Ilya Bryzgalov: Go Bold or Go Home
Posted on 07. Aug, 2011 by Anthony Perez in Anthony Perez, Player Profiling
Whether if it is a player’s hard-nosed style around the net, a knack for dropping the gloves or a desire to play through broken jaws and sprained ankles; bold can be used to describe how many NHL’ers carry themselves. But when hockey fans hear the name Ilya Bryzgalov, many are immediately filled with the image of a solid goaltender that carries a quirky personality off the ice – although things could be changing.
Bryzgalov has asserted his bold comments over the past several months, turning the heads of fans, and capped things off by signing a big contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. Bryzgalov now enters the Eastern Conference with his coveted contract and the pressure of the Flyers fans on his back, a city that has seen poor fortune between the pipes through recent history.
The ascent into this realm of boldness, one different from the grinders and enforcers of the league, started this past April when Bryzgalov while amidst another solid regular season for the Phoenix Coyotes posting 36 wins, a 2.48 goals-against-average, a .921 save percentage and seven shutouts, turned heads across Canada – especially in the city of Winnipeg.
Bryzgalov told a Canadian media outlet that if the financially beleaguered franchise was relocated back to its original home of Winnipeg, he would refuse to sign a new contract with the organization, citing the city’s cold winters and perceived lack of amenities.
“There’s no excitement (in Winnipeg) except for hockey,” said Bryzgalov in the report. “No park, no entertaining for the families, for the kids. It’s going to be tough life for your family.”
Once the criticism from the media and fans across Canada calmed down, Bryz led his team into the playoffs against the Detroit Red Wings for the second time in as many seasons; but as the goaltender went, so went the Coyotes. Bryzgalov surrendered 17 goals in four games as the Red Wings swept the Coyotes. After Phoenix was eliminated from the playoffs, rumors of relocation to Winnipeg swirled around the franchise once again, but Bryzgalov still wanted nothing to do with the city. So much so that reports in early-May stated that the goaltender was considering the bold move of leaving the NHL behind and joining SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League.
But once the Coyotes were secured in Phoenix for the short-term future, Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney sat down with his star goaltender and agent Rich Winter to try to work out a new long-term deal, but the two sides were too far apart. Maloney, who didn’t want to see the one-time Vezina Trophy candidate walk away from the desert for nothing, wound up trading the soon-to-be free agent’s negotiating rights to the Philadelphia Flyers.
Upon Bryzgalov’s exit from Phoenix, his bold comments continued. After souring many Winnipeggers in April, this time it was the attention of many of the same fans that adored him while he played in Coyotes’ colours. He told a reporter that if the Coyotes lost in the Stanley Cup Finals, the local fans wouldn’t even know that the team was playing, and then alleged that management never offered him a contract to stay in Phoenix.
One June 23, Bryzgalov officially became a member of the Flyers when he inked a nine-year, $51 million deal to play in the City of Brotherly Love.
For both the goaltender and the team, it was a very bold move.
Bryzgalov commanded and got NHL superstar dollars, making more money this upcoming season than Alexander Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, or goaltending counterpart Roberto Luongo. With the high salary comes high expectations, especially in Philadelphia, where deep playoff runs are the norm. He is now the highest paid player at his position and the fans will expect him to play like one of the top players at his position.
The Flyers literally moved the stars to fit Bryzgalov into their plans. In the days leading up to the signing, General Manager Paul Holmgren traded away the salaries of Jeff Carter and Mike Richards to make room under the salary cap for him. Holmgren did this in hopes that Bryzgalov will bring stability to a position that has been nothing short of a merry-go-round in Philadelphia in recent years.
Some of the goaltenders who have tried to hold down the top spot in Philly but were unable include the likes of Sergei Bobrovsky, Brian Boucher, Ray Emery, Martin Biron, Antero Niittymaki, and Michael Leighton; who was between the pipes during the team’s Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 2010.
If Holmgren’s own boldness does not pay off and Bryzgalov fails to become the Flyers’ franchise goaltender who will put up big numbers in the regular season and steal games in the postseason, then the organization will be stuck with problems no different than what they have had in recent seasons, only with a big cap salary cap hit to show for their efforts. In contrast, if Bryzgalov becomes everything that the Flyers’ fans and management envision him to be, then he will cement his status amongst the superstars in the NHL and make his boss look like a genius.
And that is the type of boldness that every Flyers fan will celebrate.