Michal Neuvirth has been a man in constant motion for the past four seasons. In. that time, he has played for Washington, Buffalo, and the NY Islanders. He was signed by the Philadephia Flyers to be the backup to incumbent starter Steve Mason.
According to my colleague Tim Panaccio of CSN Philly, Neuvirth recently met some of his new teammates at informal skates in suburban Philly, then jetted off to The Big Apple to cheer on his girlfriend and WTA rising superstar, Karolina Pliskova. Pliskova recently won the Emirates Airline US Open Series and earned a chance at an historic $4.3-million payout at the U.S. Open, however, American qualifier named Anna Tatishvili sent Pliskova to a first round defeat. The young American defeated the #8-seeded Pliskova, 6-2, 6-1.
Neuvirth told Panotch that he is enthused to be a Flyer.
“Just in general, I’m very excited about this season and can’t wait to get going,… Neuvirth said. “I have to meet all my teammates.…
Neuvirth signed a two-year, $3.25 million contract. Fellow Czech Jakub Voracek is credited with an assist for helping land Neuvy in Philly. “I met Jake and we talked about things here and he said all good things about the Flyers,… Neuvirth recalled. “He wanted me to come here. I think it made him happy when I signed here. ... He was the reason I signed here.…
Voracek won’t take all the credit for Neuvirth’s signing with the Flyers. “I think it’s hard to say I convinced him,… Voracek said via text. “I told him this was a great place to play with a great locker room [of guys]. A lot of potential. That’s all I said.…
Both men played together as teenagers on the Czech national team.
“We’ve played together since we were 15 for the national team,… Neuvirth said. “Jake is one of the best players in the NHL and the best player from the Czech Republic right now. So I’m very excited to be on the same team with him.…
Neuvirth went into the NHL Draft thinking that the NY Islanders might trade him away for assets as his contract had expired. He became UFA on July 1. Then, all hell broke loose as a rash of veteran goalie trades went down in rapid fire succession. Antti Niemi was traded from San Jose to Dallas. Cam Talbot was moved from NYC to Edmonton. Vancouver sent Eddie Lack to Carolina. Buffalo traded a first rounder to Ottawa for Robin Lehner.
The game of goalie trade musical chairs had stopped and Neuvirth was left without a seat.
“After a few trades and some moves, there were no more spots open for a number one,… Neuvirth said. “I had to change my mindset. I was hoping for the best fit. When I got the offer from the Flyers, I felt they were the right fit for me.
“They were one of the first teams that called me. There were a couple more teams, but Philly had the best offer and I felt this was best fit for me.…
The Washington Capitals selected Neuvirth in the second round in 2001. He spent six seasons battling with Semyon Varlamov, Braden Holtby, Tomas Voloun and Jaro Halak for the right to be the number one.
“It was hard leaving Washington, for sure,… he said. “I have a lot of memories and lots of good friends there. I spent my best years in Washington in the NHL. I am always going to have feelings for the Capitals.…
Neuvirth went from being a number one contender to an NHL suitcase in the past two seasons. He‘s content to play when called upon by his coaches.
“I don’t know what is the hardest thing,… Neuvirth said of the transition. “And I’ve been moved quite often the last few seasons. It’s nothing new for me. You gotta meet everybody. I have two Czech [teammates] on the team ( Voracek and Radko Gudas). That is going to make it easier.…
Neuvirth was the reason why many cranky Buffalo Sabres fans were forced to tear their hair out of their heads last season. Most fans wanted the Sabres to lose every possible so that the team would be guaranteed to finish in 30th place overall. The last place finish would be “rewarded… with a guarantee that Jack Eichel would become a Sabres via the second overall pick in the NHL Draft. Or, the possibility of winning the NHL Draft Lottery and Connor McDavid in the process.
Neuvirth nearly singlehandedly derailed the Buffalo tank last season. On the day he was traded, Neuvirth told media that he didn't think it was right that an NHL team would want to deliberately lose games in order to insure draft position in order to pick a generational player. Neuvirth didn't complain during the tanking season, however, he vented his spleen on his way out the door.
The Sabres ended up selecting the Hobey Baker Award winning Eichel. In 2013-14, Neuvirth played only two games in Buffalo after his trade from Washington. An injury in March shelved him for the remainder of the season. He posted a .949 save percenntage and 2.56 GAA that season. Neuvirth bounced back admirably by playing 27 total games with the Sabres in 2014-15. Don’t let his 6-17-3 record fool or mislead you. Neuvirth played brilliantly for Buffalo. So much so that cardiologists in the Buffalo and S. Ontario areas were being inundated with an influx of tens of thousands of new patients suffering from anxiety and chest pains. In 1,544 minutes TOI, Neuvirth posted excellent numbers with a 2.99 GAA and .918 save percentage. Neuvirth only allowed 77 goals against while making 864 save. In Buffalo, Neuvirth saw more rubber than the Daytona 500.
If history is any indicator, Neuvirth is going to battle Steve Mason for the number one job in Philly. That’s how he rolls. He is an intense competitor and he hates to lose. At age 27, he is entering the prime years of his NHL career. Mason has battled injuries his whole NHL career in Columbus and Philly. Neuvirth will be ready when called upon.
“It’s tough not playing for a long time,… Neuvirth said of the backup role. “I will have to deserve my ice time and work hard in practice. Whenever I get a chance to play, I got to play good. That is the bottom line.…
My guess is that his buddy Jake Voracek will do his best to tell Giroux, Couturier, Simmonds, the Schenns, Read, and the Fly Boys to give Neuvirth tons quality shots to handle in training camp and in practices between his starts. With Neuvirth, the more rubber fired at him, the better.
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"@PegulaSE: Congrats to @JLPegula on winning her first match at the @usopen! #FistPump #OneBuffalo pic.twitter.com/D2zpDEqFnv"
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) August 31, 2015
Stick tap.... errrr... tennis racket taps are in order for Jessie Pegula, who won her U.S. Open first round match on Monday.
Jessie wants a piece of Buffalo Bills head coach too. Ryan challenged Jessie to a Ping-Pong match.
“He was talking smack, and I said, ‘I don’t play ping-pong, just tennis,’ but I’m sure I can probably take him,… the 21- year-old Pegula said at a news conference following her straight-sets victory over Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium.
It was Pegula’s first match in a Grand Slam tournament, and she was there only after getting a wild card to enter qualifying, then beating three opponents. Monday, she topped Van Uytvanck, 7-5, 6-3, in one hour, 24 minutes. Facing each other for the first time, Pegula broke 55th-ranked Van Uytvanck’s serve three times and won 69 total points, 10 more than the Belgian.
After having knee surgery in April 2014, Pegula said she watched a lot of tennis, “which hurt a little bit,… went to a few music festivals and focused on rehabbing the injury. The down time also gave her a chance to experience her family’s purchase of the Bills that September.
“It was a really cool thing I got to do, to be there for all that, because a lot stuff I miss because of tennis, as I’m always traveling,… Pegula said.
Before she takes on Ryan, she’ll have at least one more Grand Slam match, against Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia. Cibulkova knocked off seventh-ranked Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in three sets
Source: WTA