Notes: Whole lot of nothing now good for Coyotes' Boucher
Had the Phoenix Coyotes' wishes come true, Brian Boucher would be anywhere these days but on the verge of setting an incredible goaltending record for them.
The Coyotes left Boucher exposed in the waiver draft before the start of this season, hoping some other team would pick up the 27-year-old who they deemed too expensive to be a backup for them. But with a guaranteed salary of $2 million and coming off a weak season, Boucher failed to attract any interest.
Good thing for Phoenix. Zac Bierk, the far less-expensive goaltender they opted to protect as Sean Burke's understudy, went down with a hip flexor injury in mid-November, forcing the team to turn reluctantly to Boucher, who has been on fire of late after spending much of the first two months in the press box.
"I wasn't even practicing with the team," Boucher said Thursday. "I certainly don't want to live in the past, but it wasn't a happy time."
Boucher is singing a different tune these days. He has gone 5-0-3 in his past eight starts and has posted four shutouts in a row -- the first goaltender in 55 years to do so. If he blanks the Wild for 45 minutes Friday, he will establish a modern-day record for consecutive scoreless minutes.
 | |
| Brian Savage and the Coyotes don't want to let down Brian Boucher in his quest for the modern-day record.(AP) |
Not bad for someone who went 15-20-8 with a 3.02 goals-against average and an .894 save percentage last year when he made many people wonder whether the success he had as a rookie with Philadelphia five years ago was going to be the pinnacle of his career..
The native of Woonsocket, R.I., heard that talk, which is why he's enjoying himself so much these days.
"It feels nice, but you learn not to expect anything from anybody or the game," Boucher said. "You just have to be thankful for the chances you get."
Boucher got his first one with the Flyers in 1999-2000 and had a great debut, making the All-Rookie team, winning 20 games and posting a 1.91 GAA before leading Philadelphia to the third round of the playoffs. But he didn't come close to matching those numbers in either of the following two years and was basically run out of town by fans.
That experience has helped him put his current situation into perspective.
"I've gone through some ups and downs, more down than up, but I think I can handle it better," Boucher said. "I wished I would have enjoyed the early success in Philadelphia a little better instead of being so hard on myself. Now I'm going to roll with the punches, and hopefully this will be a nice little ride."
The Coyotes, who acquired Boucher in June 2002 believing he would be the heir apparent to Burke, aren't yet ready to designate him their No. 1 goalie, but they plan to ride him as long as they can.
"As a group, everyone's cheering for him because he's one of the guys that everybody likes," Doan said.
Worth its weight in gold
The U.S gold-medal victory at the World Junior Championships in Finland this week didn't get much attention in this country, but team coach Mike Eaves thinks it will prove to be a big boost for the national development program.
"I think it gives that program validity," said Eaves, who has returned to his regular job as the University of Wisconsin hockey coach. "It's done what it was supposed to do, develop elite American hockey players to a higher level with its competition and its focus on development."
The National Team Development Program, established by USA Hockey in 1996, is based in Ann Arbor, Mich., and currently has about 44 players that are basically divided into under-18 and under-17 squads. The older group plays exhibition games against some NCAA Division I teams and in three international tournaments, while the younger group primarily faces some of the nation's Tier II junior teams.
Eaves said the fact that most of the American team at the junior championships, a tournament for players under the age of 20, had come up through the NTDP system and had gained some previous international experience was the underlying reason it won the prestigious tournament for the first time.
"That's the key factor," said Eaves, whose team was made up primarily of NCAA players. "They knew what it's like to travel seven, eight time zones, eat different foods, have a different style of play, how the referees call the game."
Next year's tournament is scheduled for Grand Forks, S.D., and Eaves believes if it gets enough exposure, it could help the U.S. become an even great international hockey power in the future.
"There are a lot more kids out there we could draw into playing at a higher level," he said. "If you take a look at the base of young players in the U.S, it has grown remarkably in the last 10 years. Some of the better athletes in our country are now looking at hockey, even in non-traditional places. If we can affect some of those kids, it will really make a difference."
Doing a slow Burns
Devils coach Pat Burns isn't a jolly fellow in the best of times, but after his team suffered an embarrassing loss at home to Pittsburgh on Wednesday, he ripped into them in a way he hasn't since the middle of last season.
And then he blamed himself for the debacle. At least partly.
"I have no idea why that happens," an agitated Burns told reporters after opening the locker room. "Was it the preparation? I'll take the responsibility. Was it the motivation? I'll take the responsibility. What goes on on the ice is not my responsibility. They have to play the game. Maybe they weren't ready mentally to play."
The Devils, who had three players named to the starting All-Star team Thursday, have won only twice in their past eight games and figured to get back on track against a weak Pittsburgh team, which was riding a four-game losing streak and had not beaten an Atlantic Division opponent all season.
"It's definitely gut-check time," Burns said. "And it's not just one game. We didn't come out in Nashville, too. I'm going to have to check their hearts, check their heads to see where we're going. "
They said it
"That was a brain cramp there, I'm just glad nobody got hurt." -- Toronto captain Mats Sundin after he tossed a broken stick into the crowd during a game Monday night. Sundin earned a one-game suspension from the league.
