Tampa Bay Lightning goalie and former University of Maine standout Ben Bishop admits that he had a “pretty selfish” reason for becoming a goalie when he was in youth hockey.
“You got to play the whole game. You never came off the ice,” said Bishop, the NHL’s tallest goalie at 6-foot-7.
Bishop is four wins away from having his name etched on the Stanley Cup as his Lightning host the Chicago Blackhawks in the first game of their best-of-seven Stanley Cup final series on Wednesday night.
The 28-year-old native of the St. Louis suburb of Des Peres, Missouri, became the first goalie in NHL history to post two game seven shutouts in his first Stanley Cup series in the first two game seven starts of his career when he blanked Detroit and the New York Rangers.
After being a dominant forward in his earliest days of youth hockey, Bishop received an opportunity to play in goal.
“He was the best forward on his team. He scored most of the goals,” recalled his father, Ben Jr. “He towered over everybody, and he learned how to play on roller blades so his puck handling made him a very good forward.
“But his team had no defense. So the coach said to me, ‘Ben is the best athlete on the team, and either we’re going to have to win shootouts 9-8, or we’re going to have to do something [to shore up the defense],” he said.
So young Ben Bishop donned the goalie pads.
“I was pretty good at it, and I enjoyed it, so I kept playing it,” he said.
Bishop evolved into a quality goalie, and after watching him play for the Texas Tornado of the North American Hockey League, Bishop was recruited by University of Maine assistant coach Grant Standbrook.
“When I first saw him, I liked him,” said Standbrook. “He didn’t have the strength he has now. It is obvious that the programs he has gone through have helped him immensely. He has caught up with his height.
“He was gangly compared to his present self, but he has always been coordinated,” said Standbrook. “I had to work a lot on his skating, which I did with all of our goalies, and on his technique on making specific saves. His natural ability came out, and he played well for us.”
Standbrook also pointed out that Bishop could rifle the puck, which “threatened our clock [on the scoreboard at center ice] every time.”
“Ben would put both hands on his stick and used his knee [to propel the puck with a kicking motion]. He could also shoot a frozen rope at you,” said Standbrook.
New York Islanders coach Jack Capuano said Bishop plays the puck really well.
“He has tremendous poise, and he’s deceptive with it,” he said. “When we pre-scout our opponent, we have to look at where to dump the puck in against him and how to set up our forecheck. He’s like having a third defenseman back there.”
Bishop compiled a 54-34-7 record at Maine with a 2.29 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage in his three seasons. He led the Black Bears to their last Frozen Four appearance in 2006-07 in his hometown of St. Louis where Maine lost in the semis to eventual champ Michigan State 4-2.
“Going from juniors where I never had a goalie coach to going to Maine and working with Grant and [head coach Tim Whitehead] was the biggest learning curve of my career. I still talk to Grant every day,’ said Bishop. “He’s one of the best in the business. It’s nice to hear from him. Those [conversations] go a long way.”
Bishop also said playing at Maine helped him prepare for the pressure of playing in those game sevens.
“A lot of people ask me about that [playing in game sevens for the first time],” said Bishop. “But when I played at Maine, every NCAA Tournament game was like a game seven. It was do-or-die.
“You just have to treat them like any other game. I don’t worry about them,” added Bishop, who is 12-8 with a 2.15 GAA and a .920 save percentage in the playoffs.
Bishop’s unflappable nature also was key as he allowed five goals in three different games during the New York series.
“I had a couple of games that weren’t so hot, but you can’t dwell on it,” he said.
Bishop has won 77 games the past two regular seasons with the Lightning after being traded to them by Ottawa. He was one of three finalists for the Vezina Trophy awarded to the league’s top goalie last season when he went 37-14-7 with a 2.23 GAA and a .924 save percentage. He was 40-13-5 this season with a 2.32 GAA and a .916 save percentage.
A dislocated elbow kept him out of the playoffs last season, and the Lightning were swept in four games by Montreal in the first round.
”His save percentage, competitiveness, size, athleticism and ability to win big games speak for themselves,” said Capuano. “Their record with and without him tells you how important he is to them.”
Standbrook said Bishop has learned how to play.
“He has put the pieces together. He has made some adjustments and accommodations due to his size. He has figured out what he can and can’t do at that level,” he said. “He is such a gentleman and a good person.”
The former third-round draft pick of the St. Louis Blues made his NHL debut with the Blues in 2008-09 before spending most of the next three seasons with Peoria of the American Hockey League. The Blues then traded him to Ottawa for a second-round draft choice.
He is looking forward to the upcoming series.
“[The Blackhawks] have everything. They have some of the best players in the world, and their third and fourth lines have proven playoff players. This is their third Stanley Cup finals appearance in six years. This isn’t their first rodeo,” said Bishop. “But I have complete confidence in myself and my team.”
Bishop isn’t the only player in the series with Maine ties.
Chicago’s backup goalie, former Black Bears player Scott Darling, is 3-1 in the playoffs with a 2.22 GAA and a .936 save percentage. Chicago assistant Kevin Dineen is a former head coach of the AHL’s Portland Pirates and Blackhawk defenseman David Rundblad played for the Pirates.