The Starter or the Finnish?

“Of course, it is the Olympics. I’ve never been there. And it’s pretty close, not lots of traveling…but I don’t think about that too much. I’ll do my job here and see what happens.” – Miikka Kiprusoff

Goaltenders march to a different drummer than most of us. They whistle a different tune and walk a different walk. In their profession, confidence is everything. When they exude it, the team drinks it. When they lose it, well, the team invariably loses as well. Confidence. That’s what this whole thing is about.

This week Miikka Kiprusoff – arguably the NHL’s best goaltender – made headlines when he had the audacity to suggest he wouldn’t play for the Finnish Olympic Team if he wasn’t going to be the starting goaltender. That comment perplexed pensive pundits, surprised sideline scribes and bewildered belligerent bloggers from Helsinki to Hell’s Kitchen.

Here’s a guy who starts 95% of his team’s games, sees more rubber than the Trans-Canada highway on most evenings and faces immense pressure from the media and a hard-as-nails coach who smiles as often as a scarecrow. And all he does is take his place between the pipes every time he’s asked, deflect point-shots from the league’s top snipers and point-blank criticism from the media’s top snoopers without complaint.

Yet, when he has the temerity to suggest that he needs the confidence of the Finnish team brass to gain his and prepare properly, he’s branded like a blatherskite, treated like a traitor and vilified like a villain.

One columnist asked, “What was the Kipper thinking?” He was thinking, “I’m the top crease cop in the precinct and I want assurance that I’ll be the #1 choice to patrol the Olympic beat.” What he was really saying was, “Give me the job now. I deserve it. I need it and you need me. I’ll take the heat. I’ll accept the praise if we win and I’ll take the blame if we lose.”

And what response does he receive? They bring out Kipper’s disappearing act in 2006. Well, that “act” is getting old. Yes, it’s true he didn’t miss any NHL action because of his “phantom” hip injury. Why? No NHL games were played for almost three weeks – isn’t it possible that period of complete rest actually helped heal that hip?

If it were Martin Brodeur that was doing the demanding, would the venom be as vitriolic? Doubtful. Besides, Brodeur doesn’t have to waste his energy making such statements or waxing that worry. He knows he’s #1. Every hockey hack with a pen has been telling him he’s #1 since 2002. And you can bet that Steve Yzerman has whispered some encouraging words in his Hall-of-Fame ears.

So talk all you want about Backstrom and Rinne and Niittymaki and Niemi. They’re not Kiprusoff. Hell, one journalist even suggested the name Toskala. What was that guy smoking?

So, how does Kipper react to the onslaught of ornery opinion? He pulled on the Flaming “C”, strapped on the pads, stopped 40 shots – many of the head shaking “did he just do that” variety – and shutout out the defending Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings 3-0. In Detroit. At the Joe. No other Finnish-born goaltender has done that this year.

And what does he do for an encore? Kipper the Keeper swings into Music City and blanks the Nashville Predators 5-0 for this second consecutive shutout, third zero of the season and 33rd of his career.

I trust Jari Kurri was watching.