Cam Johnson: How the Everblades Goalie Won His Fourth Kelly Cup in Five Years (Ep. 371)

Intro

From inside Rogers Arena, this is InGoal Radio, the podcast. Daren Millard and Kevin Woodley. Don't know where Hutch is, but, the two of us are hanging out as the Golden Knights, get set to take on the Vancouver Canucks. So we thought we would take this opportunity to record inside Auxiliary Room 1 A.

Yeah. And I already showed Darren that this used to be an NBA locker room. So I showed him around the corner into the washrooms because I've actually dressed here for skates, taking part in a few skates here at Rogers Arena, home of the Vancouver Canucks. And you're in these auxiliary rooms, and it's a former NBA locker room. So the showers are literally...

Like, the shower head is nine feet tall. And what I didn't show Daren, because I didn't wanna get them soaked is if you turn the water on, it's like the water pressure times a million of what you normally expect and it's coming down so far that it actually hurts. Wow.

By the time it would get to me, it would be fine. It would be like a rain shower because I'm I'm so much lower than that. So they've they've done a lot of renovations since I was last inside this building.

Yeah. And they continue. It's a bit of a... It's a tough thing for the Canucks. It's a pretty small space.

Like, there's no room to grow the footprint here, so they try and squeeze a lot of things in. This is used for... If there's a third team in town at the same time, like, say, we got back to back tonight. If Vegas had come in, you guys came in yesterday. If you had skated, everything would have been set up in this room, that would have been how they get in on and off the ice.

This is where the the trainer's hockey league, like, when when the canucks have, like, a staff skate after a game day skate, they're in here. And this is where the little guys get to come in if they're in the intermission. Gotta have more space, they make it work, it's not easy.

We had a goalie goal in the first weekend of the week of the National Hockey League season. We're starting to see some some different kits come out. Dylan Garand records his first shutout. Leevi Merilainen has a new mask. There's a few different things to touch on from the start of this National Hockey League season on a goaltending perspective.

Been a little bit of a crazy one for me. I gotta be honest with you. I was joking with you earlier that it was tough to cover a game the fetal position, but my first home game was a nine sevener. So that was a that was a little tough to watch. Not a lot of defense.

It felt like a beer league game at times. So, yeah, there's a ton going on. Like, how about just Daren? Like, it's funny. I didn't realize how long he'd been in the league.

Because as soon as he scored it, my immediate thought was, oh, it's gonna be the first of many. Like, this guy's gonna get three... I... Like, I could see him easily being the guy who has the most NHL goals by a goalie by the time he's done, and yet it's taken him this long. Like, it really does show you that it's all about opportunity.

So... And the way he pulled that off the boards in almost one touchdown.

Unbelievable. Yeah. Unbelievable. I've never seen a goalie goal like that where he plays off the boards and his d-man was right there, and he didn't flinch at that.

I mean, he's wanted this for a while, but the skill involved, I think people like underestimate, like most times you're catching it, you're knocking it down, you're setting it up, and you're chucking it. The fact he did it with basically a puck that was still moving almost makes it more remarkable. But if you remember, we talked about this with some of the recent ones. One of the keys is to get a puck you can play above the goal line. Like, the degree of difficulty from behind the net or below the goal line is so much harder, so I think it's it's notable.

As hard as it was, it's also notable that he chucks it from where he did.

So Ron Hextall's reaction at nhl.com spoke to the former Flyers goaltender, and he said the reaction by the teammates is something that jumps out to him, and he remembers it from his goals and then it was brought back to life the other night with the New York Rangers. How everybody mobbed him and guys were coming off the bench, which you don't do in the National Hockey League. Guys don't come off the bench for goals anymore.

No. Yeah. It normally requires a significant milestone for that to happen. So that you're right. That's a really cool moment.

At ingoalmag.com, folks. Remember to go check it out. We have from our interview with Marty Turco way back in Episode 207, a little preview of a book we have coming, with sort of highlights our conversations from the crease. Called The Legends, including with Marty Turco. We took a look at the Shesterkin goal and sort of went back to our conversation with Marty and how he feels when goals get scored as the guy who basically invented the grip that allows this to be possible, and the lead is basically, you're welcome, which is what Marty joked he talked about, he thinks about whenever he sees moments like that.

Other goaltending topics to talk about, Merilainen wearing the Canucks mask, which has a connection to you and also our buddy John Garrett.

Yeah. So for those that maybe didn't see the game last night, I'm not sure Canucks Calgary is on a lot of must watch lists at this time of this season, but it would have been for the goal of Union last night. Leevi Merilainen in, now not his Canucks debut because he got in in relief in that nine seven debacle that left me in the fetal position, which was actually probably good for him. Right? Didn't have to think.

Right. Right? Just come off the bench and just go out playing. Now you've got your feet wet. You don't have to you don't have to think about your first start.

He did that one in a Senator's mask, but while he was playing that game, our good friend Basil from Custom Cages was busy putting together a wrap for last night for his first NHL start. They wore the black skate, and the design that Basil came up with was fantastic. And as he was finishing it up, he sent me a little note, And he put in the bottom left corner an image of John Garrett, a cartoon sized, like a cartoon style image of John with his classic Canucks black skate mask. And he said, what do you think? I'm like, I like...

I think I used the word love three times in it, but you better check. And, obviously, the equipment staff here in Vancouver was all over it. You gotta check with Leevi though. Like, that's not... He's from Ottawa.

He's Finnish. It's not a... You know, necessarily someone he was intimately familiar with, but he was all on board right away. So they added it to the mask. Kinda cool for me because not only is Basil a guy who's done a lot of stuff to work with us and for us, but the the the baseline of that image is what I have on on the back of my mask as a tribute to John Garrett.

So it's kinda neat to see that. I don't I don't know if I don't know what qualifies as viral these days, but it felt like it was pretty close to viral. A lot of people really connected to that. And he gets his first win, had a nice performance against the flames last night. Speaking of goalie stuff last night, how about Devin Cooley after the game?

A puck that he was sure he kept out of the net, reaching back behind him after trickled through with his glove. I guess he felt like maybe it hit the heel. Underneath his glove as he's covering, it must have hit the thumb area and pushed it into that as he was sweeping it off. And because he's in an all white glove with white webbing, the NHL had a camera angle through the webbing that showed the puck was over the goal line. After the game, he's like, I've already talked to the equipment manager about getting a black lace with a...

Having the backside of the pocket done in black, wondering about that. Checked with me, sent him a story that we did at ingoalmag.com about and showing the difference in the pictures. And as I understand it, there might already be a glove on order from Bauer with the black webbing and also sort of the pocket area from the backside all black. Goalies are thinking already this year, think he probably regrets not having it.

And I've talked to a couple of goaltenders about that and it's 50/50 that guys say I'll take my chances, I love the white lacing.

Is it the looks when

they come? It's the looks, it's purely cosmetic or guys look at and go if I can keep one more puck out and save the angst of being beat by technology, then why not make the change? I put red lace into my new glove just not because it was more style than anything but it did tweak my inner goalie when I did it. Like, what what if that ever happened? It's not gonna happen in our league, but but geez, that's that's something that you really have to consider if you're at the level of Devin Cooley.

I... And he did clearly, like, right away, I think he'd like... And it was a momentum changing Yeah.

Goal. Right? Was a huge goal in the game. He thought he had it. And literally, why give them the proof, basically, because he had the white?

So I think you'll you'll see some guys rethink that. I do... I remember Carey Price used to... He liked having White because he liked seeing the puck go all the way in the pocket. Like, he was that visually connected to things, and and it just it was a good feeling for him.

So I'll be curious though. Like, you know, if Cooley makes this switch and he's clearly thinking about at least investigating it, you know, is it likely to be the difference in a key game? Chances are pretty low, but there's an instance where right there it was the difference in that game.

And I think guys more and more will look at the lacing as a way to just make your glove more presentable in the team colors. So it's another color zone on your trapper glove that you can spice it up. Think you'll see guys with two different colors coming up in a little bit as this thing moves on instead of just the static tee is the same color as the lacing and we're traditional in that.

