Posts tagged team canada

It’s hard to imagine what was going through Jack Campbell’s mind when he found out that Mike Lee would be starting against Team Canada in the Finals of the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championships.

Maybe there was a tinge of anger, knowing that his one chance at revenge against Team Canada had slipped away. Maybe it was a pinch of frustration, knowing that the time spent developing his game in Team USA’s Junior Development Program was almost rendered irrelevant.

For I wondered myself, what’s the point of honing a young goaltender in the USJDP if he’s not called upon to lead his country in the biggest game of the last decade?

Regardless of his youth (second-youngest player on the team) and his recent loss to Canada just a few days before, there’s a high level of commitment that comes from playing in the USJDP, and it would only be natural to feel a little jaded at the fact the head coach didn’t reflect that same type of commitment.

But alas, Campbell ultimately got his chance at redemption and revenge. Isn’t it funny how things always seem to work out that way? Whenever there’s a story deep beneath the surface of a big hockey game at any level, rarely is it silenced to the point it is forgotten.

Campbell’s second chance came to fruition when Lee made a routine butterfly save, but was unable to control the rebound as the puck popped straight up in the air, then back down behind him and in the goal. At the time, Team USA had plenty of momentum with a 3-2 lead, but that goal not only tied the game, it infused more energy and momentum into Canada’s game.

That’s when Campbell got the somewhat-surprising nod from his head coach and relieved Lee, who ended his night with three goals against on just seven shots. Campbell had no real warmup, no time to prepare. He had one thing on the mind – just go in there and stop the puck and help Team USA win this championship game.

When Campbell entered the game, the scoring chances against him were fast and furious. In a position where thinking can actually do damage, Campbell thrived by simply reacting. He moved and executed beautifully chance after chance, making energetic saves and tracking the puck with extremely quick and agile footwork. His energy level visibly rubbed off on his teammates, as they also thrived in the 3-3 tie, long enough for them to scorch Jake Allen two more times.

When Team Canada realized only minutes remained in what would have been considered the biggest WJC upset ever, they once again deleted a third Team USA lead, thanks to a pair of goals by Jordan Eberle in the final three minutes of the third period. It was impressive, but not necessarily surprising, as Canada rarely loses a game like this on home ice.

And after Jack was seen laying on his back with his gloves in his face, partially exhausted and partially blown away at the fact Canada had tied the game, you just knew what he was thinking as he got up and pressed the reset button for the final seconds of regulation:

“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”

If you want to talk about poise, character, faith and unhindered execution, you need to look no further than Campbell’s performance in the third period and in overtime of that instant-classic championship game.

In fact, it was almost comical how the thousands of Canadian faithful fans were chanting his name when he first entered the game during the second period. All goalies will agree with me on this, but chanting a goalie’s name who hasn’t allowed a goal against, and is playing in relief of the starter, is only going to be fueled to focus more and play better when he hears his name. 

So we’re not surprised to see that’s exactly what happened – he continued to gain confidence as the game went on. And when John Carlson opened up an extra passing lane and froze Martin Jones with a lethal, low wrist shot at 4:21 of overtime, everything that Campbell had worked so hard to achieve in the USJDP became a reality.

He was a World Champion in a manner nobody expected, but everyone would admire and will remember for years to come. Especially the scouts.

Campbell, who works closely with head coaches Stan Matwijiw and Joe Messina at Bandits Goalie School, will now be the benefactor of an even higher ranking for this summer’s 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Already slated to be taken in the first round, there’s a very good chance he will be snagged even sooner than before.

If you’re a frequent visitor to The Goalie Guild, you know we have a great relationship with Bandits, as they provide quality advice and drills for our readers on a weekly basis. Although their content is outstanding and acts as perfect learning materials for today’s successful and future pro goaltender, Campbell’s performance in the World Juniors is a real-life reflection of their goals, missions and flat-out coaching ability.

When I go back and watch some of their videos of Jack’s training, including the one below from just over a year ago, during the Bandits’ 2008 Christmas Goalie Clinic, it’s hard to put it into perspective of all the other quality goalie prospects in the world.

But as you can see, Campbell’s great skills and work ethic stems from his ability to practice at an extremely high level. His dedication to keeping his game honed and constantly improving week-by-week, day-by-day, is a testament to his ability to stop the puck.

And with one gigantic relief effort in the biggest game of his life, the perspective is easier to understand. Jack is nimble, Jack is quick, Jack is going to be one heck of a NHL draft pick.

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Some solid notes about Campbell’s performance in the World Junior Finals

- Did you see him use the hop-step move to make a brilliant lateral save on a one-timer? The puck went right off his mask. Click here to learn more about the hop-step, which is a technique taught by Bandits  coaches.

- Check out some great Q+A’s with Campbell and his goalie coach, Joe Messina right here.

- All photos are courtesy of Bandit’s Goaltending and re-produced with permission.