Forgotten Penguins Gamers: Tomas Vokoun

In response to data at NHL.com, 70 goalies have dressed for a recreation with the Pittsburgh Penguins. One of many workforce’s forgotten gamers is Tomas Vokoun, the previous record-holder for the workforce’s longest shutout streak.

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Initially drafted by the Montreal Canadiens within the ninth spherical (226th general) of the 1994 Draft, he performed one recreation with the group earlier than being claimed by the Nashville Predators within the 1998 Enlargement Draft.

In Tennessee, Vokoun turned one of many franchise’s first marquee gamers, enjoying eight seasons with the membership, dressing in 383 video games and compiling a 161-159-46 document with 21 shutouts.

Moreover, with the Predators, he completed as a top-10 candidate for the Vezina Trophy on three events. On the time, Vokoun cemented himself as the franchise leader in each main statistical class, solely surpassed by Pekka Rinne and, most just lately, Juuse Saros.

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Like most good issues, they’ve to come back to an finish. In June 2007, Nashville dealt him to the Florida Panthers, the place he performed the following 4 seasons of his profession.

Regardless of not having a robust supporting forged in Nashville and advancing to the playoffs twice, issues had been worse in Florida, the place he led the league in losses in 2008 and 2010.

As a free agent in 2011, Vokoun signed with the Washington Capitals as a free agent enjoying 48 video games within the Nation’s Capital earlier than coming to the Penguins in June 2012 in a commerce for a seventh-round choose.

That season, Vokoun break up duties with Marc-Andre Fleury, who was 28 then. In restricted motion, 20 video games, he went 13-4-0 with a 2.45 GAA and .916 SV%.

At 36, he went on one of the crucial unimaginable runs by a goalie in Pittsburgh historical past, setting the then-franchise document for longest shutout streak at 173:06.

His streak started towards the New York Islanders on Mar. 22, 2013. After a first-period purpose, Josh Bailey scored at 17:18 of the second interval, the final tally the Czechia goalie would give up for the following 5 video games.

In his subsequent look, he relived Fluery for 20 minutes and preserved the Penguins’ 1-0 victory over Montreal. On Mar. 28, 2013, he performed your entire recreation towards the Winnipeg Jets, locking down a 20-save shutout victory to increase his streak.

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Using the new hand, Vokoun began the following recreation towards the Islanders and walked away with one other shutout on 35 saves.

Nevertheless, in his subsequent begin, towards the Buffalo Sabres on Apr. 2, 2013, his streak ended at 10:24 of the primary interval when Kevin Porter lit the lamp.

Apparently, his teammate that season, Fleury, got here shut twice in 2014-15 from catching and surpassing Vokoun’s mark, recording streaks of 164:22 and 165:06, however nobody else got here near breaking the document till Tristan Jarry did in 2019-20 with a 177:15 streak.

Earlier than advancing to the Stanley Cup playoffs with the Penguins in 2012-13, he had skated in solely 11 postseason video games (3-8) with the Predators. Throughout his final run for a championship, Vokoun stepped in for Fleury and guided Pittsburgh to the Jap Convention Remaining.

He was 6-5 with a .933 SV% and a 2.09 GAA, selecting up two wins over the Islanders within the first spherical whereas serving to the Penguins remove the Ottawa Senators in 5 video games earlier than a sweep by the hands of the Boston Bruins.

After two begins with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2013-14, Vokoun introduced his retirement on Dec. 14, 2014. His NHL totals included a 300-288-78 document in 700 video games with 51 shutouts.

On the time of his announcement, he had one of the crucial memorable however transient runs as a netminder in Penguins historical past.

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