Former Vancouver Canucks Eddie Lack is stepping away from the NHL to be Arizona State’s goalie coach.
If you’re a casual hockey fan, the name Eddie Lack might ring a bell, but not much more. You might remember him from his days with the Vancouver Canucks or his short stints with the Carolina Hurricanes, Calgary Flames, or New Jersey Devils. His career might not be over, but Lack is taking an interesting detour for the time being.
Lack hasn’t played since the closing months of the 2018 season due to a lingering hip issue. He has dealt with hip issues since his time in the AHL when he was a part of the Canucks organization. Unfortunately for Lack, those injuries are too much for him to overcome, at the moment at least. Lack is taking a break to indulge himself in another hockey related venture.
He announced on Wednesday that, in part due to his lingering hip issues, he wouldn’t pursue an NHL opportunity at this time. Instead, he will take on the position of Arizona State University’s goaltending coach. In his announcement via Twitter, Lack made it clear that he was not retiring from active playing just yet.
Update on my career. Thank you pic.twitter.com/n9piLTDLun
— Eddie Lack🇸🇪🇺🇸🇨🇦 (@eddielack) August 14, 2019
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Lack has been involved with the growing Arizona State hockey program since buying a house in the area, although never served in an official capacity before this. Coach Greg Powers of the Sun Devils hockey program developed a great relationship with Lack.
When a promotion of the team’s former goalie coach left the position open, Lack emerged as a perfect candidate, although he hopes his new career is only a temporary one.
Even if he never reached the heights of Martin Brodeur or Patrick Roy, considering his circumstances, he had a pretty successful career. The Swedish goalie went undrafted and was signed by the Canucks in 2010.
Playing most of his career as the third goalie, he did achieve a brief 15 minutes of fame taking the reins of Canucks goaltending to lead them to the playoffs in 2015 following the trade that sent Roberto Luongo back to the Florida Panthers.
Lack’s last NHL appearance was a memorable one, when he led the New Jersey Devils to victory in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning where he made a career-high 48 saves.
With many players turning to coaching after their playing days are done, Lack is making a smart step to be prepared for this life after hockey and continue to contribute to the game. Lack is still quick to point out that this isn’t his life after the game just yet. Lack still hopes to play again in the NHL, but this is just a temporary detour that comes with some learning experience.