Bouncing Back: Surprising Players in the NHL

Tim Thomas

    *Goaltender

    *Boston Bruins

Despite giving up seven goals on 24 shots in Boston's embarrasing 10-2 loss against the Washington Capitals, Tim Thomas still deserves recognition for the Bruins' turn around into legitimate playoff contenders. Stepping in for the injured Manny Fernandez, Thomas has given more than what any Bruins fan could have possibly hoped for with his solid, yet unorthodox, style of goaltending.

Patrick Kane

    *Right Winger

    *Chicago Blackhawks

In the Windy City, the Chicago Blackhawks looked to have picked up a golden gem in American winger Patrick Kane. Alongside fellow youngster Jonathan Toews, the 'Hawks have two future-generation stars who will be the envy of every hockey GM in the NHL for years to come. After putting in some strong performances throughout the year, particularly earlier on, the 19-year old phenom was named the NHL Rookie of the Month in October.

Mike Ribeiro

    *Center

    *Dallas Stars

After putting pen to paper on a brand new five-year contract worth $25 million, Mike Ribeiro has proven to be a tremendous bargain for the Dallas Stars organization. Once deemed expendable by his hometown Montreal Canadiens, the 45th overall pick in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft has risen from the ashes to lead the Stars in scoring with 75 points in 66 games. 

Pascal Leclaire

    *Goalie

    *Columbus Blue Jackets

If you managed to pick up Pascal Leclaire in your hockey pool, you're probably reaping the benefits of a truly stellar year from the Quebec native. With nine shutouts and a 2.15 GAA to his name, Leclaire has restored respectability and pride within a Columbus Blue Jackets franchise desperate to make the post-season for the first time in the franchise's history.

 

Tomas Plekanec

    *Center

    *Montreal Canadiens 

Coming in at a meager $1.6 million a year, Tomas Plekanec has proven to be a much cheaper commodity than the once sought after Daniel Briere. Combined with turn around of his teammate, Alex Kovalev, Plekanec has taken over as the team's No. 1 center by posting up 61 points in 67 games. Thanks to the emergence of the young forward, Les Habitants are now preparing their run for home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.

 

Alex Kovalev

    *Right Wing

    *Montreal Candiens

As mentioned above, Alex Kovalev's strong comeback from a dismal '06-'07 season has many NHL experts around the league touting him as the Comeback Player Of The Year. Boasting an impressive 69 points in 67 games, the Canadiens will be looking to their assistant captain for guidance and leadership as they head into the stretch run of the NHL season.

Perhaps Kovalev said it best when he was quoted by NHL.com staff writer Adam Kimelman about his new change in attitude.

“It’s like, you hate everything about your apartment, you want to redo it because every time you go back home, you’re sick of it,” the Russian sniper said.

“So you throw everything outside and buy new furniture. That’s kind of what I did. I threw out the old Alex Kovalev and kind of brought in a different person and play a different game.”

 

Ed Jovanovski

    *Defenseman

    *Phoenix Coyotes 

When Ed Jovanoski signed a lucrative five-year, $32.5 million contract with the Wayne Gretzky's Phoenix Coyotes in the summer of 2006, Jovocop was counted on to turn the fortunes around for the struggling Arizona hockey team. However, Jovanovski failed to reach expectations in '06-'07 when he scored only 29 points in 54 games.

Fast forward to the '07-'08 season, Jovo seems to have rekindled the confidence that was once previously lost in his first season under the Great One. Firing in 11 goals along with 35 assists, the Canadian defenseman is a big reason for the turnaround in the desert. 

 

Shane Doan

    *Right Winger

    *Phoenix Coyotes

Like Jovanovski, Shane Doan was signed to a hefty five-year $22.75 million contract with the hopes of raising his game in order to lead his beloved Coyotes into post-season play. This, of course, did not happen as the Coyotes found themselves in a position that they have become all too familar with—out of the playoff picture come April. Considered as the unquestioned leader within the dressing room, Doan has silenced critics with an impressive 63 points in 64 games.

 

Ilya Bryzgalov

    *Goaltender

    *Phoenix Coyotes 

At one point in the NHL season, Ilya Bryzgalov was being offered to nearly every club in the NHL by Ducks GM Bryan Burke. After no one was willing to take the bait, the Phoenix Coyotes decided to take a chance on the Russian goalkeeper with the hopes of providing some solid goaltending. Like Tim Thomas, Bryzgalov has rediscovered his strong sense of confidence while putting up an impressive 2.38 GAA. 

 

Mathieu Garon

    *Goaltender

    *Edmonton Oilers

At the beginning of the season, Oil Country was expecting a 60-40 split in playing time between team favorite Dwayne Roloson and free agent acquistion Mathieu Garon. After an intense goaltending battle for the No. 1 job in Edmonton, Garon was chosen by Craig McTavish as the man to carry the workload.

So far, Garon has not looked back by providing solid play between the pipes for the blue and copper while posting six shutouts, 2.60 GAA and a 23-17-1 record. That's not to mention a mighty impressive 10-0 record in the shootout for his team this season.

"When you start the year and think about shootouts, you want to get the extra points and you want to win more than you lose," Garon said. "Being 10-0 is getting crazy."