guys like me coming into the organization. I saw we were only wearing the jerseys once this year so I knew it was a good opportunity to kind of go all out with it. I ended up calling Kirk and asking his permission, I didn&#8217;t want to rub him the wrong way or anything. He&#8217;s a good guy and gave me the green light &#8212; a lot of detail went into it, I was working pretty hard with my gear company CCM making sure every detail was on point and lot of back and forth. Top to bottom, it was pretty awesome.&#8221;</p>
<p>This season, the first full season since the passing of the great Gino Odjick, Demko had a tribute of the fan-favourite painted on the back of his mask that he wears anytime the Canucks wear the black skate jerseys this season.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thatcher Demko paying tribute to Gino Odjick on the back of his black skate mask. </p>
<p>Nice tribute from Demko by paying respect to a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Canucks</a> fan favourite. <a href="https://t.co/BX4QakRi8D">pic.twitter.com/BX4QakRi8D</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Grady Sas (@GradySas) <a href="https://twitter.com/GradySas/status/1719556472634479027?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>As such, it&#8217;s no surprise that Demko would be so on the ball with a Luongo tribute ready to go the week before the Canucks&#8217; franchise leader in most goaltending categories and first ballot Hall of Famer is inducted into the club&#8217;s Ring of Honour later this week when the Florida Panthers visit Rogers Arena on Thursday.</p>
<p>After seeing the Luongo tribute on Demko&#8217;s mask, former Canuck goaltender Eddie Lack needed to get in on the fun. With the now-retired NHL goaltender, who these days is an Arizona-based realtor, is offering a free home in the Grand Canyon State to the first Canucks goalie to have the infamous &#8220;pooping Heritage Classic&#8221; photo painted on their mask. Here&#8217;s the photo Lack is talking about, taken from the 2014 Heritage Classic at BC Place, where Lack was given the starter&#8217;s net over Luongo by then head coach John Tortorella:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">And this is why I don&#39;t wear cream colored pants&#8230;.. Wtf <a href="https://twitter.com/eddielack?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@eddielack</a> ????? <a href="http://t.co/AXfhCpwvZw">pic.twitter.com/AXfhCpwvZw</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Strombone (@strombone1) <a href="https://twitter.com/strombone1/status/440666142437163008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2014</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&#8220;First Canucks goalie to put pooping Heritage classic Eddie on his mask gets a free house from me in AZ,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/eddielack/status/1734363500972212663">Lack wrote in a tweet</a>.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">First Canucks goalie to put pooping Heritage classic Eddie on his mask gets a free house from me in AZ <a href="https://t.co/DEiE16yI7A">https://t.co/DEiE16yI7A</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Eddie Lack🇸🇪🇺🇸🇨🇦 (@eddielack) <a href="https://twitter.com/eddielack/status/1734363500972212663?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Your move, Casey DeSmith and Thatcher Demko.</p>
<p>As you can see in the tweet above (from Roberto Luongo&#8217;s Twitter account) both Lack and Luongo have joked about the bizarre ordeal and even more bizarre photo before. Luongo was traded on March 4th, 2014, just days after the Heritage Classic game that Lack got the start in.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/strombone1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@strombone1</a> that must&#39;ve been right after the introduced the starting lineup&#8230;<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wewantlu?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#wewantlu</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Eddie Lack🇸🇪🇺🇸🇨🇦 (@eddielack) <a href="https://twitter.com/eddielack/status/440666939740803072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2014</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>


It's Roberto Luongo week here in Vancouver, and that clearly wasn't lost on Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko, who debuted a new mask on Saturday night with a Luongo tribute painted on the side:

https://twitter.com/522IntoOvertime/status/1733693970008691140

This isn't the first time the Canucks' starting netminder has honoured past franchise greats with a tribute on his equipment. In the 2021-22 season -- what's hopefully the last season where the Canucks wear the black skate jerseys just once -- Demko donned an entire replica setup on Kirk McLean's iconic gear setup:

https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1497067533605687326

"Yeah, there's a lot that goes into it for me," said Demko of his tribute to McLean. "I always try to be cognizant of who's come before me and paved the way for guys like me coming into the organization. I saw we were only wearing the jerseys once this year so I knew it was a good opportunity to kind of go all out with it. I ended up calling Kirk and asking his permission, I didn't want to rub him the wrong way or anything. He's a good guy and gave me the green light -- a lot of detail went into it, I was working pretty hard with my gear company CCM making sure every detail was on point and lot of back and forth. Top to bottom, it was pretty awesome."

This season, the first full season since the passing of the great Gino Odjick, Demko had a tribute of the fan-favourite painted on the back of his mask that he wears anytime the Canucks wear the black skate jerseys this season.

https://twitter.com/GradySas/status/1719556472634479027

As such, it's no surprise that Demko would be so on the ball with a Luongo tribute ready to go the week before the Canucks' franchise leader in most goaltending categories and first ballot Hall of Famer is inducted into the club's Ring of Honour later this week when the Florida Panthers visit Rogers Arena on Thursday.

After seeing the Luongo tribute on Demko's mask, former Canuck goaltender Eddie Lack needed to get in on the fun. With the now-retired NHL goaltender, who these days is an Arizona-based realtor, is offering a free home in the Grand Canyon State to the first Canucks goalie to have the infamous "pooping Heritage Classic" photo painted on their mask. Here's the photo Lack is talking about, taken from the 2014 Heritage Classic at BC Place, where Lack was given the starter's net over Luongo by then head coach John Tortorella:

https://twitter.com/strombone1/status/440666142437163008

&nbsp;

"First Canucks goalie to put pooping Heritage classic Eddie on his mask gets a free house from me in AZ," <a href="https://twitter.com/eddielack/status/1734363500972212663">Lack wrote in a tweet</a>.

https://twitter.com/eddielack/status/1734363500972212663

Your move, Casey DeSmith and Thatcher Demko.

As you can see in the tweet above (from Roberto Luongo's Twitter account) both Lack and Luongo have joked about the bizarre ordeal and even more bizarre photo before. Luongo was traded on March 4th, 2014, just days after the Heritage Classic game that Lack got the start in.

https://twitter.com/eddielack/status/440666939740803072
<div>BRING ON THE TEAM SPIRIT! Unleash your inner MVP with the game-changing Varsity Collection from Nation Gear! Embrace the winning spirit by repping your fave team with pride! Shop the Varsity Collection and <a href="https://nationgear.ca/collections/varsity-collection">more at nationgear.ca.</a></div>
<div></div>
<div><a href="https://nationgear.ca/collections/varsity-collection"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-118826" src="https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/12/CA_articleInsert.png" alt="" width="728" height="404" /></a></div>
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Eddie Lack offers free home in Arizona to first Canucks goaltender to put “pooping Heritage classic Eddie on his mask”

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