Avalanche goaltender poised to take on huge role next NHL season
Photo credit: Jess Starr / The Hockey Writers
It isn't very often we talk about backup goaltenders in the NHL, but Scott Wedgewood deserves some credit for giving the Colorado Avalanche the support they need, whether it has to do with on ice performance or his personality off the ice.
The veteran goaltender will be a key factor regarding the success of the Avalanche this season.
Scott Wedgewood is everything the Avalanche need him to be.
Katie Barlett of Mile High Sticking spoke on the added impact Wedgewood provides for the Avalanche.
"Barely having arrived after having been traded, he had to come into the game against the Buffalo Sabres with the Avs down 0-4 in the first intermission. He held strong and steadied the ship and gave the team the opportunity to forge the improbable comeback to a 5-4 win in regulation. He followed that up by the iconic «four lines, six D, two tendies all year» speech." -Barlett
It wasn't just about the win, it's about his leadership and his ability to instantly gain the support of his teammates.
"Wedgewood said in an interview with Guerilla Sports that he looks for one or two ways in which he can find common ground with each teammate and connect with him. He wants them to know that he has their back, whether at practice, in a game, in the locker room, and beyond." -Barlett
That kind of energy a player brings, provides an unquantifiable benefit to his team. Even when he isn't physically playing, he is still making people around him better.
When you're a backup goalie, you may see action 20 times a season, so the other three quarters of the time you need to find another way to make your mark.
A solid backup goalie is an under-appreciated luxury in the NHL, especially one with a magnetic personality like Wedgewood.
It provides a lot of breathing room for the Avalanche if MacKenzie Blackwood goes down with an injury or just starts to struggle.
Even if Blackwood remains healthy you know you have a guy between the pipes who's going to give you a chance to win each and every game.
Previously on Avalanche Insider
| POLL | ||
AOUT 30 | 29 ANSWERS Avalanche goaltender poised to take on huge role next NHL season Will Scott Wedgewood record more than 15 wins next NHL season? | ||
| yes | 22 | 75.9 % |
| no | 7 | 24.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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