Back in October, we started the season with two talented goaltenders in Kirk McLean and Arturs Irbe. Kirk was our number one as he was more experienced and a little ahead of Arturs in terms of development. Notwithstanding, our scouts thought very highly of Irbe, and not just ours, but scouts around the league thought he had the potential to become an elite goaltender. (Whereas Kirk was believed to have already peaked).
With this in mind, we asked Glen Hanlon (our goalie coach) for his recommendation on how to handle them. Glen played for the Canucks in the 80's and was a highly regarded goaltender in his own right, so we greatly valued his first-hand knowledge. After working with them both for several weeks, Glen advised us to employ a 1-A and 1-B approach. He wanted us to always start the freshest 'keeper, so we'd have to rotate them fairly evenly, which would lighten the load on Kirk (keeping him fresh for April and May), while also allowing Arturs enough playing time to nurture his development.
The plan seemed to be working, as Arturs stepped up and recorded back-to-back shutouts in his last two games!!
Player in the Spotlight: Arturs Irbe | GP 25 | W 15 | L 7 | OT 3 | GAA 2.30 | SO 6 | SV% .918