John Gibson, long-suffering goaltender for the somewhat hapless Anaheim Ducks, was rumored to be on the trading block last spring. It wasn’t lack of performance by the player or interest by the team that got him there, but rather desire in a positive sense. His desire was to win, finally, after playing for a Ducks team that didn’t make the playoffs for six years, and only four times in his ten years with the team and its AHL affiliate, despite his efforts. The team seemed sympathetic, wanting him to have the chance at playoff success.
Rumors also named his destination, Pittsburgh, his hometown. Made sense—they needed a goaltending upgrade. He needed to be closer to Primanti Brothers, the famous sandwichery of the area. OK, that’s not true, but family and familiarity have to factor in somewhere down the line from the aforementioned desire to win.
Well, as is obvious, he went nowhere, and perhaps it’s a good thing. The Penguins (6-10-3) aren’t much better than the Ducks (6-8-2) this season, and they’re looking like a rebuild is more in order than it seemed to be just weeks ago, when they resigned Sidney Crosby to an $8.7 million dollar contract that keeps him in Pittsburgh for two more years. And who believes that one goalie and one (or three, in Pittsburgh’s case) forward(s) make a team?
Anyway, it didn’t matter for Gibson, because he didn’t start the season healthy. In fact, he started it anything but healthy, having an emergency appendectomy that kept him out of action until last Sunday, November 10th. He did, however, come roaring back, saving 38 of 40 shots in his debut for the year to beat Columbus, 4-2. Now here he was playing again on Friday night, starting against Detroit. IH took the chance to make some observations about what his presence in the net is after being out for so long.
Period one was his most active, with dangerous chances starting early, namely a turnover by Ryan Strome that resulted in a point blank slap shot by Marco Kasper. Gibson used an unconventional one-knee-down stance to stop it.
Occasionally, he looked like he was still finding his form, as when he made a leg save then seemed to lose the puck in his pads. At other times, he looked entirely comfortable, as when he faced up as a Red Wings player prepped a shot. Gibson glided out and went to his knees to smother the shot.
The second Detroit goal, Gibson had no chance on. It was 5-on-3, and the puck was stretched from left to right. Gibson was caught a bit off guard, pointing with his stick to suggest coverage even as the puck rifled across his crease. He made a spread-eagled attempt to stop the ensuing shot, and did get his head on the puck, but it deflected to the back of the net anyway. He’s nothing if not a battler, as this shows.
Period two began poorly, with Lucas Raymond zipping down the right slot and firing a wrist shot that appeared to squeeze between Gibson’s left arm and body. The goal caused Gibson to do a quick shake of the head like, “Darn, shoulda had it.” Gibson wasn’t all that busy in period two, with just eight shots launched on goal by the Red Wings. Aside from the goal, the best chance was a steal by Jonatan Berggren that resulted in a quick and blistering shot that Gibson used his body to save.
If you’re keeping track, period two ended with Detroit up, 3-2. In the third, Gibson made one very John-Gibson-like save. A slap shot came from the point. He dove forwards, towards the direction of the shot, spread out flat, and deflected it away with his blocker. Watch Gibson long enough, and you’ll see one or two of these odd-ball saves a game. They work, and they’re entertaining to see executed. You just can’t predict them. He also made a full-splits save with Detroit on the PP late. The Ducks had by this point opened their lead to 5-3 after starting out down 3-1. The final score showed Gibson with a 6-4 win after facing just 25 shots.
After the game, IH had the chance to ask Coach Cronin about his masterful net minder. He commented, “It’s early for him. He’s in his second game in a long time. He’s a veteran. He’s been around a long time, and I think what he does is on instincts. He’s just a real smart goalie. I think he made a huge save there, I don’t remember what the score was, but there was a shot through traffic. I don’t know how he saw it, but he blocked it. He’s a big guy, who takes up a lot of net when he’s out. He was a big part of the win today.”
For how many more todays this will be true, your guess is as good as mine. Due to his late start, the rumor mill hasn’t cranked up in Gibson’s direction. Yet. But if the Ducks remain mired in mediocrity, expect to hear some guesses about where this 31-year-old might find himself as the playoffs round into view.
