After months of speculation, Thatcher Demko finally cleared the air about his injury status at training camp. But for as open and honest the star Vancouver Canucks goaltender was with the media on Thursday, Demko didn’t actually reveal the precise injury he is recovering from.
We knew Demko had suffered a knee injury, and initial reports indicated that it was a “different” injury than he had previously dealt with, even though it was to the same knee.
Just a tad bit confusing.
On Monday, Kevin Woodley of InGoal Magazine and NHL.com provided more clarity.
“I can clear up one thing in terms of the uncertainty. There’s no longer uncertainty about what it is,” Woodley told Mike Halford and Jason Brough on Sportsnet 650 this morning.
Woodley says Demko’s injury is to the popliteus muscle on the back of the knee.
🗣️”I can clear up one thing here. There’s no longer uncertainty about what Demko’s injury actually is. Get your WebMD out and look up…’Popliteus’.”
▶️ @KevinisInGoal gives @MikeHalford604 & @SadClubCommish specifics on Thatcher Demko’s injury.
— Sportsnet 650 (@Sportsnet650) September 23, 2024
For those without medical degrees, here’s how the National Library of Medicine describes the popliteus muscle:
“Despite its small size, the popliteus is a major stabilizing muscle of the knee. The popliteus is involved in both the closed chain phase and open-chain phase of the gait cycle. During the closed chain phase, which is when the foot is in contact with the ground, the muscle externally rotates the femur on the tibia. In the open-chain phase or swing phase of the limb, the popliteus acts to internally rotate the tibia on the femur.”
The popliteus muscle is located on the back of the knee (morningsideacupuncturenyc.com)
So how badly did Demko injure his popliteus? That part is still unclear.
“Whether it’s a tear, to what degree, we don’t know. But this is basically a muscle deep behind under several layers of other muscles, deep on the back of your knee,” Woodley said. “It is a small but somewhat significant stabilizing muscle and ligament, and I’m not sure the degree of the damage.”
Demko was on the ice at training camp in Penticton, but didn’t skate with his teammates. His timeline is up in the air due to the uncertainty of this rare injury.
The Canucks are expected to start the season with Arturs Silovs and newcomer Kevin Lankinen sharing the net. The question is how long Vancouver will be without Demko.
Recovery time, according to the National Library of Medicine, can take anywhere from 3 to 16 weeks.