Levi’s First NHL Shutout and His Gladiator Ritual, Fleury Enters the Penguins Hall of Fame

NHLLevi explains the glove-off ritual, and the Gladiator scene behind it

Watch Levi at a stoppage and you may see him pull off his blocker and put his bare hand on the ice. After the shutout, he told Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas where the habit might have come from: “There’s a scene in Gladiator where he picks up the sand and plays with it. I don’t know if that’s why I started doing it, but that was a cool scene” (Sportsnet).

NHLFleury goes into the Penguins Hall of Fame to chants of his name

Marc-Andre Fleury was the last of four inductees honoured before Saturday’s game in Pittsburgh, after Jim Rutherford, Larry Murphy, and founder Jack McGregor, and the arena answered his tribute video with a long ovation and “Fleu-ry!” chants. He smiled and waved. A few hours earlier he had toured the team’s Hall, where his plaque now sits beside a display of one of his bright yellow gloves and a mask from early in his career. “It’s a huge honor, obviously,” Fleury said. “I love this team. I felt like it was my team, you know?” Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang, the core he won three Stanley Cups with, joined the class for a photo on the ice. “Obviously, he’s the trailblazer,” Letang said. Crosby added: “I just had a blast playing with him” (Wes Crosby, NHL.com).

Our Nov. 14 edition has his Penguins records and how the vote went.

On InGoal: InGoal Radio Episode 300 with Marc-Andre Fleury, and Goaltending Mount Rushmore: Does Fleury Warrant a Spot Among GOATs?

NHLGeorge Hainsworth, the precise little goalie who still owns the shutout record, 100 years after his debut

Monday marks 100 years since George Hainsworth first played for the Montreal Canadiens, a 4-1 loss to Boston on Nov. 16, 1926, and NHL.com’s Dave Stubbs has looked back at his career. Montreal needed a replacement after Georges Vezina died that spring, and it paid Saskatoon $5,000 for a 31-year-old rookie who stood 5-foot-6. Hainsworth lost his first three games, then played all 44 that season, led the league with 14 shutouts, and won the first Vezina Trophy, the first of three straight. In 1928-29 he posted 22 shutouts in 44 games.

He won by angles and anticipation rather than dives, and he would apologize for it: “I’m sorry I can’t put on a show like some of the other goalers. I can’t dive on easy shots and make them look hard. I can’t look excited because I’m not. I guess all I can do is stop pucks.”

His 94 career shutouts stood as the NHL record until Terry Sawchuk passed him in 1964. Read: Hainsworth made NHL debut 100 years ago, remembered for precision in goal (Dave Stubbs, NHL.com).

George Hainsworth with the Canadiens. Photo: Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

The 22 shutouts are still the NHL record for one season, and by the NHL’s records nobody has come within seven of it since. The closest was Tony Esposito’s 15 as a rookie in 1969-70. The 22 also matched Montreal’s 22 wins that season, but not game for game: six of his shutouts were 0-0 ties, nine of the wins were 1-0, and he allowed 43 goals in 44 games. The next season the NHL allowed forward passing in the attacking zone, and Hainsworth gave up 108 goals with four shutouts (Dave Stubbs, NHL.com).

He was in goal for another first, too: when the NHL’s first penalty shot was taken, on Nov. 10, 1934, Hainsworth was in the Toronto net, and Montreal’s Armand Mondou didn’t score, as our Nov. 10 edition noted.

NHLUllmark wins his 200th, in fewer games than any other Swedish goalie

Linus Ullmark made 16 saves in Ottawa’s 4-1 win in Pittsburgh on Saturday for the 200th win of his NHL career. He is the fourth goalie born in Sweden to get there, after Henrik Lundqvist (459), Jacob Markstrom (270), and Tommy Salo (210), and he took the fewest games of the four, 350 to Lundqvist’s 383. “I don’t take anything for granted in this League,” Ullmark said (NHL.com). The NHL Players’ Association counts him as the 12th active goalie with 200 wins (NHLPA).