It sounds like you have some inside information there. Are you thinking that people are going to see your new gloves and be like, Oh, we're copying Daren Millard, that's the sickest style I've ever seen.

I hope nobody sees my glove. You have to come to like a 09:00 skate on Thursday nights to be able to see that. By the way, we're doing a killer job here with this microphone. We we have a single microphone, we're handing it back and forth. If people can see this right now, they would see the brilliant execution on recording a podcast.

Yeah. And they'd also see Daren Millard who's the ultimate professional working for the Vegas Golden Knights and with all the great equipment they have and then he comes to Amateur Hour Show because Woodley forgot the two separate microphones. I brought everything else, the recording equipment, the the cords to the microphones, plugged it all in, got ready to go, and I'm like, oh, crap. So... Hey.

Listen. It's back to back games for me. I didn't get out of here till midnight last night, and I'm back at the rink the next morning. So lots of great stuff coming. Hey.

We We haven't talked about our guest.

Before we go there, Dylan Garand with the shut out, and we talked about him at the start of the season, what were the Rangers going to do with their roster, a bit of a surprise at the beginning of the season, and then he goes in for game two and pitches a perfect game.

And I imagine a little bit extra pressure there for him too. Right? Like, on waivers, a lot of people around the league suggesting he should get claimed. We we believe he should have gotten claimed. Like, I would have claimed him.

And we said last week, like Clay Stevenson, we haven't touched on that, gets claimed by the Winnipeg jets. Like, I think it's a square footage thing. I think as much as... I just think a lot of teams are always gonna lean towards the six foot three, six foot four. Merilainen was six foot three.

Clay's a big guy over the six footer. So good for Dylan. He goes down. He clears a little surprisingly to me, but as we said, there there was an element that wasn't surprising. Gets called back up because Korpisalo, I think a groin injury, lower body injury.

And with the pressure of all of that, pitches his first NHL shutout. Again, we never get to see between the ears. We only see what they do between the pipes, but there are signs about how guys handle tough moments. The way he played last year down the stretch, the way he reacted to this. I mean, he keeps ticking these boxes that lead me to believe he's gonna be an NHL goaltender from a lot...

For a long time even if it wasn't out of the gate this season. I love his preparation

and his dedication to his regimen and his skating is something that's always jumped out at me and I think that base layer, that foundation has has really added to the ability to be comfortable in a game. What were you going to talk about before I cut you off?

Well, I was just gonna say our featured guest on the InGoal Radio Podcast presented by The Hockey Shop Source for Sports. Our featured guest is Cam Johnson this week. So folks may recall that we had Cam on a couple of years ago when he won his third straight ECHL Kelly Cup championship. He won another one this year. We were gonna have him back if he won four straight.

That was a goal. He went four out of five. So there was a gap there. We don't know what happened. We can't explain it, but four of the five last championships.

So I can't wait to bring that interview, he was so good two years ago, we've got all kinds of great stuff with him again this year.

Looking forward to that discussion on InGoal Radio, the podcast presented by The Hockey Shop Source for Sports Langley, thehockeyshop.com. I I don't know who just poked their head in the room, but it was very quiet, looked around, saw that we were doing something and then just ran out and slammed the door. It it was kind of a a strange start to end of trying to be subtle.

Yeah. Hopefully, they're not running out the door to security because I'm not sure if we're supposed to be in here.

Gear

Oh, we'll we'll find out shortly. The Gear Segment this week brought to you by The Hockey Shop.

Yeah. Now, Daren, you're in town. If we had a little more time, we would have gone and seen Cam in person, although I'm pretty sure, you know, he's kind of a big time guy. He doesn't work on Sundays. So that's why we got Jono on this week.

Cam's actually still on assignment anyway. So we got Jono this week. We're gonna talk about the Vaughn padded shirts. There's new additions. They've they've added to their lineup, made some changes, so we're gonna get to that with Jono.

But if you need anything, whether it's accessories like undergarments, whether it's new gear, maybe maybe you already had everything... You thought you were good for this year, but something's just not behaving properly. Maybe that glove has gotten worn out to the point where you're feeling stingers in the palm. Make sure you go to the Hockey Shop Source for Sports, thehockeyshop.com out in Langley. They have everything.

Get a colorway you need? They've got it. Massive inventory, massive selection, all the latest and greatest, including the new Brian's line that's coming up, I believe November 1. We got a month till we get to that. They'll have that in stock as well as discounts on all the previous lines.

Make sure you check them out. There's no better place to get set up and no better staff to set you up with the gear that will fit your game, your style, your preferences than our friends at the Hockey Shop Source for Sports.

Today, we're going to talk about the base layer with the Vaughn padded undershirt. It's something I wear, it is a beast and it does make you more comfortable. It makes you feel bigger than that. If you ever wear this padded shirt and then just wear a regular shirt underneath, you'll feel smaller. It does act, one, as a protection side of it, but also there's a there's a psychological element to it as well.

So let's get over to the Hockey Shop. Source for Sports Langley, thehockeyshop.com.

This is new. This is very popular in the National Hockey League, at least the previous model. So I'm expecting to see the new one in the NHL this season, new Vaughn padded shirts. This is new too.

Hey, guys. I'm Jono. Jonathan Holloway. Jonathan Holloway.

Social media expert here at the Hockey Shop Source for Sports, where we are back right now in the goalie department to break down the new Vaughn padded shirt. We've done the original before, as I've told you before, Donald wasn't here. It was Cam, when I told him how often we are seeing this in the National Hockey League. I think in part because of how much bulk this has, like it's a really nice piece to provide an air gap with your chest protector, make you maybe look a little bit bigger in the net. You ain't cheating, you're not trying.

And we might have another tip on how you can make this look even bigger at the end of this program. So for all the specs, we go to the expert, and that's what Jono is. Walk me through what's new, what's different, what people will notice in the new version of the Vaughn patent Yeah.

Well, there's definitely a lot going on with these shirts. We've actually got three different models, so I'll kind of go through them just one type one.

This simplest is one. Yeah. This is

the simplest one. We can actually start with this just because it is simpler and it still shares a lot of features with these other ones. So this is the VCS three. No padding. No padding on the shirt.

So it's just your regular under base layer shirt, but you do get that B and Q certified neck protection. So you get that extra protection from skate cuts, any sort of sharp materials, and you also are able to put in a different neck guard over top for shot protection.

Well, and if you're in a league where it's required, you satisfy that requirement. Like, for example, not to switch brands and get everyone confused here, I'm a really big fan of the Warrior Neck Protector

Yes.

But it's not BNQ certified, right? Mhmm. As a matter of fact, Devon Levi of the... Now Edmonton Oilers is wearing that neck protector after sending us a little note for Yeah. Some Here we go.

We're big time now here, Jono. But, if you were in a league that requires BNQ, that wouldn't work. This gives you that layer underneath. So there's there's perfect example. Let's move on to this one Yeah.

Next. Oh, the one thing on this that we forgot.

Yeah. Show them

the back.

Definitely wanna show this off. You've got a lot of ventilation in this shirt, which is really nice. Just helps you from getting too hot, especially not so much on this model, but on the models that have more padding. You're definitely gonna run into a bit more heat. So having an area to let that out is gonna be really nice while you're playing, keep you nice and cool.

Okay. So let's move on to the models with more padding. We'll start with this one because it's a continuation of the one you have. This is the BC s one, and it's like their padded shirt that we've shown off in the past, but with the B and Q. Exactly.

So again, if you're playing in a league or at a level where it requires B and Q underneath, the previous Vaughn models wouldn't have given you this option. Now you've got it. Jono already mentioned the mesh on the back for breathability. Absolutely. Any other secret?

I mean, things you like?

Well, one thing that I really like is... Well, first of all, this shirt has a ton of padding. You've got it in the wrist, the biceps, the shoulders,

the chest....

