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It was a much more confident Markkanen in Game 3.
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The Markkanen of a pro
By Phil Coffey | NHL.com
June 12, 2006
EDMONTON -- The 2005-06 season wasn't easy for Edmonton Oilers goaltenders Jussi Markkanen and Ty Conklin. For the better part of the regular season, the pair were found wanting and things only stabilized when Dwayne Roloson was acquired from the Minnesota Wild in early March.
Once Roloson adjusted to his new team, the Oilers improved greatly, made the Stanley Cup Playoffs and as the eighth-seeded team in the Western Conference started ousting higher seeds like the Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim to reach the Stanley Cup Final.
By now, you know where this is going. Roloson is injured in the final minutes of Game 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes and the rusty Conklin suffers a miscommunication with defenseman Jason Smith at a critical time, leading to Rod Brind'Amour's game-winning goal.
So, Oilers coach Craig MacTavish turns to Markkanen in Game 2 and he comes up on the short end of a 5-0 loss. He deserved a better fate to be sure, but the questions were out there, namely, could Markkanen save the Oilers?
With Game 3 as an indication, the answer is yes. Markkanen was very sharp in Saturday's 2-1 win and realizes he has to retain that edge over the remainder of the series.
Quite frankly, if Markkanen wasn't such a professional, if he had held any kind of a grudge for being passed over, the Oilers would be done.
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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: June 12, 8:00 p.m. ET
at Edmonton (NBC, CBC, RDS) |
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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"Obviously we have had some good times and tough times in the past," said Markkanen, who was 15-12-0 during the regular season in 37 appearances with a 3.13 goals-against average and .880 save percentage. "But at the same time, we were in the playoff hunt all year long and pretty much more in the fifth to eighth spot than looking outside in. Of course there was a lot of talk about goaltending and obviously when you have a really good team around and maybe expectations are even higher than fifth to eighth spot. Obviously you look at the stats and maybe our goaltending stats wasn't quite there.
"But I mean, it's a little bit different team right now too, like I just heard Ryan talk about the new guys we get at the deadline and obviously a new goaltender too," he continued. "But we are playing really good hockey right now, so it's easier for a goaltender to be behind a good defensive hockey team. But about a second chance for me, I don't know about second chance, but it's like kind of a new start when you are on the bench or press box for quite a long time. So you just try to enjoy the moment. And like everybody has said, it doesn't -- Stanley Cup Final doesn't come -- well, there's a lot of people who never played in the Stanley Cup Final, so you have got to really enjoy the opportunity we have here."
Markkanen's teammates obviously hold him in high regard.
"We're obviously extremely happy for him personally," Ethan Moreau said. "It's been a trying year for both of our goalies, Conks and Markkanen. They are great people, great teammates, and it's been quite a ride for those guys. It's pretty good lesson in sports; you never know what is going to happen.
"But he played great (Saturday) night. He's a good goalie. He's been in the League for a while. He's a mature guy, older guy. We have a lot of confidence in him. We're in a good position now. He has to get hot for three games and that's it."
"I think both goalies throughout the course of the year were criticized a great deal," defenseman Chris Pronger said of Markkanen. "He had to go through a lot of adversity. It's never easy. Once Roli was acquired, they didn't stop working hard, they almost ramped it up, and wanted to stay sharp. And Jussi hasn't played in probably three, four months, a lot of times it's difficult, but it's a credit to him and the way he's handled himself and executed in practice and trying to stay sharp and really continue to allow guys to have that confidence in him. We see the way they work hard in practice and see the way they prepare even though they are not playing. That's why he's able to play as well as he has in the playoffs in the last couple of games is because of the way he's worked hard in practice with Pete (goalie coach Pete Peeters) and in getting out before practice and working on little things and trying to continue to get better."
Perhaps the biggest contribution of all for both Markkanen and Conklin was they didn't sulk or disrupt the fabric of the team.
"Well, there aren't a lot of things that can poison a room quicker than an irritated goaltender and a guy with a bad attitude in the room," coach Craig MacTavish said. "Especially our room, we're a team more so, I think, than any other team that really thrives on energy and good positive atmosphere and it would have been easy for he or Ty, maybe not easy, but you know, a lot of goalies would bring a poor attitude and not a workmanlike attitude to the rink and he never did any of that. And he really has the respect of the players because of that mental toughness.
"Attitude is a choice and he made the choice that he was going to have a good, positive attitude regardless of what the situation was," MacTavish said. "As a coach you can say, hey, just control the things you can control. You can't control whether I am going to put you in or who I am going to play, you just control how hard you work. It's easy to say that as a coach and it's easy advice to give, but much tougher advice to accept and adopt. And he's done that. And the other thing is, I think, you get in a situation mentally where you just go, you know, I have put up with this all year long now I have got an opportunity to play, whatever happens, happens, I am just going to go out and just play the game, I am not going to get bothered by the pressure, what else could go wrong?
"He had a disappointing year, certainly the last half, and he wasn't afforded an opportunity to get his game back the last half, so I am sure he's going; 'I am just going to go play.' I am sure that's the best attitude and that's held him in good stead the first couple of games. As I have said, before the first minute I told him he was playing and he was calm, confident, and that was good to see."
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