It’s been a long road to the NHL for Leland Irving. It certainly hasn’t been an easy one.
He was born a competitor. Diagnosed at the tender age of eight with a rare form of cancer, he battled through 13 months of intensive chemotherapy and won. He carried that competitive nature onto the ice. Standing now at just 6’0″, and just 177 lbs, he’s never been the biggest goaltender filling the net, but its never held him back.
Imagine the thrill when he was drafted by his home province Calgary Flames, in the first round no less, at the 2006 NHL entry draft. That was five and half years ago. The meantime has been full of highs and lows. Quickly rising through the ranks to become considered one of Canada’s best young goaltending prospects. Then a slide. Losing his starting job down on the farm, eventually regulated down to the ECHL for a short stint, where he continued to struggle.
But he kept battling. Making his way back to the Abbosttsford Heat he regained his game and took back his crease. And with some confidence under his belt he’s put up solid numbers this season, leading the Heat near the top of the AHL standings. So when Flames backup Henrick Karlssen went down with an injury a couple of weeks ago it was well deserved that Leland Irving would get the call to join the Calgary Flames.
Friday night, at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise Florida, Leland Irving made his long awaited NHL debut. And he deserved better on this night, offering a solid first-outing that would fall just short, as the Panthers would tie it late and then persevere in the shootout.
On The Line
With Calgary dropping the first two on a four-game road swing and Florida losers of three straight, both teams come in looking to right the ship.
The Flow
Irving probably hoped for a smoother start in his NHL debut. He scrambled in and out of his crease, making a couple of agile saves, but just 7 minutes in he followed a puck well outside the blue paint and Sean Bergenheim was the beneficiary of an empty net to shovel in the rebound. Welcome to the Bigs kid. But he settled down nicely after that, and Calgary was quick to even the score. Olli Jokinen finished off a bouncing puck by floating it over the pad of Theodore and into the opposite top corner. All square heading into the 2nd.
The second period was a see-saw affair, both teams trading extended 5-on-3 powerplays but neither teams generating much with the advantage. Irving would settle down nicely, making some solid saves; the flashiest being a swinging pad save to deny Bergenheim of his second after the original shot struck the butt-end of his stick and blew it into the corner. Unconventional save for sure… but they all count.
Flames would capitalize on an early powerplay. Rene Bourque taking a pass down at the side of the net and sliding it through the pegs of Theodore. Then it became the Leland Irving show. The Panthers pressed hard but the rookie had the answer, looking more collected after every save. But with five minutes to go a late flurry led to Bergenheim grabbing a rebound and whipping it around the outstretched skate of Irving. And for the second straight night in Florida the Flames headed into overtime.
An Iginla instigated melee turned the final couple of minutes of OT into pond hockey, as they finished the extra frame three a side. Entertaining stuff. Then the shootout. Tanguay began by undressing Theodore out of his jockstrap to give the Flames the edge. But with a chance to secure the win Irving would be beaten. And next round Stephen Weiss would finish the job with patented Olli Jokinen through the five-hole. A tough loss for Irving to start his career, he really deserved better. But something tells me we’ll see plenty of wins from Irving in a Flames jersey in the years to come.
Three Stars
- Leland Irving: Superb debut. Shook off a shaky start to make 39 saves. Unfortunate to lose in the shootout but couldn’t ask for much more from the rookie. Looking forward to seeing him in action again.
- Sean Bergenheim: 2 goals, and if it wasn’t for a great recovery save by Irving, might have had the hattrick.
- Olli Jokinen: Another solid game from the Flames best centreman. 1 goal, 1 assist, and a team high seven shots.
Big Save
A bevy to choose from on this night for Irving. He was extremely solid. But it was the timing of his rob-job of Mikael Samuelsson, preserving the lead that the Flames had just acquired, that earns the title on this night.
Big Hit
Early in the game an energetic Blake Comeau would catch Brian Campbell reaching at the puck in the corner, and crunch the offensive rearguard into the glass.
The Goat
For the second straight game it’s going to Chris Butler. Not a terrible game per se, but he lost his man behind the net on the game tying goal, and in overtime he moved in all alone and fired a wrister into Theodore’s pad… while Morrison sat wide open at the side of the net for an uncontested tap in. Morrison would bark at Butler all the way up the ice, a rare sight to see at the NHL level.
Mr. Clutch
With the Flames sputtering in the shootout in their first attempt, Alex Tanguay begins with a little dipsy-doo, leaving Jose Theodore reaching for his Rogaine.
Odds and Ends
Disappointing road trip to say the least for the Flames. Interesting to note that with a win on Sunday the Flames could still salvage a .500 record though, going 1-1-2. Those “loser” points sure add up. It will be no easy task though, as Chicago is always a tough test and they’re playing some of their strongest hockey at the moment… Jay Bouwmeester making a return visit to the franchise where it all began. Anyone else surprised by the chorus of boos he received? Couldn’t tell if it was coming from the Florida faithful or the thousands of Flames fans in attendance… The rats are back in Miami. Must admit it’s nice to see the Panthers back in a playoff position. They’ve certainly had enough hardships over the last decade and they still have a soft spot in a lot of hearts from their 1996 Cinderella run.
Next Up
Flames wrap up the road-trip Saturday with a visit to the Madhouse on Madison to take on the ‘Hawks. Puck drop 5 pm mtn, on SNET CGY.
Lines (To Start):
Glencross – Jokinen – Iginla
Bourque – Morrison – Tanguay
Comeau – Horak – Stempniak
Jackman – Stajan – Kotsopolous
Butler – Bouwmeester
Smith – Hannan
Brodie – Sarich
Irving
