POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT

When Detroit Red Wings minor league goaltending coach Jeff Salajko talks with the Griffins’ netminders, he brings a unique perspective.

A 10th-round pick of the San Jose Sharks in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Salajko (pronounced suh-LAY-koh) posted a 148-125-31 record in the pros, playing all but 52 of his 323 pro games in the ECHL with Columbus (Ohio), Arkansas, Reading, Peoria and Charlotte.

He joined the Toledo Storm in March 2003 for the ECHL playoffs, serving as a backup in the first round before fatigue and frayed nerves forced him to the stands.

Within months, he had trouble climbing stairs, and his muscles would regularly twitch and spasm. Something was seriously wrong.

Although doctors initially feared it might be amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease), it turned out to be benign fasciculation syndrome, a neurological disorder with some of the same symptoms as ALS, but one that can be treated with medication.

Nonetheless, it spelled an end to Salajko's playing career at the relatively young age of 28.

"I couldn't play because of my medical condition," said Salajko, who had been considering opportunities to play in Europe. "I was told that any period of sustained activity could trigger more seizures, spasms or cramps. Once I had health problems, my career got cut short."

Hockey had been his whole life, so eventually he found his way back into the game.

Starting with the 2008-09 season, Salajko served as a volunteer assistant coach with the Ohio State men's ice hockey team, working mainly with the goalies. "I really enjoyed coaching and that's when I realized it was what I wanted to do," he said.

He also helped out with the women's ice hockey program, an experience which he now terms "interesting," before Red Wings goaltending coach Jim Bedard brought him into Detroit's development camp in 2013.

Salajko had conducted goaltending camps with Bedard, whom he had known since his major junior days with the Niagara Falls Thunder in the Ontario Hockey League. Upon Bedard's recommendation, the Red Wings hired Salajko before the 2013-14 season to work with the organization's minor league goaltenders.

"It's great to be working at the pro level again and working with quality kids like Petr (Mrazek), Tommy (McCollum), Jared (Coreau) and Jake (Paterson)," Salajko said. "Coaching is the next best thing (to playing)."

Salajko remains based in Columbus, where his wife Karen is the assistant news director at local CBS affiliate WBNS-TV and their three children attend school.

He commutes to Grand Rapids to attend practices. He also watches both AHL and ECHL games (primarily in Toledo), and he occasionally visits Saginaw, where Paterson, Detroit’s third-round pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, is currently playing in the OHL.

Salajko talks regularly with Bedard. "He wants to know how our guys are doing," said Salajko, who files a report with the Red Wings’ scouting service after every game he watches. "He's very attuned to what our guys are doing here, plus he reads my scouting reports on other goalies that may be useful down the road."

Although he misses playing, Salajko, 39, loves his work. "I've got the easy job," he said, referring to his teaching responsibilities, which include reviewing video and running various drills. "The players have the tough job. They're the ones who've got to execute and produce."

Goaltenders today have one advantage that Salajko did not enjoy when he was playing. "NHL teams then only had one goalie coach, sometimes only part-time, and now it seems that every organization has two coaches," he said. "Goaltending is such an important position and such a pivotal part of every team that it only makes sense to give them a little more attention."

Salajko said he attended nine NHL camps during his playing career, which exposed him to the teachings of Vladislav Tretiak (Chicago), Rick Wamsley (Toronto) and Pete Peeters (Edmonton), among others.

As he was generally the fourth or fifth goalie in the system, he didn't always get the coaching afforded the team's top prospects. "I didn't mind because I was chasing the dream," he said.

But toiling in the minors gave Salajko a taste of the realities of the game. "Maturity takes time," he said. "It's not just the physical part – it's also the emotional and mental part of the game.

"Kids come into the pro game with the notion that they're going to be successful and dominate, but it's not the case most of the time. Forwards seem to adjust a little quicker, but it's tougher for defensemen and it's even tougher for the goalies. You have to be a special individual, almost a prodigy, to come into the league and excel."

When a player with the talent of McCollum or Coreau struggles at the pro level, Salajko can empathize. "I can relate because I've lived it," he said. "I was a later pick, so the expectations were not as high, but I thought I could play. As I tell them, it doesn't matter where you are at. Just play well and learn to win."

Psychology plays a big role in Salajko's job.

"Every time you get sent down, it's upsetting, but you've got to make the best of it," he said. "I played a lot of games and have a lot of good memories of playing between the IHL and ECHL. I had a couple of call-ups to practice with the big guys but never got into an NHL game, and that's something I regret. But it allowed me to realize how tough it is (to make it)."

Salajko does his best to emphasize the positive.

"I'm here to pick these guys up – you don't want to dwell on the negative," he said. "Our coach-player relationship is built on trust; I've got their back. But at this level, they know they have to be accountable, too. They know when they haven't played well."

While goaltending techniques have evolved as the game has changed, Salajko tries to adapt his teaching style to the player's personality. "What works for Petr may not work with Tommy. They're totally different goalies with different personalities," he said. "You try to take what works for each individual."

Salajko sees himself as much mentor as teacher. "These guys are going to have their ups and downs," he said. "The guys who make it to the next level are the ones who can keep an even keel – not too high, not too low.

"These guys know where they want to go. They want to play in the NHL. Obviously, I want to see our guys develop and do well. When they are winning, it's huge. Everybody's happy when you win, so ultimately that's our goal. I want to see all of our goalies playing and playing well."