Years ago, I spoke to Kuemper about his career renaissance after he’d moved on to Arizona and he said the exact same thing about his first, albeit brief, time with the Kings – that it allowed him to enjoy the game again. It doesn’t always happen and especially not for goaltenders.
“It’s really important. You’ve got to love what you do and we have a very difficult job trying to keep pucks out of the net in the NHL,” Buckley said. “In order to do that on a day-to-day basis you don’t look at it as a grind. You look at it as a challenge at times, but a fun challenge, and something that you know is making you stronger as a man and as a teammate and taking that attitude goes a long, long way.”
Buckley is proud of Kuemper's recognition and also proud that the team around him helped him perform at a level that created the Vezina recognition.
“I think it’s great for the team, I think it’s great for Darcy. Especially in today’s league it goes hand in hand, you’re not going to have great goaltending without great defense and vice versa," Buckley added. "It’s just what it is. The league is so skilled and so good that you have to defend and I think it speaks volumes to the team and to Darcy’s hard work, and he’s been there when we’ve needed him and the team’s been there a lot for him as well so it works both ways very happy for everybody.”
In speaking with two former netminders and national NHL analysts Kevin Weekes and Brian Boucher prior to the season, they gave their thoughts on Kuemper’s fit with the Kings.
Weekes thought LA would be a good place for a Kuemper career reboot and Boucher had gone through a similar experience in his career returning to a former team, the Philadelphia Flyers, and finding great success there and thought the same was possible for Kuemper.
Now, with Kuemper joining defending Vezina Trophy winner Hellebuyck and former Vezina Trophy winner Vasilevskiy on the Vezina ballot, both analysts have high praise for the work Kuemper has put in.
Weekes - Big year for Darcy. He’s a big, patient goalie. He’s not necessarily a dynamic, Jonathan Quick-type goalie, he plays a different style. All in all, a huge year for a very good guy, big bounce back year for him.
Boucher - I just think it’s a comfortable situation. I think they value him and make him feel valued and I think that goes a long way. I see a guy, he looks bigger in the net right now, he looks in command. He’s aggressive when he can be and he’s back when he has to be or when there’s other options. I don’t know that I saw that in Washington.
It also doesn’t surprise Boucher that Kuemper and Buckley have formed a strong dynamic.
“Goalies tend to share things with their goalie coaches that they don’t share with other people,” Boucher said. "That comfort can sometimes mean a goalie is able to give an extra two, three, four, five percent. I know I felt that way in certain cases with certain goalie coaches."
In some ways the announcement of the Vezina ballot comes at a perfect time, the morning after a gut-wrenching 4-3 overtime loss to the Oilers that evened the Kings’ first-round series at two games apiece.
Although Kuemper’s statistics aren’t as gaudy as his regular season numbers, he was outstanding in Game 4 and was the biggest reason that the Kings made it deep into the first overtime period in Game 4 before Leon Draisaitl scored on a power play to end the contest, with Kuemper largely blameless on the play.
Whether he’s been the best goaltender in this series is of little importance to Kuemper. Just like Vezina ballot must also be kept in perspective given the circumstances.
“Yeah, I don't know, I haven't really thought about it in that sense,” Kuemper said. “I think from my standpoint, I just want to be better and better each game and build as the series goes along, just try to be tough to beat every night and make them earn their goals and do my job to give us a chance to win.”
As he's done for this club all season long.
