Goalies never say they lack confidence.
They will never say they are in a slump.
And you almost never hear a goalie say he is doubting himself.
Except if his name is James Reimer. The 24 year-old Maple Leafs goalie has had a tough season since Brian Gionta ran over him in an October game.
Reimer first struggled with concussion like symptoms.
Then when he returned to action he struggled finding his form.
That’s why after picking up a shutout in only his 2nd start of the 2012 calendar year, Reimer spoke like a new man. Spoke like someone who needed a win.
“I mean it’s big,” said Reimer Thursday morning, after a 1-0 win over Pittsburgh on Wednesday. “It’s been tough not being able to play and I thought when I did I wasn’t getting the breaks. The shutout was nice on top of that. But to get some of those breaks was really nice.”
The Penguins hit at least 2 goalposts. There was a crossbar late too. It was the kind of performance Reimer hasn’t enjoyed much of in his second NHL season. Yes, he had some doubts.
“Any walk of life when things don’t go your way there’s always doubts,” said Reimer. “So sometimes there’s doubts. I felt like I was practicing well and working hard and knew that if given the chance that I would get results. You just try to shake off negative thoughts. “
Easier said than done.
But for Reimer his effort on Wednesday could go a long way towards him returning to the form that made him such a fan favorite last year and earned him a 3-year contract extension this summer.
A year ago, Jonas Gustavsson was in the same situation Reimer finds himself in today. The two are friendly off the ice and want to be the # 1 guy in Toronto.
“We get along. He’s a cool guy to hang out with,” said Reimer. “We both want to play and play our best but we realize there’s more to the game. He’s a good guy. He supports me when I’m in there and I do my best to support him when he’s in there. We both want the team to do well. It’s been good so far.”
With 31 games to go the Leafs don’t have a # 1 goalie, although it looks like Gustavsson is the guy. But if Reimer can continue to show the steadying form he did in his last start that will go a long way for the Leafs as they look to make the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
“He wanted so badly to have a great game and it couldn’t have turned out better,” said Luke Schenn of Reimer’s 25 save effort for his first shutout since blanking Montreal in the first game of the season. “He had a great game last night and I think it will do a lot for his confidence. We have 2 goalies at the top of their game right now.”
Who will carry the builk of the load down the stretch? Stay tuned.
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