The wrist on the old ones too? That new? Think that's new. Yeah.

I think that's new. And, you've also got on the side for the ribs here too. And my favorite part is you can remove the padding from any location on here, so you can take it all out. If you wanna wash it and you don't wanna risk getting that padding super wet, you can take it out. Or if you just wanna adjust it, you don't want padding in one place or as Kevin kind of alluded to earlier...

Well, let's give credit where it's due. Behind the camera hutch with the secret how to make yourself bigger in goal, you could take this bicep pad out and it'll fit in the shoulder, double up the thickness in the shoulder. You know, if you wanna get a little... You know, like you've been actually going to the gym. That'll give you a little bit more height with your chest protector sitting on top of that, gonna make you a little bit a little bit bulkier, a little extra protection. Mhmm. I'm not gonna lie.

I I know a goalie who played pro that once took the g form knee pads that we were testing and sampling. I'm not gonna name names, but he went and played in the American Hockey League with three of them. He stacked the layers under his knee because three layers of padding literally added an inch. And then I remember watching a game during the lockout and it was like against the previous generation of Oilers when they were in the American League, like hauling, like just absolute zipping it around the ice. And he had two that he just barely caught with his shoulder.

I remember post game, he's like, 100% the knee pads made those save because they gave me the extra inch. So there you go, folks. You're not cheating. You're not trying. This shirt allows you to do just a little bit of that.

Yeah. And Vaughn's trying to help you out there.

I love it. Love it. Okay. Awesome. Last one?

Last shirt. So this one, we don't need to spend too much time on it. It is the exact same as that shirt, but as you can see, no neck color here. So if you don't want that or you wear your own other neck guard that already has that B and Q certification, then, you know, you can go with this option. You still get all the other benefits, but you don't need that neck collar around it.

And still with the ventilation on

the back? Still the ventilation, the same padding locations, and all of these shirts come in a couple different color ways. There's also a red variation as well. Oh, I like that.

There's no white though. Like, no stupid No. Goodness. How ugly that would look at.

Those would be a one time use.

Yeah. Yeah. I have to have to throw a little bleach in the wash. Okay. One more.

We're not done. One more. We've shirts. But the bonus is they now have pants.

We've got pants too and a couple nice features on here. You've got the ventilation which...

Front, back,

and side. And then, you've also got the velcro for your socks. So, if you do wear socks, have that. And you've got a little extra padding also removable in the knee here for protection. Just for

when you're dropping down, add a little extra comfort there. Little cushion and, I mean, I'm not gonna say it because I haven't tried it yet, but like, could you take one, put it in the other, have it underneath that? Lift you up a little bit again. Like our our friend in the American Hockey League, stacking layers where he lands on the knee to make him a little bit taller in his butterfly. I love that story.

I haven't told that one in a while and I didn't name names, but he knows who he is. If you've got any questions, hit them up. Hockey Shop Source for Sports, hockeyshop.com at THS goal where you'll find all John's great work on socials. This guy, like he's actually got a hockey DB, played a little junior hockey. Much like a lot of the people that work here, lot of the staff, they understand the position.

So if you've got questions, hit them up. They'll be able answer in an educated way that'll help you make more saves, have a little more padding, feel less pucks, have more fun playing the position. Jono, thanks buddy.

Thank you, we're here to help.

And people do have or develop a preference about these padded undershirts.

Yeah. One of the things we talked about... Gonna ask you if you do this because talking about feeling bigger. One of the things about that shirt, I love that the padding's removable, and you can do that for washing purposes or whatever. But as some goalies have discovered, you can take, like, say, bicep or the rib pads and put it and double up the layer in the shoulder.

And as we showed in one of our videos, I'm not sure if it's a main video, make sure you go check out all of our gear segments are are sort of done on YouTube as well. So you just listen to it. You can go check it out and see the visuals. I know we did it with one of the teases. I can't remember if we did it with the...

Well, we actually did. We we we sort of doubled the padding up. And let's just say your chest protector will be sitting nice and high if you do that. So it's one of the options. I've never seen anyone in the NHL do that, but I will say I have seen a lot of NHL goalies wearing this shirt.

And I think as you said, there's a... It's not just protection, but the layers of padding sort of help create an extra air gap, which is in itself protection.

I've never done that. I will be tomorrow. Let's just leave it at that. Hey, is there any limit on what guys can wear as a base layer?

Not that I'm aware of. I do sometimes wonder. I probably should text Kay and ask him if he looks at these things because we have seen some over the years. What was the one that was famous from the pandemic year? Remember Anton Khudobin?

Yes. Right in the locker room, and it was like... Was just a postgame celebration shot, and everyone's like, you know, I think Anton was being his usual, like, outgoing, gregarious self talking about, like, we're not going home. And it was just this great, like, passionate celebration, and the entire goalie union was just zeroed in on the size of the pad padding on his undergarment. I think that might have been a Vaughn shirt as well.

So there are no rules that I'm aware of. I do wonder if they're gonna start taking a closer look as guys find ways. Because at the end of the day, if you pad yourself up under your chesty, it's going to sit taller and bigger on you.

And I hope they don't do it but I can see them saying, okay, wear it for practice but you got to wear regular gear during a game. Although players do also wear padded undergarments as well for protection in certain areas so I hope we haven't let anybody in on an idea that they might want to look at. We got the Visual Edge ProReads this week looking at more experience from the players that are actually on the ice talking us through certain situations.

Yeah. We talked about Devin Cooley in the glove. I just wanna tease. He's not this week's ProReads guest. This week's ProReads guest, we're still making our way through the Dustin Wolf series, and it's a fantastic look.

Dustin for the last four has kinda talked about a lot of low high plays, and he's changed the way he manages those. It's such a common play in today's NHL team to try to generate offense from below the goal line. As goalies, we have to figure it out. And what I love about Dustin Wolf in this week's ProReads is his willingness to sort of take a look at it and be like, you know what? I could have done this differently.

But then also say, here's why. Here's why I don't feel I need to be on my knees because this isn't a threat, or here's why I do need to feel down because it is a threat, and breaking it down and trying in general terms to get to his skates more when he's on the post because it allows him to get off better. But really breaking down the situations on when to be down and when to be up, it's a fantastic series. This week's is up at ingoalmag.com. Of course, if you're a subscriber, you get to go watch all the previous ones.

You can watch the entire series with Wolf. It's all linked. You will get better at playing pucks below the goal line, tracking pucks behind your net just from watching this. To tease Cooley, we've got him coming up in the next couple of weeks as well. So had an hour with him on the eve of the season.

He gave us an hour of his time. He took a break from his algebra and walked us through a whole bunch of video. I can't to share that with people. And, of course, all of these, there's no better way to learn how to read the game than InGoal's ProReads, and there's no better way to see the game better than Visual Edge. Every goalie knows a feeling.

Those nights where the game feels slow, your tracking puck's clean, reading plays early, and nothing seems to surprise you. Then there's the other nights where you're reacting instead of anticipating. You're just a split second behind. Most goalies try to solve that by getting more reps, by getting faster. Visual Edge takes a different approach by training the visual and cognitive skills that help you process the game faster, like tracking through traffic, picking up releases earlier, and recognizing patterns and making quicker decisions under pressure.

Laptop or tablet, personalized assessment, and then they give you a training plan for improvement. Fifteen minutes a day, three times a week, that's all it takes, plus an open gym if you wanna do extra exercises, and an eight minute warm up called game day mode to get your eyes and brains locked in for puck drop, one that we know is used by Jordan Binnington. Make sure you check it out. Vizual Edge. Use the code InGoal for 10% off, but if you're an InGoal subscriber, go to anyproreads and you will get a specialized subscriber only discount for Vizual Edge for 20%.

So make sure to check it out, Vizual Edge and ProReads, no better way to read and see the game better.

Your eyes are perfectly fine. We could all use Visual Edge, I don't think you require it. I'm looking at the font in your computer right now, there's no way I can do that. I can't pull that off. You've impressed me a lot over the years, this is top three, what I'm looking at right now.

