The final installment of our 25 Montreal Canadiens in 25 days series focuses on the biggest surprise out of this year’s training camp: goaltender Mike Condon.
One glimpse at Condon’s stats reveals he’s never had a save percentage below .900 at any level of competitive hockey. And that’s notable because his rise up the ranks has come completely out of left field.
The native of Needham, Mass., was overlooked at the NHL draft and had a modest college career before the Montreal Canadiens offered him a contract in 2013.
He spent four years with the Princeton Tigers in the NCAA, starting sporadically until he locked down the no. 1 job in his senior year in 2012.
It was when Condon began to contemplate life outside of hockey that his agent called him with an opportunity to play for the Ontario Reign of the ECHL. Merely four games later, injuries cleared the way for his call-up to the AHL’s Houston Aeros, where he caught the Canadiens’ attention and earned a two-way, AHL-ECHL contract after appearing in only five games.
With Robert Mayer, Dustin Tokarski and Devan Dubnyk occupying positions with the Hamilton Bulldogs in 2013-14, Condon made his way to the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers. He went 23-12-4 and impressed with a .931 save percentage.
When the Nailers were bounced in the second round of the Kelly Cup playoffs that spring, Condon retreated to Cape Cod for a vacation before he received a phone call that would forever change his life.
Canadiens goaltender Carey Price had suffered a knee injury that took him out of the Eastern Conference finals, so Condon quickly made his way to New York to serve as Montreal’s third-stringer behind Tokarski and Peter Budaj.
Condon’s work at practice over that two-week stretch was enough to convince the brass to promote him to Hamilton the following season.
He’s a technically-sound goaltender, and his size is on-trend with what it takes to hold down a position in the NHL. Combine those factors with his recent success, and it’s clear to see why Condon’s giving Tokarski a run for his money to be Price’s auxiliary this season in Montreal.
Who: Mike Condon | No. 39 | backup goaltender | @Condibear1 | 6’2” | 200 lbs | Age: 25
Acquired: UFA signing (2013)
Contract status: 2 years, two-way, $575,000 AAV (expires 2017)
2014-15 Stats: 48 GP, 23-19-6, .921 SV%, 2.44 GAA, 4 SO
The book on 2014-15:
The Bulldogs were a pretty dismal team last season, but Condon shone for them and earned the majority of starts over veteran goaltender Joey MacDonald.
In 48 games, Condon went 23-19-6, recording four shutouts, a .921 save percentage and a 2.44 goals against average.
Condon proved so reliable that he wasn’t pulled from a single game all season.
By contrast, MacDonald — who is 10 years Condon’s senior — went 10-9-6 and posted a .910 save percentage and a 2.77 goals against.
Off-season updates:
Condon spent the summer in the Boston area where he worked on the mental aspect of his game with his trainer.
“It’s nothing that’s really out of this world,” said Condon. “Just trying to slow everything down, think a little less and be more present in the moment.”
2015-16 outlook:
Tokarski didn’t inspire a lot of confidence in his 17 games with Montreal last season, particularly in losing six of his final seven starts. And though he’s on a one-way deal, Condon is clearly giving him a run for his money to take over the backup position in 2015-16.
So far, Condon has yet to allow a regulation goal in NHL pre-season action, and was stellar in shutting out the Toronto Maple Leafs last Saturday at the Air Canada Centre.
If Condon sticks, that mental training is going to come in handy.
Being Price’s backup is among the hardest jobs in the league. There will be long stretches between starts, and the pressure of having never started a regular season game in the NHL will present an interesting challenge to Condon’s confidence. Will the anticipation between games hinder his new live-in-the-moment approach?
Whether he starts in Montreal or not, Condon has shown he can be a reliable option if either Price or Tokarski get injured, providing unexpected depth at the position.
