Stanley Cup Preview: A Stopper In Goal?
By Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch Online, 4-16-02
The franchise cannot wait to see what this kid can do.
The Blues have handed the postseason to 25-year-old goalie Brent Johnson and now are trembling - with excitement and anxiety - as they wait to see what the most important player on the team can do during the most important time for the team.
They're so confident in Johnson's promise that they hastened his advancement to No. 1, shipped out his stiffest competition and planted him at the base of a big-budget roster worth 100 times more than his salary.
It is the equivalent of a Winston Cup pit crew handing the wrench to an apprentice mechanic, pointing to the engine and saying, "Daytona 500's tomorrow. Make it purr." Or, a surgeon passing the scalpel to a promising intern and nodding, "Now would be a swell time to save this man's life."
Johnson, there's your crease. The Stanley Cup playoffs are tomorrow.
Now would be a swell time to make the saves of your life.
"We're all anticipating how well he'll play," Blues coach Joel Quenneville said. "We had the same eagerness for Game 5 in Colorado last year. He has this great chance. You don't know, what you hope he keeps getting better and better. . . .
"The Don't-Know Factor is the goalie. But you want a young guy with a whole lot of enthusiasm around this time of year."
The "Game 5" was in last season's playoffs, the final playoff game of the Blues' finish in the Western Conference finals. Starter Roman Turek faltered in the series against Colorado, so the Blues turned to Johnson. He turned in a sparkling 34-save performance in the first NHL playoff start of his career.
He lost. In overtime. On a power-play goal. By Joe Sakic.
"He is definitely the goalie of the future for the Blues," said Avs center Chris Drury that night.
The future sure comes faster than it used to.
Over the summer, Turek was traded. Fred Brathwaite came in to be Johnson's rival for the title of No. 1 goalie, but Johnson had a head start. The Blues wanted him to sniff the opportunity and pounce. Get in shape, bear down and realize that he could be the franchise goaltender this season.
And next.
"Definitely," said Johnson, who's father played goal for the Blues and whose grandfather, Sid Abel, has his number retired in Detroit. "I feel that chance."
His season was pop art - everyone had a different take on what the statistics meant and some pundits were convinced and others were ever more concerned. Johnson's 34 victories was the fifth-most in the league, and he did it in six fewer starts than Boston's Byron Dafoe won 35. Only two Blues' goalies have had more victories in a season.
The concerns: Of the 32 goalies who faced 1,000 shots this season, Johnson's save percentage was better than only six. Two playoff goalies have lower save percentages than Johnson. One loss can be pinned on him - the 5-3 game April 1 in Phoenix. The 1-0 win in Colorado can be, too. And the 1- 1 tie in Edmonton can be.
The other games are a blend of rebound goals and clutch saves.
"Those were the type of saves that we're going to need," Quenneville said. "One big save - that could be stealing a game. It might be 0-0 in the second overtime and we'll need one from him."
Some of the Blues' belief in Johnson stems from his performance in minor-league postseasons. In 2000, he stole a series against Portland, including a 44-save victory and the first postseason shutout in Worcester history. He "understood the meaning of big games," Quenneville said.
Johnson understands the risk, too.
"One game I might be the guy that got them there, the next I'm the punk that let a goal in," Johnson said. "I want to make a lasting impression. I want to be the one here. There've been a lot of rumors throughout the year. Trades. Goaltending is the demise of this team. We're not going to go anywhere because of goaltending. I've heard it.
"I would like people to start believing in me."
