Utah Hockey Club head coach André Tourigny kicked off his routine press conference on Tuesday in an unorthodox manner: a message to the fans.
He was aware of the skepticism surrounding the decision to repeatedly start goaltender Karel Vejmelka. Tuesday will mark Vejmelka’s 18th consecutive start — something that hasn’t been done in the NHL in the last six years. Tourigny wanted to state his piece.
MORNING SKATE
— Utah Hockey Club PR (@UtahHC_PR) April 1, 2025
"What we're going through, it's super important for us to soak it in. We want to prevail. We will get up. It's a huge game for us tonight... We need to learn from every moment."@utahhockeyclub André Tourigny ahead of tonight's matchup with the Flames pic.twitter.com/XX1L4ztcSJ
It began with a question to those in the room: “Do you believe we can win the Stanley Cup with Vej?”
The general consensus was that it could eventually happen.
“If we can win the Stanley Cup with him, how many games will that take in the playoffs?” he asked.
The minimum is 16, though it almost always takes more than 20.
“If we get in the playoffs, we win a round and we’re in the semifinal, Game 6, and I tell you we’ll ‘load manage’ Vej (and) we’ll play the backup tonight, how would you assess my decision?”
“Very poorly,” one reporter said.
“Exactly. So we’re fighting for our lives every night (right now), and you want us to not put our best lineup on the ice? That makes no sense. We are in the playoffs. We are in our Stanley Cup run. We are fighting to get the right to play game number 83.”
How likely is Utah HC to make the playoffs?
Utah is currently nine points out of a playoff spot with eight games remaining and three teams to pass. The math isn’t in its favor, but it also still gives the team a chance.
Does Tourigny actually believe his team will make the cut? Maybe, maybe not. But the team has stated time and again that its goal for the season was to play “meaningful” games in March and April.
Starting Vejmelka makes these games more “meaningful.” Rather than waving the white flag by using the third- or fourth-string goalies, Tourigny is dragging his team into the battle. The best way to develop young players is to have them play meaningful games, and that’s one outcome of this decision.
Whose decision is it to start Vejmelka?
Earlier in the season, Tourigny stated that while final roster decisions are his, he defers to
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