MASTERTON NOD SPECIAL HONOUR FOR ANDERSON
Sens goalie recognized for perseverance in face of wife Nicholle’s cancer diagnosis
Not long after the Ottawa Senators sent the Boston Bruins into an early spring, goalie Craig Anderson went into the empty stands Sunday night at the TD Garden to accept congratulations from his wife Nicholle.
With the chance to eliminate the Bruins from the playoffs, she made the trip from the couple’s home in Coral Springs, Fla. — where she’s receiving treatment for the rare form of throat cancer she was diagnosed with in October — and she was there decked out in her No. 41 jersey to witness one of the bigger wins of her husband’s career.
When the season is over, maybe Craig and Nicholle will be able to enjoy some time together at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas in June after the club’s top netminder was named one of three finalists for the Bill Masterton Trophy — given annually to the player who represents heart, perseverance and dedication.
Anderson, 35, was Ottawa’s nominee and fits the bill in all of those categories. The other two finalists are Anaheim’s Andrew Cogliano and Carolina’s Derek Ryan in voting done by the members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
“This has been a year filled with unexpected challenges,” Anderson said in a statement Monday night. “I have to thank the entire hockey community for the support and compassion they have shown for both Nicholle and our family this season. The number of people who have reached out to us has been overwhelming.
“We are thankful to friends, family, teammates and the Senators’ organization for continuing to allow us the chance to battle this together. It is special to be nominated for the Masterton knowing some of the great stories throughout the league.”
After learning of Nicholle’s cancer diagnosis in late October while the Senators were on a western Canadian road trip in Vancouver, he left the team to be with his family in Lehigh Valley, Pa. Watching a game on Oct. 28 against the Calgary Flames, backup Andrew Hammond went down with a groin injury and was listed as an indefinite absence.
At that moment, Nicholle told Craig to rejoin the Senators “because his team needed him.” As difficult as it was for Anderson to leave her side, nobody will forget his season-high 37-save performance in a 2-0 shutout of the Oilers.
Following the final buzzer,
When you look at what Craig’s had to live through this year ... He’s been unbelievably strong mentally and I can’t say enough about him.
Edmonton goalie Cam Talbot stayed on the bench to salute an emotional Anderson, who was in tears as he was surrounded by his teammates while being congratulated on the victory.
The Senators told Anderson to take whatever time he needed to make sure everything was OK at home because family comes first. He took personal leave for nearly two months from early December to late January to be with Nicholle while she underwent treatment for the disease at a New York-based facility.
After returning to the Senators, Anderson suited up for his first game on Feb. 11 versus the New York Islanders and made 33 saves in the club’s 3-0 victory. He played 21 of the club’s final 30 games down the stretch and played in his 500th NHL game on March 25 in a 3-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre.
He played a huge role in the club’s series victory over the Bruins and was a big reason the game got to overtime Sunday.
“I’ve always felt Craig is one of the top goalies in the league. Internally, we’ve felt that he’s one of the best,” said Dorion. “In
previous years, we’ve given up lots of quality scoring chances against. We haven’t done that this year. It’s shown in his save percentage and his ability to win.
“When you look at what (he’s going through) with probably the person (he) loves the most on Earth and his ability to block it out, to focus on his teammates, I don’t know how I can put that into words. He comes here, he’s as good as I’ve seen in my career and he allows us to win every game.
“Some of those saves he made in the third when we were on our heels, I don’t know how many goalies in the game make saves like that. At the same time, his wife is in the crowd, she hasn’t seen him in over three weeks and it just speaks so much about his focus for the game, but at the same time his love for his family and his wife.
“It was a great to see her after the game. We’re doing this for ourselves and our organization, but at the same time for what Nicholle’s going through.”
Given everything he has been going through, coach Guy Boucher has been impressed with what Anderson has been able to accomplish.
“When you look at what Craig’s had to live through this year, to be able to keep that focus, to be able to come in and make those big games count when we needed them,” Boucher said following the club’s win in Boston. “Even at the end (of the season), he’s having a tough time and then, the last game, he just shut it down and that was it — took us to the playoffs.
“When you look at the (win Sunday), he made some huge saves again. You can’t win without a good goalie. You can’t and he’s been great. He’s been unbelievably strong mentally and I can’t say enough about him.”
Anderson is being recognized for what’s been a difficult year away from the ice.