By Chad Graff
St. Paul Pioneer Press
ST. PAUL - Darcy Kuemper remembers finding the suggestion a bit weird.
Talk to himself? In the middle of a game? How would that help?
But at the urging of a sports psychologist, the Minnesota Wild goalie began using what he called “self-talk” while playing for the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League from 2008-11. When the play was on the other end of the ice, Kuemper told himself short phrases such as, “Stay ready,” “Keep your eye on the puck,” and “Be sharp.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Whether it really helped or not, Kuemper recorded 45 wins in 62 starts during his final season in Red Deer and posted a league-best 1.86 goals-against average.
He also was named Player of the Year, so Kuemper continued talking to himself - all the way to the NHL.
“It see-med a little bit weird to say the stuff out loud at first,” Kuemper said. “But then when I was trying it, it felt really good and I felt like it was working. It’s something I’ve just tried to stay on top of as I’ve gone along with my career.”
Kuemper continued the technique into his best stretch as an NHL goalie this week, stopping all 46 shots he saw in the Wild’s first two games this season, both wins over the Colorado Avalanche.
Kuemper, 24, became the youngest goalie in NHL history to notch shutouts in his team’s first two games of the season, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
“I saw that, but that’s a pretty situational stat I think,” Kuemper said. “I don’t want to look into that too much.
I just got a good opportunity and was fortunate with how the team was playing.”
Still, it was a potent Avalanche attack that he shut down. It earned Kuemper the NHL’s second star of the week honor, behind only Montreal’s Tomas Plekanec, who scored four goals and recorded an assist in three games.
ADVERTISEMENT
“There were a lot of good performances in the week, but it was pretty tough to not say that maybe he could’ve been the first star,” coach Mike Yeo said. “But I’m very happy for him. He’s played great two games in a row, back-to-back shutouts.
“But like our team, I’m very hopeful that he’s ready to look forward now.”
Kuemper’s been looking forward to this season all summer. After emerging as a legitimate NHL goaltender in a January callup, Kuemper wants to prove that he’s a legit No. 1 goalie in the NHL.
He’s got veteran Niklas Backstrom, the Wild’s career victories leader with 189, behind him and Josh Harding, the best goaltender in the NHL early last season, possibly available when his broken foot heals.
So, even after opening the season with back-to-back shutouts, Kuemper said he has a lot yet to prove.
“Well, he does; that’s the reality of it,” Yeo said. “This is not a guy who has been in the league for six or seven years and done it year after year, so there’s no question that he has a lot to prove.”
That’s not lost on Kuemper; minutes after recording a shutout in the Wild’s 3-0 win in Colorado Saturday, he admitted as much.
“I’m still a young guy,” Kuemper said. “I just want to prove to my teammates that they can count on me every night.”
ADVERTISEMENT
That’s the key for Kuemper’s season.
He’s shown he can be a good starting goalie, but the sample size is small - 34 NHL regular season games and eight in the playoffs.
His current shutout streak of 119 minutes, 44 seconds is a career-best.
For a team that started four different goalies at least 10 times last season, stability in the net would go a long way for the Wild.
Officially, the job is still a platoon with Backstrom; Kuemper earned the first game start in practice, and the second start with his performance in the first game.
The second likely earned Kuemper the start Friday night in Anaheim.
“I want to become one of the best in the league,” Kuemper said. “That’s definitely something I strive for, and I think that’s something most guys should or do strive to be.”
First, he must prove he’s the best goaltender, consistently, on the Wild.
ADVERTISEMENT
“You can’t get complacent,” he said.
The Pioneer Press is in a media partnership with Forum News Service
