Ducks’ Lukáš Dostál on Oilers fans chants: ‘I wasn’t sure if it was my name or something else’

Among Edmonton Oilers fans, it’s a time-honoured playoff tradition to chant the opposing goalie’s name.

It’s all a ruse to get under his skin, create a mistake, or extra nerves. This year, the welcome-to-the-playoffs moment came with Anaheim Ducks netminder Lukáš Dostál, whose first name was chanted by the Oilers’ faithful at Rogers Place.

But as pointed out in a media availability by a Ducks reporter on Tuesday, if the Oilers crowd is going to chant his name, would Dostál prefer fans chant it correctly? As in, more accent on Lukáš, than an anglicized Lukas?

“No, no. It’s fine,” said Dostál, chuckling about it. “I knew they were chanting something, but I wasn’t sure if it was my name or something else.”

In fact, as social media users pointed out, fans in the building or watching at home weren’t sure exactly what the chant was either. That’s because Lukas can sound awfully similar to Gudas, as in Ducks captain Radko Gudas.

Regardless, Dostál is soaking in the experience. In his first NHL playoff game, he made 30 saves on 34 shots. For the Ducks to win this series, Dostál will need to be at his best.

“It feels great. Obviously, they chant so I’ll make some mistake. It’s part of it. It’s fun. These are the moments you just have to soak in and enjoy as well,” he said.

Former Oilers netminder Devan Dubnyk said on Oilersnation After Dark after Game 1 that first name chants got into his head more than last name chants.

“100 per cent Devan (got in my head more),” he said with a smile. “That’s disrespectful. You can’t call someone by their first name.

“By the end of my career, if a player called me by my first name, I don’t think I’d respond. It wasn’t even in my brain that my name was Devan.”

Luckily, there will be no confusion for Game 2 on Wednesday. Radko Gudas has been ruled out of the lineup, considered day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. The captain had a rough night, as he blew a tire skating backwards that directly led to Jason Dickinson’s 3-3 tying goal in the third period. He didn’t play the remainder of the game.