California on his mind

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This article was published 24/10/2021 (907 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Eric Comrie’s time to face the music in California is approaching and he’s already getting fidgety.

It’s not his first start of the 2021-22 NHL season — presumably occurring this week as the Winnipeg Jets soar to the sunny south for another three-game road trip — that’s got him nervous.

The 26-year-old goalie says he’s ready to pounce on the golden opportunity somewhere in the Golden State.

What really get the butterflies flapping is the prospect of tripping the light not-so fantastic on July 9, 2022, the only drawback to marrying his longtime love, Haley Forrest, down in So-Cal.

“It’s going to be small. I’m not much for the big crowds. I don’t want to be standing in front of a bunch of people,” Comrie said, following Saturday’s morning skate. “The dancing is the hard part.”

While performing acrobatics to stone Buffalo Sabres star Jack Eichel in January caused the Edmonton product no consternation, showing little swagger when trying to move like Jagger is tough on the psyche.

“I’m more comfortable in the crease,” he said.

His happy place, as it were. And he spends as much time in the blue paint as he can, routinely skating out for practice well ahead of his teammates and then vacating the ice after other have showered, dressed and are halfway home.

On Saturday morning, he pushed through a lengthy list of drills administered by goalie coach Wade Flaherty, faced a barrage of rubber as the only masked man on the ice at Canada Life Centre and then stuck around for another 20 minutes for more work with Flaherty and assistant-coach Charlie Huddy.

He was on his knees, filling the puck pail, when the Zamboni rolled out.

“That’s how I’ve always been. I truly love the game of hockey and love every moment I’m on the ice. I cherish that,” said Comrie. “For a lot of guys, maybe it gets old. But I want to be out there as much as I can. I never want to look back and think I should have done more.

“I want to be 60 or 70 years old one day and thinking, ‘Wow, life’s been pretty cool. I’ve been in a good spot. I had a lot of fun doing what I’m doing.’”

Indeed, Comrie has been biding his time in the background since the regular season got underway for the Jets about 10 days ago. No.1 netminder Connor Hellebuyck received five consecutive starting assignments, which might have come as a mild surprise to some but not to his understudy.

He isn’t privy to head coach Paul Maurice’s master plan for Jets goaltender usage but has a keen understanding of why his workload will be curtailed.

“My plan is always to just be ready, that’s hockey. I know they’re going to throw Helly in their every chance they get, and he’s a Vezina Trophy winner so it’s easy to see why,” said Comrie, who was handed the backup job even before the start of training camp after inking a one-year, US$750,000 contract extension.

Maurice told reporters he’s got two games circled on his calendar for Comrie. “The first one is more of an optional in my mind and the second one is a hard start,” said the Jets bench boss. “He’s going to play in one or two of the next handful.”

The Jets head out on another road trip to California and will face the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday and the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.

Comrie isn’t so much incapable as he is unproven.

Drafted in the second round (59th overall) in the 2013 NHL Draft, Comrie has always demonstrated exemplary character and a stern work ethic during his time in and out of the organization, while achieving success in the American Hockey League.

During the abbreviated 2020-21 season, he played four games for the Manitoba Moose and went 3-0-1 with a shutout, a 1.23 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage.

His NHL numbers, however, blur that rosy picture.

Comrie won his only NHL start for the New Jersey Devils during the abbreviated 2020-21 season, turning aside 30 of 33 shots (including seven by Eichel) in a 5-3 win over the Sabres on Jan. 31. In all, he has nine career NHL starts, including five with the Jets (2-3-0 from 2016-19) and a pair with the Detroit Red Wings (0-2-0 in 2019-20).

With the departure of Laurent Brossoit to the Vegas Golden Knights, the Jets had no cash available to shop for anyone else.

But Maurice maintains Comrie is the right man for the job.

“(The hard work) has always been there, but you want to see some improvement with the hard work. His practice performances now don’t look anything like he did in any of his other time with us. He stands in that net and he stops everything,” he said. “His ability and his performance in practice has been very, very high. That wasn’t always the case.

“He had to work hard for sure to get to that level, but he’s improved and I’ve got lots of faith in this guy now. He looks like an NHL goaltender. He’s clearly going to have to prove it because they all had to when they came in and got their chance but he’s in as good a position now as he’s ever been to win hockey games.”

Comrie has bounced around the last three seasons but is thrilled to have some roots re-planted in Winnipeg.

“Yes, that’s very exciting. Now, I know whose schedule to follow so it doesn’t come as a surprise,” he joked, adding the time is now to make his mark. “I’m getting lots of good practise time, and that’s really all I can do. Just be ready to perform when my name is called. I’m looking forward to getting that chance.”

Saturday’s heavy workout left Comrie sweating buckets and almost breathless on the bench.

Huddy, 62, a former Edmonton Oilers’ blue-liner and five-time Stanley Cup winner, doesn’t exactly possess a howitzer but goes have kind of Phil Niekro-thing happening from the left point.

“His favourite goalie drill is the wobbler, where stands the pucks up on the blue line and you gotta track them and they’re dipping and diving,” Comrie said. “He loves the knuckler jobs and he’s really good at it, and I’ve seen players try it and they can’t do it.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell