Setback or Opportunity?

Happy New Year from England !!!

I hope this finds everyone having enjoyed the holiday season and the occasional youth hockey Christmas tournament. As we all know by now, hockey doesn't stop for the holidays...

Here I am about to enjoy some Christmas turkey in the UK. Need that fuel to stop pucks! 

I have been staying busy tending the crease in the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League, where teams have just passed the halfway mark for games played and are currently in the "meat" of the season. Players around the league are logging many hours on the bus and playing loads of matches in a short amount of time.

My goalie partner, Steve Wilcock, catching some Z's on the bus.

As a result of the increased work load, teams are experiencing injuries to several of the players whom the clubs normally rely on to eat up ice time. This is without a doubt a part of the game in any league, and especially at this time of year, there are many teams that will be challenged with the absence of many of their premier players. But with great loss comes great opportunity.

The 2015-16 National Hockey League season has also seen some virtually unknown individuals cast into more important roles because of injury. Rookies become the new stars themselves in just a short period of time... it's one reason why hockey is such an exciting game!

One team in particular that has felt the harsh effects of the injury bug is one of the most storied franchises in "The Show", the Montreal Canadiens. Among other injuries, one of the biggest blows to the Habs' lineup was the loss of reigning league MVP and Vezina Trophy winner Carey Price.

Mr. Price with some hardware at the 2015 NHL Awards (photo from huffingtonpost.ca)

Cue rookie goaltender Mike Condon. The start to his NHL career has been absolutely remarkable. In his first stint in the majors, the ginger-haired American began with a 9-2-3 record, stopping 91.8% of the rubber he has faced. Most recently, he was the winning goaltender in the 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on New Year's Day where he made one of the saves of the season on Ryan Spooner.

Rookie goalie Mike Condon at the 2016 NHL Winter Classic (photo from Yahoo!Sports)

Just last year, this blog featured a 'Q&A' with my former Princeton teammate Mike Condon who, at the time, was working his way up through the minor leagues with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League. In my interview with Mike, he emphasized training camp and how it is key to one's career, "Off-season training is critical for being prepared for camp and the season. In the old days, camp was used to get in shape. Now you have to be your strongest and most prepared for the first day of camp. Every day you are being evaluated and one bad day can decide what league you're going to end up in." 

Condon proved he wasn't just talk. The Massachusetts native surprised many by making the NHL roster straight out of training camp at the start of this season. And apparently he was not satisfied with just making the team as demonstrated by this year's stat lines. "CondiBear" leads all rookie goalies with 11 wins, and Montreal currently sits behind only the red-hot Florida Panthers for first place in the Atlantic Division. 

For many of you young aspiring goaltenders now playing youth hockey, Mike Condon's recent rise to prominence (and the events that led to it featured in the NY Times) is a great example of a silver lining: the loss of a team's superstar is viewed initially as a setback, when it is actually a great opportunity for a newcomer to prove himself. The 25-year-old backstop has risen to the occasion and converted Price's and the Canadiens' seeming misfortune into a breakout year of showcasing his own skill, and he has helped lead his team in winning some huge games in the process!

So remember, a blessing may be disguised as a disadvantage in many different ways in the game of hockey, not just through injury. It may take the form of a penalty kill, a long and challenging road trip, or another way. Be on the lookout for these opportunities and always be prepared so that when the chance comes, you can make the most of it.

Here I am facing a penalty shot in overtime in recent action. Love the challenge, goalies! 

Hope all is well across the pond! And stay tuned. My next blog post will feature another Princeton Tiger target who, like this blogger, is also a New Jersey native.

Cheers from Manchester!
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