CHICAGO — Ben Bishop, meet Kirk Gibson. Say hello to Willis Reed now that you’re in the club.
The sight of the Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender repeatedly struggling to get to his feet during a 36-save win in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final belongs in the pantheon of courageous sporting achievements.
There is room for debate about whether he should even have been left in the net after a gut-wrenching first period. Once we eventually learn the nature and extent of his injury, we’ll have a better sense of just how remarkable this was.
But the undeniable truth about playing for a championship is that results matter more than process, and Bishop helped the Lightning move one step closer to an upset win over the mighty Chicago Blackhawks.
STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS: | Broadcast Schedule
Rogers NHL GameCentre LIVE | Stanley Cup Playoffs Fantasy Hockey
New Sportsnet app: iTunes | Google Play
“I’m not sitting at this podium if we don’t have players like that on our team,” Tampa coach Jon Cooper said Tuesday. “These players, that’s how much passion they have to win. That’s what’s just remarkable about the storied Stanley Cup, is what these guys go through on a daily basis.”
There was doubt about whether Bishop would even be able to play in Monday’s game after twice pulling himself two nights earlier. It wasn’t even clear if he was sick or injured.
But once he took the ice at United Center there was no hiding the fact that he’s dealing with a lower-body ailment — best bet is a knee, hip or groin — as he struggled to move laterally in his crease and get back up after sprawling out to make saves.
After Ryan Callahan opened the scoring for Tampa, the Blackhawks threw everything they had at Bishop. At one point they reeled off 16 straight shots, not including glorious chances from Marian Hossa and Teuvo Teravainen that missed empty nets, and somehow the Lightning emerged from the frame tied 1-1.
Truth be told, it could have been 5-1 or worse.
Tampa steadied itself from there, and after emerging with a 3-2 victory, goalie coach Frantz Jean tweeted simply: “Character…”
He must have been referring to his pupil.
The reason why Bishop should be mentioned alongside Gibson and Reed is because of how unusual this was. While we’ve grown accustomed to seeing injured skaters forge on during the playoffs, it’s not often that a goalie will struggle through so much obvious pain.
Every time the puck went to the other end, it appeared as though Bishop was almost psyching himself up. At one point, he even hopped up and down a few times.
“Was he in pain?” teammate Brian Boyle quipped when asked about the performance.
“I think everybody’s playing through something right now,” he said. “What impressed me was his 36 saves, the 18 I think he had in the first. Again, not many guys are 100 per cent right now. He’s got a pretty important job for us.
“He’s been lights out.”
It must have been frustrating for the Blackhawks that they couldn’t find another goal while Bishop was in so much discomfort. Brandon Saad had a glorious opportunity in the third period but the goalie came across his crease to deny it.
Clearly, it took everything he had.
The Chicago players noticed that Bishop was having issues — “Of course we can see that,” said captain Jonathan Toews — and will look to exploit the lack of mobility if he starts again in Game 4 on Wednesday.
History is still being written in this series and Bishop’s eventual place in it will be determined by the final outcome.
Download Sportsnet magazine now: iOS | Android | Windows
Gibson’s pinch-hit home run on a broken ankle in the 1988 World Series is remembered because his Los Angeles Dodgers went on to beat the Oakland Athletics. Reed’s decision to play Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals with a serious thigh injury and torn muscle is celebrated because he helped the New York Knicks knock off the Los Angeles Lakers.
Bishop could easily have given way to rookie Andrei Vasilevskiy in Game 3, but he didn’t want to miss his moment. That provided inspiration for the Lightning.
“To still be standing, when (the players are) not feeling their best, it would be easy to say ‘coach, pull me out, I just can’t go tonight,'” said Cooper. “But the burning desire to win, the burning desire to hoist that Stanley Cup, it can move mountains. That’s what it’s doing with our players.
“It’s unreal to watch.”
Right now they are all standing on Bishop’s shoulders. Even while he’s struggling to get up.