Garon a great pick up
Tuesday, January 15, 2008 | 05:06 PM ET
This was an interesting off-season for the Edmonton Oilers hockey club to say the least.
General manager Kevin Lowe was one of the busier and more controversial GMs in the NHL. While the signing of unrestricted free-agent Sheldon Souray and the offer sheets that were given to restricted free-agents Thomas Vanek and Dustin Penner grabbed all the headlines, one of the best signings that Lowe made went virtually unnoticed.
On July 3, the Oilers signed goaltender Mathieu Garon to a two-year contract, at a modest $1.1 million US a season. At the time, Lowe wanted an experienced backup to veteran Dwayne Roloson, and although the price tag was not dirt cheap, it was definitely a good deal. Fast forward to Jan. 14, 2008, and the signing of Garon may be looked upon as Lowe’s finest move, and might be the difference in the Oilers making the playoffs this year, and for years to come.
Reliable backup
Garon, who just turned 30, is one of the main reasons the Edmonton Oilers have turned their season around.
He came to Edmonton with the understanding that he would be Roloson’s backup, but he also new that head coach Craig MacTavish had confidence in his abilities and wanted him to push for his time between the pipes. Roloson has been a real top-quality, hard-working pro since arriving in Edmonton at the trade deadline in 2006 and gave Edmonton and their fans an incredible ride to the Stanley Cup finals. This season, when the team stumbled out of the gate, the opportunity presented itself for Garon to play, but it took awhile for him to grab it.
In just the second game of the season, Garon got his first start, and was solid with a 5-3 win on home ice. After back-to-back losses by Roloson, MacTavish called upon Garon once again, but this time he lasted just 23 minutes - after three goals on 11 shots he was pulled.
For Garon it would take some time to win back the confidence of his new coach. After a few weeks had passed and the Oilers were struggling to win games, Garon got his second chance. His third game of the year happened on the road against the defending Stanley Cup champs. The Oilers, playing in their second game in as many nights, were outshot 32-22, but Garon was spectacular and Edmonton beat the Ducks in a shootout. The head coach liked what he saw, and Garon would play in eight of the next 11 games.
Confidence blossomed
While the team still struggled to put wins together, Garon’s confidence was growing with each game, and so was MacTavish’s in his new goalie. The New Year brought with it new optimism in the Oilers dressing room. In the first two weeks of 2008, Edmonton has finally been able to get on a roll, and a lot of that has to do with the fine play of Garon.
For the week ending Jan. 13, Garon was selected the NHL’s second star of the week. He went 3-0-0 with a 1.01 goals-against average and .968 save percentage.
In 2008, Garon has led the Oilers to a 5-1 record (including Edmonton’s first four-game winning streak of the season), and given his team new life and a shot at the playoffs. During that span, his average was a nifty 1.95 and his save percentage an impressive .936.
As well as Garon has played in regulation, it has been his heroics in overtime and the shootout that has been remarkable. As a team, the Oilers are 12-4 in overtimes, and in the shootout, they are a league best 11-2. Garon’s record is an unbelievable 7-0 in shootouts. He has stopped an astounding 21 of 23 attempts, by far the best in the NHL by a goalie. He also is 1-for-1 in penalty shots, stopping Shane Doan of the Coyotes. In all he is 8-1 in overtimes, helping the Oilers to the best OT record in the NHL.
When this season started, Mathieu Garon was not a household name in the hockey hotbed called “Oil Country,” but I can guarantee you, to Oilers fans, he sure is now. If Edmonton is going to get back into the race and make the playoffs, they are going to need some great goaltending, and right now, it’s Garon who is giving it to them.
Kevin Lowe’s under-the-radar free-agent signing of a so-called backup goaltender may be the best pickup of the year. It’s another reminder that sometimes the high-priced, big-money deals during the free-agent frenzy of July are not always the best. At just over a million a season, Garon is giving Lowe and the Oilers the best “bang for their buck.”
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About the Author
Former NHL player, coach and broadcaster Craig Simpson brings over 18 years of expertise to his analyst role on CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada. Craig played 10 years in the NHL with Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Edmonton, capturing two Stanley Cups with the Oilers in 1988 and 1990. He continues to hold the distinction of being the last Oiler to score 50 goals in one season (56 goals in 1987-88).
Injuries cut his playing career short in 1995, but the native of London, Ont., didn’t stray far from the game. Simpson worked for eight seasons as a hockey commentator with TSN, FoxSportsNet and Rogers Sportsnet and was an assistant coach with the Oilers organization for the past four years (2003-07) before joining CBC.
Simpson lives in Edmonton with his wife and three children. Viewers can catch Craig on Saturday nights providing analysis and commentary during the second game on HNIC. His blog appears every Tuesday on CBCSports.ca.
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Comments
billy s
newdale
let me tell u a little something about "rolie". hes old as hell! Garon is raping the puck every chance he gets, he's way too sick to be on the bench. camon craig, smarten up already or you'll never get a chance of making playoffs. P.S horcoff and hemsky are where its at right now!
Posted January 18, 2008 10:50 PM
Jeremy
Edmonton
Roli played good for one playoff season, got a big contract, and has done nothing to show that he deserves it. The oil dont play good infront of him nor does he play good behind him. Within garon, the boys have more confidence, and that results in more wins.
Posted January 17, 2008 08:29 PM
Chris
Edmonton
A reply to the post "the coach is not giving dwayne a chance". Roloson best play was during the playoff run 2 years ago. He played the majority of this season and has not been consistant. MacTavish sees playoff hopes diminishing and he has 2 competent goalies in his stable. One of which is Garon who is hot at this time. How long would you leave Roloson to hold the fort when you have the hot hand in Garon? They need to make a move now. Rolie has had his chances.
Posted January 17, 2008 07:58 PM
Alokshree
Edmonton
Garon alone is not the only solution that coach should be focusing at this point in the season. Yea, he has played better than Roli but Roli should be given some games in between (at the least) so that he can prove himself back. The team as a whole has been forgettable if we exclude the 4 home game winning streak. Playoff would be a dream if something is not done quick here. Consistency is the key and the 5 game road trip is a chance to prove that!
Posted January 16, 2008 06:33 PM
Sandra
Hamilton
I watched Garon play MANY times when he was with the Hamilton Bulldogs (he's still one of my faves) and I can't say that any of this surprises me. Although he was young, there was just something about him that made you feel like confidence and seasoning was all Garon would need to show his potential.
Way to go, Mathieu!!!
Posted January 16, 2008 05:37 PM
Len
Kingston
Wow, a CBC Hockey Night in Toronto commentator who is NOT fixated on the 3rd worst team in the NHL!!!
Posted January 16, 2008 02:16 PM
dan
ottawa
garon maybe good but the coach is not giving dwayne a chance.he thinks that garon is the best ,craig just remember how roloson played.
Posted January 16, 2008 03:07 AM