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Devils pull off a Double Eagle in the crease, gain a piece of NHL history |
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When the New Jersey Devils moved to sign former backup goaltender Scott Clemmesen on July 1, nobody batted an eye. Players in this day and age follow the money and the interest, and the fact that the Devils were willing to take another chance on the netminder they selected in the eighth round of the 1997 draft, wasn’t anything particularly special.
Clemmensen made his debut in a brief call-up during the 2001-02 season, and for three seasons enjoyed the “best job in hockey” as Martin Brodeur’s seldom-used reserve, before being shipped off to the Maple Leafs organization. He returned in 2008 and leveraged a 40-game stint in relief of the injured future Hall-of-Famer into a long-term contract with the Florida Panthers, only to return at the outset of this year’s free agent period to the only club willing to take a chance.
When franchise architect Lou Lamoriello announced a multi-year contract extension for Brodeur’s heir apparent, Cory Schneider, eight days later, certain noses began to twitch. Schneider had been acquired at last year’s draft for a top-10 pick from the Vancouver Canucks –- a stunning salvo which heralded the end of Brodeur’s reign with the franchise.
For a club dwelling in the bottom of a competitive Metropolitan Division, his 1.97 goals-against average stood as a reminder that Roberto Luongo’s one-time understudy was fully capable of carrying on Brodeur’s legacy.
And after these winding paths brought Schneider and Clemmensen together in the crease for the Red and Black earlier this month, both players have apparently managed to make history without setting foot on the ice yet.
After digging into the archives, questioning several outlets who cover the Division I game, and consulting several media personages attuned to hockey records, it seems that the New Jersey crease tandem represents the first instance in National Hockey League annals that two goalies who attended the same university will play for the same team simultaneously.
College hockey’s in-roads to the pros is a relatively recent phenomenon, having been kick-started in earnest after the Miracle on Ice team won Gold in Lake Placid in 1980. It’s only within the last decade where the best D-I free agents have been coveted by certain NHL teams looking to expand their prospect base.
Before that, only outliers, like Canadian-born-and-trained Canadiens legend Ken Dryden starring for Cornell, Blackhawks defenseman Keith Magnuson taking a turn on the blueline at the University of Denver and Mario Faubert from the now-defunct St. Louis University program skating with the Penguins.
Certain clubs were well above the curve when it came to welcoming American college talent after those Olympics, like the Winnipeg Jets of the mid-1980s. The Smythe Division stalwarts gave significant playing time to Brian Mullen (Wisconsin), Doug Smail (North Dakota), Tim Watters (Michigan Tech) and others less impactful, but they were true trendsetters in the crease.
During the 1984-85 season, Barry Long’s second-place club featured not one, not two, but three goalies with Division I experience: starter Brian Hayward (Cornell), with backup Marc Behrend (Wisconsin) and little-used reserve Mark Holden (Brown) having played at reputable schools. It’s remained the exception into the 21st Century.
Clemmensen arrived at Boston College in 1997, shortly after the Devils selected him while playing for his hometown Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL. As a freshman, en route to backstopping Jerry York’s young club to a surprise Frozen Four title-game appearance against Michigan, he set a program and NCAA-record scoreless streak, which still stands, at 254 minutes, 23 seconds. Clemmensen recorded 99 victories in four seasons patrolling the Eagles' crease, appeared in four straight semifinals, three championship contests and won it all as a senior in 2001.
Schneider set up shop at the Heights seven years later, as the program was just getting back on its feet after the mass exodus following the emotional OT win against North Dakota that gave BC its first national crown since 1949. The Canucks had selected the Boston-area native 26th overall in the 2004 draft, as he plied his trade for the USA’s Under-18 Development team. He'd exit three years later with 65 victories, 16 shutouts, three national postseason appearances and hard-luck title-game losses to Wisconsin and Michigan State under his belt. Schneider also made a go at Clemmensen’s scoreless mark during his sophomore campaign, ultimately coming up short at 242 minutes, 19 seconds.
For Lamoriello, it might be a case of “if you can’t beat 'em, make 'em join you,” since Boston College has claimed the Hockey East playoff championship –- and the trophy which bears his name -- a record 10 times in 30 seasons, leaving his alma mater of Providence in the dust.
The long-time Devils GM didn’t have to reach very far to take a chance on the club’s first bona-fide starter out of college, bringing Chris Terreri from his beloved Friars up from Utica for good in 1989 and keeping him there until 1996 when it was clear Brodeur was the present and future.
BC’s goaltending record in the NHL has been miserable at best before and after Clemmensen and Schneider guarded the nets.
Paul Skidmore played two games with the Blues in 1981-82; Scott Gordon was left to fend for himself on some horrendous Nordiques teams, going 2-16-0 in 23 appearances from 1989-91; David Littman appeared just three times for Buffalo and Tampa Bay from 1990-93; neither Matti Kaltiainen (’04 semifinalist), John Muse (starter on the 2008 and ’10 champions) nor Parker Milner (2012) advanced beyond the AHL.
According to College Hockey, Inc., at the end of last season there were 24 American college goaltending products under contract with an NHL team. Only three clubs -- St. Louis (Ryan Miller, Brian Elliott), Los Angeles (Jonathan Quick, Ben Scrivens) and Florida (Clemmensen, Dan Ellis, Tim Thomas) -- prominently featured at least two goaltenders from Division I, while Columbus (Curtis McElhinney, Mike McKenna) and Edmonton (Scrivens, Richard Bachman) were the other two which dressed more than one D-I netminder at some point during the season.
None of them have been true groundbreakers like the Devils will be come October.
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