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Former Vancouver Canucks goalie Eddie Lack takes coaching job

By David Quadrelli

VANCOUVER, BC - APRIL 15: Eddie Lack #31 of the Vancouver Canucks looks on from his crease during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Calgary Flames at Rogers Arena on April 15, 2015 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Calgary won 2-1. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC - APRIL 15: Eddie Lack #31 of the Vancouver Canucks looks on from his crease during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Calgary Flames at Rogers Arena on April 15, 2015 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Calgary won 2-1. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Former Vancouver Canucks goaltender and fan favourite Eddie Lack has announced he will be taking on a role as the goaltending coach at Arizona State University, while he takes a break from professional hockey.

There’s not much worse than not being able to do your job to the best of your abilities for reasons you can’t control, and reasons you sometimes can’t quite understand. Well, for the past six years, former Vancouver Canucks goaltender Eddie Lack has been playing through lingering hip pain.

Lack took to Twitter yesterday to announce the following:

"Dear fans and friends, my body won’t allow me to play professional hockey at this time. I still have a ways ahead of me in PT regarding my hips. Injuries are tough and I’m going to keep working hard daily, but I’ve been playing through hip pain the last 6 years, and with PT now I need to make sure I give myself the preparations I need to play at an NHL level again. In the meantime, because I’m not healthy enough to play or sign right now, I am happy to announce I will be the new goalie coach at Arizona State University. I love the game and I’m excited to share some of the knowledge I’ve gained in my professional career. Thank you for your support and #forksup–Eddie Lack"

Despite serving as a backup for the majority of his time in Vancouver, Lack became a fan favourite amongst Canucks fans for his upbeat personality and more importantly, his on-ice abilities. Fans will not forget when former Canucks’ head coach John Tortorella played Lack in favour of Roberto Luongo, which will go down as one of the most infamous moments of Tortorella’s short tenure with the Canucks.

Lack was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes on June 27th, 2015, in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2015 draft, and a seventh-round pick in the 2016 draft. Those picks ended up being Guillaume Brisebois and Brett McKenzie, respectively.

After two seasons with the Hurricanes, Lack was traded to the Calgary Flames. He suited up in four games for the Flames and five games for their AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat, before being traded to the New Jersey Devils on December 30th, 2017.

After 16 games with the Binghamton Devils and four with the Devils, Lack was re-signed to a one-year deal. That deal expired this offseason, and Lack has decided that it’s time to take a step back and make sure that his body is 100% healthy before suiting up for a professional hockey game once again.

Lack’s statement appears to indicate that he will be looking for another crack at the NHL once he has recovered from his hip injury, but at 31 years of age, Lack’s window may be closing. Here’s hoping that it’s not and that Lack will be able to make a successful comeback from his lingering hip injury sooner, rather than later.

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