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Lightning could turn to a 'Kid'

One goalie is hurt, one inconsistent. Will Gerald Coleman, 20, get a shot?

By TOM JONES
Published March 23, 2006

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TAMPA - Hockey nicknames usually are variations of a player's name. The Lightning's Brad Richards, for example, is "Richey." Tim Taylor is "Tails." Coach John Tortorella answers to "Torts."

But they call rookie goaltender Gerald Coleman "Kid."

Such as ...

"Hey, Kid, how'd it go out there?" veteran goaltender Sean Burke asked him after Wednesday's practice.

Coleman just smiled and said, "Good."

At 20 years old, Coleman is just a kid. The Lightning's playoff chances, however, could be determined by the play of a, well, kid who has played less than 44 minutes in the NHL.

Burke still isn't practicing with a stick because of a fractured finger. A gory cut continues to ooze blood, and he doesn't look anywhere close to returning. Meantime, John Grahame bounces back and forth, from really good to somewhat shaky. So it's looking likely that Coleman will do more than park his 6-foot-5, 208-pound frame on the bench for the final 13 games. At some point, he is likely to start.

"Our decisions with our goalies are going to be, as we've done most of the year, day to day," Tortorella said. "I thought Gerald certainly didn't hurt his cause in the way he played in Florida (on Monday)."

Against Florida, Coleman came off the bench for the third period of a game that looked lost. Down 5-1, he made several big but no-pressure saves before the Lightning quickly rallied to tie a game it lost in overtime.

With each Lightning goal, the pressure on Coleman increased.

"It's easy to go in when it's 5-1," Tortorella said. "But when it gets (tied), I thought he showed a little bit of nervousness. But he made some good saves for us."

Looking at times like a nervous kid, Coleman flopped around and might have been more lucky than good. But he did get the Lightning to overtime as it gained a much-needed point in the standings.

"I watched the tape, and I looked more nervous than I thought I was," Coleman said, laughing. "I felt good. I'm more comfortable this time around."

This isn't Coleman's first cup of coffee in the NHL. He came up in late October and played the third period of a loss.

"Back then, I had played like six games (professionally)," Coleman said. "This time around, it has been a bit easier because I've played (36) games."

It must have felt like 136 after he went through a 15-game winless streak with a minor-league Springfield team that has struggled no matter who has been in goal this season.

But Coleman is used to adversity.

Go all the way back to high school in Romeoville, Ill., when his physical education teacher, who also was the basketball coach, flunked him because he would not go out for basketball despite being the second-tallest kid in school.

He loved hockey. Coleman did not even stand on skates until he was 12 - ridiculously late for a pro hockey player - and became involved in the NHL's Diversity Program, which provides support to nonprofit programs that offer economically or geographically disadvantaged youngsters a chance to play. Coleman, whose father is black and mother white, became the first to make it to the NHL after being taken 224th in the 2003 draft.

Even though he helped his junior team, London of the Ontario Hockey League, to a 31-game unbeaten streak and a title last season, Coleman was constantly being replaced as the No. 1 goalie. Eventually, however, he was called back in to play the do-or-die games.

"All that made me stronger, I think," Coleman said. "You have to be mentally tough to play goal, and all those experiences helped."

Now he might be going into the biggest challenge of his career. The Lightning believes Coleman will be a star.

"We have big plans for him," Tortorella said.

It just didn't know his time might come so soon.

"The big difference between the NHL and the minors is the quickness of everything," Coleman said. "All the players at both levels shoot the same, but the plays develop so much faster here."

How fast Coleman develops could be a determining factor in how far the Lightning gets in its defense of the Stanley Cup.

[Last modified March 23, 2006, 02:15:42]

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