RALEIGH -- They also serve who only stand and wait -- John Milton
Milton's not Nostradamus, he didn't see this coming, but consider the unique and unpleasant situation of Ty Conklin, backup goaltender of the Edmonton Oilers. A skilled veteran, Conklin, fates forbid, could face a situation in which he twice replaces injured goalies in a Stanley Cup Final.
Conklin replaced starting goalie Dwayne Roloson with 5:54 remaining in a tied Game 1 Monday in Raleigh. A puck-handling error between Conklin and defenseman Jason Smith, the Oilers' captain, led to Rod Brind'Amour's winning goal with 32 seconds left. Oilers coach Craig MacTavish selected Jussi Markkanen for Game 2. Edmonton lost, 5-0, but Markkanen remains in net.
MacTavish has made it clear that he would stick with one goalie for the remainder of the series, not because Conklin isn't good and not in punishment for the error, but because the coach believes the goalie needs the confidence of his coach and teammates. Edmonton used four goalies this season and even switched goalies in a couple games when they went to shootouts. MacTavish believes that kept the goalies from gaining the confidence they need. In other words, it seems he learned a lesson.
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Schedule / Links:
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| Gm. 1: CAR 5, EDM 4 | Photos |
| Gm. 2: CAR 5, EDM 0 | Photos |
| Gm. 3: EDM 2, CAR 1 | Photos |
| Gm. 4: CAR 2, EDM 1 | Photos |
Gm. 5: June 14, 8:00 p.m. ET
at Carolina (NBC, CBC, RDS) |
*Gm. 6: June 17, 8:00 p.m. ET
at Edmonton (NBC, CBC, RDS) |
*Gm. 7: June 19, 8:00 p.m. ET
at Carolina (NBC, CBC, RDS) |
| *if necessary |
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"(Markkanen and Conklin) have both been at similar levels, the last little while, so it's a closer decision and one that you hope you make the right decision," MacTavish said last Wednesday. "But I will say that the starter tonight will have my utmost confidence and I have no plans to use anybody other than the guy we use tonight. So if we get into a situation where he plays well, great. If he doesn't, he's going to continue to play. We got to play him sharp, and I can't be in a situation that I was in during the course of the year where you are going back between 1 and 1-A, and never give them the opportunity to get confident in the net.
"If he struggles, he will continue to play. If he plays well, he will continue to play."
Quite likely not the words Conklin wanted to hear, but as a professional he understood his responsibility to his teammates, coach, organization and self: Stay positive, stay prepared and be supportive. He's been all that, meeting the media daily and saying all the right things in his soft-spoken, engaging way.
"I'm just trying to stay as ready as I can if I'm needed," he said. "Decisions are out of my control."
He was asked his thoughts as he skated past Roloson toward the net.
"I realized if he's coming off the ice, that it's probably something serious," Conklin said. "It happens like that: One minute you're watching and enjoying the game and the next minute your heart is racing 200 beats a second. There's not a lot of time getting acclimated. When a goalie gets pulled, you have a perception it might happen, especially when you know your coach's trigger point. The other night, that happened all of a sudden."
If this were baseball, the replacement pitcher would get 10 warmup throws, but in hockey it's "get in there, we're ready to drop the puck."
"Hockey's not like that," Conklin said. "It's 20 seconds to stretch and away we go."
Conklin is part of the new wave of Alaskans who have entered the NHL in the past decade that also includes New Jersey Devils center Scott Gomez and San Jose Sharks defenseman Matt Carle. He was a high-school goalie in Eagle River, a suburb of Anchorage, and he attended some clinics in Minnesota. He was recruited to attend Shattuck St. Mary's in Faribault, Minnesota, where he played with Los Angeles Kings defenseman Joe Corvo. His coach was former NHL defenseman Craig Norwich. Those were the early days of Shattuck St. Mary's' prominence. The school would later attract players like Ryan Malone, Noah Clarke, Zach Parise and Sidney Crosby, as well as coaches Mike Eaves and Andy Murray.
