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Masked men make the difference
Source: Agencies |
May 18, 2011, Wednesday
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THEY are the NHL's masked men; robbers capable of stealing a game, a playoff series and even carrying a team to a Stanley Cup title.
It is the play of goalies Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins, Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks, Antti Niemi of the San Jose Sharks and Dwayne Roloson of the Tampa Bay Lightning on which each city's Cup hopes will hinge.
It is an eclectic group that features two finalists for the 2010-11 Vezina Trophy given to the top goalie, including former winner Thomas and 2010 Olympic gold medallist Luongo. There is also Niemi, a Stanley Cup winner with the Chicago Blackhawks last year, and 41-year-old Roloson, who may not have the flashy credentials as his rivals but has demonstrated the ability to backstop a team all the way to the finals.
Luongo, taken with the fourth overall pick by the New York Islanders in the 1997 draft, has always seemed destined for NHL stardom while the others manning the nets took a more meandering route to NHL jobs.
Thomas was an afterthought when he was plucked in the ninth round of the 1994 draft by the Quebec Nordiques while Roloson and Niemi were not selected at all.
A battler with an acrobatic, unconventional style, Thomas never played for the Nordiques and bounced around Europe and North American minor leagues. It was not until signing as a free agent with the Bruins in 2002 that Thomas finally played his first NHL game, stopping 31 shots in a 4-3 Bruins win over Edmonton.
But Thomas has made up for lost time, winning the Vezina in 2009, a silver medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and then posting a career-best goals-against average and setting an NHL record for best save percentage this season.
Roloson, whose 13-season career has included stints in Calgary, Buffalo, Minnesota, Edmonton, New York and Tampa Bay, heard MVP whispers when he anchored the Oilers' surprising run to the Cup final in 2006 until he was hurt in Game 1.
With a series win over Boston, he would be in position to become the oldest starting goalie to lead a team to a Stanley Cup win since a 42-year-old Johnny Bower did it with Toronto in 1967.
Niemi spent most of his career playing in his native Finland until signing with Chicago and leading them to a Stanley Cup win last year in his rookie season. Despite his play, Chicago opted not to resign Niemi because of salary cap restraints and so the Sharks jumped in and signed him to a contract.
It is the play of goalies Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins, Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks, Antti Niemi of the San Jose Sharks and Dwayne Roloson of the Tampa Bay Lightning on which each city's Cup hopes will hinge.
It is an eclectic group that features two finalists for the 2010-11 Vezina Trophy given to the top goalie, including former winner Thomas and 2010 Olympic gold medallist Luongo. There is also Niemi, a Stanley Cup winner with the Chicago Blackhawks last year, and 41-year-old Roloson, who may not have the flashy credentials as his rivals but has demonstrated the ability to backstop a team all the way to the finals.
Luongo, taken with the fourth overall pick by the New York Islanders in the 1997 draft, has always seemed destined for NHL stardom while the others manning the nets took a more meandering route to NHL jobs.
Thomas was an afterthought when he was plucked in the ninth round of the 1994 draft by the Quebec Nordiques while Roloson and Niemi were not selected at all.
A battler with an acrobatic, unconventional style, Thomas never played for the Nordiques and bounced around Europe and North American minor leagues. It was not until signing as a free agent with the Bruins in 2002 that Thomas finally played his first NHL game, stopping 31 shots in a 4-3 Bruins win over Edmonton.
But Thomas has made up for lost time, winning the Vezina in 2009, a silver medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and then posting a career-best goals-against average and setting an NHL record for best save percentage this season.
Roloson, whose 13-season career has included stints in Calgary, Buffalo, Minnesota, Edmonton, New York and Tampa Bay, heard MVP whispers when he anchored the Oilers' surprising run to the Cup final in 2006 until he was hurt in Game 1.
With a series win over Boston, he would be in position to become the oldest starting goalie to lead a team to a Stanley Cup win since a 42-year-old Johnny Bower did it with Toronto in 1967.
Niemi spent most of his career playing in his native Finland until signing with Chicago and leading them to a Stanley Cup win last year in his rookie season. Despite his play, Chicago opted not to resign Niemi because of salary cap restraints and so the Sharks jumped in and signed him to a contract.
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