Cloutier plays with a lot of clout
Ben Kuzma, the Province
CANADA.COM
When Dan Cloutier makes his first Canucks start, critics will gauge the goaltender's positioning and poise.
They may also want to watch Cloutier's right hand.
Lost in the daily analysis of the Canucks' latest crease contender is the fact Cloutier will literally fight for victory. In September, the former Tampa Bay keeper clobbered rookie Florida stopper Sean Gauthier in a preseason tussle. Last March, Cloutier and former Chicago goalie Steve Passmore duked it out. Cloutier also squared off with Tommy Salo when the Oiler stopper played for the Islanders.
Cloutier also fought in junior hockey.
Forget competitive. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Cloutier is combative.
"I am," Cloutier said Monday following practice. "Once I'm in there I don't know what it is. I don't want anybody taking my focus away from the puck -- I don't want anybody in front of me.
"I guess I kind of grew up that way. But off the ice I'm quiet."
Canucks coach Marc Crawford hasn't tabbed Cloutier to start Wednesday here against Washington. However, if the Canucks are looking for an edge against the red-hot Caps, Cloutier could provide one.
After all, Cloutier likes to poke and prod at the unprotected areas of opposition forwards who crowd his crease.
"I'm always ready to play," added the 24-year-old Cloutier who was acquired Wednesday in exchange for defenceman Adrian Aucoin and a second-round selection in the 2001 entry draft. "That's why you play the game, to get as much experience as possible and improve."
So, how was that preseason fight experience?
"There was a 5-on-5 [brawl] and I went to the bench to get a drink of water," recalled Cloutier. "He [Gauthier] and I kind of looked at each other."
According to reports of a March 5 game in Chicago last season, Cloutier left his crease to come to the aid of a teammate who was losing a fight. Passmore, now with the Kings, entered the fray and it ended with the goalies exchanging blows.
"He's got a reputation of being competitive and very combative," said Canucks goaltending consultant Andy Moog who scouted Cloutier before the trade. "When you're young, you don't know how to funnel that in a game and it comes out."
"He might be tougher than Snowy," quipped Canucks general manager Brian Burke in reference to former Canuck goalie Garth Snow who had a penchant for punch-ups.
"He's a battler," added Crawford.
Fighting aside, Moog is convinced there's a big upside for Cloutier who had a 3-13-3 record and a 3.52 goals-against average this season with the struggling Lightning. Cloutier was a 1994 first-round draft choice of the Rangers and coveted by the Canucks when they held trade talks with New York for Pavel Bure.
"He plays big in the net and his lateral movement is strong," said Moog. "He does it effortlessly because he has good instincts."
Cloutier was born in Mont-Laurier, Que., and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. He won a Memorial Cup with the OHL Greyhounds in 1993 and a world junior crown in 1995 with a Canadian club that went 7-0 in Red Deer. Current Canucks Ed Jovanovski and Denis Pederson also were on that team, which has made the Vancouver transition easier for Cloutier.
Cloutier also faced Todd Bertuzzi in OHL competition. The Canuck winger played on a Guelph line with Jeff O'Neill and Cloutier's older brother, Sylvain, who's currently with Albany of the AHL.
"I didn't realize how young and close-knit they are," Cloutier said of his new teammates. "They bring a lot of energy to the game and practice and I'm excited to be able to fit in with this group."