See, the problem when I play goal is I close my eyes. Vizual Edge can't fix the fact that I close my eyes and hope it hits me, but yeah, think this is part of my visual training is to have the smallest... I'm basically... This is me fighting Grandpa Phon. Now on my phone, it's huge, But on my computer, I try and keep it.

This is my test. I'm testing myself.

You passed on that. Hey, why are we in the dressing room and not in the car? I thought maybe we we get the the recording in the in the car going back to Roberto Longo way back when.

The car podcast episodes are only for NHL goalies, Daren.

Parent Playbook

Oh, that makes sense. I'll never get to the car. Life sometimes throws curveballs at you. Hutch, we got the Stop It Goaltending U, the app parent segment brought to us by Stop It Goaltending.

Do you wanna have twenty five years of NHL goalie coaching experience at your fingertips? You wanna tap into the goalie parenting expertise that helped Joey Daccord reach the NHL? That's what you get with a subscription to Stop It Goaltending U, the app. All the knowledge from Brian Daccord has been an NHL goalie coach, scout and director, as well as all the insights and expertise from his staff at Stop It, including a long list of veteran NCAA coaches. All delivered in easy to digest chunks, including five short daily primers, weekly style analysis and breakdown videos, and drills you can take onto the ice with your team and coach.

Plus, you get an InGoal subscription included. Check it out now at the App Store or Google Play and get the best of both worlds with a subscription to Stop It Goaltending U the app and an included subscription to InGoalmag. Hutch, we're not happy

Hutch, we're not happy with you, but we miss you.

Thanks, Daren. Thanks, Kevin. Sorry I can't be there with you this week. Honestly, I'm not thrilled that the two of you get to hang out in person while I'm stuck recording on my own. Now, let me clear up something first.

When I said I wanted to talk about Kevin Lankinen and Stolen Assist, I mean the three of us should argue about it at some point. I did not intend it to be a parent segment but the more I thought about it and honestly, with an assist to my wife Jill for coming up with this plan, the more I realized there is a parent segment in there. So here it is, the shot clock. Goalie parents, you know the feeling. Your kid makes a save, a real save, and it doesn't make the shot clock.

I think I've got some good advice on this and guess what? It still bugs me. It bugs me even though I know the rules. In the NHL, if you catch a puck or stop one that was gonna miss the net, it isn't a shot. It only counts if it would have gone in with no goalie there.

So I know that over a season, our scorekeepers are probably giving my kids shots that wouldn't count in the NHL. It still bugs me even though I know the misses and the extras probably even out over a season. And it bugs me even though I know the person doing the job is probably a volunteer sitting in the penalty box with a bad angle. My view from the stands or on the stream is often better than theirs. Nope.

It still bothers me. So I think goalie parents need a plan for this just like our kids have a plan for a bad goal. Expect it. Walk into the rink knowing it's going to happen probably more than once. Breathe.

When it happens, take a breath before you react. Then remind yourself it's okay. I promise you a missed shot on the score sheet is not gonna affect your kid's draft stock or their college scholarship chances. And if you really need a better number, keep your own count. I'm not a big fan of save percentage and I'm saying that as a guy who built an app to track it.

It's called Save Tracker. Check it out. Yes. I see the irony. So back to Lankinen.

I know it can feel like the whole world is conspiring against your kids with those shot counts. Now imagine you're Kevin Lankinen. Couple of nights ago, he made an amazing save, pushing a blocker save out, passed the four checkers, straight to an odd man rush and a goal. No assist. The NHL said he didn't intend to pass the puck.

Intent? How many goals and assists have been awarded off pucks that went off a guy's butt or his shin pad? We've even seen them going off heads. None of them were intentional and I know assists happen exactly the same way. We even track goals at InGoal on our Goalie Goals page which is now up to 240 across leagues and we sort the NHL ones by whether the goal was actually shot in or not.

News flash, every one of those ones that weren't shot in was not intentional. They're still goals. Sometimes, it kind of feels like former player at NHL headquarters is making these rulings because they're scared a goalie might pass them in the career scoring race. Igor Shesterkin and his two game point streak, just saying. So what do the Lankinen ruling and your kid's shot count have in common?

Well, ask any mindset coach and they'll tell you the same thing, control the controllables. Kevin Lankinen can't control strange rulings at the NHL head office. We can't control the shot clock at the rink. So sit back, try to relax and enjoy the game and help your kid learn to judge their performance by how they played, not by wins, losses or shots on goal.

It's an interesting conundrum for statisticians because a touch is not possession. But if you're a goaltender and you're the last one to touch the puck and the team scores on itself, like goes back to the point in the power play or the extra attacker and it goes in, that counts as a goal for the net minder if they're the last one to touch it. But if you touch it but you don't have possession and you'll get the point, the assist, it's like what's the difference there?

And this became kind of a hot topic because the Canucks season opener, Kevin Lankinen on a penalty kill, moving to his left, makes a fantastic save with his blocker back towards his right from Leon Draisaitl after a lateral pass. And he punches it all the way up towards the blue line, which creates a two on one that Paul Cotter scores on. And our mutual friend now, thanks for connecting us, John Shannon. Daren is a 100% hockey. I am just a 100% Canucks, but he he he reported that the Canucks reached out the league and asked about the assist, and we're told no.

And the the ruling seems to be that it's not intentional. Haven't had a chance to ask Lankinen since then. My guess would be he'd say he's just trying to make a save in that moment. But for sure, there's other instances where we'll see a goaltender kick a puck past, you know, people in front of him knowing he's got a player in an area. And if that player were to go down and score, I would hope they would get an assist.

And the counterpoint I made on our podcast with John was that, you know, like, we had another goal two nights later in the madness of the nine seven, where a forward tips the puck in front of Devon Levi. A deflection never makes it to the goalie. It basically goes straight up in the air and hits a teammate in the shoulder on the other side of the net and trickles in. Like, there is no way that's an intentional pass, but you're automatically getting the prime... Primary assist in that case.

So it's... And I'm not arguing he shouldn't. At the end of the day, let's give goalies more points regardless, that's an easy solution, the Union all agrees.

I think it's simple. The last two people to touch the puck before the puck goes in the net, if they're all on the same team, everybody gets a point.

I mean, how many points for goalies over the years were on a... They had a great rushing defenseman, and they just left the... They stopped the rim, left the puck, and that guy went end to end, and they got a point. Like, again, Lundqvist making a save and having it go to a teammate versus the moments where goalie makes a save and tries to direct it to a teammate, there's a subtle difference there, but I don't know that it's so significant that we need to be taken away taken away apples from the goalies.

Got to play during one of the work stoppages in Toronto, some skates with NHLers, and every now and then different guys would show up. Paul Coffey was one of them and he said to me, because the puck came down, I just left it for him. He went down and they created a goal and he just said, Hey. I said, I got an assist on that and his point was, how do you think Fuhrsey got fourteen one year? Basically, he picked up the puck, went down and scored.

That's the exact same thing, I'll never forget that. How do you think Gretzky got fourteen one year? That is similar, that's 200 feet away, you're making a play on it, but if you're making a save and it leads to a goal and it's a... One, you're making a save so you kept the puck out, you deserve some kind of added reward if they go 180 feet down the ice and are able to score. Bet you CJ's gone through this, Cam Johnson, my buddy, over at the NHL Century in a feature interview this week.

Yeah, it's a really good one. One point that I meant to get to with him that I didn't, that I want to clarify off the hop because a lot of people saw him sign an American Hockey League contract with Wilkesbury, and obviously there's been some changes. The Pittsburgh Penguins are now owned by the same gentleman that owns the Florida Everblades, where Cam Johnson has won four of the past ECHL championships, Goalie of the Year two straight years, all the MVP awards in the playoffs, like, exceptional. So a lot of people thought, oh, is he trying to move up to the American League and maybe to the NHL? And the counter, if you go back to our interview two years ago, he made it clear, he signs American Hockey League deals because it eases...

