Confident Mason up for playoff challenge

Blue Jackets goalie credits junior coach for keeping him in game

Last Updated: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 | 3:43 PM ET

By Doug Harrison, CBC Sports

Blue Jackets goalie Steve Mason has won three of five games against Dan Cleary and the Red Wings this season. (Carlos Osorio/Associated Press)

Jay Bouwmeester, Marian Hossa and Mike Komisarek will top many, if not all, lists of potential unrestricted NHL free agents expected to hit the open market July 1.

The relatively unknown Dave Rook, on the other hand, probably isn't on the minds of any NHL fans but he should be, especially those who call Columbus home.

Rook is a friend, part-time goalie coach and mentor to Blue Jackets rookie sensation Steve Mason, who is largely responsible for Columbus advancing to the Stanley Cup playoffs this season for the first time in the team's nine-year history.

Rook is also in the final year of a three-year contract with the St. Louis Blues as a goalie consultant, working primarily with their American Hockey League affiliate in Peoria, Ill., and the parent club's prospects at the junior level.

In the fall of 2005, he began a working relationship with Mason, who endured a tough rookie campaign with the Ontario Hockey League's London Knights and played just 12 of 68 games.

"Those were some days that I never want to have to go through again," Mason told CBCSports.ca prior to the Blue Jackets' opening-round series against Detroit. "There were days when I contemplated giving up hockey and focusing on other things in life, but Dave Rook was huge in making sure I stuck with it … and obviously now I have no regrets."

Together with Mason's parents Bill and Donna of Oakville, Ont., Rook convinced the young goalie to forge ahead after he allowed five goals and got the hook in the Knights' 2005-06 home opener, the same night the team raised a banner marking its first-ever Memorial Cup title the previous spring.

Mason played another 20 minutes before sitting the following 45 games, finishing with a 2.66 goals-against average and .931 save percentage.

'You have to believe in yourself'

"I just needed to have the belief that I could carry the team at a high level and do it for a whole season," said Mason, the front-runner for NHL top rookie honours. "The OHL is a 68-game season and that's a lot of games and pressure to take on [coming out of triple-A] but you have to believe in yourself that you can do it."

Under Rook's guidance, Mason found his game and had renewed confidence entering the 2006-07 campaign, which saw the six-foot-four, 212-pound netminder post 45 wins and capture OHL goalie of the year honours in 2007.

"Deep down, he had that belief he was capable of playing [regularly in the OHL]. He was confident enough in his ability," said Rook, who keeps in regular contact with Mason and records his games. "He had a lot of practice time and it was about focusing on attention to detail and repetition.

Mason won 45 games for the London Knights in the 2006-07 campaign and was named OHL goalie of the year. (Dave Chidley/Canadian Press)

"The combination of the intangibles he had with the amount of practice time fell into place and made him a solid prospect."

Columbus' third-round pick (69th overall) in 2006, Mason played one more season — split between London and the Kitchener Rangers — before his NHL debut was delayed last September following knee surgery.

Mason burst on the NHL scene last Nov. 5, winning his debut with a 22-save performance against Edmonton. Over the next three nights he picked up his second and third victories.

With his continued strong play, Mason eventually wrested away the starting job from Pascal Leclaire and thrived under head coach Ken Hitchcock, fighting through mononucleosis at midseason and going 33-20-7 in 61 appearances. He led all goalies in shutouts (10) and was second in GAA (2.29).

"What I find with Mason is he can come in [the dressing room after a game] and 40 minutes later, he's able to analyze everything. For a young guy, I find that really refreshing," Hitchcock, who won a Stanley Cup in 1999 with Dallas, told CBCSports.ca on a pre-playoff conference call.

Keeping team in games

"He doesn't fall in love with himself if he's had a shutout, and he's not discouraged by a couple or three goals going in. He just bounces back and is very even-keeled."

'There were days when I contemplated giving up hockey and focusing on other things.'—Steve Mason on his struggles in junior hockey

Of Mason's 20 losses, 17 were by one or two goals, so he was consistent in giving his team a chance to win every night.

"The thing that has helped us come back in games is when we're down a goal, he's kept it at a goal," said Hitchcock. "It's allowed us to come back and get points. I think that's something he doesn't get enough credit for … and is a feather in his cap."

Rook believes Mason's seamless transition to the NHL — he played just three AHL games during his injury rehabilitation — was aided playing for Hitchcock, who is similar to London bench boss Dale Hunter in his demands of players.

"I like playing for Hitch," Mason said. "He's treated me with a ton of respect and obviously given me a lot of responsibility and I thank him for the opportunity I was given. We don't want to let him down in the playoffs."

The post-season challenges for Mason and company begin in Round 1 with a matchup against the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings, who went 3-2-1 against Columbus this season.

Mason went 3-2 in five games versus the Wings this season and sported a 2.58 GAA and .930 save percentage.

"I think we're going to be up for the challenge," he said. "Whether we prevail or not, I feel our team would be better [for the experience]. I think we're confident in what we can do. The playoffs are a new season and anything can happen."