I'm still buzzing over Steve Mason's impressive outing from last night. I know it was only one game, but the way he battled through his cramps, the Vancouver offense and his own inner demons was remarkable. He stopped 30 of 31 shots, a .968 save percentage. WOW.
Blue Jackets fans have been harsh in the past on Mase, and rightfully so. There have been times where his play probably wouldn't be good enough for the AHL, let alone the NHL. But last night, the 23-year-old (yeah, he's only 23) was up to the challenge. Welcome back!
When Mase is on, he's a beast in goal. He's huge. He's fast. It's easy to see why general manager Scott Howson won't give up on him.
Let's hope that this break - combined with the change in coaching philosophy employed by coach Scott Arniel, who now embraces the idea of employing a defense - has him on a positive trajectory. The team sure can use a lot more of what we witnessed last night.
Feel free to add your own comments on Mase's showing from last night.
Funny how your tune changes when he plays well.. You seemed to enjoy hoping/waiting for him to fail and even did the worst possible thing during the game on twitter to him.. And I quote..
ReplyDelete"If Mase gets a shutout, my brain will explode. #CBJ"
"Folks, there's no jinx going with Mase that he hasn't already been saddled with. The kid is a walking, talking jinx. #CBJ"
and then you go on to find excuses why Vancouver isn't scoring - and it's clearly not Mason..
"This is one weird, weird game. #CBJ"
"I think the #CBJ lured the Canucks into partaking in Free Food Night. Crafty. #FoodComas"
By all means, hate on Mase, but at least be consistent about it. And dude, EVERYONE who knows ANYTHING about hockey knows to not jinx their goaltender with that word and you did it while they were playing VANCOUVER. Not cool.
Go read my 5 Thoughts on the game, Anon. I have been consistent. Like so many Blue Jackets fans, I have been conditioned to be skeptical of Mason. I only wanted to give him a little extra appreciation this AM. If you think that is somehow wrong, I just don't know what to say.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, I do believe it is possible for a historically poorly-performing player to have a good game at the exact same time that the opponent plays poorly. Really, it is.
Thanks for reading.
The Steve Mason we saw last night shall henceforth be known as, "Mono Mason."
ReplyDeleteMono Mason is the goalie who puts on a ridiculous performance while overcoming some sort of ailment, such as mononucleosis, quad strain, broken equipment, etc. As was especially noticeable his rookie season, Mason seems to perform better when his adrenalin kicks into overdrive, numbing the pain in his body.
Mono Mason is also fun because Mason's jersey # 1 clearly symbolizes his singular style.