"I was ready to leave Alaska and I wasn't ready for the USHL juniors. Shattuck St. Mary's was known for a great education before it was a big-time hockey school," Conklin said. "Now. they recruit hockey players on a name basis. Back then, it was mostly Minnesota players and kids from the West. The Eastern kids had too many prep-school opportunities to come West."
Conklin played the next season with the USHL Green Bay Gamblers, then returned home to attend the University of Alaska-Anchorage, where he was a "walk-on" goalie candidate, that is, no scholarship or invitation. He left the school in November and returned for another season in Green Bay.
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Ty Conklin is trying to stay in a positive frame of mind after his puck-handling miscue allowed Carolina's Rod Brind'Amour to score the Game 1 game-winner.
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If people think Conklin feels trashed by his current situation, they don't understand his history. After leaving UA-A and meeting NCAA requirements to sit out a year, Conklin attended the University of New Hampshire, Under the direction of coach Dick Umile and teaming with Jason Krog, Mike Souza and Darren Haydar, Conklin led UNH to the NCAA championship, which they lost in overtime to Shawn Walsh's University of Maine Black Bears. Conklin helped the Wildcats win their first Hockey East championship and had a standout game in their semifinal upset victory over Michigan State, a team that included Oilers center Shawn Horcoff and Hurricanes defenseman Andrew Hutchinson, as well as Mike York, Adam Hall and Mike Weaver.
"I love Dick Umile, he really helped me and I still keep in touch," Conklin said. "He's a good man and a great coach. We had a really solid team, not so much big names, but guys who played well and for each other. We got knocked out in the first round of the NCAAs the next year and didn't make it my senior year.
"UNH made it back to the NCAA championship in 2003, losing to Minnesota. I was playing in Hamilton and the Frozen Four was in Buffalo, so I went down to the game. I loved playing in Hockey East. It was very competitive between UNH, Maine, Boston University and Boston College. My Oilers teammate, Fernando Pisani, was at Providence College. They weren't strong in my years, but Pisani was definitely their best player. I think Hockey East was the dominant college league in those years but the WCHA is the best now."
Conklin became the starter in Edmonton in 2003-04, then played a bit in Germany during the lockout. A reporter commented on Saturday's busy day in sports with the World Cup (soccer) starting this weekend and the Belmont Stakes and Game 3 of the Stanley Cup. Conklin said he's a soccer fan.
"The World Cup is a worldwide attraction, but it's weird how it doesn't translate in North America," he said. "I was in Germany for the national championship and they go nuts. They love it. I like to sit down and watch, but I'm not going to eat and breathe it for the next month."
Conklin was troubled by groin problems coming out of training camp last fall and didn't have the season he and the Oilers wanted. He was sent to the minors three times and waived once. The team has an option for next year and Conklin wants a chance to show they can rely on him. He also wants to stay with guys that he really likes as teammates.
"I enjoy it here. This is a great team to be with," he said. "I've been treated well."
Adding further proof that everyone in hockey seems to be connected to almost everyone else through past teams and competitions, Conklin was Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette's go-to guy when they won a bronze medal at the 2004 World Championship in Prague. He was one of the goalies on the United States' team in the World Cup of Hockey 2005, when Laviolette was one of Ron Wilson's assistant coaches and one of the Team USA goalies this February at the Winter Olympics. Laviolette was the head coach and Hurricanes center Matt Cullen was on that team.
Laviolette was asked about that this week. In another setting, he'd be expansive, but they're on opposite sides now.
"He played really well in the World Championships. He won a medal for the U.S. and played great," Laviolette said.
"I had a really good time in the Czech Republic," Conklin said. "A lot of things went right and we were a team that was not expected to do as well as we did. A lot of that can be attributed to Peter. It's tough to bring a team together that quickly. He was serious but he made it fun. Our guys jelled really quickly."