Allows him to earn a living in Florida, in Naples, where he's very happy with the life he's built there and the success he's had. He loves it there without punishing the ECHL team too much because there is a cap down there. So that's one of the reasons he does it. Now that doesn't mean he's not open to opportunities to get called up, and there may be some as well, but that's part of that process. So I wanted to remind people, and and it's a great way to remind people as well, that the original interview is loaded with great tidbits about how this guy has gotten to where he is, and the success he's having at that level, and who he is as a person.

Because a lot of people are gonna see four championships in five years and be like, this guy should, you know, he's done chasing that as he told us then. So make sure you go back if you don't know the background to listen to that interview. We didn't wanna rehash too much of the old stuff. We just wanted to catch up on the new stuff. So it's fantastic.

But but first, we gotta pay some bills. Hutch, you need to tell us. We know all about... Tell us all about NHL Sense Arena before we get to the NHL Sense Arena feature guest, Cam Johnson.

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NHL Sense Arena, go find that puck.

Just trying to squeeze you in a little bit, Hutch. Thanks thanks for helping us out there. Jeez. It's the least you can do as we're just slogging away here on a Sunday ahead of a National Hockey League game. Looking forward to this conversation.

He's a fascinating individual with a really cool story. This is another step on the journey as Cam Johnson joins us on the NHL Sense Arena feature interview.

Feature Interview - Cam Johnson

Really excited to welcome back to the InGoal Radio Podcast. Second time guest, Cam Johnson of the Florida Everblades. And is it Philadelphia or Philadelphia, three ice? I I caught I caught the I caught the jersey thing. Three on three championship this summer as well.

Okay, buddy. We had you on two years ago. You'd won three straight ECHL championships. We said you... We'd have you on after the four, Pete.

You made us wait an an entire year. So four in the past five back to back ECHL goalie of the year awards. I feel like we gotta have that music in the background. Like, all I do is win, win, win. How are you?

Thank you for doing this.

Yeah. No. It's good it's good to be back on here, but, yeah, it's it's good. You know? Still winning games, so everything's going good.

It is more rare for you not to win, so I almost wanna ask what happened in 24/25 versus versus the championship you followed it up with last year. So this was the part two we promised. Yep. I am curious, though. Did the loss in '25 teach you anything?

Like, did you learn anything different from that that got you right back on the horse with another championship this year?

Yeah. I mean, honestly, it's it's crazy. Like, I wanna say the loss hurt more than how good it felt to win, if that makes sense. Like, obviously, the winning feels great, and there's no better there's no better feeling than winning. But, I mean, maybe it's because I've done it a few times now, but losing that hurts so much more than, like, how great the glory is when you win.

So it's almost like I just wanna win now so I don't have to feel that, you know, that that losing again. It was... And, again, we we had a great team. Like, it's crazy. Of all the years on paper, I think that that would have been our best team at, you know, making a run towards the Kelly.

And, unfortunately, we ran we ran into a hot goalie. Luke Havolin played really good. He's a, you know, he's a good young goalie. He's he's been in a couple organizations now, but just ran into a good good goalie and and a good team defensively, and they kinda figured us out. They scored first, I think, in probably, like, 98% of their their games.

And, yeah, they just... You know, they get up on us early and just shut it down, play play solid defensively. So bummer we we couldn't go five in a row, but, you know, getting it back net last year was nice.

I'm curious because we... We've... I've heard that you... We hear that expression. Right?

Like, does he love to win or does he hate to lose? Maybe a bit... Is that a is that a is that a suresy thing? Suresy hates to lose?

It could be. It could be, but honestly, it's a little bit of little bit of both. It's like, you know, teeter in that line of of hating, hating losing, and and loving winning. It's, you know, always with... Almost with everything.

You gotta you gotta find that fine line.

Now the other part you talked about there, I wanted to ask you about this a little bit because you mentioned that they they kinda had figured you guys out as a team systems wise a little bit. Right? When you have this much success... Like, I've always said that playoffs is where goaltenders games get broken down to the nth degree because of the pre scouting. You've now won three of the past four Kelly Cup championships.

Sorry. Four four... I can't even keep it straight. I was looking down. I'm like, that sounds wrong.

Four out of five with three MVP awards. There's there's footage. How is it that you're able to survive the breakdowns that come with that? And and last time you told us, and this is a quick note for everyone listening, if you want Cam's full origin story, we did this two years ago. I'll put it in the show notes so you can link to it.

It's just a fantastic background on how we got here, and we don't wanna repeat too much of it. But one of the things you told us then was that you're a field goaltender. And I'm wondering if how much of the instinct you play on rather than rigid technique, is that one of the reasons you think that it's a little harder to maybe break you down?

Yeah. I, you know, I think it's it's a little bit of everything. Like, I can't, you know, I can't take all the credit too. Like, I've had... I've been on some great teams, and I have a really great coach down here in Florida too where defense, like, he emphasizes defense.

So that's why it's some guys, you know, there'll be 100 guys on other teams, and they come here and, you know, maybe they're point per game, but usually, they're they're point total stake a hit. So he really emphasizes defense first. And, you know, for me, I I always just love the big games. Like, it's... I've I've kinda done it my whole career now.

Know, taking

up my game. Championships. Yep.

Yeah. And then, like, you can even go as far back. Like, when I was coming up, I I won a national championship when I was a junior in high school. I won a State championship my senior year, and then I went to the Kelly club... Or Clark Cup finals both years I played in the USHL.

So I've just kinda... I don't know. Kind of had this... Those those winning ways about me, and it's, you know, those those big games. Like, you gotta be...

A lot of guys will will get scared in that big moment, and it's it's something that I look forward to. Like, you know, the the bigger the game, the more excited I am to play. So, you know, just kinda carrying that little swagger or whatever with with me throughout my playing career and and, obviously, you know, having a great team in front of me. Like, you are, you know, as good as your team is and and who you surround yourself with. So I think we do a really good job.

My coach does a great job. Our... You know, we got a full time GM in the ECHL, which you don't really see very very many places. So it's it's ran really, really professionally done down here, and, you know, they take great care of us down here. So, you know, all you wanna do is win when you're you're surrounded by a bunch of people that wanna win and, you know, a bunch of like like minded individuals like myself.

It's... You can do anything. So I've been very fortunate to have some great teams down here and, you know, just just playing big in those big games and shying away from it.

Continuity matter? Like, you mentioned the the focus on the defensive systems. You must be so comfortable with, you know, the x's and o's part of it. Like, knowing what your team... Like, goaltending is obviously unpredictable and increasingly so, but if your team is helping eliminate options, it allows you to narrow your focus on the options they're leaving.

That... There... You must be pretty comfortable in that defensive environment. Is it more on a year to year basis adjusting to the individual tendencies as personnel changes than the system itself?

Yeah. I think, you know, it's it's, like, pretty similar year to year. That's that's why we... We've had so much success, I think, through the years. Because I've had, you know, different teams every year that we've won, but we just always kinda had, like, the great, you know, core nucleus of guys that kinda drive the ship.

And, you know, we bring in... Every year, coach does a really good job of bringing in some good hungry young guys that wanna win. And, you know, a lot of times, like, when guys get sent down to the ECHL, they're they're not happy, you know, whether they're on NHL deals or AHL deal trying to make the AHL team. Like, you get sent to the coast. It's it's kind of a slap in the face sometimes.

But when you come down here and and you're in this environment, it's like I've seen it firsthand. Guys kinda come in, and you can tell, you know, they're probably a little upset that they're they're down in the coast. But, again, once they get into it with us and we start playing games, whatever, start winning games, like, it's so cool to see. You know, even those guys you don't think, you know, maybe maybe he's whatever, not not gonna react a certain way. But seeing a lot of those guys come around and just seeing how much guys want it too, you know, when you got a bunch of guys that want it.

And sometimes sometimes you gotta drag some guys into the fight, but almost every time, everybody's been willing to do everything here. So it's been a great great run so far.

