Ottawa Senators prospect goaltender Chris Driedger has been relishing his experiences at the professional level.  Currently, Driedger is backing up Ottawa Senators goalie phenom Andrew Hammond aka. ‘The Hamburgler’.  While Hammond is ‘stealing’ the show (no pun intended), Driedger is also ready and poised to emerge.  Driedger has quite the hockey pedigree himself and his journey from Junior to the ECHL, American Hockey League (AHL), and now National Hockey League (NHL) all in the span of two seasons is nothing short of remarkable.

Junior Level:

Driedger had a distinguished Junior career and recalls how much fun he had while playing.  His time and experience with the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League (WHL) is something he cherishes and is extremely proud of. 

There are two moments in particular that went down in history that he will never forget.  On February 1, 2014, he inadvertently was the last member of the Calgary Hitmen to play the puck before a defense miscue led to the Kootney Ice playing the puck into their own net, becoming only the sixth goalie in WHL history to score a goal, and the first to do so with the Hitmen. 

Driedger fondly remembers the goal and describes it as a lucky play.  “It was a save from the blocker which created a rebound that actually, my buddy who is also from Winnipeg, Zach Franko (who was on the opposing team), picked up the puck as he was wheeling around the net and I guess he and his defense partner miscommunicated and threw it into their empty net on a delayed penalty.” 

Driedger also noted that coincidentally his goalie coach at the time in Calgary, Darcy Wakaluk, was the first goalie to score a goal in the AHL, so it was rewarding for him to accomplish the same feat.

Later that season, Driedger became the Hitmen’s all-time saves leader, surpassing the mark set by Martin Jones of 3,374 saves. The event occurred as Jones was tearing it up for the LA Kings, so you could say for Driedger, surpassing Jones was a ‘crowning’ achievement.  Interestingly, as Driedger explained, “history kind of came close together with both these events happening only a week or two apart.”

Transition from Junior to Professional:

It was just last season that Driedger was playing in his final year with the Calgary Hitmen while also seeing some action in the both the ECHL with the Elmira Jackals and in the AHL with the Binghamton Senators.  Driedger explained that his first go at professional hockey in the ECHL was “a bit interesting”. 

Up to that point when he was called up by Elmira, he had no professional experience and when he arrived, the team was in the midst of an 11-game losing streak. Driedger recalled facing a lot of shots and getting rapidly acquainted with professional calibre play.  “The experience of playing in the ECHL and taking so many shots on a struggling team actually helped my development.  I felt ready when I was called up to the AHL.  It was a good experience to get at a young age which helped me prepare for this year.”

He also saw firsthand the difference between playing at the Junior and Professional levels of the game.  “In Junior everyone is still developing in size.  When you hit pro they change into men pretty quickly.  There are guys on the team that are 30, 31 and some guys have families and some have kids so that’s a pretty big difference.  The hockey itself becomes bigger, tougher and plays are faster.” 

Driedger’s experience helps impart wisdom to any player at any level on any team, that “no matter what league, you can be on a bad team.  You have to take it as a learning experience.  You need to be mentally tough and stay positive.”  When asked if he had to change his game in any way when he reached the pro level Driedger responded that “your game doesn’t really change, you just need to execute better.  As you move up through ranks, if you are making drastic changes to your game, it usually doesn’t go too well.”

Pregame Routine

For Driedger it is all about having the best pre game skate that he can have. His daily preparation includes having a pregame nap and routine. Over the years he had elaborate routines where if something would go wrong he would get upset and it had the potential to affect his play.  Lately he has been trying to stick to a general routine.  For example “if the team is late to a game or something is out of place, or they need to do something with equipment it is easy to adapt and not get frazzled if there are some minor differences in the routine.”

Driedger also tries to visualize a lot.  His pregame routine involves bouncing a ball off the wall and imaging himself making saves.  “I do lots of stretching, soccer with the guys, and a dynamic workout to get the body warm and ready to go.”  A dynamic workout is about moving and stretching at the same time and doing moves like high knee raises and lunges.  Driedger, also does a lot of static stretches and uses foam rollers and lacrosse balls that help roll out the body.  “Having a routine helps me feel the same way before every game which has given me consistent results.”

Nutrition

The transition from Junior to Professional has also made Driedger aware about the importance of nutrition.  “In Junior I just ate whatever was made for me.  But as you move up levels your body needs cleaner energy to sustain the workload that we are put under on a day to day basis.”

Now Driedger is eating a lot healthier. He tries to mix up his diet and eat foods full of omega 3, amino acids, glutamine, proteins and clean carbs.  Driedger also learned the importance of hydration and knowing how much salts and liquids to consume to keep his body functioning at an optimal level.  “It has been eye opening.  I notice how much better my body feels and functions.”

Being Mentally Prepared for Games

Driedger has talked to sports psychologists over the years, a few from Team Canada camps and even the Calgary Flames sport psychologist.  For a goalie there are situations that can be mentally tough, for example a bad goal or a long period of time without a shot. In the instance of a bad goal, Driedger explains that “Sport psychologists say that after you let in a bad goal, you should just forget about it, review it for 30 seconds to a minute in your mind, and then completely forget about it.”  For Driedger if he lets in a soft goal he tries not to think about it and challenges himself to make the next big save and perform better. Another challenging situation is when there is not a lot of action during a period. In that situation, Driedger takes time during whistles to skate into his corners and visualize shots.  “After a while you develop things that help keep your mind dialed in and focused.”

