By Joel Smart (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: November 23, 2011
It was a brilliant goaltending duel between Canucks back-up net-minder Cory Schneider and former Canucks back-up Alex Auld when the Canucks eeked out a 2-1 overtime win against the Ottawa Senators last Sunday – but for Matt Climie, the night marked his first time in the role of backup for the Canucks. Previously, the Canucks have used Eddie Lack to back up Schneider when Roberto Luongo is on the mend, but due to his exceptional play with the Chicago Wolves so far this season, management felt he had earned the right to replace Lack on the Canucks bench.
He’s played seven games with the Canucks AHL affiliate so far this year, and has come away with five wins for the Wolves – with an incredible .940 save percentage. His play enabled the team to go on a four-game winning streak. Perhaps general manager of the Canucks Mike Gillis is hoping that even in his backup role, Climie will bring some of that luck to his Vancouver team that has struggled to put any consecutive wins together this season.
Chicago Now reporter Ted Gruber suggested in a recent column that Climie and Lack are drawing attention around the AHL as the “best one two punch in the league.” When asked if he felt the pressure of a goaltending dual between the two of them, Climie told Gruber that doesn’t focus on it. “For myself I ignore that talk because I have the highest expectations for myself and I want to work hard every time I step onto that ice,” he said. “I’m just focused on myself and getting the work in when I do get a start.” He added: “It’s just about earning a start and proving that I can play. I think so far it’s been going well for both of us but I know I can always improve on the little things.”
At 28-years-old, the Alberta native has just five NHL games under his belt, three of which came with the Dallas Stars in the 2008-2009 season; his last game came with the Coyotes last season. In that 2010-2011 season he also played 55 games for the Florida Panther’s AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage – the most games he’s played in an AHL season to date. He finished the season with 26 wins, 22 losses, three ties and a respectable save percentage of .913.
Then, on July 7, 2011, the 6-foot-3 net-minder signed with the Vancouver Canucks on a one-year two-way contract that pays out at $525,000 at the NHL level and $105,000 at the AHL level. The signing gave the Canucks incredible depth at the goaltending level, especially considering Climie was a starting goaltender for the Rampage, and a starter for the Texas Stars the year before (when he finishing with a .919 save percentage). Not bad numbers for a player that was never drafted.
Although Climie likely won’t see much time in Vancouver this season, it’s worth noting that the mask he wears with the Wolves is plastered with an unmistakable Canucks logo on the chin and in details around the mask – a fact that Chicago hockey fans likely don’t appreciate too much. It’s the kind of thing that Canucks fans just have to like about the guy. While he didn’t get a chance to play against the red-hot Senators, it should be some relief to Canucks fans that should we need to one day rely on the back-up’s back-up, that back-up’s back-up is not a bad option either. Sweet, sweet depth.
