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Focus falls squarely on Grahame
With Nikolai Khabibulin gone, John Grahame says he is prepared to be the Lightning's new No.1 goalie.
By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
Published October 6, 2005
TAMPA - The dream goes like this:
Lightning goaltender John Grahame is in a game, any game, making save after save using every part of his body, every piece of equipment.
Grahame said he actually has that dream occasionally when he sleeps. But if things work out as he has planned, reality might turn out to be even better.
Grahame got 24 saves in Tampa Bay's season-opening 5-2 victory against the Hurricanes on Wednesday at the St. Pete Times Forum. He knows playing well gives him the early lead to be the No.1. The Lightning wants him to run with it. It is, in a sense, his job to lose.
"To play night in and night out, you have to be successful night in and night out," said Grahame, sitting in the locker room before the game. "To go out and be the backbone of a team and be there every night, it's something you've got to prove.
"I'm definitely up to the challenge and ready for it."
The stakes are high.
Grahame, 30, took over for Nikolai Khabibulin, who led Tampa Bay to the 2004 Stanley Cup title. He plays for a coaching staff that isn't afraid to make quick changes, and a seasoned backup, Sean Burke, waits for his chance.
Grahame also is battling perceptions.
The Denver native lost the No.1 job in Boston before he was traded to Tampa Bay in January 2003. He faltered, too, when given chances to supplant Khabibulin.
Grahame said he is a different player and person.
"I was a little younger and pretty hyped up and aggressive and trying to do everything," said Grahame, 6 feet 3, 220 pounds. "I was diving around, and I didn't care, just more athleticism. Now the technique is more there, and I've refined that technique. I use my size and simplified my game. I'm much more effective now."
"We're very confident in Johnny," left wing Fredrik Modin said. "We know how he plays. We see him in practice every day. We have no concerns at all."
Grahame earned that confidence.
After Khabibulin signed for big money with the Blackhawks, Grahame knew he would get this chance. He changed his offseason routine. Conditioning was key, and he followed to the letter a workout program provided by strength coach Eric Lawson.
There was weight training, aerobics and work on core muscles.
Goaltenders coach Jeff Reese over time also has convinced Grahame to play deeper in the net to better guard against quick passes that could more easily beat a wandering goalie.
In a way, though, Khabibulin has not yet left the building. And Grahame acknowledged that while he is not competing with Khabibulin, per se, he will be compared with his accomplishments.
"But it's like that old saying, I'm going to be me. I'm going to be John Grahame," he said. "Nik is a tremendous goalie, and I'd like to have the same success he had here. But I'd like to do it my way and put my stamp on it. The success is the pressure, not what Nik was."
Reese said he wants Grahame to narrow his focus even further.
"He's going to have to think about one shot at a time, one game at a time," Reese said. "You start thinking too far ahead, and it creeps in and affects your game." And if that happens ...
"Johnny has got the nod to play Game 1, and then we'll see where it all shakes out from there," coach John Tortorella said. "You know how I work. The players will make the decision for me."
Grahame said he was more excited than nervous as the game approached. He said he had no trouble sleeping the previous night. No hockey dreams, he said, other than the recurring one about being a No.1.
"Until you're able to prove you can do it, there are going to be some questions," Grahame said. "I look forward to answering those questions on the ice and putting it to rest."
[Last modified October 6, 2005, 01:14:18]
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