First NHL Stint:

On February 17th, 2015 Driedger received a call from the Ottawa Senators when both Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner were sidelined due to injury. For Driedger it was a surprise.  He never foresaw himself getting any time in the NHL this season after starting the year in the ECHL.  “It is every young hockey player’s dream to one day play in the NHL, and to get that call was pretty cool.  I tried to be as calm as possible and after some time on the plane ride over I was able to overcome the jitters.  I just wanted to go there and stop some pucks. I didn’t expect to play, but obviously I needed to be prepared and ready.”

Driedger explained that being ready means being confident, and draws on his playoff experience while with the Calgary Hitmen as an 18 year old.  For him the pressure didn’t matter, he was confident he was going to stop any puck. “If I can see it I will stop it,” Driedger explained.  “Every goalie has that feeling when they are playing at the top of their game.  It’s about getting to that point where you are confident and then keeping it at that high level.”  This directly applies to the SENsational play of Andrew Hammond aka. ‘The Hamburgler’.

Commenting on Hammond

Driedger has been learning a lot of from his friend Hammond, and has been enjoying being alongside during the Senators’ incredible run.  “He doesn’t think anyone has been on a streak like this.  He just tied a record from 1938.”  Driedger has known him for a couple of years and explained that Hammond “is just a calm guy.  He doesn’t care he is setting records.  For him, it’s all in a day’s work. Hammond cracks jokes, stops pucks, and sets records.” 

Driedger admires how Hammond handles himself and takes that as a learning experience.  “Everything that Hammond does is something I can learn from. He is always square, always making right reads and so dialed in every night.  In between periods we sit right beside each other and talk about goals and saves.  He tells me what he was thinking about in regards to certain shots and saves. Just having that insight is invaluable.  I just take that all in and remember as much as I can. When and if my time comes, I will try and take that and put it into my own performance.”

Honing his game with Sens Goalie Coach Rick Wamsley

Driedger has always been known as a fairly quick side to side goalie and has a tendency at times to be a bit too aggressive.  He has been working a lot with Ottawa Senators goalie coach Rick Wamsley who had been training Driedger to play a little deeper and more conservative. The idea is that due to Driedger’s big 6’3” size, he can cover more of the net so he doesn’t need to come out as far.  More specifically, Wamsley had been training Driedger to play more in the middle of the net and then move out from there as opposed to being further out and being more susceptible to angle changes.  “The biggest adjustment for me has been to stay on my angles which is a lot harder when you have NHL calibre players barrelling down on you.”

For Driedger the practice experience with the Senators is extremely important.  “Getting practice time in with Rick and the rest of the team has helped challenge me to elevate my game and push myself every day to get better.  “It’s easy to pick up bad habits when you’re on a losing team” commenting on his struggling Evansville Icemen team, so when Driedger received the opportunity to be called up to the NHL he just focused on “hitting the reset button and go back to playing the way I had been for years.”  Driedger explained that “Rick Wamsley is good at pointing out what I had drawn away from and aspects of my game I have to improve.” Upon initially being reassigned to the ECHL, Driedger used what he learned with the Sens and applied it to improve his game in Evansville.

Commenting on his NHL Experience right now:

Since being recalled to Ottawa for a second time, the NHL experience for Driedger has been nothing short of amazing.  “The League, the fans, and the beautiful city of Ottawa have all been exceptional.  It is insane to think that on February 10th we were 14 points out of the last playoff spot and now we actually occupy a wild card position.  Just being in this atmosphere and seeing the guys click on and off the ice and just doing everything at the highest level is electrifying and exciting to be a part of.” 

Driedger has been having a lot of fun and is enjoying the experience every day.  “I’ve known some of these great guys like Curtis Lazar, Clayton Stoner who is also a Winnipeg boy, and Andrew Hammond for a while.  For me, it’s humbling to be a part of it.  I try not to get too ahead of myself though.  I am here and making the most of the moment and enjoying it.”

Off Season Preparation

Driedger’s off-season preparation involves training at NRG Fitness Winnipeg with owner Scott Miller.  “We do a lot of workouts based on balance, lower body, and reflex which are mixed with lifting and full body workouts, as well as lots of stretching.”

During the summer, Driedger has a roommate Mitch Wiebe who is also a goalie and together they do Yoga three times a week.  Driedger stressed “flexibility for a goalie is key if you want to be successful.”

Relationship with the PHPA

Although Driedger explained that he is hasn’t had too much interaction with the PHPA thus far in his young career, he is aware of what they mean to ECHL and AHL players.  “(Executive Director) Larry Landon met with our team at the beginning of year and did a presentation on what the PHPA is and what they do for the players.  They helped me with a workers’ compensation claim when I received a high stick to the face in the preseason which required stitches around the eye.” 

Driedger also praised Evansville’s PHPA Player Representative, Andre Bouvet-Morrissette as being a “great rep and great guy.  If we need to fill something out, he has the sheets and he makes sure we are up to date with all the forms.  The PHPA takes great care of the players, and from my own interaction, and what from what I heard from other players, it is a great union.”

All told, Chris Driedger has gained invaluable professional experience over the past two seasons, and his young career is only just beginning.  He is also, inadvertently, creating headaches for Senators Coach Dave Cameron and team management by adding to the Senators’ already crowded stable of quality goaltenders.  A great problem for the organization to have.