While he still flies under the radar to many fans and players, all Antti Niemi does is win.
VANCOUVER — They have come over in droves, these European goalies who were purported to be the answer for so many desperate NHL teams.
The Toronto Maple Leafs paid handsomely for Jonas Gustavsson, who was supposed to be "the best goalie not playing in the NHL" at the time. He might be that again next season, as the starter for the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League.
There was Roman Cechmanek, nicknamed "The Bi-Polar Goaler" by the Philadelphia media for his erratic play.
Evgeni (John) Nabokov, who could never win the big one for San Jose.
Domink Hasek, who once took a swing at a Buffalo News reporter.
Ilya Bryzgalov, whose final quote as a Phoenix Coyote was "I am goat."
Then there is Antti Niemi, the quiet, mysterious Finn with the perfect 6-0 career playoff series record.
He wasn’t drafted, but won a Stanley Cup in his rookie season with Chicago last year. For that, the Blackhawks rewarded him by walking away from his modest arbitration settlement and cutting him loose as an unrestricted free agent.
Thanks for the Cup, son. See ya down the road.
The Vancouver Canucks players had never heard of him last year, and scarcely know anything about him today.
"He’s a winner. He hasn’t lost a playoff series yet, so you have to respect that," said Daniel Sedin, who hadn’t ever encountered Niemi until last season in the NHL. "No, never. I don’t think Sami Salo had heard of him either, and he’s his countryman.
"He saves the puck. That’s all you can ask for. He must have something. He’s winning games."
Like a referee whose name you can’t recall at game’s end, that is the ultimate compliment from an opponent to a goaltender.
And from his own teammates, the highest form of praise as well.
"He’ll never give blame. He’ll take it all on himself," said rookie Logan Couture. "If he gives up a goal and it’s my fault, he’ll take credit for it. You watch video, you see goalies staring down their defencemen if they make a mistake. He’s not that type of guy."
Reckons Niemi: "There is something in every goal you could have done differently. I think it’s my job, and whatever happens on the ice before the shot (shouldn’t) affect me. I’ve got to be ready to stop the puck when the shot happens.
"Maybe there is something you should have known before. Something you could have tried."
So, who is this quiet Finn with the perfect playoff record of six series wins and and zero losses?
Niemi was first spotted by former Atlanta Thrashers goalie Pasi Nurminen (seen here celebrating Finland’s recent World Championship win) while playing for a senior team in the hardscrabble Helsinki suburb of Vantaa. He was driving the Zamboni at the rink where the team played, the same Zamboni he would take a lap on with the Stanley Cup last summer.
Niemi, 27, won the Chicago job from Cristobal Huet last season, then went 16-6 with a 2.63 GAA in the playoffs.
Tuesday: Mark Spector takes your questions in a live chat from the off-day skate in Vancouver at 11 a.m. ET.
He was awarded a one-year contract worth US$2.75-million by an arbitrator last summer, but the Blackhawks walked away from the deal. As a UFA, he signed a one-year deal with San Jose, who still weren’t sure about the guy.
When he proved his mettle this season, San Jose general manager Doug Wilson rewarded him with a four-year, $15.2 million deal.
Does he ever step back and think how did this happen to me?
"Not this season, not anymore," Niemi, 27, said. "But maybe last summer was the time to stop and think about what’s happened the last years."
Why do the playoffs bring out the best in him?
"I think it's probably the pressure," he said. "You get extra energy out of it."
Niemi is, to be sure, a different cat. He talks to himself all the time, to the point where even a professional disturber like Alex Burrows steers clear of his crease.
"With this guy, he’s pretty focused," Burrows said. "He doesn’t say too much, or come out of his crease during TV timeouts. He’s always in his crease making butterfly saves when the refs are waiting for line changes. He’s looking at his glove, he’s going down…
"I don’t know what he’s doing. Keeping focused, staying sharp. I haven’t really had any exchanges with him."
He’s just that guy who stops pucks — nothing more, nothing less.
He’s money, and that’s all we really need to know about him.