I know you you don't... Like, you're not a huge video guy. You say you only look at the goals, and you don't give up many goals. So, you know, I'd be curious, like, advice for young goalies. You clearly read the game when we talked about the system helping, but you clearly read the game at a really high level camp.

Where does that come from, and what would be your advice? Like, you young goalie coming to be your playing partner, he's like, man, how do how do I get the instincts that you have? What would what would you say?

Yeah. It's... I think that's kinda what's what's driven me my whole career is just my my play reading ability and just kinda understanding situations, And it's crazy. I mean, you you know the position. Like, there's a million thoughts that go through your head, and there's so many different things that can happen at any...

You know, things can change at the blink of an eye, and it's a crazy position. But, you know, I have always prided myself on my my play reading ability. And, like, a a big thing for me is, especially coming college to pro, was, you know, you think you gotta be, like, fast, fast, fast, hit all your spots really quickly and be there. It's like, you just always gotta, like, set yourself up to be in the in the best situation to make a save. So, you know, I guess for me, it's just...

Like, I almost had to slow my game down. So it's like, rather than doing... You know, hitting that spot, it's almost like, you know, slow... What is the saying? Slow is smooth.

Smooth is fast, I think, is is what my... One of the guys early on in my pro career, Scott Clemmensen, and he he was a a really good one at me. You know, I used to come out really far, challenge guys. He's like, you don't even really need to come out that far. Like, as long as your positioning is solid, which he's like, I know your positioning is solid.

He's like, you just trust your feet. You know? Trust your reads. So it kinda hits hard to... It's easy.

It's a lot easier said than done to almost, like, slow your game down because, again, goal tending's a a quick position. You gotta be, you know, thinking, being at the top of your game, whatever. But just slowing it down. Like, you think you have more time than you think. So a lot of times, a rebound, say, guys will go flaring over there when really maybe it's just a small little push and just making yourself big.

And there's there's a lot that goes into it, you know, like angle of the ice, how... Where the puck's gonna come up on the ice. So, you know, kinda going at it and closing closing the gap of the puck to go and whatever. But there's a million different reads, and I've honestly found, like, just kinda slowing my game down, playing more simple, and just just being in position is is really the driving force for me.

Have you backed off that you talked about the... I mean, obviously, from from your time with the devil's, affiliate and Scott Clemmensen, and, like, the game's changed too in terms of being able to be aggressive. Have you even in the past couple of years started to back up a little bit? Because the... What you're talking about sounds like letting the game come to you a little bit more rather than chasing all these spots.

Yeah. It's it's for sure. And, you know, maybe I'm getting... Keep slowing down a little bit, getting a little bit older. It's it's crazy kinda looking at myself now.

I'm I'm one of the old guys when it happens quickly at the start of your career. You're a young guy. You know? So it happens quick, but, you know, I've obviously played in some big games and... But played a lot of pro games now.

So just kind of the understanding of certain things. And I've always I've always say, you know, you've seen it all, but every time you say you've seen it all, you see something else. So just using my experience. I got enough experience now and and trust in, you know, trust in my reads, trust in trust in my game, and keeping it simple. Like, I try to not really leave the blue paint too much.

And, again, if you're if you're on angle or whatever, you're you're solid positioning... Positionally, then, you know, the shooter's gotta beat you. So just get your... You know, I focus on on getting in position and just staking up as much night as I can.

Well, UK, you say you've seen it all. I'm guess... I'm guessing not a lot like game six, down four one late, tie it with, like, 13.2 left. And then and then have to go right into two overtimes and win it. Like, no, I think that I saw a quote where you're talking about forgive and forget.

Like, what was going through your mind when it's four one? How do you reset and refocus from there's gotta be a thought in your head at four one, like, we're done, and now all of sudden it's tied again and you need to be sharp. Walk me through what that was like, you know, especially watching the last one with the goalie pulled on the bench. You're on the benches that you... Your team ties it.

But this... Then just being able to reset and and start from square one in overtime.

Yeah. I I think it's just kinda having an understanding in the game. Like, I remember in in that final series, like, I played good, but definitely of all the playoffs, like, I was... You know, there's a little bit of doubt at times that kinda creeped in there. Like, it was...

For me, it was the hardest one to win. Like, because they came out, and we had played great all playoffs. And our first two games in Kansas City, I think I gave up, like, 11 goals or something, and I I hadn't given up, like, 11 goals up until that point, you know, all of playoffs. So All

year, you... I mean, you had a 1.8. Yeah. Like, what? Do you have a 1.84 last year for goals against?

Like, that's... Yeah.

Yeah. So, you know, it was kind of a shock, like, a shock to the system almost because we only scored a couple, and we let in a a lot of goals. So it was, you know, obviously, there's that little little seeded doubt that gets planted. But, again, for me, I just... I rely on on what I know and and, you know, how I play.

Like, I know my game well enough, and I've been in certain situations where I haven't had my best stuff, and I've had to, you know, find a way... Just find a way to at least be at your b game. You know? Because a lot of times, it's like, I'll, you know, keep the boys in. Maybe there's a game I don't have my best stuff.

Well, the boys will pop, you know, three, four, five goals in for me. So it's a lot of give and take, like, against yourself with a great group of guys and a and a great team. And it's like everybody will pull the rope, especially that game. It was like we had, you know, we had a d man who hadn't played all the playoffs and then came in when we were down o two. You know, we we we rattled off four straight with him in that that final game.

He scored, I think, the first goal to get us going, kinda get us, you know, in that comeback mindset. And, you know, we ended up banging up another one home. Again, another guy who's just kinda been been working his butt off all year and maybe hasn't played every game. But, again, banks went in in a big moment. And then, you know, we had our fearless leader, Oliver Chow.

He banged it in there with with thirteen seconds to go. And then overtime, another guy, Isaac Nurse, who he was injured, you know, injured at the start of the year, kinda in and out of the lineup, like, not really a a every every game, you know, type of player, which he should be. But with the with the talent and everything we got down here, unfortunately, he kinda bounced in and out. But, again, gets his opportunity. Like, he was our best player in that game in my opinion, and he's a fourth line guy.

But, you know, those are those are the guys that win your championships. And he scored a he scored a sick goal. I don't know if you've ever seen the behind the behind angle from, you know, a little corner that he had, but just an unbelievable shot. Like, give, you know, give someone a 100 shots that might hit at one time. It's like you got a guy like that that that scores the game winner, so it just caps it off.

Like, just a great group of guys we got we got down here.

Is it... Was there... Is there a reset mechanism? Like, some guys will have a phrase they use. Some guys will have a...

You know, we... You know, guys will throw the water bottle to re... Like, do you have a conscious technique to sort of pull you back into the moment?

Yeah. I was like, you know, I'll tell myself shut up or, you know, I do a lot of self talk. Like, anytime one of those one of those bad bad thoughts comes in, I just... You know, I tell myself forget about it, and I just focus on the now. Like, I always...

I guess my my little catchphrase would be what's important now. I used to write WIN on my blockers when... What's important now.

I guess my my little catchphrase would be what's important now. I used to write WIN on my blockers when... What's important now. So I guess if anything, any catchphrase, that would be my my little thing. What's important now?

And just kinda helps me reset whatever and focus on making the next save because it's it's a lot... It's tough sometimes, especially, you know, that game I got scored on four times. So I pretty much knew I had to shut the door to to have an opportunity, but, I mean, that's just over over my playing career. I've been in that position before, so nothing new. I know if I shut the door, the boys will start rallying.

So, yeah, what's important now, I guess, that would be my little my little catchphrase.

I love I love I love that one. It's a perfect perfect one. That that big moment and the ability to sort of just be yourself in big moments, is that is that over time? Is there anybody that helped you get there? Like you said, you've been doing it since, like, high school.

Yeah.

You know, where other people will wilt in the spotlight, you seem to embrace it. Is there any advice you can pass along? You know, lot of young goalies are hoping to be in the same situation in a playoff game under pressure at the end of this year, and, you know, what type of advice would you give them?