On InGoal: Linus Ullmark Pro Reads.

NHLTarasov hands Tampa Bay its first home loss with a 31-save shutout

Daniil Tarasov stopped all 31 shots as Detroit won 2-0 in Tampa on Saturday, the Lightning’s first loss at home this season. About half a minute before the Red Wings opened the scoring, he reached back for a no-look paddle save on Jake Guentzel, and the penalty kill held off both Tampa Bay power plays. It was his second shutout for Detroit and the third of his NHL career. “It was a tough road trip, and we ended it really strong against a really good opponent,” Tarasov said. Coach Todd McLellan liked what he has seen in practice: “he’s real coachable and real competitive” (Jonathan Mills, DetroitRedWings.com).

He was sharpest late in the second period, when he stopped Brandon Hagel twice on the rush and then got in front of a Conor Geekie backhand from close in. “I feel like their goalie stole one,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said (Heather Engel, NHL.com).

NHLOettinger’s 20th career shutout moves him into the Stars’ top five

Jake Oettinger stopped all 22 Buffalo shots, 11 of them in the third period, in Dallas’ 2-0 win on Saturday, the night Jamie Benn got his 1,000th NHL point. “Some quality, quality saves,” coach Glen Gulutzan said (DallasStars.com).

It was the 20th shutout of Oettinger’s career, all of them for Dallas. By InGoal’s count from the NHL’s career stats, that is fifth in franchise history, counting the Minnesota North Stars years, behind Marty Turco (40), Ed Belfour (27), Cesare Maniago (26), and Kari Lehtonen (24). Oettinger got to 20 in his 320th game; Lehtonen had played 445 games for the club when he finished with 24.

On InGoal: InGoal Radio Episode 176 with Jake Oettinger.

NHLAround the league: Hellebuyck makes 43 saves and is 7-0 as a Devil, Vasilevskiy passes Kirk McLean

• Connor Hellebuyck stopped 43 shots, 23 of them in the third period, as New Jersey won 7-4 in Washington. He has won all seven of his starts since the Devils got him on Oct. 23, and he is the sixth goalie in NHL history to win his first seven games with a franchise; the last was Frederik Andersen, who won his first eight with Carolina in 2021-22 (NHL.com). By the NHL’s stats it was his 352nd career win, one behind Evgeni Nabokov and Rogie Vachon, who share 25th place.
• Andrei Vasilevskiy played his 613th regular-season game on Saturday, in the Lightning’s loss to Detroit, and passed Kirk McLean for 50th on the NHL’s all-time list. He tied McLean in our Nov. 13 edition. Next up is Felix Potvin, 45th with 635 (NHL.com).

AHLPostava follows Augustine, and Grand Rapids blanks Iowa two nights running

A night after Trey Augustine’s first pro shutout in Iowa, which led the AHL in our Nov. 14 edition, Michal Postava took the Griffins’ net in the same building and did it again: 24 saves in a 1-0 win, decided by John Leonard’s goal early in the third. Postava made four of his saves on an Iowa power play with under five minutes left, then held on after the Wild pulled their goalie. It was his fifth shutout as a Griffin, and he is 7-0 this season. Grand Rapids hasn’t allowed a goal in 133 minutes and 26 seconds, going back to Wednesday (Grand Rapids Griffins).

Postava, 24, was the AHL’s goalie of the month for October, in our Nov. 4 edition, and won his first NHL game for Detroit against McDavid and Draisaitl, in our Oct. 27 edition.

CollegeUConn’s Taylor Belchetz blanks Providence two nights running, Saint Anselm’s Julia Matyas stops 53

Taylor Belchetz finished a Hockey East weekend sweep of Providence without allowing a goal. After Friday’s 26-save shutout at home, she stopped all 33 shots on Saturday at Schneider Arena, where the Friars outshot UConn 33-32, and the Huskies won 3-0 again: 59 saves over the two games (College Hockey News box score). Her first NCAA shutout led our Oct. 5 edition.

Saint Anselm’s Julia Matyas faced 56 shots at Sacred Heart on Saturday, 22 of them in the second period, and stopped 53 in a 3-0 loss (College Hockey News box score).

Around the NCAA

• Maine and Vermont played 64 minutes without a goal on Friday in Burlington: Vermont’s Jacob Oster stopped all 23 shots and Maine’s Albin Boija all 20, and Vermont won the shootout 2-1.
• Minnesota Duluth freshman Carl Axelsson made 24 saves in a 4-0 win at St. Cloud State on Saturday, his second shutout in two nights; Friday’s ran in our Nov. 14 edition.
• Providence’s Jack Parsons stopped all 28 shots in a 5-0 Hockey East win at Merrimack.
• Bemidji State’s Ava Hills made 28 saves in a 1-0 WCHA win over Minnesota State, with Olivia Dronen scoring early in the third.
• Bentley’s Nicholas Bevilacqua stopped all 25 shots in a 3-0 Atlantic Hockey America win at Air Force on Friday.

The game details in this list come from College Hockey News box scores.

U SPORTSLakehead’s Carson Cherepak stops 39 to blank Toronto, Dalhousie’s Grace Beer makes 33 in a 1-0 win

• Lakehead’s Carson Cherepak stopped all 39 shots in a 2-0 OUA win over Toronto in Thunder Bay on Saturday (box score).
• Dalhousie’s Grace Beer made 33 saves against UNB, and Madison Hollohan scored with 10 seconds left for a 1-0 AUS win (box score).
• StFX’s Patrick Leaver stopped 44 of 46 in a 3-2 win at Acadia and was the game’s first star (box score).
• Alberta’s Grace Glover made 41 saves on 43 shots in a 5-2 Canada West win over UBC (box score).
• Carleton’s Emily Davidson stopped 39 of 40 in a 2-1 OUA win at Queen’s (box score).
• Moncton’s Molly Collin made 36 saves on 38 shots in a 3-2 win at StFX and was the first star (box score).

InternationalLars Johansson stops 37 for a Frölunda shutout in Ängelholm

Around Europe

• Rögle outshot Frölunda 37-14 in Sweden’s SHL on Saturday and still lost 4-0, because Frölunda’s Lars Johansson stopped every one of them (SHL game statistics).
• In Switzerland’s National League, HC Ajoie’s Antoine Keller made 37 saves on 40 shots in a 6-3 win over HC Davos (National League game statistics).

JuniorRyerson Leenders stops 41 for Owen Sound, and 18-year-old Matvei Nikonovich makes 41 for Barrie

Notable performances in the CHL

• OHL: Owen Sound’s Ryerson Leenders, 20, made 41 saves on 43 shots in a 3-2 win over Guelph on Saturday and was the first star.
• OHL: Barrie’s Matvei Nikonovich, 18, stopped 41 of 44 against Brampton, and the Colts won 4-3 in a shootout.
• OHL: Brampton’s Oskari Ahmajarvi, 18, made 39 saves on 40 shots in a 4-1 win at Kingston on Friday and was the first star.
• QMJHL: Charlottetown’s Donald Hickey, 19, stopped 39 of 43 in a 5-4 shootout win over Rimouski on Friday and was the first star.
• QMJHL: Chicoutimi’s Justin Lee, 17, made 35 saves on 37 shots in a 3-2 win at Gatineau on Saturday and was the first star.

Game details come from the official game reports of the OHL and QMJHL.

New on InGoalMike Condon on the science behind Devin Cooley’s ‘subconscious’ goaltending

Devin Cooley’s postgame talk about letting his subconscious play goal struck a chord with NHL goalies. Former NHL goalie Mike Condon, now a mental performance counselor, explains why it works: thinking harder after a goal doesn’t fix the insecurity, while visualization and film train the brain to read the patterns so the response becomes automatic. Read: Playing Subconscious: The Science Behind Devin Cooley’s Viral Quotes.

Have goalie news, a big save, a signing, or a coaching hire? Send it to news@ingoalmag.com.