Sergei Bobrovsky: The Most Interesting Player in Columbus

Perhaps the most interesting player on the Columbus Blue Jackets roster this past season was their starting goaltender. Sergei Bobrovsky walked into training camp as the recently-crowned Vezina Trophy winner. The trophy was a signal of Bobrovsky’s emerging ability to be one of the best goaltenders in the world, officially being awarded to the goalie who was adjudged to be the best at his position. He joined the likes of Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy and Dominik Hasek on the short list of goaltenders to be given the award. Perhaps more importantly, Bobrovsky was the first Russian-born hockey player to win the Vezina Trophy. Meanwhile, adding on to the pressure of defending his title and cementing his status as an elite goaltender, Bobrovsky was the leading candidate to backstop the Russian ice hockey team when their country hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics.

He was also a millionaire.

At least to me, Russian players have always been the most interesting. Perhaps it’s due in part to their country’s ability to contribute to volumes of literature on my bookshelf. The rebellious nature of Leo Tolstoy and the existential paths that Fyodor Dostoevsky meandered through with his novels have always left me with an insatiable curiosity about a country that uses numbers as letters.

Or maybe it’s just a bi-product of having grown up watching the beautiful dominance of Sergei Fedorov and Pavel Bure in a North American hockey league. (Found this very old video which officially settled the score of the fastest player in the world.)

Remembering the most exciting season in Blue Jackets history

Sergei would take the Blue Jackets with him as they set a franchise record for most consecutive games won (8) and blazed their way down the stretch, in the most exciting fashion, to the club’s second visit to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

However, the season didn’t start well for Bobrovsky or the Blue Jackets. By November 30th the Jackets were 10-13-3, but still only three points out of a playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division.

Suffering a groin inury halfway through a shutout against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the beginning of December, Bobrovsky would miss the rest of that month. Curtis McElhinney stepped in and allowed the team to remain in playoff contention. In early January the Jackets were 18-19-4.

In taking an entire month off to heal from a groin injury, one must assume that Bobrovsky had plenty of time to meditate on the beginning of the season. As well it must have provided plenty of time for him and goalie coach Ian Clark to identify and correct the problems in his game.

The real difference began when Sergei finally returned. Not to understate the value that Nathan Horton added when he made his debut for the Blue Jackets at the same time. Together their presence gave the Jackets new life as they finished the season with a 43-32-7 record.

It wasn’t only the goaltending, as you can see in the table. The offense, led by breakout star Ryan Johansen, picked up more goals as the season progressed. (Marian who?)

Finishing the season as a hero

As mentioned earlier, the team would go on to win eight games in a row in January, setting themselves in a position to challenge for a playoff spot in the final weeks of the season. Bobrovsky’s slow start would be evened out by his brilliant finish to the season.

The first thing you must notice on the table is the save percentage in the month of April. The team was coming down the stretch, with several back-to-backs ahead, fighting for a playoff spot. He played seven games in twelve days(!) and still finished with a .945 save percentage. This incredible performance catapulted the Jackets into the seventh-seed in the Eastern Conference.

Russia, Sergei and Olga

Before Sergei won the Vezina Trophy in 2013, nobody really knew much about the young goaltender. He’s continuing to work on his English, and has taken massive steps forward, but while he was with the Philadelphia Flyers, Bobrovsky was only interviewed in Russian.

Interestingly, at that time Sergei was still dating his soon-to-be wife, Olga. While the two were still yet to be married, the American government would not grant Olga a visa, but she did obtain one from Canada. Essentially, Sergei could only spend time with his future wife, while the team was in Canada. This article from Crossing Broad brought that to the forefront while he was still with the Flyers, originally named “From Russia With Love“.

By the time Bobrovsky was set to begin the second leg of his NHL career in Columbus, he was finally married to Olga and was able to bring his family, even if it was just her, along with him.

At the end of the season, Aaron Portzline, Blue Jackets beat writer for the Columbus Dispatch, helped shed some light on Bobrovsky’s past. When Flyers scouts first noticed Bobrovsky, he was the starting goalie for a very bad minor league team in Russia. He had gone undrafted, but their scouts saw enough in him to sign him as a free agent and bring his talents to the NHL.

These days, Bobrovsky is gaining more exposure as his English improves, and videos from his childhood begin to come out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdveCSxNt-c

 International play, learning to be “clutch” and contracts

One of the things that quickly became apparent about Bobrovsky’s personality was his work ethic. As far as anyone should be concerned, Bobrovsky’s dedication to training and perfecting the art of goaltending has led to his elite level of play over the past two years. However, one thing Bobrovsky really lacked was experience. In conjunction with his first significant amount of playoff experience in three seasons and the games played internationally, Bobrovsky was able to find plenty of experience in crucial situations.

Even though the Russians were deeply disappointed to be eliminated from any chance to medal at the Winter Olympics, Bobrovsky finished the tournament with a .952 save percentage, good for third best. Shortly after the Jackets were eliminated from the playoffs by the Pittsburgh Penguins, Bobrovsky would post a .950 save percentage at the World Championships (leading all goalies) and earn a gold medal.

The 25-year old can now add “gold medalist” to his impressive resume.

Jarmo Kekalainen gave Sergei a two-year bridge contract last summer, which means that the team can extend his contract this summer. It’s not necessary to get it done right away, but why would you not? His save percentage in 2013 was .932 and we’ve already been over the numbers for this season. Adding to that the experience that Bobrovsky has gained, and the growth that he’s surely been through as a player, and it’s safe to say that we can expect similar numbers for a long time. Especially since goaltenders rarely digress until their mid to late thirties.

It’s not my money, so I don’t care what he costs, but a six to eight year extension on a similar cap hit to what he’s making now ($5.625M) would probably be a great deal for the team.

Whatever happens, Sergei Bobrovsky has not only been a solid goaltender for the club in the past two seasons, he’s also been a beacon of hope.