Darcy Kuemper

Lore & Background

Kuemper was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to police officer Brent and accountant Sharon Kuemper. He began ice skating by age three and decided to become a full-time goaltender at age 10. He played minor hockey alongside Luke and Brayden Schenn. His goaltending abilities first attracted attention in the Saskatchewan Male U18 AAA Hockey League with the Saskatoon Contacts and Blazers. He was selected 45th overall by the Spokane Chiefs in the 2005 WHL Bantam Draft but spent most of his time in Saskatoon; he had only 19 seconds of goal time with Spokane. He was traded to the Red Deer Rebels in 2007 and played three seasons there, winning the Del Wilson Trophy and CHL Goaltender of the Year in 2010–11.

In Their Own Story

The Xcel Energy Center hummed at 7:42 p.m., a low electric thrum that vibrated through the boards and into the soles of every skate on the ice. Kuemper crouched in the crease, his stick planted, eyes tracking the puck as it whipped from one blue line to the other. The crowd noise was a wall of sound, but in his helmet it was just white noise, just the world outside the glass. A slap shot came in, high and hard. He tracked it to the glove side, caught it clean, and before the rebound could settle he was already up, already skating out to clear the zone. The scoreboard blinked. One more save. One more night the streak lived. Behind him, the empty seats in the upper deck were a patchwork of absence, but the 19,000 who were there roared as if the building were full. He didn't smile. He never did. He just reset his stance, dropped his shoulders, and waited for the next one.

Reader's Guide

Kuemper signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild on May 26, 2011. He made his NHL debut in 2013 and earned his first career win on February 17, 2013, against the Detroit Red Wings. He played for the Wild until 2017, then signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Kings on July 1, 2017. On February 21, 2018, he was traded to the Arizona Coyotes. He was re-signed to a two-year extension and later to a two-year, $9 million extension in 2019. He was traded to the Colorado Avalanche on July 28, 2021, and won the Stanley Cup with them in 2022. He has also played for the Washington Capitals and returned to the Los Angeles Kings.

Did You Know?

• Kuemper won the Del Wilson Trophy as the WHL's top goaltender in 2010–11.
• He finished fifth in Vezina Trophy voting in 2018–19.
• Kuemper made 49 saves in game three of the 2020 playoffs to secure the Coyotes' lone win against the Avalanche.
• He joined Patrick Roy as the only goaltenders to win the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche.