“The body’s just not there,” Lack told Daily Hive in a phone interview from Arizona. “To be able to play professional hockey it takes such a toll.”
Lack says he rehabbed on a daily basis until Christmas, but still only feels about 85-90% of where he needs to be to play again.
“I haven’t played a lot of games in the NHL where I have not been battling something.”
The good times
One of Lack’s most fond memories from his playing career was when he won a gold medal with Sweden at the 2017 IIHF World Championships. But as the team’s third goaltender, he appeared in just one game.
He played a much bigger role during his most fond NHL memory: leading the Canucks to their last playoff appearance in 2015.
“That was such a fun experience for me,” he said.
Lack was arguably the Canucks’ MVP down the stretch, posting a .927 save percentage in 20 games after Ryan Miller was hurt on February 22. In 41 games that season, Lack posted a .921 save percentage, tying him with the recently departed Roberto Luongo.
After winning over the hearts of Canucks fans who regularly chanted his name, Lack was traded to Carolina the following offseason in a controversial deal.
“I’m not sure why we got that special bond, but somehow it kind of just happened,” Lack said of his relationship with Canucks fans. “I’m extremely grateful for what I was able to experience during my time in Vancouver. It’s definitely something that I’m going to remember and cherish for the rest of my life.”
On getting the start in the Heritage Classic
Lack was a central figure in the lead up to Luongo getting traded to Florida in 2014, through no fault of his own.
Riding a seven-game losing streak heading into the Olympic break, Eddie Lack started the first game back after the NHL resumed its schedule, which was logical given Luongo had just travelled back from Sochi.
Lack earned a 20-save shutout in a 1-0 Canucks victory, so head coach John Tortorella started him in the next game against Minnesota. The Canucks lost 2-1 in a shootout, but Lack made 22 saves, plus six of seven shots faced in the shootout.
So Tortorella started Lack in the Heritage Classic too, meaning not only would Luongo sit on the bench for a third consecutive game; the future Hall of Famer wouldn’t get to play in the marquee game at BC Place.
Luongo later requested a trade and never played for the Canucks again.
Lack recalled Tortorella telling him that he would be starting the Heritage Classic the day before the game, during a family skate at BC Place.
“I was 100% sure that I wasn’t playing the next day,” Lack said. “And then Torts came up to me on the ice. He was like, ‘Hey, you’re starting tomorrow.’ I’m like, ‘What? Like, are you sure?’”
“The biggest thing was, like, I was really happy for myself, but seeing Lui on the ice with his kids skating around and everything, it was a very weird feeling because I felt very sad for him. That would have been a very special game for him to play.”
Torts the best NHL coach he ever had
It may surprise fans to know that Lack is among the players who really liked playing for Tortorella.
“From the coaches that I had playing in the NHL, [Tortorella] was for sure the best, and I’m not saying that [just] because I played a lot. I actually thought that he was the best when I didn’t play either. The thing that I liked about him was that he always kept you in the loop.”
When Luongo got a string of games in a row, Torts would communicate that too, Lack says.
“The nice thing was that he would always talk to you … explaining his decisions and I loved that.”
How hockey culture embraced Lack’s personality
In a sport that regularly keeps all signs of personality buried beneath cliche answers, Lack stood out.
Known for his love of tacos, Lack didn’t hide his sense of humour at the rink or on Twitter.
“In Vancouver, they kind of embraced that [personality] more, and liked that I was my own [person]. I would say when I went to Carolina they kind of wanted me to be more quiet and just kind of put me back in my shell a little bit more. And I totally get that too.
“But that wasn’t me. So I tried a little bit to be more quiet and not so outspoken and outgoing and everything, but I wasn’t feeling like myself when I did that.”
“It’s weird because somehow I think that being outspoken and everything helped my career, but in some part I definitely think that it hurt it too.”
What’s next?
Apart from binge-watching Ozark on Netflix, Lack’s new career in real estate is keeping him busy these days.
“It’s a lot of paperwork and talking on the phone.”
It’s a natural progression for Lack, whose family owns hotels in Sweden. But not wanting to return home yet, he’s setting out to do his own thing.
“It’s for sure been an adjustment not waking up at 8:30 for morning skate and just relaxing the rest of the day. It’s actually work, but it’s been fun so far.”
The now-retired goalie is also partnering with Vancouver company Alpha North and GamerzArena on a yet-to-be announced esports project.
“We’ve got a few cool things coming up now with the tournaments… it’s going to be something that we can give back to charity,” he said. “Playing video games is definitely something that I’ve been doing my whole life just to kind of relax. I feel like now is a good time to do something about it when everyone is sitting home being bored.”
Lack says he still plans to help Arizona State University as a part-time goalie coach, as he did this season, wanting to keep one foot in the game.
