NEWARK, N.J. -- If it weren't for perspective, Andrew Hammond might be a busted goalie right now for the Ottawa Senators.
"I think the best thing I've ever heard is when you're in the spotlight and you start looking at it, the light gets too bright and you can't even see anymore," Hammond said. "But when things aren't going well, it feels like you're under a shadow and eventually the shadow will cover you up. Whether that's good or bad, you have to keep going and stay on an even keel."
Hammond's ability to stay on an even keel was tested late last season, when he turned into the model for all the unheralded goalies out there who just want a team to give them a chance.
He didn't get his first start of the season until Feb. 18 and yet he still won 20 games in 24 appearances (20-1-2), with a 1.79 goals-against average and .941 save percentage. The Senators rallied from a 14-point deficit to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Hammond was the first star of the month in March and a finalist for the Masterton Trophy. He was "The Hamburglar," a cult sensation. He eventually signed a three-year contract extension.
It seems like forever ago.
Present-day Hammond is just another backup goalie trying to scrape together good performances in the odd starts he does get. He's 3-4-2 with a .912 save percentage and 2.75 GAA in 10 appearances this season.
"It's the National Hockey League, you're not coming in as belle of the ball and staying as belle of the ball," Senators coach Dave Cameron said. "Nobody does that. This league is about ups and downs, establishing your game and growing your game. With that, [Hammond] is fine."
Hammond will tell you the same thing. He is fine, but only because he insists he never let himself get overwhelmed by the attention he received last season.
Hammond, a laid-back 27-year-old from Surrey, British Columbia. says his personality helped him when everyone wanted a piece of him last year. It also helps him now, during a season in which he's dealt with two injuries (groin and concussion) and hasn't started since allowing seven goals to the Washington Capitals on Feb. 10.
He could get the start against the New York Islanders on Friday.
"I never felt the spotlight was too big or anything like that [last season]," Hammond said. "More or less, I was able to use my focus and apply it to what I call the process, which is basically your daily approach to practice and how you're taking care of yourself, things like that. When you're using all your free time to consume yourself in that, you don't have much time to read news articles or let things get too big."
Hammond said he feels his process has been exactly the same this season, minus the groin injury that held him out at the start of the season and the concussion that forced him out of 15 straight games, from Nov. 14-Dec. 14.
"Obviously, the results have been different so far, but that's hockey," Hammond said. "You're not going to win every game. For the better part of the season I feel like I've had mostly good games and the results haven't been there. But I'm happy with the process."
He's also content to play the supportive role to No. 1 goalie Craig Anderson, essentially paying back Anderson for doing the same for him late last season.
"There are different roles on every team and obviously Craig was the No. 1 support for me last year during the end of the season," Hammond said. "This year, it's been no different, but we've more or less switched roles. It's a team game, not an individual game. That's my role right now and I'm definitely willing to play that role as well as I can."
It's possible that Hammond becomes the belle of the ball again at some point this season. If he does, it'll be because his perspective has kept him from breaking.
"I don't feel too much differently than I did last year, except I have some more experience," Hammond said. "That helps."
Follow Dan Rosen on Twitter at: @drosennhl