When you’re barely a fortnight into the NHL season, one of the most worthwhile activities is trying to sort out which early themes have staying power, and which ones will be forgotten by the time Americans are gobbling their turkey.
For instance, we don’t for one twitchy second doubt that Patrick Roy has the Colorado Avalanche in better shape than whoever their previous coach was (seriously, it was Joe Sacco, but doesn’t that already feel like 10 years ago?), though most would feel confident in saying the young Avs probably shouldn’t make over the penthouse just yet.
Then there are players like Tampa Bay goalie Ben Bishop, who is 4-0-0 with a .939 save percentage and 1.71 goals-against average. His stellar start should cause opponents concern because when you glance at the six-foot-seven creaseman’s previous body of work, a series of signs point to this type of quality play. Growth is most exciting when it’s instant, but far more believable when it’s incremental.
At 26, Bishop is getting a well-earned opportunity to prove he can be a No. 1 goalie. Originally drafted by the St. Louis Blues in 2005, Bishop spent three years at the University of Maine and apprenticed for 175 games in the American Hockey League, where his .930 save percentage was the second-best mark on the circuit two years ago. That season, he was dealt to the Ottawa Senators and last year, Bishop put up a .922 save percentage in 13 games with the Sens.
In both his previous stops, Bishop was stuck behind a pair of preferred puckstoppers, as Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott had things locked down with the Blues, while Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner are the clear goalies of now and next in Ottawa.
But despite never having a long run in the NHL, Bishop’s value kept rising. He was drafted in the third round, the Senators gave up a second-rounder to get him, then Tampa surrendered surprise scoring rookie Cory Conacher and a fourth-round pick to extricate him from Ottawa.
His stock is definitely peaking in Lightningland, where the team has essentially been searching for strong goaltending for almost 10 years, going back to Nikolai Khabibulin backstopping a Cup-winner in 2004.
Tampa GM Steve Yzerman put his faith in another big, largely untested goalie — six-foot-six Anders Lindback — before the start of last year, giving the Swede his first crack at being the go-to guy after his time as backup in Nashville. Suffice it to say that didn’t pan out the way the team hoped, necessitating the move to bring in Bishop.
Defence in general has been an ongoing and throbbing organizational need in Tampa, and while the Bolts won’t soon be confused with the 1995 New Jersey Devils, things are stabilizing a bit. Matt Carle is off to a solid start in the second season of his second term with the club, while six-foot-six blueliner Victor Hedman — still just 22 — continues to get his long sea legs under him in year five of his career.
Yes, it’s early, but heading into Thursday night’s action, only five teams were allowing fewer shots per game than the Lightning, which is a significant departure from seasons past.
When pucks are getting through, Bishop has handled them like a No. 1 stopper. And the fact he’s taken a step-by-step journey to attain that status makes it all the more likely he won’t soon surrender it.