The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

Sports fans always have the "What have you done for me lately?" attitude. Rightly or wrongly, no one remembers what you have accomplished in the past while in the present. Instead, the athlete in question must run with the ball as best as he can to keep his job and earn the fans' approval.

G Patrick Lalime will probably only be remembered as the goalie who turned in the worst game 7 performance in Senators' franchise history. After a stellar 2002-2003 season, where he was named to the All-Star team and led his team to game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, a lot of people (myself included) only thought he could get better. At 28 years old, most goalies peak at around age 30. The sky was the limit for Lalime.

For whatever reason, Lalime had a 2003-2004 season marred by inconsistency and didn't perform nearly as well as the previous season. GM John Muckler still gave him the vote of confidence heading into the playoffs, but Lalime could never make the big save to keep his team in and in game 7 let in the softest of goals I can ever recall in a Senators playoff game. To no one's surprise, he was traded to St. Louis, the Blues perhaps thinking a change of scenery could bring Lalime back to his competitive self.

Well, it didn't work out. In fact, Lalime posted some of the worst stats of all starting goaltenders in the league. The icing on the cake was his last game where the Blues lost to the NY Rangers in overtime after a hard shot hit the back boards, bounced off of Lalime's a** and went into the net for the winning goal. Poetry-in-motion, indeed.

Lalime made a somewhat weird comment when he said to a journalist just before this season started that losing game 7 against the Leafs could be thought of as a "good" thing, as it allows him a fresh start for a new team. Huh? This took me off guard. Since when does choking in perhaps the most important game in your team's young franchise history a "good" thing? Did he just not like the pressure and want out of Ottawa or something?

As an aside, I like Patrick Lalime. I've met him on a few occasions and he is an extremely pleasant person. Never hesitates to shake hands, sign autographs, talk to the kids, or even just chat a little about whatever you want to talk about. Unfortunately, his charisma is not reflected in his on-ice performance. For some reason, he's struggling, and there's a good chance his NHL career is over after the Blues put him on waivers and no one has put in a claim for him and his $2.5 million salary.

I guess I just don't like seeing bad things happen to good people like this. Admitedly, Dominik Hasek is head and shoulders above in talent compared to Lalime and I'm glad Ottawa decided to go with him this season, but quite frankly on the ice he's usually an a**hole. He's arrogant, whiny and has little respect for the officials. But man, can he stop a puck.

Patrick, I'll remember you and thank you for your 2002-03 season. And I hope you can get past whatever it is you need to get past to get back to your old self and play some good hockey again.