SAVING GRACE

The Griffins have a long list of illustrious goaltenders who have served during their 20 seasons.

Story and photo by Mark Newman

The Griffins have enjoyed great success over the past 20 years, finishing with winning records in all but three seasons.

Through three seasons as an independent, three seasons as the minor league affiliate of the Ottawa Senators and now 14 seasons as the top development team of the Detroit Red Wings, the Griffins have enjoyed one near constant – great goaltending.

Beginning with Pokey Reddick, who had won a Stanley Cup championship with the Edmonton Oilers in 1990 as the backup to goaltender Bill Ranford, the team has benefited from the services of a number of elite performers.

During the team’s history, the Griffins have employed the talents of 10 all-star goaltenders: Reddick, Ian Gordon, Jani Hurme, Mike Fountain, Martin Prusek, Marc Lamothe, Joey MacDonald, Jimmy Howard, Daniel Larsson and Petr Mrazek.

They have also welcomed the services of a number of goalies who have seen significant NHL duty, including Blaine Lacher, Tyler Moss, Patrick Lalime, Ty Conklin and Drew MacIntyre. In addition, Curtis Joseph, Chris Osgood, Manny Legace and Jonas Gustavsson all joined the Griffins on conditioning stints.

It’s no coincidence that Grand Rapids has earned a reputation for hosting good goalies over the years. Bob McNamara, who was the architect of the early Griffins teams as the organization’s general manager, said it was all by design.

“You need a strong goaltender or you’re not even going to have a chance,” he said. “In terms of building a winning team, you have to start from the goal mouth out.”

With the intention of assembling a championship-caliber team, McNamara decided to cast his first die with Reddick, a journeyman who had the distinction of being the only goaltender at any level of professional hockey to go through a three-round playoff season undefeated. Four seasons earlier, he had led the Fort Wayne Komets to the 1993 IHL Turner Cup championship, winning all 12 games with an impressive 1.49 goals against average.

“We did a future considerations deal with Las Vegas to get Pokey,” McNamara recalled. “It turned out that he was a pretty significant piece of the puzzle that first year.”

Reddick won 30 games (30-14-10) to lead the Griffins into the IHL playoffs. “He was not the biggest guy in the world, but he was a battler. He always showed up to play,” McNamara said. “He battled through everything and that’s what I liked about him. Some goaltenders hang their heads when things don’t go so well, but Pokey was never that way. He was a high character guy.”

But he was also getting up in years. He turned 33 at the beginning of the Griffins’ second season and the team started leaning more heavily on a young goaltender by the name of Ian Gordon, who had seen sporadic action in the Calgary Flames organization the previous two seasons.

“When I got traded to Grand Rapids, I thought I was going to just fill a jersey and spend time on the bench,” Gordon recalled. “But Pokey was at that stage where he didn’t really like playing back-to-back games, and when the Griffins gave me a chance I took advantage of it.”

At age 22, Gordon was the Griffins’ first homegrown all-star, earning his berth during the 1997-98 season when he split playing time with Lalime, a young goaltender who was only a year older and was looking to find his way back to the NHL after failing to come to contract terms with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Gordon played two more seasons in the IHL, toiling for the Utah Grizzlies and Cleveland Lumberjacks before leaving North America for Germany, where he played 13 seasons. He remains that country’s career leader in goaltending starts and shutouts.

“I would have never gotten to Germany if not for the recommendation of Bob McNamara and (assistant coach) Curtis Hunt,” Gordon said. “Both of them spoke to my abilities and pitched me really hard. Without their recommendation, I might never have gotten the opportunity to play in what I discovered was a really good league.”

Gordon, like almost every goalie that followed, had discovered there was something special about playing for the Griffins, from the way the organization ran its operations to the character of its coaches to the attitude of its players.

“Grand Rapids held itself to a whole different standard from other teams,” Gordon said. “Without my time there, I probably would have been finished playing pro hockey by the age of 25. As things worked out, I was able to keep playing until I was age 37. I owe a huge thanks to Grand Rapids because it was my first real opportunity and the people there went above and beyond to help me succeed.”

The city. The people. The arena. Talk to any goaltender who played in Grand Rapids and you will hear the same themes.

“I felt comfortable there right away and that’s a huge part of doing well,” Gordon said. “The team included some of the favorite guys I ever met and played alongside. It was a place where I felt like I could succeed and if you feel like you have the support, it’s amazing what you can do.”

Joey MacDonald echoes the sentiments.

“I love Grand Rapids,” said MacDonald, who played seven seasons with the Griffins and is the organization’s all-time leader in wins with 109. “I have played on a lot of teams in a lot of cities, both in the AHL and NHL, and to this day, Grand Rapids is still my favorite place. I loved every minute of my time there.