Yeah. I mean, it's the... Really, the biggest thing is is staying present in the moment. Like, you can't you can't think too far ahead. You can't think about losing the game.

Yeah. I mean, it's the... Really, the biggest thing is is staying present in the moment. Like, you can't you can't think too far ahead. You can't think about losing the game.

I always... You know, I'm a big believer in, like, manifesting things. So, you know, positive self talk. Like, see yourself making a big save. See yourself raising the trophy.

See yourself hugging the boys. So positive, you know, positive thoughts and just manifesting good things, good thoughts. And the bad thoughts are normal. Like, everybody has them. Everybody has those little seeds of doubt that creep in, but it's it's not focusing on those things, and it's focusing on the task at hand, which is stopping the puck.

So it's a lot easier said than done, but staying present in the moment, whether that be, you know, self talk or maybe maybe you can do... You know, I see see guys do, like, the water bottle squirt or tapping the post, like, whatever. Just having a little little habit that that brings you back to home where if you're ever having those bad thoughts, you know, whatever. You do your water bottle squirt, and you tap your post, you sit, you're little little crouch, goalie crouch, whatever. But just having a little something that brings you back down to earth.

Like, alright. We're good here, and, you know, we're we're living in the moment.

That's what I love about the win acronym because what... It's what's important now, and that's the next shot. Like, that really does bring you back to the moment. You talked last time we talked about baiting shooters. Still doing it?

Like, it's it's getting harder. These guys are these guys are... Okay. So there's a little old school still. Yep.

The art the art of baiting a shooter. You know, I I think it's a lost skill. Like, do... Is it... When you have guys come up that play with you, are they like, what the hell are you doing?

I mean, yeah. But most, you know, most of my part... I've had great partners down here too. Like, I've had a lot of guys that just wanna learn, that ask me questions, pick my brain, whatever. I've I've been blessed with some great partners.

So I haven't had anybody who's given me any any crazy looks or or whatever. I've I've just had a lot of guys who are like, man, I could never do that. You know? But, again, I just... I trust my reads, and and I know I know how to do it.

So the lost art of of baiting the shooter.

It is a bit of a lost art. Can you teach it? Is it just a matter... We talked about it last time a little bit. I don't wanna go...

But just leaving a little space and sort of encouraging them to see something. Do you work on it in practice, or have the guys figured that out now on you?

So I'm very blessed down here. Everybody shoots at my glove in practice. Like, I don't have too many guys that'll... I mean, granted, that's, like, warm up drills and whatever. Maybe if we're doing a three on two, whatever, guys will try to snipe me.

For the... But for the most part, guys are really good to me down here. They'll just warm me up, shoot at my glove. You know, guys stay away from my head. If any...

It's funny if anybody hits my head, they're, oh my god. I'm so sorry. You know? No. I don't...

I do it a little bit in practice, but I think for me, it's just I have a good understanding of, like, where I'm at in the net and, you know, what I'm giving up and what the shooter sees. Just... That's probably just from repetitions and playing the position for so long. But for me, it's just, like, an understanding of of what the shooter sees and kind of baiting him into it. And then once he, you know, makes his release, that's when you take it away.

You'll have the time where maybe they'll Muppet and he'll beat you five hole or something, but,

you know, is there anything worse than that?

It's the worst when you just hear the pad, the puck hit that little pad at the bottom. Oh god. It's probably one of the worst feelings I've ever felt.

It's it's actually worse as you get older, and you won't have to worry about this. But for those of us in the beer league world, because they miss all the time, and at our level Oh, yeah. They'll be, like, they'll be doing a Tiger Williams celebration after... And you're sitting there going, that that wasn't where you were trying to shoot, buddy. And it doesn't...

Yeah. It definitely does not prevent them from selling.

It's funny. Honestly, so I've I've played in a couple men's leagues games here now. This this summer, I've... Obviously, I'm getting getting up there in age a little bit, but there's, you know, five, six guys who I've played with on the Everblades who are retired now, but have a house and families down here, and they're all on a men's league game... Or a men's league team.

So I subbed a couple nights for them this summer, and it's funny, man. And, you know, me being an Everblade here in Astero, like, when I show up there on the ice, the other team is like, oh my, you gotta be kidding me, you know, whatever. So they love scoring on me. They'll they'll hoot and holler when they when they score on one. But like you said, man, at times, it's almost harder to play in those men's leagues games just because when they shoot, it's like, I have no idea where this is going.

You know, they have no idea where it's going. So it's it's almost harder to play in those games.

Okay. That makes me feel better than a guy who's won four the last five years the championship is... Feels the same way. So we appreciate

I get I get scored on in men's league. No. Probably more than in in the ECHL.

Beer leaguers everywhere appreciate this sentiment, Cam. Thank you. Yeah. Because nobody believes us when we say he missed his shot or it's harder.

Yeah. No. A 100%. It's it's like, I'll get I'll get fooled at men's league games for sure.

Okay. So back to back goalie of the year, only the second person to ever do that in addition to the championships. You've talked about only watching... When you watch tape, you only watch the goals. There weren't many.

Yeah. Has your game... We talked about depth and some of that. Has your game continued to evolve even in the past two years as the... As as everything around you changes in terms of offense?

Yeah. I mean, I wouldn't I wouldn't say my games evolved too much. You know, I'll never be one to to try and reinvent the wheel. I I just have my staples that that I'm good at that can have been a driving force for me in my career. So I trust what I'm good at.

I trust my reads. I know there's some things that I can work on, and, obviously, it's nice. I have a goalie coach down here in in Florida full time too. A lot of lot of ECHL teams don't have that. So very fortunate to have that down here, and, you know, he does a great job working with me.

And if I ever need anything or ever need to work on anything or, you know, maybe he notices something, he'll, you know, tailor the the goalie session for for that. So

Is it still Anthony Peters? Or

So a... Petey was down here. He's gone now, though. He got a head coaching job in Reading, actually. So he's a head coach there.

But I have a guy down here, Anthony Patriko. He's just... He's a local guy. I think played in the USHL, and then I think he got hurt, whatever. But works with the goalies down here, honestly, like, unbelievable goalie coach.

And he actually ended up getting hired by the Penguins when... Once our owner bought the Penguins, they ended up putting him on salary as full time full time goaltending guy. So worked worked his way up up to the National already. I've been joking with him early in his his coaching career. He's already in the national.

So... But unbelievable goaltending coach and and definitely helps me with, you know, those little tweaks.

Your game's so well established and you know it so well. What was it like having a different voice, a different perspective on it? I know, like, you mentioned last time, Anthony, you talked about puck perspective with the iPad and doing all that kind of work. Did you continue that, Or, like, did you sort of tell him, hey. Some of the things that you like, and was there any sort of, you know, getting to know each other in terms of language, phrasing, preferences?

Yeah.

For sure. Especially because I'm a lot different than, I would say, majority of goalies. Like, just the goaltending position, it's so mental, and guys need repetition, repetition, and then, you know, I need to see the film. Got some guys need their their practices recorded where I'm like the exact opposite. I'm like, I wanna go in there.

Give me three, four reps. Let me make some saves, feel good, and then that's it where, you know, other guys don't wanna pound it and, you know, pound it until it's it's perfected. But for me, I just need... You know, I need a few reps, feel good, make some saves, and, you know, whatever. If there's a couple things that he wants to go or or wants to go over in video, like, I'm always I'm always down to watch video.

I don't a ton of it. If I ever am struggling, I will go through and and watch, you know, maybe watch a period or whatever of a game just to kinda see, like, alright. You know, a lot of times, we're we're very hard critics of ourselves. So for me, it's like, I'll be like, man, you played terrible that game. And then I'll go back and watch a few clips or watch the goals, and it's like, alright.

