EDMONTON – As the rest of his teammates were off in the players’ lounge watching overtime, Ben Scrivens paused for a moment, the deafening roar impossible to ignore.
Hayley Wickenheiser was hauled down on a breakaway, prompting the Oilers to react as passionately as the entire nation, bellowing in anger and disbelief before a collection of emotionally-drained voices began shouting, “Penalty shot! Penalty shot!” at the top of their lungs.
We couldn’t tell. The feed in the dressing room was at least two minutes behind – an antsy delay, indeed – but by their reaction alone, the magnitude of the moment was palpable.
Flaunting the focus and attention to detail good goaltenders are known for, The Professor took it all in stride. “I think something’s happening,” he laughed. “Penalty shot? Wow. Anyway…” And on we went, casually and uninterrupted, wrapping up the interview in time to catch Marie-Philip Poulin’s Golden Goal for the Canadian women.
You can’t teach concentration like that, on or off the ice. Fortunately for the Oilers, he’s an expert in both.
In the six games since being acquired from the Los Angeles Kings, Scrivens has been nothing short of exceptional, stopping 219 of 231 shots. On the back of some stellar performances – others, record-setting – the product of Spruce Grove, Alta., leads the NHL with a .937 save percentage and sits fourth in goals-against average, with an equally impressive mark of 1.98 in 25 games this season.
The highlight, of course, came on Jan. 29 when he fashioned one of the most electrifying goaltending performances in NHL history, making 59 (fifty-nine!) saves en route to an improbable 3-0 win over the San Jose Sharks.
It was an extraordinary showing and a sign of the consistency to come.
“I wasn’t playing too much in L.A., so it’s nice to get some games,” Scrivens said. “I have a great opportunity here and I think I’ve done well in limited time. Coming off the break, it’s going to be a matter of continuing what I started and we’ll see how she goes.
“All I can do is try and make the most of every opportunity.”
Undrafted, the 27-year-old graduate of Cornell University has been doing that his entire career.
Filling in for starter and former Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Quick earlier this season, he recorded three shutouts in his first six starts – but the sudden emergence of Martin Jones made him expendable and he was later sold for a third-round draft pick.
With Quick and his longterm understudy at the helm, Scrivens would never have become a starter with the Kings. Here in Edmonton, though, it’s anyone’s crease. Both Scrivens and Ilya Bryzgalov are unrestricted free agents at the end of the year, opening the door for playing time and the opportunity to impress.
Bryzgalov is not expected to return next season, but Scrivens, who’s currently earning a modest $625,000 salary, could be in for a payday. No matter the price (within reason, of course), it will be a bargain for the Oilers on a multi-year deal should the netminder continue to play as well as he has this season.
In the meantime, he’ll continue to split the net with the Bryzgalov. Citing injury concerns post-layoff, head coach Dallas Eakins will not commit to one goaltender out of the gate, but may reconsider and assign a heavier workload if one outperforms the other.
“Even if (Eakins) did tell us how many games we were going to get, a) I probably wouldn’t say, and b) It doesn’t really mean a lot,” Scrivens said. “You’ve got to earn every start you get.
“In these last 22 games, we want to try and establish an identity that we can continue to go forward with. Leading up to the break, we did a lot of good things and the challenge is going to be to build off that. It’s tough to maintain momentum when you have this much time off, but we’re trying to reestablish our good habits early on in practice.
“The break was great because we all got a chance to recharge the batteries. We’re coming back fresh, focused and ready to play.”
One thing’s for certain: When he does get his chance to shine, he’ll look the part like never before.
Scrivens has been showing off and breaking in some new gear designed by Vaughn Hockey, the sport’s self-proclaimed “World Leader in Custom Goal Equipment” this week. His pads, blocker and glove are a burst of bright colour, equal parts blue and orange, and are a significant departure from the bland, black-and-grey colour scheme he’d gotten used to with the Kings.
He also has a brand-new Bauer mask painted by EYECANDYAIR, featuring a unique twist on the WHA-era Oilers logo. Embedded up top within the iconic oil drop, a tribute to his favourite band, Alexisonfire, and its famous ‘Heart Skull’ insignia.
“Style is extremely important,” Scrivens laughed.
“I love it – it’s like Christmas in February. I used to get new gear for my birthday when I was younger and would throw it and wear it to bed. I’m not quite at that level anymore, but it’s exciting to get a fresh set. I’m pretty happy with how the colour scheme came out.”
Growing up an Oilers fan, it’s the gear he’d always dreamed about.
