Craig Anderson is a late bloomer relative to many of his peers.
After being drafted twice — once in 1999 by the Calgary Flames and again in 2001 by the Chicago Blackhawks — Anderson spent the first six years of his professional career bouncing back and forth between the AHL and NHL. He didn’t become a full-time starter until his first season with the Colorado Avalanche in 2009 at the age of 28 but didn’t fully come into his own until after he was acquired by the Ottawa Senators in 2011.
The 36-year-old is coming off one of his best seasons as a pro, going 25-11-4 with a 2.28 goals-against average, .926 save percentage, five shutouts and making 19 post-season appearances. It earned him a two-year contract extension Friday worth $9.5 million.
In an interview with Hockey Central at Noon, Anderson likened his career to that of a two-time Vezina Trophy winner.
“I’m following in the footsteps of Tim Thomas here,” Anderson said.
Thomas, a ninth-round selection of the Quebec Nordiques in 1994, didn’t make an impact in the NHL until the second half of the 2005-06 campaign when he became a full-time member of the Boston Bruins. Thomas was 31 at the time. Most players that age are in the back nine of their career yet Thomas was just getting started. Within a couple years of becoming a starter he had cemented himself as an elite NHL netminder. Thomas won the Vezina and William M. Jennings Trophy in 2009 and his 2010-11 season ranks among the most impressive years in recent hockey history as he won his second Vezina, a Stanley Cup plus the Conn Smythe Trophy.
“He came into the league a little later and was able to thrive,” Anderson said. “His passion for the game just kind of continued to allow him to continue to get better and that’s kind of the same path that I’m on.”
Anderson doesn’t have the hardware Thomas does, although that could change depending on how he and the Sens perform in the seasons to come.
“I started a little bit later but I’ve only played half as many games as [Roberto] Luongo in the same amount of time. I’ve had to watch and I’ve learned from watching early in my career and using those tools to be able to play longer as I think I’ve become smarter as I get older — maybe a little less quick and less agile — but by reading the game and being mentally sharper allows me to be a better player.”
The 2016-17 Bill Masterton Trophy recipient also credits his former captain, Daniel Alfredsson, for changing the way he thinks about the game.
“I think it goes back to when I came to Ottawa and I saw Alfie having so much fun at the rink,” Anderson explained. “Alfie, when the puck dropped he was 100 per cent serious, mentally focused on the game but he didn’t allow the game to overwhelm his life. When he got off the ice it was fun and games and joking and enjoying being around the guys. I started to learn that as I’ve been here and that’s part of the reason why I’ve been able to play as well as I have over the last few years.”
That mental approach certainly aided Anderson when he and his family were going through a scare as his wife Nicholle was diagnosed with cancer one year ago. Anderson took multiple leaves of absence but his performance on the ice was never negatively impacted. In fact, his stressful situation away from the rink led to him appreciating his profession that much more.
“Last year was the ‘ah-ha’ moment,” he said. “I was away from the game, you realize how much you love the game and miss being around the guys and that passion, that drive just got relit like you were a 10-year-old kid jumping back on the ice. You’re just so excited to be there and I think when you enjoy what you’re doing and you love the guys that you’re playing with it just elevates your game.”
Anderson and the Senators kick off the regular season next Thursday when they host the Washington Capitals.
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