You know, that was a great shot or whatever. Maybe it's just bad read, but I was there. Guy just beat me or whatever. So I do a little bit of it. I don't I don't do a ton of it, but, again, great having great having the the goalie coach down here to to be able to to spot things if I'm ever struggling or if I ever need to work on anything or maybe he's got a...

Our coach has to tailor practice back. It's it's nice having a a goaltending voice in the locker room or in the coach's room for sure.

I love that. So, like, the season wasn't long enough for you. You decided to play 3-on-3 this summer. Walk me through that decision and what that was like. Like, what was the adjustment like to a game where all of a sudden those reads have a couple less players on the ice and it's a lot more rush based and and probably a lot less defensive than all that structure you praised down there in in Yeah.

In Florida.

It's it's it's run and gun, and it's, you know, it's... They they televise it too. So they want the scoring up. Like, they want guys taking chances and taking risks, and you kinda know that going into it. So for me, it's like I don't get too upset with with our defensive play.

And I look at it more as, you know, a little vacation, whatever. I got the got the babies at home, or I'll have two babies here coming up. But, again, got the kiddo at home, and just the the home gets a little chaotic at times. So, you know, a little excuse to get away and hang out with some hockey guys for a weekend. You just...

You can't beat it. So for me, it's a blast. Like, I... You know, some of my best friends play in the league and just kinda getting to hang out with those guys and and play that three on three style. Again, it's it's super exciting.

It's... It stinks for goalies at times, but you kinda know what you're getting yourself into with it. And anytime you get the chance to to be around hockey guys for a weekend, you just... You can't beat it. So they do a great job, and I think it's a great product.

And it's it's grown just in the, you know, whatever four or five years they've they've had it, but we do a good job with it.

And all you do is win at that level too. So you guys you guys win that one. Are there... Can can you take something out of that style of game? Like you said, it's not goalie friendly, but rather than bitch about it, like Yeah.

You know, like, footwork, skating, mobility, there's there's positives. If you can if you can survive that, you can survive a lot of things.

Yeah. A 100%. And, like, it's a cash prize too. So there's that, you know, there's that pressure, the the added pressure of wanting to perform well and, you know, wanting to win that cash prize. So even even that...

But it's nice to get, like, that, you know, those situations, those game situations really in the summer because it's it's hard to get certain game situations, and you're doing summer skates or even, like, men's league is is not too serious. So when you can get, like, those game... Real real game situations again where maybe it's not as serious as the real game, but still, it's it's intense and guys are are going all out and, you know, blocking shots and hitting and stuff. Just a lot of the stuff that you don't see in the summer. So I would say being able to replicate game situations.

And even though they're all scoring chances, it's still the the pressure, the intensity, and it's it's hard to replicate that in the summer. So to get to do that for whatever a few... Four or five weekends out of the summer definitely helps get you, you know, keep you in that game shape.

I gotta ask because I saw it on social media. So the jersey, the miss... The misspelled jersey that they Yeah. Wanted to... They offered or wanted to correct, and you just wanted to keep it.

Yeah. So it was funny. We didn't even realize it the first game either. So I'm obviously number 33, and we came in there game... Or whatever, day two or or week two, and I was number 35.

I'm like, what the... What's going on? And, yeah, they came... I asked, like, hey. You know, we're all like, what the heck is going on?

And then, yeah, the... One of the equipment guys came in there with the other one, and it was spelled wrong. It was whatever, p I h l.

We're like Yeah.

P I h l. My god. Pilling up for None of us of us had that. So John LeClair, actually, our coach, he was the first one who's like, yeah. No.

We don't we don't care. He's like, give us that jersey back. And I was the same way. Like, yeah. I don't, you know, I don't wanna wear this jersey I've never worn before.

We we obviously won the first weekend, the little tournament or whatever.

So Everybody's got a little superstition.

Oh, yeah. For sure. You know, we're unbeaten in this jersey, so let's let's keep rocking with it. And, yeah, it took, you know, a a little bit of arguing with them, but they eventually brought it back, and they let us just roll with the the misspell. So it was cool.

It was... You know, everybody was kinda laughing about it throughout the throughout the week, and we had fun with it. They made a little little spiel about it or whatever, and we ended up winning it all. So crazy, but it worked out.

K. I gotta ask because you mentioned it. You've got a you've got a second little one on the way here next week.

Yep.

Last time we talked, you were just new to parenthood, so so she'd be now just a little over two. How has being a dad changed your mindset, your focus, your prepping anyway? How you handle a bad game?

Yeah. It's... That's... I think that's the biggest thing is, like, it's... She's such a joy every day, and it's I'm always so excited.

And especially now, she's two years old, so she's kinda got that understanding, and she loves me. She's, you know, starting to talk. But just seeing her excitement when... Even if I leave for practice for a couple hours, like, when I come home, you know, and she comes peeling around the corner and whatever. It's it's amazing.

And, honestly, I think it's been great for my game. Like, it's it's helped me just kinda relax and realize that there's, you know, there's life after hockey. There's there's things that are that are bigger than yourself. And just to really, like, enjoy playing and enjoy the moments that I have because I know they're they're dwindling, and and I'm getting older. So it's just put a lot of things into perspective, and, you know, I think it's been nothing but a blessing in in all areas of my life.

And hockey hasn't been too big of an adjustment, really. It's still, you know, same old, same old. But I will say it's it's made the losses a little bit easier coming home and and seeing that smiling face and and, you know, giving me a big hug, whatever. It's it's helped me tremendously for sure dealing with those hard losses if if there are ever any.

Just... There's no hard losses in the big games, seems, my friend. That is a perfect way to wrap this up, Cam. I've taken up too much of your time. I'm always appreciative.

Last time we said we're gonna talk to you after four in a row. Just... We had to wait a little bit, but we got four. I guess we're gonna have to have you back on when you win another one.

Yeah. We'll probably reconvene around same time next year.

That sounds good. We just... We'll start... Just you're still gonna get the four in a row. You just have...

You just had to restart it.

Yep. Just gotta restart it and do it all over. So got the first one out of the way. That's the hardest one. Right?

Well, it's absolutely my pleasure. So keep winning because I love these conversations, and I can't thank you enough for taking the time. I know it's a busy time of the year. Camps are gonna be opening soon. Family expanding in the very near future.

Best of luck with all of it. Thank you so much.

Yeah. I appreciate it. Thanks for having me on. It's it's always a blast coming out here and chatting with you.

Outro

There's a freedom that comes from not chasing it anymore. It it's hard to get there while maintaining your fire, but Cam's found a nice mix.

Yeah. It's... I mean, he's he's just... Like, he's exceptional at what he does, and he's really happy with where he is. Like, what more do you want in life?

Right? Like, it's when we start chasing other things that things tend to get a little more complicated. So he sees such a breath of fresh air to talk to him. He's so fun to watch play. He's clearly talented beyond belief.

So, again, if you didn't listen to the first interview two years ago, I'd highly recommend going back and finding it. We'll link to it in the show notes because there's just so many great takeaways and lessons from a guy who's carved out a really nice life and a really good career in part by not trying to chase the thing that everybody assumes he should be.

I gotta go. You gotta go. Actually, we're going to the same place to go cover this this game that that we're in the building for, but good seeing you in person. This has this been too long since we were able to hang out together. Wasn't one of the last times we were in town together that we caught up with Marty Berger?

That was one of the... That was a draft a few years ago, so it's been a couple of...

It's been a minute. We we did have the one... I think we've had a tent event fest since then, but Downtown Vancouver at Rogers Arena or at the hotel nearby in the case with Marty. Yeah. This is this is this is a nice this is a nice change.

Mean, me and Hutch keep threatening to get to Vegas and and you've left the invitation open. We just don't trust him at the craps table, but this is nice to have you up here, Daren. It's great.

Yeah. Hutch, it would have been nice to to see you. Thanks for everybody for hanging out with us here on InGoal Radio, the podcast. We'll talk to you again as we come to you from Vancouver, two of the three of us, brought to you by The Hockey Shop Source for Sports Langley, thehockeyshop.com. Check them out.