Being the best third string goaltender in the NHL doesn’t sound very impressive. But the current best third string goaltender in the league set a record last night. You may have never even heard of Zach Fucale until last night, so allow me to introduce you.
Background
Zach was born in Laval, Quebec. He played in small leagues in the area before playing in the QMJHL for the Halifax Mooseheads for four years. He also played for Team Canada in the World Juniors U17 and U20 in 2011-12, 2013-14, and 2014-15. His season totals in all of those seasons were at least even in W/L, if not a winning record.
Fucale was drafted by his hometown team, the Canadiens in the 2nd round of the 2013 draft. He spent his first professional season with the St. John’s IceCaps in the AHL, where his record was 16-19-5. After that, he bounced between the AHL and the ECHL within the Canadiens organization.
His time within the Canadiens organization ended after the 2017-18 season. After that, he played for 2 AHL teams and 2 ECHL teams. His last NHL contract ended in 2019 (Vegas). Last year, in 2020, he signed a 2-way deal with the Washington Capitals. He had a great season with the Hershey Bears (9-2-0),had the best GAA in the league at 1.80, and won the Best Goaltending Duo in the AHL with his counterpart Pheonix Copley.
NHL Career
Fucale made his NHL debut this year on November 11 against the Red Wings. He held onto a shutout, making him the first Capitals goaltender to get a shutout in his first game. He was also the first NHL goalie to do so since Garret Sparks in 2015.
He spent another month or so waiting for his next opportunity. It came on Friday night when Ilya Samsonov allowed 6 goals from the St. Louis Blues. Fucale took the net for the final period of the game and did not allow any more goals. No doubt thanks to that performance, he got the start for last night’s game in Minnesota. Despite an embarrassing own-goal on an empty net that put Minnesota on the board, Zach didn’t allow a goal until there were under 2 minutes left in the game. Unfortunately, he can’t say he’s still undefeated in the NHL, as the Capitals eventually lost in a shootout. But that’s nothing to sneeze at, especially considering the skill level of the Wild this year.
Zach Fucale, for those keeping track, did not allow a single goal for the first 138:07 of his NHL career. That shattered the previously held record of 102:48 (coincidentally by Matt Hackett of the Minnesota Wild in 2011) by almost 2 full periods. It also smashed the Capitals’ record for longest shutout time by any goaltender; previously the record was 80:36.
Future
See? I told you this guy is the best third string goalie. He’s a humble, hard-working player who has bided his time until he got his big break. And he took that big break seriously. He may not be the most technical or the quickest or the biggest, but his hard work has paid off in a big way.
I think the Capitals see the value in keeping a player like Fucale around. He is an asset to have in the back pocket for situations like these where your first two picks aren’t in the best shape to play. He isn’t a starting NHL goalie, but if he keeps improving like he has since he was drafted, there’s hope he could be someone’s backup.
Until Vanecek is healthy again and Samsonov gets his head on straight, I’m glad to know we have such a solid third string goalie to hold down the fort. DC fans will no doubt have confidence in him as we continue on this season. We’ll see him again soon, I’m sure, with all the illness and injuries that have plagued the Capitals this year.
Well done, Zach!
Image: Bruce Bennet via Getty Images
-Heidi Thomas (@DamselOnDrums)
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