A DATE WITH HISTORY
Hammond could break goalie record
Ottawa Senators goaltender Andrew Hammond is on the brink of entering the NHL record book and his team could use a little St. Patrick’s Day luck here on Tuesday.
Hammond, who ran his sensational record as an NHL goaltender to 10-0-1 with Sunday’s 2-1 shootout victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, is in position to equal a 76-year-old record set by Hall of Fame goaltender Frank Brimsek.
If Hammond can win Tuesday as the Senators continue their desperate quest for a playoff spot, he will put an end to the club’s fourgame losing streak in Raleigh, where they have gone 1-10-1 dating back to Dec. 12, 2007.
First, let’s talk about Hammond and history.
Brimsek, who was so known for shutouts that he earned the nickname Mr. Zero, allowed two goals or fewer in the first 12 games of his NHL career. Hammond has now strung together 11 such games to begin his career.
To put all that in historical perspective, Brimsek set that record with the Boston Bruins in 1938, five years after the original Ottawa Senators franchise left for St. Louis. Here’s another piece of historical trivia: Ray Kroc opened his first McDonald’s in 1955 and the idea for “The Hamburglar” character was still 20 years away.
“It’s pretty surreal to hear that,” Hammond says of his link to history. “I’ve seen the tweets and stuff. It’s a pretty crazy run and it’s something I’m proud of.”
Naturally, Hammond, who has earned the praise of both teammates and opponents along the way, is enjoying the magical run, but he won’t allow himself to get lost in the clouds. He has maintained an even keel throughout.
“It’s a fine line of enjoying it and realizing that the teams ahead of us keep winning, too. We’ve been able to go on a streak here, but the teams ahead of us are still winning, too. It’s all about getting to the playoffs. And if we don’t keep winning, we’re not really inching any closer.”
The Senators are five points behind the Boston Bruins and nine points behind the Washington Capitals in the battle for the two wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference. The Senators have 14 games remaining, the Bruins have 13 to go and the Capitals have 11 left. The Senators have one game remaining against both Washington and Boston.
The Bruins game, Thursday at Canadian Tire Centre, looms as another huge matchup, but the Senators need to maintain the momentum by defeating Carolina on Tuesday.
While the Hurricanes are tied for 14th in the East and gave up hope of making the playoffs months ago, they do have a remarkable recent history of success against the Senators, particularly at the PNC Arena.
“Different teams make it hard on other teams,” says Senators coach Dave Cameron, who gave the team Monday morning off from practice before flying to Raleigh in the afternoon. “There’s no logic to it, it’s just the way it goes sometimes. It’s always a challenge to win a game on the road, and it’s going to be a challenge in Carolina.”
If the Senators can somehow make it all the way back to the post-season, it will be one of the greatest rallies in NHL history, a comeback that began when a previously unheralded netminder was forced, by injuries to Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner, to take over for a five-game road trip that started in late February.
“I think we all imagined it and knew that it was going to very, very tall task,” says Bobby Ryan, who scored the shootout winner Sunday against Philadelphia.
“It almost seemed impossible, but after a couple of wins the confidence certainly changed. The morale has changed. Coming to the rink every day has been different than it was. Hammer has come in and made it possible, really.”
Ryan recognizes the odds of the Senators making it remain long — sportsclubstats.com rates their percentage of making the playoffs are at 27.5 per cent — but the mood is certainly upbeat.
If the Senators were unsure of themselves in tight games earlier in the season, they now trust they can come back in games or hold onto leads.
“Coming to the rink is a lot of fun right now,” he says. “It’s a pretty nice career when you’re winning. Right now, you just hope it’s not too little, too late, but if it is, you still have to leave here (following the season) knowing you did everything possible, and a lot of guys are going to be feeling pretty good about that.”