Midas glove not working for Leafs
Famed goalie coach can’t seem to solve Toronto’s woes in net
TORONTO — Of his impact on the game, there is no debate. He is credited for being the NHL’S first goalie coach, for furthering the development of the butterfly style and for helping Patrick Roy become a Hall of Fame goaltender.
Brian Burke calls him a guru. His students call him the “best goalie coach in the world.” But in his third season as goal tending consultant for the Maple Leafs, with the team once again one of the worst at preventing goals, is Francois Allaire’s reputation in danger?
After all, if Jonas Gustavsson (16-12-2, .905 save percentage) and James Reimer (11-8-4, .903 save percentage) are struggling to stop the puck, then surely their coach and his methodology share in the blame.
“Not in my mind he doesn’t,” Reimer said. “If you look at his track record and the goalies he’s coached, the proof is in the pudding. I think it’s more on the goalies, not the coach.”
Allaire’s resume would seem to back up that assertion. From Roy and Jean-sebastien Giguere, to Ilya Bryzgalov and Jonas Hiller, Allaire has helped shaped the careers of several of the league’s top goaltenders and has the Stanley Cup rings to prove it. But since he arrived in Toronto in 2009, the man with the Midas touch has been rendered powerless.
Seven different Leafs goaltenders have studied under Allaire. Not one has been able to find consistency in net. Maybe, as head coach Ron Wilson suggested the other day, this is a Toronto thing. Or maybe it is time for the team to go in a different direction.
Allaire’s system is universal. He preaches on playing the percentages. He wants his goalies to block the puck — rather than make a highlight-reel save — by being in the right position at the right time.
When it is working to its fullest effect, Allaire’s goalies appear calm and Zen-like. When it is not working, they appear stiff and non-athletic. When asked if he was frustrated by the progress of his goaltenders, Allaire shook his head. He knew there were going to be challenges when he was hired by the Leafs.
The team he inherited did not have a clear-cut No. 1 or much in the way of prospects, and had been ranked last in goals-against average and save percentage.
Still, he was confident he would be able to turn an average goaltender into a great one by now.
“I think if everybody pushes in the same direction, it’s going to be easy,” Allaire said when he was hired. “If everyone wants to be better, it’s going to be easy.”
So far, it has been anything but. In the last three seasons, the Leafs have ranked in the bottom five in save percentage and goals-against average. Some suggest Allaire’s style is outdated, or not compatible with Reimer or Gustavsson.
With one of the younger go altending tandems in the league, Allaire is asking fans to be patient. Gustavsson and Reimer have shown promise. The challenge is getting them to play with consistency.