“From the ownership to the affiliation to the coaches, everything is top notch. I love the fans and the people there. They’ve got the best trainer in the world in Dogg (Brad Thompson). The organization just does everything right.”

MacDonald was only 22 years old when he joined the Griffins after one season in the ECHL with the Toledo Storm. He was paired with the older Lamothe, 28, who had played for seven different minor league teams in addition to a brief stay with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks.

Lamothe enjoyed a pair of banner seasons in Grand Rapids. In 2002-03, he was honored with the Aldege “Baz” Bastein Memorial Award as the AHL’s top goaltender and shared the Harry “Hap” Holmes Memorial Award with MacDonald for the league’s best goals against average as a team. The latter award was a repeat honor for the Griffins, with Prusek, Mathieu Chouinard and Simon Lajeunesse taking home the trophy for 2001-02.

“That was a very special time for me,” said Lamothe, who had signed a contract to play in Moscow before he was offered an NHL contract by Detroit in the summer of 2002. “It was a time in my career that my game was really coming together and I was fortunate to play with a really good group of guys. We were very strong and very competitive. I would have loved to have a won a championship there.”

A team can play only one goaltender at a time, but the chemistry between netminders is crucial. Friendly competition helps drive players to become better. That was certainly true for Fountain and Hurme during the 1999-2000 season when the tandem won 50 games between them.

Sharing playing time with a younger prospect wasn’t easy for Fountain, who had appeared in 70 AHL games in one season several earlier earlier, but it was the first time he had been on a team that had been so successful. “When things are going well, everybody’s happy.”

MacDonald and Lamothe were roommates during their two seasons together. “I have great memories of us playing together,” Lamothe said. “We spent a lot of time together, on and off the ice. I can remember going out one time during the playoffs in Wilkes-Barre and just laughing and laughing.”

A young prospect and the wily veteran can be a volatile mix, but the two pulled it off. “The fact is you can only get so many starts,” Lamothe said. “You’re both trying to further your career by playing and winning the coach’s confidence, so that’s always there. It really helps when you get along.”

In recent years, it has been MacDonald who has assumed the mentor’s role. He played with Howard during his rookie season in Grand Rapids in 2005-06, and has since worked with James Reimer in Toronto, Joni Ortio in Abbotsford and Mike Condon in Hamilton.

With many netminders, patience is key since the development process is typically longer for goalies than skaters. The Red Wings – and the Griffins by extension – have been exceedingly patient with their prospects.

“They don’t rush their players, whether they’re goalies or forwards,” MacDonald said. “Look at guys like (Gustav) Nyquist, (Tomas) Tatar, (Riley) Sheahan and Brendan Smith – they’re skaters, but they all paid their dues. They all played two or three years in the American Hockey League. You look at other teams and it’s their first year – boom! Detroit doesn’t do that and that’s why they’re successful every year.”

Howard spent four seasons in Grand Rapids before he finally landed the starting job in Detroit. Tom McCollum, now in his seventh season with the Griffins, struggled for three years before he found his game. Jared Coreau spent parts of two seasons in Toledo before he solidified his spot in Grand Rapids.

“Grand Rapids is where I learned to be a pro,” Howard said. “I spent four years working on my game and learning about myself and what it takes to succeed day in and day out. It taught me how hard it is to not only get here but also how you have to work even harder to stay here. It allowed me to mature.”

Although he had hoped to be playing in Detroit a lot sooner than he did, Howard believes the time he spent in Grand Rapids was invaluable.

“The timing was perfect for me because not only did I get to play a lot, but I was able to watch Dom (Dominik Hasek) and Ozzie (Chris Osgood) in Detroit, and for me that was a great teaching tool.”

Where other organizations rush their top prospects, the Red Wings leave their players in Grand Rapids longer than most.

“You need to have patience with guys,” Gordon said. “When guys don’t do well, they need to know they’re going to get an opportunity to play again. It gives them a little more self-belief. It’s like having a little extra money at the card table. Experience builds confidence. You can say anything, but if you haven’t done it, it’s not the same. Talk is cheap.”

The Griffins now have their own goaltending coach in Jeff Salajko, but for years, the Red Wings organization has benefitted from the perspective of Jim Bedard, now in his 18th season with the club.

“A good coach understands how each individual goalie plays and tries to find ways to bring out their best and that’s what he does,” Lamothe said. “The best thing about Jim Bedard is his demeanor. He’s just a great guy, easy to like. You’ll battle hard for him in practice, and he worked us hard. I remember spending a lot of of my afternoons in bed, resting and recovering from the practices of that morning. It was serious business, but a lot of fun.”

