When we woke up this morning we were treated to some interesting news. Blackhawks Coach Joel Quenneville announced that fourth string fill-in Jeff Glass, not backup Anton Forsberg, would start in New York against the Rangers. This will be Glass’ third start in a row. Now, this begs to question, “What is wrong with Anton Forsberg and why isn’t Joel Quenneville playing him?” I have a few theories, so anchors away:
Trust – It looks a lot to me like Quenneville is not sold on Anton Forsberg just yet. Forsberg has not been bad, at all, but the team around him seems to play at a lower level when he is in net. Stripping it down to the basics, Quenneville seems to be playing the hot hand and the “feel good” public relations story. Let’s face it, He really needs to be pulling some rabbits out of his hat anyway. More on that later.
Confidence – Now I brought up Quenneville’s confidence but what about the confidence each goaltender currently has? Forsberg is still young, and seems able to be shaken easier. Glass is that “I’ve been around the block 50 times” kind of guy. Not much is going to shake him at this point in his career. Liken it to Tim Thomas coming into the league. If you are not 100% confident in yourself at 32, then you need to take up a different career. Glass is set in his style and, as Winston Zeddemore once said, “I have seen $h!t that will turn you white.” A lot like Scott Darling, Jeff Glass was begging for a professional try-out in the AHL just over a year ago, so when faced with making a living at all and playing against NHL players, the burden is all relative. This is also not to say that every 32 year goalie kicking around in the AHL can step in and backstop the Blackhawks. He just has nothing to lose, and seems to be riding the wave just right.
Chemistry – Glass seems to have that Crawford type of calming veteran presence in the net, and the players all seem to be drawn to him. Both as a great story and because he has the infinite experience. This is not to say that the players dislike Forsberg or anything of the sort. For some reason, they seem to rally around Glass more easily. Both goalies can be adventures and find themselves in unusual situations. Neither is the calm, cool and collected Corey Crawford.
Bottom Line
I would not worry, just yet, about Anton Forsberg. He is young and adjusting to a full-time NHL backup role. The experience Glass brings can only help tutor Forsberg for the long haul of an NHL career. That said, he probably should have been able to take the reins of this team already and not have to watch a 32-year-old rookie play three straight games ahead of him. Quenneville may be tipping his hat and showing his lack of trust. Only time will tell, and we should enjoy this fun story in the middle of a pretty unsettling season. Like Blackhawks Legend Eric Semborski, this story will probably be forgotten about by April, but they need something positive right now.
The future may not be as clear as we once thought in the Blackhawks net, though.