FEATURE: Levi's Coliseum

PHILADELPHIA, PA – What we do in the crease… echoes in eternity.

What a special night it was for Devon Levi, who not only earned his first-career shutout with 19 saves in Saturday’s 1-0 win over the Maple Leafs, but also received a shoutout from the inspiration behind his meditative ritual that’s gained notoriety around the League from his hot start with the Edmonton Oilers.

After backstopping the Oilers to his first career shutout, the Oilers netminder spoke with Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas after the game about his big night in the crease – but also the story behind why he takes off his blocker every TV timeout to touch the ice, which is part of a meditative approach to centring himself in the moment to help him stay focused and fight off some of the nerves that come with being an NHL goalie.

The routine is new this year, something he added to his repertoire that's based on one of his favourite movies, ‘Gladiator’ from when he was younger, inspired by a scene where Russell Crowe’s character Maximus Decimus Meridius had a similar way of getting himself ready for battle by rubbing the sands of the battlefield in his hands.

“Just a little ritual to connect with the ice,” Levi said. “Just something I started doing at the beginning of the year, and I enjoy it. It kind of locks me in, I like the feeling of the cold.”

“If I’m being honest, there’s a scene in Gladiator where he picks up the sand and plays with it. I’ve always liked that. I’ve always connected with it. I don’t know if that’s why I did it, but that was a cool scene that I definitely thought of.”

Only hours later, the actor himself took to social media after seeing the clip, saying “Strength and Honour young man,” which is a direct quote from Crowe’s character in Ridley Scott’s 2000 film that inspired Levi’s routine.

Levi lived out a childhood dream of his by earning his first career NHL shutout against the Maple Leafs, and doing so with a handful of exceptional saves – none bigger than the one he made with only seconds left against Auston Matthews on a wide-open look from the slot that could’ve pushed the game to overtime if he wasn’t ready for it.

Inside Scotiabank Arena in front of a capacity crowd of 19,000-plus fans, Levi was the one asking: “Are you not entertained?!” before his teammates mobbed him in celebration of the victory and their netminder’s stellar performance.

Levi has a 9-1-0 record this season with a 2.48 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. When you exclude his Oilers debut, where he allowed seven goals on 22 shots in a 9-7 victory over the Canucks, his save percentage sits at a terrific .926.

Thanks to his routine, there doesn’t seem to be a moment he won’t be ready for; seemingly ready for battle to defend his teammates at any moment, which is fitting with the ‘Gladiator’ comparisons being made after his routine proved its worth on that key, decisive save against Matthews late in the game.

“I saw Matthews in the slot with the puck. I was like, ‘Bring it on’,” he said. “You gotta love it. As a goalie, I want an opportunity to make a big save at a key moment. That's why I'm there. I invite it.  Obviously, I'd like to win the game, but when I'm called upon, I want to be ready for the boys to make sure that I'm there when they need me.”

When he was beaten a minute into the third period by John Tavares' high stick, leading to a lengthy video review that overturned the call, it ultimately didn't matter; Levi had to fall back on his routine to stay focused and centred when play resumed.

"I didn't really care what the ref came back with, if it was a goal or no goal, just to keep my mind on the next play," Levi said. "So it was honestly nice to have a little bit of time there to just refocus, recenter, and be ready for the rest of the period."

The teammates who battle beside Levi every night have seen his work pay off since he first arrived in Edmonton for informal skates at the end of August, and they feel lucky to have such a focused puck stopper behind them.

"He's a hell of a goalie," Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said. "We saw that the second he came to camp, when we tried to shoot, but we couldn't beat him. He reads everything so well, but just his competitiveness is fun to watch. He wants to be in these tight games, and he wants to give us a chance every night. I think we kind of saw it from day one, but for him to have that talent and also that competitiveness is impressive."

For Head Coach Mike Babcock, seeing a goalie who embraces those challenging moments in games is the sign of a confident one who’s able to thrive in the big moments, and Levi has seen some exceptional growth in the starter’s role for the Oilers at this early point in his career, which bodes well for both the netminder and the team.

“I've had some good goalies, and they're confident,” Babcock said. “They feel great about themselves, and they have swagger, and it oozes. The situation never seems to be too big for them, and they enjoy those moments, and I think that's what you want as an athlete. Under the most heat, you want to enjoy it the most, and he seems to have a lot of joy when he's playing.”

“Being a goaltender in the league is a difficult position, and then getting your confidence and getting a shutout is all part of that. He's been good for us, as you know, and he's a good man, so we're happy to celebrate that with him.”