Journeyman Glass took long road to Flames camp
The last time Jeff Glass played in Vancouver it would have been with the Kootenay Ice, back during the 2004-05 Western Hockey League season.
Never at Rogers Arena, however, although he’s sat on the bench twice as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks last year.
But there’s a good chance that Wednesday — when the Calgary Flames deploy a lineup of professional tryout offer players and fresh-faced rookies against the Vancouver Canucks in the team’s second exhibition game on North American soil — the 32-year-old could be between the pipes.
It’s the next chapter in Glass’s story which is, in every sense of the word, truly an underdog tale worth reading about and rooting for.
Meanwhile, for the Flames, it’s another opportunity to evaluate their crop of assembled goaltenders at 2018-19 training camp — all of which are auditioning for various roles in the organization, including Mike Smith’s backup position at the NHL level.
Consider Glass a dark horse for that role and after making his NHL debut at the age of 32 last season with the Blackhawks, never say never.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s tomorrow or whenever, you always want to prove yourself,” Glass said Tuesday after a scrimmage at the Scotiabank Saddledome. “There’s extra emphasis now that it’s a PTO and nothing is guaranteed. I think every time I step on the ice, I’m trying to get better. I still believe I have a lot left. I’m just getting started, I really do believe that. After going overseas, it was a pretty cool experience but it teed me up and set me up for this portion of my career.
“I took my first step last year with Chicago. Now I want to take the next step.”
The two opening results for the netminders in Calgary’s training camp have given the organization reason to do a double take or, at the very least, raise their eyebrows.
Jon Gillies finished Saturday’s game in Shenzhen, China, with 17 saves and a particularly shaky opening 1:55 which saw Boston’s Trent Frederic, Ryan Donato and John Moore scoring in an eventual 4-3 shootout loss to the Bruins.
Back in Canada on Monday, David Rittich struggled in Monday’s 7-4 pre-season opening loss to the Edmonton Oilers and allowed six goals on 27 shots.
Both netminders are expected to be considered for the backup position this season, having re-upped with the Flames in the summertime.
Two pre-season clashes are hardly defining but, in some ways, are also quite telling.
Yes, the majority of the Flames are in China, which changes the training camp dynamic in Calgary. There are, including Glass, 10 PTO players in Calgary with a large chunk of the training camp made up of American Hockey League regulars and junior players. Glass is one of four goalies including Tyler Parsons, who should see some time in Vancouver or later this week as the Flames face the Jets in Winnipeg on Friday and Canucks at the Dome on Saturday. There’s also Mason McDonald, Calgary’s second round pick from the 2014 NHL draft who seems to be slipping down the team’s depth chart. In China, Gillies and Nick Schneider are the second and third goalies along with Flames’ expected starter Smith.
The pace right now is completely different than when things kick off for real in early October.
But to Glass, the equation is simple.
“I can try to dress this up as many ways as you want, but it’s about stopping the puck,” said the six-foot-three, 206-pounder. “It’s about being on the ice and proving I can help this team win. If it’s in a scrimmage or an exhibition game or, more importantly, a regular season game, I think I can help this team win. That’s why I’m here … I remember what I was like when I was younger, and that’s why I feel like I’m ready for it now.
“I’ve matured a lot, a lot on the ice. You learn how to communicate with your defencemen, your teammates on the ice. You refine your game, it’s more efficient … then, your values change. Your why changes, to go out and understand why you’re doing this.”
Glass made his return to North America in the fall of 2016 when he auditioned for the Toronto Maple Leafs after playing seven years in the KHL.
Before that he was proving himself for four years in the Ottawa Senators organization, toiling in the AHL and the ECHL for the team that selected him 89th overall in the 2004 NHL draft.
But it was all worth it last winter when his parents, Glen and Jane, along with his wife Allie and daughter Lucy watched him make his NHL debut in Edmonton. A few days later, he rang in 2018 by playing at the Saddledome.
“You get a taste and you just want more,” Glass said. “That’s exactly the way I am now. I think I’m more prepared now and ready for the situation than I was at this time last year, having the experience. You realize it’s right there. I feel like I deserve to play at that level, I have to go out and prove it, I understand that. But getting a taste at that level really made me hungry.”
Now he’s in Calgary trying to continue his NHL career, living in the same house he’s owned for years and where he and his family spends each off-season.
He commutes to the Saddledome where there are no promises. No guarantees.
“It’s been bizarre. This time of the year you’re used to packing up and we go (wherever he plays),” Glass said. “But not this year.
“Not yet.”