McKenna still going strong, racking up AHL wins
SYRACUSE, N.Y. >> It would be easy for a short-sighted hockey fan to diminish or ignore altogether the recent accomplishment of Mike McKenna, who became the first American-born goaltender in the history of the American Hockey League to win 200 games.
And, perhaps it would be easy for the 33-year-old veteran to wonder how many of those victories should have come in the National Hockey League; he’s only appeared in 22 contests at the game’s highest level despite his litany of success in the AHL.
For many, both fans and players, the sole focus is the NHL.
But that’s never been the case for McKenna. Never has been, never will be. “It wasn’t even a process for me, because this whole journey I’ve been on has been to play the game, see where it takes me and how far it will,” McKenna told The Trentonian. “I never had grand ambitions like ‘I’m going to be in the NHL by the time I’m 23’ or ‘I’m going to play 15 years or else I’m a failure,’ I just always played as hard as I could and hoped that it could take me where I wanted it to. I don’t care whether it’s the SPHL, ECHL, AHL, NHL, if you win that many games at any level, it’s a big accomplishment and a testament to friends, family, teammates, coaches and everybody.”
Widely regarded as one of the most gregarious, intelligent and unique personalities in the game at any level, McKenna has called no less than ten AHL cities home (Norfolk, Milwaukee, Omaha, Portland, Lowell, Albany, Binghamton, Peoria, Springfield and now Syracuse) over a 12-year pro career and has learned to appreciate the rich history of the top circuit in the minors. With that comes knowing just how significant reaching 200 wins was, given only 15 have ever done it in the league’s 81-year existence.
“It meant a lot, and I hadn’t really kept track of it at all until I think last year where it popped up and I was like, ‘Hey, I’m actually getting close to something that’s a pretty big milestone here,’ McKenna said. “It was a really big deal. There are some pretty good goaltenders on that list, friends and rivals. It’s a testament to longevity, but also I’ve been on a lot of good teams. That’s not only been fun, but it’s helped my career get to that point.”
McKenna, who accomplished the feat while still with the Springfield Thunderbirds on Feb. 19 with a 4-2 win over Hartford, has since been dealt to the Syracuse Crunch in a minor-league exchange of goalies between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. Despite suiting up for 16 different teams in his pro career, he’d never been traded, but knew something was up when Panthers assistant GM Eric Joyce was calling at 1:30 p.m. on trade deadline day.
“It’s always in the back of your head that it could happen,” McKenna said. “Realistically, I knew what was going on in Springfield and that we weren’t going to make the playoffs. There’s always teams sniffing around and looking for people to help, especially playoff teams. I knew it could be a possibility, but after 11 previous seasons without a single trade, you really don’t expect your name to get tossed in the ring. It was a surprise, but a pleasant surprise to come to a team that is in a good position right now and are hoping to have a good run here.”
While the Crunch are in the driver’s seat of the league’s North Division playoff race, the reality of the minors is that the NHL is only a call away and, for many, foremost on their minds. For McKenna, not only will he bring a stabilizing, veteran presence to the net, he’ll also bring the valuable perspective of the significance of what’s at stake in the AHL that comes with having carved out a career there for the last decade.
“I’m still really early here for sure, so I’m kind of feeling my way out a little bit, but once we kind of get to know one another, it’s important to remind guys of that,” he said. “Just little reminders here and there that what we’re going to do is fun, and we just have to focus on it, but make sure we’re not over-focusing. A lot of guys get stuck just only thinking about the game, and there’s more to life than that. Being able to disengage when you go home is a big thing, so hopefully I can help with that.”