By BRIAN BIGGANE
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 02, 2007
Ask Tomas Vokoun's former teammates and coaches about him and you hear the Panthers' new goalie described as a confident, hard-working leader.
Nashville goaltending coach Mitch Korn has another adjective: feisty.
Korn remembers their first meeting in fall 1998, just after Vokoun, then 22, was claimed by the Predators from Montreal in the expansion draft. Korn, who had worked with Dominik Hasek and Grant Fuhr in Buffalo, joined Vokoun for their first work on the ice.
"I said, 'Here's what I want you to do,' " Korn recalled, "and he said, 'I don't do it that way.' I said, 'Hey, humor me.' "
The Predators had four goalies in camp, but Vokoun won the No. 2 job behind Mike Dunham. After four seasons of part-time work, Vokoun became the starter and Dunham was traded.
Eleven days ago, Vokoun was dealt to the Panthers, who expect him to fill the huge void created when Roberto Luongo was dealt to Vancouver last summer. Alex Auld tried unsuccessfully to replace Luongo and recently was released. Veteran Ed Belfour won't return, either.
Panthers captain Olli Jokinen, who played with Vokoun in the Finnish League during the 2004-05 NHL lockout, is confident the newcomer can succeed.
"You look at his record and the last five or six years he's been one of the better goalies in the league," Jokinen said by phone from his home in Helsinki. "A lot of people haven't gotten to know the guy because he's been in the West."
Vokoun, who is under contract for four years, was 27-12-4 last season and was fifth in the NHL in save percentage (.920), just behind Luongo.
Replacing Luongo won't be Vokoun's only challenge. Moving from the Western Conference to the East means he'll have to learn about a host of new shooters. The Panthers play only 10 games against the West each season.
"The games you play against the East teams are just different," said Nashville goalie Chris Mason, who backed up Vokoun but now will start. "You don't play against guys for a while and you don't know their style. But Tomas works so hard, he's so competitive, he'll be fine."
Departing Nashville also means that Vokoun will be leaving Korn for a first-year goalie coach in Pierre Groulx, who was named to the job a day before the trade.
"Mitch helped me a lot in my career," Vokoun, who turned 31 on Monday, said by phone from Turkey, where his family was vacationing. "He put me in the right direction, but a goalie coach can't play for you. I know what I need to do by now."
Groulx, who worked extensively with Panther goalies as the team's video coach the last two years, said he isn't planning a makeover.
"You take any of the top guys Ä" (Martin) Brodeur, Luongo, Vokoun Ä" you don't go in and change their style," Groulx said. "It's like a caddy for a golfer: You've got to have trust and you get it by building a relationship. It's a supportive role."
A problem that plagued Vokoun early in his career appears to be behind him. In summer 2003 it was determined that he suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder. He has been treated since then with medication.
"He knows how to manage it," Korn said. "He's had no adverse effects, once it was diagnosed and fixed."
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Panthers' new goalie ready to succeed
Panthers' new goalie ready to succeed
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