“Out of all my goalie coaches, he’s been my favorite,” MacDonald said. “The best thing about him is his personality. Every time you see him he has a smile on his face. The way he teaches is great. He would always say, ‘You got to the NHL for a reason. I’m not here to change anything.’ We’d work on the little things and tweak things.”

Bedard agrees that his methods emphasize maintenance as much as instruction.

“I’d say my job is 70 percent maintenance and 30 percent teaching, and the maintenance level rises as you go higher (in the ranks),” Bedard said. ”Guys are what they are, but you want them to be the best they can be by practicing those things that seem to give them trouble.”

If Grand Rapids has become a nurturing ground for goalies, it’s because the Red Wings realize that even the best players need time to ripen.

“It just takes time,” Bedard said. “It’s a process. If you look at goalies over different eras, you’ll see guys who have come in and have been flashes in the pan, but the real genuine test of any goalie is longevity.”

Mrazek helped the Griffins win their first Calder Cup in 2013 as a rookie, but he was back in Grand Rapids the following season. He played 13 more games with the Griffins last year.

“It’s all about practice,” Mrazek said. “You can learn something in every practice, from skating to how to handle the puck. My job is to stop the puck and that’s how I have fun and you learn through practice.”

“Hard work is what it takes,” Gordon said. “Without it, you’re not going to have success.”

Nobody knows it better than McCollum, who has spent more consecutive seasons in Grand Rapids than any player in the team’s history.

“As much as you don’t want it to take forever, sometimes you have to learn to appreciate the journey,” McCollum said. “Seeing the same situations over and over, you’re going to get better. I understand that it takes time and hard work. It takes time just to build your confidence.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned is that I have to keep believing in myself, keep working hard and doing things the right way. Eventually everything is going to work out.”

Gordon said there are few places that are better to hone one’s craft than Grand Rapids.

“When our season ended, I remember nobody wanted to go home, which I think is a reflection upon the community,” he said. “The fans are amazing. You never have the feeling that you are playing in a minor hockey city.

“There’s something about the city that can’t be easily duplicated, but if anyone was ever interested in starting a team, they should go and ask how they did it in Grand Rapids because they did it right.”

The Griffins have a long list of illustrious goaltenders who have served during their 20 seasons.

Story and photo by Mark Newman

The Griffins have enjoyed great success over the past 20 years, finishing with winning records in all but three seasons.

Through three seasons as an independent, three seasons as the minor league affiliate of the Ottawa Senators and now 14 seasons as the top development team of the Detroit Red Wings, the Griffins have enjoyed one near constant – great goaltending.

Beginning with Pokey Reddick, who had won a Stanley Cup championship with the Edmonton Oilers in 1990 as the backup to goaltender Bill Ranford, the team has benefited from the services of a number of elite performers.

During the team’s history, the Griffins have employed the talents of 10 all-star goaltenders: Reddick, Ian Gordon, Jani Hurme, Mike Fountain, Martin Prusek, Marc Lamothe, Joey MacDonald, Jimmy Howard, Daniel Larsson and Petr Mrazek.

They have also welcomed the services of a number of goalies who have seen significant NHL duty, including Blaine Lacher, Tyler Moss, Patrick Lalime, Ty Conklin and Drew MacIntyre. In addition, Curtis Joseph, Chris Osgood, Manny Legace and Jonas Gustavsson all joined the Griffins on conditioning stints.

It’s no coincidence that Grand Rapids has earned a reputation for hosting good goalies over the years. Bob McNamara, who was the architect of the early Griffins teams as the organization’s general manager, said it was all by design.

“You need a strong goaltender or you’re not even going to have a chance,” he said. “In terms of building a winning team, you have to start from the goal mouth out.”

With the intention of assembling a championship-caliber team, McNamara decided to cast his first die with Reddick, a journeyman who had the distinction of being the only goaltender at any level of professional hockey to go through a three-round playoff season undefeated. Four seasons earlier, he had led the Fort Wayne Komets to the 1993 IHL Turner Cup championship, winning all 12 games with an impressive 1.49 goals against average.

“We did a future considerations deal with Las Vegas to get Pokey,” McNamara recalled. “It turned out that he was a pretty significant piece of the puzzle that first year.”

Reddick won 30 games (30-14-10) to lead the Griffins into the IHL playoffs. “He was not the biggest guy in the world, but he was a battler. He always showed up to play,” McNamara said. “He battled through everything and that’s what I liked about him. Some goaltenders hang their heads when things don’t go so well, but Pokey was never that way. He was a high character guy.”