“I don’t want to close that door completely,” Lack said. “This is going to sound weird but coaching and stuff doesn’t challenge me that much as a person because it’s hockey and I’ve done hockey for so long… I wanted to get into something brand new for me to really challenge myself as a person to grow.”
It time for me to RETIRE. The next 7 minutes are a tribute to All of you that were with me during this crazy ride and my way of saying – THANK YOU.
TORONTO – Two months after failing to win a game at the Paris Olympics, Canada Basketball said it has “mutually agreed” to part ways with senior women’s head coach Victor Lapena.
He led the team to a 17-10 record in FIBA competitions since being hired in January 2022 but was 0-3 at the Games.
“On behalf of the senior women’s national team and our women’s high-performance program, I’d like to thank Víctor for his efforts in leading our team,” general manager Denise Dignard said Monday in a release.
“The organization would also like to express our sincere appreciation to Victor and his family for their dedication and sacrifice over the last several years and wish them all the best in the future.”
Lapena guided Canada to a third-place finish at the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup last year and a fourth-place showing at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in 2022.
Earlier this year, in consultation with Canada Basketball, Lapena was hired by the Turkish club Cukurova Basketbol Kulubu.
Following the Olympics, it was decided it would be best for him to focus his efforts on his pro team as it competes in the EuroLeague Women and other national competitions, the federation said.
A replacement was not named for the seventh-ranked team.
Canada Basketball said a head coaching search will be part of the process as it assesses its training and competition calendar along with player and coach development strategies for the next quadrennial.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 7, 2024.
CALGARY – The Calgary Flames placed Yegor Sharangovich on injured reserve Monday with a lower-body injury.
The 26-year-old winger tangled along the boards with Winnipeg Jets centre Vladislav Namestnikov and went down in Friday’s pre-season finale for both clubs.
Sharangovich led the Flames in goals last season with 31 and played all 82 regular-season games. The Flames said his status is week-to-week.
Calgary opens its regular season on the road Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks.
Sharangovich’s 59 points in 2023-24 made him the all-time highest scoring Belarusian in a single NHL season.
He signed a five-year contract extension July 1 that’s worth US$28.75 million and starts in 2025-26.
Also, the Flames announced Monday that left-winger Jakob Pelletier and goaltender Devin Cooley cleared waivers and were assigned to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers.
That left two goalies, eight defencemen and 14 forwards on the Flames’ roster.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 7, 2024.
A judge granted preliminary approval Monday to the $2.78 billion legal settlement that would transform college sports by allowing schools to pay players.
U.S District Judge Claudia Wilken released an order setting a timeline for a deal that would put millions of dollars into the pockets of college athletes, who can begin applying for payment on Oct. 18.
A final hearing is set for April 7, 2025, the day of college basketball’s national title game. If finalized, the deal would allow the biggest schools to establish a pool of about $21.5 million in the first year to distribute to athletes via a revenue-sharing plan. Athletes would still be able to cut name, image and likeness deals with outside groups.
“We are pleased that we are one step closer to a revolutionary change in college athletics that will allow billions in revenue sharing,” said plaintiff attorney Steve Berman.
The judge’s approval comes 11 days after attorneys tweaked wording in the original settlement agreement to address Wilken’s concerns. The main change involved getting rid of the word “boosters” and replacing it with a better-defined description of whose potential NIL deals would be subject to oversight by a neutral arbitrator once the deal goes through.
That did not, however, strike to the heart of the settlement, which sets up a revenue-sharing arrangement between schools and the athletes. The $21.5 million figure comes from the 22% of average revenue that power conference schools generate through media rights, tickets and other sources. It will be recalculated periodically through the 10-year window that the agreement covers.
“We are thrilled by Judge Wilken’s decision to give preliminary approval to the landmark settlement that will help bring stability and sustainability to college athletics while delivering increased benefits to student-athletes for years to come,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said. “Today’s progress is a significant step in writing the next chapter for the future of college sports.”
This settlement also allows former players to apply for payments to make up for lost revenue they would have received through NIL deals that weren’t allowed in college sports before 2021. It sets up a framework to regulate future NIL deals and replaces scholarship caps with “roster limits,” which will grow to 105 for football, the biggest sport at most major universities.
This settlement resolves three major antitrust lawsuits filed against the NCAA, including one spearheaded by Grant House, a former swimmer at Arizona State. Berman’s law firm says the value of new payments and benefits to college athletes is expected to exceed $20 billion over 10 years.
Still unknown, however, is how long the terms of this deal will last. Litigation regarding the rights of players to unionize and potentially be considered employees remains unsettled. Meanwhile, the NCAA is pushing for federal legislation to knit together a streamlined policy for NIL, which is currently regulated by a patchwork of state laws, legal settlements and NCAA rules.
