Mike Condon

The save happened at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts — close to where Mike Condon grew up in Holliston — and it became one of the defining images of the 2016 Winter Classic. Playing for the Montreal Canadiens on the penalty kill, with his team leading 3-0 in the dying seconds of the second period, Condon tracked a backdoor chance by Ryan Spooner after a puck-handling miscommunication with P.K. Subban and made a glove save that landed on highlight reels for years. As Condon later explained, he was doing "a little bit of baiting there, keeping my glove down for a wind up — it's kind of a risky play but…" ^[1]

Born April 27, 1990, the Holliston, Massachusetts native is a left-catching goaltender standing 6'2" and weighing 196 pounds. His path to the NHL was one that, by his own account and those who covered him, few expected to materialize. He completed his education at Princeton University, and according to InGoal's coverage, he was doing Princeton homework on the buses of the ECHL as his professional career began ^[1].

Over a career spanning 129 NHL games, Condon posted 45 wins, 58 losses, and 17 overtime losses, with a 2.79 goals-against average, a .905 save percentage, and 6 shutouts. He spent time with the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators, among other stops. His Pro Reads drawn from his Senators tenure cover a range of in-game situations: a 2-on-1 rush chance against Sidney Crosby loading up for a one-timer in 3-on-3 overtime ^[2], a backdoor robbery against the Winnipeg Jets that InGoal described as "planned desperation" ^[3], a power play sequence against the Columbus Blue Jackets that addressed penalty-killing systems and goaltender responsibilities ^[4], a partial breakaway against the Chicago Blackhawks with Dion Phaneuf stumbling at the top of the face-off circle ^[5], and a sequence against the Tampa Bay Lightning that deteriorated into what amounted to a 2-on-0 in tight ^[6].

Condon discussed the injuries and rehabilitation process that kept him out of NHL action for two consecutive seasons in an InGoal Radio Podcast interview, with that content referenced across multiple subsequent Pro Reads ^[5][4][3]. Through those sessions he addressed topics including hand and elbow position as shooting cues, the importance of knowing which players are on the ice at any given moment, post integration choices between overlap and reverse-VH, and how penalty-killing assignments fit within a broader team defensive system. In one breakdown, he described reading a trailing player's intentions entirely from hand position: "As soon as I see his hand go up, I know he wants to try to take it the other way. And watching guy's momentum too. When they are coming that fast, it's hard to stop." ^[6]

InGoal Magazine has covered Mike Condon in six Pro Reads.