But he was also getting up in years. He turned 33 at the beginning of the Griffins’ second season and the team started leaning more heavily on a young goaltender by the name of Ian Gordon, who had seen sporadic action in the Calgary Flames organization the previous two seasons.

“When I got traded to Grand Rapids, I thought I was going to just fill a jersey and spend time on the bench,” Gordon recalled. “But Pokey was at that stage where he didn’t really like playing back-to-back games, and when the Griffins gave me a chance I took advantage of it.”

At age 22, Gordon was the Griffins’ first homegrown all-star, earning his berth during the 1997-98 season when he split playing time with Lalime, a young goaltender who was only a year older and was looking to find his way back to the NHL after failing to come to contract terms with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Gordon played two more seasons in the IHL, toiling for the Utah Grizzlies and Cleveland Lumberjacks before leaving North America for Germany, where he played 13 seasons. He remains that country’s career leader in goaltending starts and shutouts.

“I would have never gotten to Germany if not for the recommendation of Bob McNamara and (assistant coach) Curtis Hunt,” Gordon said. “Both of them spoke to my abilities and pitched me really hard. Without their recommendation, I might never have gotten the opportunity to play in what I discovered was a really good league.”

Gordon, like almost every goalie that followed, had discovered there was something special about playing for the Griffins, from the way the organization ran its operations to the character of its coaches to the attitude of its players.

“Grand Rapids held itself to a whole different standard from other teams,” Gordon said. “Without my time there, I probably would have been finished playing pro hockey by the age of 25. As things worked out, I was able to keep playing until I was age 37. I owe a huge thanks to Grand Rapids because it was my first real opportunity and the people there went above and beyond to help me succeed.”

The city. The people. The arena. Talk to any goaltender who played in Grand Rapids and you will hear the same themes.

“I felt comfortable there right away and that’s a huge part of doing well,” Gordon said. “The team included some of the favorite guys I ever met and played alongside. It was a place where I felt like I could succeed and if you feel like you have the support, it’s amazing what you can do.”

Joey MacDonald echoes the sentiments.

“I love Grand Rapids,” said MacDonald, who played seven seasons with the Griffins and is the organization’s all-time leader in wins with 109. “I have played on a lot of teams in a lot of cities, both in the AHL and NHL, and to this day, Grand Rapids is still my favorite place. I loved every minute of my time there.

“From the ownership to the affiliation to the coaches, everything is top notch. I love the fans and the people there. They’ve got the best trainer in the world in Dogg (Brad Thompson). The organization just does everything right.”

MacDonald was only 22 years old when he joined the Griffins after one season in the ECHL with the Toledo Storm. He was paired with the older Lamothe, 28, who had played for seven different minor league teams in addition to a brief stay with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks.

Lamothe enjoyed a pair of banner seasons in Grand Rapids. In 2002-03, he was honored with the Aldege “Baz” Bastein Memorial Award as the AHL’s top goaltender and shared the Harry “Hap” Holmes Memorial Award with MacDonald for the league’s best goals against average as a team. The latter award was a repeat honor for the Griffins, with Prusek, Mathieu Chouinard and Simon Lajeunesse taking home the trophy for 2001-02.

“That was a very special time for me,” said Lamothe, who had signed a contract to play in Moscow before he was offered an NHL contract by Detroit in the summer of 2002. “It was a time in my career that my game was really coming together and I was fortunate to play with a really good group of guys. We were very strong and very competitive. I would have loved to have a won a championship there.”

A team can play only one goaltender at a time, but the chemistry between netminders is crucial. Friendly competition helps drive players to become better. That was certainly true for Fountain and Hurme during the 1999-2000 season when the tandem won 50 games between them.

Sharing playing time with a younger prospect wasn’t easy for Fountain, who had appeared in 70 AHL games in one season several earlier earlier, but it was the first time he had been on a team that had been so successful. “When things are going well, everybody’s happy.”

MacDonald and Lamothe were roommates during their two seasons together. “I have great memories of us playing together,” Lamothe said. “We spent a lot of time together, on and off the ice. I can remember going out one time during the playoffs in Wilkes-Barre and just laughing and laughing.”

A young prospect and the wily veteran can be a volatile mix, but the two pulled it off. “The fact is you can only get so many starts,” Lamothe said. “You’re both trying to further your career by playing and winning the coach’s confidence, so that’s always there. It really helps when you get along.”

