Former University of Maine goalie Ben Bishop was understandably happy when he learned he was one of three goalies chosen to represent the United States in the World Cup of Hockey Tournament.
The Tampa Bay Lightning goalie will join the Los Angeles Kings’ Jonathan Quick and New Jersey’s Cory Schneider to be held Sept. 17-Oct. 1 in Toronto.
The eight-team tournament will feature a round-robin format followed by two semifinal games and a best-of-three championship series.
“I’m really excited,” Bishop said Wednesday. “One of my goals was to make that team. To be named on the original 16 roster is quite an honor. Any time you put that jersey on and represent your country, it’s pretty special.”
The World Cup teams submitted their initial 16-man rosters on March 2, and they will be able to add four more players. The U.S. will be in a group with Canada, the Czech Republic and Team Europe. The other division will have Finland, Russia, Sweden and Team North America.
Team North America will be composed of Canadians and Americans who are under the age of 24.
Former UMaine winger and Swedish Olympian Gustav Nyquist, who is tied for fourth on the Detroit Red Wings in scoring with 16 goals and 21 assists, could be added to the Swedish team.
Like Bishop, Quick (Massachusetts) and Schneider (Boston College) also are Hockey East products.
“We played against each other. That’s pretty good for Hockey East,” said Bishop, who played at UMaine from 2005-08.
Schneider played for BC 2004-07, and Quick was a Minuteman 2005-07.
The 29-year-old Bishop is in the midst of one of his best streaks as a pro. He has allowed only 10 goals in his last seven starts. He had his six-game winning streak snapped in a 1-0 overtime loss to Boston on Tuesday night in which he made 32 saves.
The 6-foot-7, 216-pound Bishop leads the NHL in goals-against average (2.04) and is fourth in save percentage (.927). He has a 28-17-4 record.
“I feel real good,” said Bishop, who led the Lightning to the Stanley Cup finals last season. “I’ve taken a step forward in each of the last few years. I’ve been getting a little better. Obviously, experience helps.
“The biggest thing I want is to be the most consistent goalie in the league. That’s what separates the good goalies from the great goalies,” he said.
This will be the third NHL-sanctioned World Cup of Hockey, and the Des Peres, Missouri, native has seen clips of the previous ones.
The U.S. beat Canada twice in Montreal to win the inaugural World Cup of Hockey in 1996. Canada triumphed over Finland in 2004.
“[In 1996], you had two Hall-of-Fame teams playing each other,” said Bishop. “It was intense. It was like the Olympics.
“It should be a lot of fun, especially for the fans,” added Bishop, who was 40-13-5 for Tampa Bay (2.32 GAA, .916 save pct.) last season.