The play of Steve Mason

After being drafted in the third round, 69th overall of the 2006 NHL entry draft, people were questioning whether Mason has the talent and skill to be a starter in the NHL. In order to start for an NHL franchise, a goalie was must have quick reflexes, know each team’s strenghs and weaknesses with the puck and be able to shutout a team offensively. Steve Mason has proved that he is capable of doing all of this plus a lot more. Not only has he shown that he is quite capable of being a starting goalie in the NHL, he has shown that is capable of being a “shutout man.”

When fans think of the performance put on by Steve Mason to this point in the season some past goalkeepers come to mind such as Dominic Hasek, Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur, Terry Shawchuk, and the list goes on. In terms of statistics, before being put on the injured reserve, he had a record of 20-12-2, with a .924 save percentage, 2.09 GAA and 7 shutouts. What more do you want from a rookie goalie? after all, he does play for the Columbus Blue Jackets a team that has been in rebuild mode for the past while.

If the Jackets goalie can continue to put up the numbers that he had before going on the in injured reserve he will without a doubt be one of the few goaltenders in the history of the NHL to win both the Calder trophy for top rookie, Vezina trophy for top goaltender. Not only does he have a good chance of winning two awards, he also has a chance of being the first player in the history of the NHL to win the Calder trophy, Vezina trophy and the William M. Jennings trophy for the goalkeeper with a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals scored against it.

When I first heard about what Steve Mason had done in the NHL, the first thing that came to mind was how many years has he been playing in the NHL for? It was not until I heard his name multiple time on sports shows that I realized that he was only a rookie. Keep up the good work, Mason!

Author Bio

I am a big Sports fan, have grown up following the Leafs and am currently 17 years old and still a die hard Leafs fan.

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