In recent years, it has been MacDonald who has assumed the mentor’s role. He played with Howard during his rookie season in Grand Rapids in 2005-06, and has since worked with James Reimer in Toronto, Joni Ortio in Abbotsford and Mike Condon in Hamilton.

With many netminders, patience is key since the development process is typically longer for goalies than skaters. The Red Wings – and the Griffins by extension – have been exceedingly patient with their prospects.

“They don’t rush their players, whether they’re goalies or forwards,” MacDonald said. “Look at guys like (Gustav) Nyquist, (Tomas) Tatar, (Riley) Sheahan and Brendan Smith – they’re skaters, but they all paid their dues. They all played two or three years in the American Hockey League. You look at other teams and it’s their first year – boom! Detroit doesn’t do that and that’s why they’re successful every year.”

Howard spent four seasons in Grand Rapids before he finally landed the starting job in Detroit. Tom McCollum, now in his seventh season with the Griffins, struggled for three years before he found his game. Jared Coreau spent parts of two seasons in Toledo before he solidified his spot in Grand Rapids.

“Grand Rapids is where I learned to be a pro,” Howard said. “I spent four years working on my game and learning about myself and what it takes to succeed day in and day out. It taught me how hard it is to not only get here but also how you have to work even harder to stay here. It allowed me to mature.”

Although he had hoped to be playing in Detroit a lot sooner than he did, Howard believes the time he spent in Grand Rapids was invaluable.

“The timing was perfect for me because not only did I get to play a lot, but I was able to watch Dom (Dominik Hasek) and Ozzie (Chris Osgood) in Detroit, and for me that was a great teaching tool.”

Where other organizations rush their top prospects, the Red Wings leave their players in Grand Rapids longer than most.

“You need to have patience with guys,” Gordon said. “When guys don’t do well, they need to know they’re going to get an opportunity to play again. It gives them a little more self-belief. It’s like having a little extra money at the card table. Experience builds confidence. You can say anything, but if you haven’t done it, it’s not the same. Talk is cheap.”

The Griffins now have their own goaltending coach in Jeff Salajko, but for years, the Red Wings organization has benefitted from the perspective of Jim Bedard, now in his 18th season with the club.

“A good coach understands how each individual goalie plays and tries to find ways to bring out their best and that’s what he does,” Lamothe said. “The best thing about Jim Bedard is his demeanor. He’s just a great guy, easy to like. You’ll battle hard for him in practice, and he worked us hard. I remember spending a lot of of my afternoons in bed, resting and recovering from the practices of that morning. It was serious business, but a lot of fun.”

“Out of all my goalie coaches, he’s been my favorite,” MacDonald said. “The best thing about him is his personality. Every time you see him he has a smile on his face. The way he teaches is great. He would always say, ‘You got to the NHL for a reason. I’m not here to change anything.’ We’d work on the little things and tweak things.”

Bedard agrees that his methods emphasize maintenance as much as instruction.

“I’d say my job is 70 percent maintenance and 30 percent teaching, and the maintenance level rises as you go higher (in the ranks),” Bedard said. ”Guys are what they are, but you want them to be the best they can be by practicing those things that seem to give them trouble.”

If Grand Rapids has become a nurturing ground for goalies, it’s because the Red Wings realize that even the best players need time to ripen.

“It just takes time,” Bedard said. “It’s a process. If you look at goalies over different eras, you’ll see guys who have come in and have been flashes in the pan, but the real genuine test of any goalie is longevity.”

Mrazek helped the Griffins win their first Calder Cup in 2013 as a rookie, but he was back in Grand Rapids the following season. He played 13 more games with the Griffins last year.

“It’s all about practice,” Mrazek said. “You can learn something in every practice, from skating to how to handle the puck. My job is to stop the puck and that’s how I have fun and you learn through practice.”

“Hard work is what it takes,” Gordon said. “Without it, you’re not going to have success.”

Nobody knows it better than McCollum, who has spent more consecutive seasons in Grand Rapids than any player in the team’s history.

“As much as you don’t want it to take forever, sometimes you have to learn to appreciate the journey,” McCollum said. “Seeing the same situations over and over, you’re going to get better. I understand that it takes time and hard work. It takes time just to build your confidence.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned is that I have to keep believing in myself, keep working hard and doing things the right way. Eventually everything is going to work out.”

Gordon said there are few places that are better to hone one’s craft than Grand Rapids.

“When our season ended, I remember nobody wanted to go home, which I think is a reflection upon the community,” he said. “The fans are amazing. You never have the feeling that you are playing in a minor hockey city.

“There’s something about the city that can’t be easily duplicated, but if anyone was ever interested in starting a team, they should go and ask how they did it in Grand Rapids because they did it right.”