Canucks fans react to Thatcher Demko giving Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman cold shoulder at All-Star Skills

Jeremy Swayman loves his hugs.

The young Boston Bruins goaltender has made a name for himself over the last couple of seasons for his spectacular play on one of the National Hockey League’s top teams.

But Swayman has also received recognition for his unique post-win ritual with Bruins tandem partner Linus Ullmark. The two goaltenders share a highly energetic hug on the ice after every Boston victory.

Ullmark isn’t at this year’s NHL All-Star weekend in Toronto, but Swayman is — and he started to spread the love in the only way he knows how before Friday’s All-Star skills competition at Scotiabank Arena.

The NHL shared a video on Friday showing Swayman hugging it out with Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger, the New York Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin, and the Winnipeg Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck before heading onto the ice in Toronto.

The lone holdout? Vancouver Canucks netminder Thatcher Demko, who walked by Swayman without even acknowledging his open arms.

Occam’s razor suggests that Demko was focused on the moment and didn’t see Swayman gearing up for an embrace. But as Canucks fans on social media theorized on Friday night, perhaps Demko clued into some of the lingering bad blood from 2011 …

“Let’s all just embrace the heel role again,” Canucks fan Andrew Hughes tweeted, along the hashtag #VancouverVsEveryone. (That hashtag certainly would’ve been apt 13 years ago).

“He’s locked in regardless of the event. Love it. Or he just missed it. [Soaking] it all in,” added Twitter user @walkingonsushi.

“Scripted right there for the rematch. Canucks vs Bruins,” said @Narayan_17, teeing up what would be an outstanding 2024 Stanley Cup Final matchup between the high-flying Vancouver and Boston squads.

But before that can happen, the Canucks’ six All-Stars will take to the ice on Saturday — five of them on Team Hughes, the other (Elias Lindholm) on Team MacKinnon — for the actual All-Star 3-on-3 tournament in Toronto.