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Brian Boucher Reveals Hidden Risk of Rushing the Development of Penguins' Top Young Goalie
Photo credit: DK Pittsburgh Sports
Former NHL goalie Brian Boucher believes it's very wise of the Penguins not to rush the development of Sergei Murashov, as it could backfire.
Brian Boucher was 23 years old in 2000, and the former first-round Flyers draft choice owned Philadelphia's crease and became the biggest NHL story, pushing the Flyers to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final.
His breakout bash earned him a Calder Trophy nomination and opening-day starter designation next season.
But in hindsight now, Boucher views that meteoric rise differently. He thinks his sudden success surely did more harm than good to his long-term growth, an earned lesson in overindulging a young goalie.
"I should have spent another year or two in the minors, truthfully," Boucher lamented.
Boucher today is an analyst for TNT, and he's applying his own experience to make a point learned the hard way by the majority of NHL teams: patience with goalies is the policy.
"To me, that's why I feel like there are very few who can skip steps - necessary steps - and be who they want to be in the end," Boucher said. "Yeah, you might be able to get to the NHL and play some games. But can you be that guy? That is the thing."
That philosophy worked with the Pittsburgh Penguins' best prospect, Sergei Murashov, who just earned AHL Player of the Week accolades.
Sergei Murashov is completely dominating the AHL at the moment
The 21-year-old Russian is riding a hot streak at 5-0-0 with a .949 save percentage and has won 17 of his last 21 decisions for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Despite increasing pressure from supporters, the Penguins are not rushing him. With Tristan Jarry and Arturs Silovs manning a good 7-2-2 start, the front office has no plans to recall Murashov anytime soon.
Veteran NHL goaltender Bill Ranford told the 'Post-Gazette' that the NHL pace, pressure, and mental toll can undermine the development of a young goalie if he is rushed prematurely, and Boucher couldn't help but agree.
"There's always going to be the special ones," said Bill Ranford, a two-time Stanley Cup champion. "But if you look at the history of the position, it will take some time."
If confidence is lost, it is hard to recover, they warned, so it is best to take a nice, cautious, slow pace.
For Murashov, maybe patience will be what sees him ride out his hot streak into a long, lasting NHL career, not some other temporary fame like Boucher's two decades ago.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 29 | 73 ANSWERS Brian Boucher Reveals Hidden Risk of Rushing the Development of Penguins' Top Young Goalie Is patience the key to Sergei Murashov's development? | ||
| Yes | 67 | 91.8 % |
| No | 6 | 8.2 % |
| List of polls | ||