Nathan Lawson (AKA Nate the Great)

The following article was written for NHL.com when Lawson was to make his NHL debut last season.  I’ve decided to tweak it, and run it on my own blog after Lawson played his first NHL exhibition game last night.

Nathan Lawson has given me more “is this guy serious?” moments than Flava Flav, starting with his first recruiting trip when he told me “It says Nate the Great on my helmet for a reason.” 

Lookin' sharp in the Seawolves gear

That was the first time I’ve seen his smirk – the “I’m aware that sounded ridiculously cocky, so I’m smirking to show that I’m aware of that… but it doesn’t mean I don’t mean it”  smirk.

I’ve shaken my head in disbelief, and spent more time discussing his on-ice antics than it ever took for him to perform them.  From the three years we spent as teammates in college to the one together as professionals, the guy has been a constant conversation piece.

The University of Alaska Anchorage has always had great goaltending.  Being comparatively under-talented in the WCHA has meant that the Seawolves have needed strength in net to stay competitive.  So when Nathan Lawson committed to our school, it meant big expectations on the kid.  And he exceeded them.

“Laws” is a bit quirky, as goalies tend to be.  And when I say quirky, I mean borderline nuts (but in a light-hearted, happily neurotic sort of way).  Watch him in pre-game warm-ups.  Some guys have routines, Lawson has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.  Upsetting his pre-game routine is dangerous and ill-advised.  He’ll de-friend you in real life like its Facebook. 

To start the game, and before every period, he skates to the bench, takes his helmet off and stares straight ahead.  While looking completely crazy (like there’s any other way to do this), he unscrews the lid on a water bottle, leans back and dumps the full contents over his head, helmet and glove, which is placed behind his head.  It’s similar to the Lebron James chalk throw, just with more crazy and less fanfare.

That pose, with good angles... frustrating as a shooter

Lawson left college a year early to give the pro ranks a try.  I was playing for Utah in the ECHL at the time, and Nate was in Phoenix, our first opponent of the season.  One start and one shutout later, he was on his way.  But as a goalie, keeping a spot on professional teams is a totally different situation.  There’s only room for two per team, so in an NHL/AHL/ECHL organization, that means six goalie jobs.  When a seventh one comes in as part of an NHL deal, there’s a trickle-down effect.

The leap between the ECHL and AHL isn’t all that huge, and the gap between the AHL and NHL is even smaller. A thin line separates many players – and sometimes all it takes is one scout, one GM or one coach to push for a player and create the opportunity for them to thrive.  The line is even thinner for goaltenders, and sometimes the difference between a career-ending cut in the ECHL and making the NHL is that one opportunity.

In Utah, our coach called me early in the season and said “I see this Lawson kid is on waivers. Is he any good?”  After giving Lawson a review that Paula Abdul would call “too generous,” Nate was a Utah Grizzly. 

Nice highlights.

Like many others, all the guy needed was the right opportunity.  Nathan’s rookie season in Utah was solid, showing what many of us already knew – that he’s the real deal.  And he joined the Isles organization at the right time, with Rick DiPietro’s injuries the past couple seasons. An unfortunate part of minor league hockey is having to root for other people’s injuries to get your chance.

From that, the “trickle-up” effect gave Lawson the American League opportunity he deserved last season, and he capitalized on it.  In 31 games, Laws went 19-9 with a 2.16 goals-against-average and a .927 save percentage.  All-Rookie Team starter.  Not bad, right?

Even the Islanders seem confused about their situation in goal these days, but after signing Biron and Roloson, they remembered to sign Laws.  Had Bridgeport not needed him so badly during their stretch run last year, he probably would have seen NHL games – an odd reason to have to miss your chance at games in “the show”, really.

#52 - The guy's an original

The reason Nathan Lawson is a stud in net is simply this:  He thinks ahead of the game.  Not in milliseconds, or seconds, but whole plays.  You can watch a Nathan Lawson goaltended game and think “Wow, he had an easy night.”  But it wouldn’t have looked that way had another tender been in net.  Other goalies are making diving glove says, Hasek-esque rolls and desperate scrambles.  Nate is square, up quick, and positional.  He’s usually so crisply controlled that he rarely needs to do anything SportsCenter worthy.

The nice part about Nate though, is that if he needs the spectacular save, it’s in his arsenal.  He has sharp post-to-post speed to go with his strongest attribute, his ability to play the puck.  Like Marty Turco of the Dallas, Nate is often used as a sixth defenseman; a guy to go back on dump-ins and make outlet passes.  He springs players on breakaways, and ices the puck on the penalty kill.

But fans will love his Sean Avery-like antics in the crease best. Lawson is the first goalie I’ve played with who can be a Darcy Tucker level agitator.  Teams love to hate him.  He is the uncompromising evil villain to them, and they can’t let it go.  Often, in college, we would talk to players on the opposing team after the game, maybe out at the bar, or just in the hallway.

In my beloved Isles colours. Trippy.

“What was with that cross-check in my back?” is fine fodder for conversation, and everyone has a good laugh and lets it go. 

They can’t let go of Laws.  They don’t even want to let it go.  They’d ask:  “What’s he really like?  Is he actually that cocky?  He thinks he’s just the best doesn’t he?”

And Laws loves it.  He plays better when he’s fired up like that.  Guys crash his crease, spray him with snow, fall on him after whistles.  Laws dives when he gets clipped and hustles the refs between whistles.  His home fans adore him and opponent’s fans loathe him. 

Laws played in his first NHL exhibition game last night.  I have no doubt he’ll end up with 1,000 new fans and 10,000 new enemies around the league in no time.

NHL teams don’t like to take risks on players who aren’t drafted, partly because it reflects poorly on their scouts.  But this is a situation for somebody in the organization to look great, discovering a diamond in the rough.  If Laws gets enough games to get comfortable in those Islander colors, I’d bet Isles fans would get awfully comfortable with him too.

It didn’t take me long.

Dorm 608

Good morning.

Today is day three of the Tostito’s Destroy Your Liver Bowl, co-sponsored by my college roommates.

The sad part is, we’re getting older.  Last night we ended up in comfortable clothing and drinking red wine on the couch – a sad state of affairs when you can’t put back-to-back nights together anymore.

The facts are, my metabolism is slowing down, my hangovers are getting worse, and I’m financially incapable of paying for Canadian alcohol.

Yellow Tail, Cabernet Sauvignon:   Boise: $5.99 —Kelowna: $14.99

18 Coors light:   Boise  $15.99 — Kelowna: $33.99

Fourteen dollars, tuna sandwich, we think that’s fair (Seinfeld reference, anyone?).

Anyhow, we’ve been having a great time.  Nothing like guys one-time slap-shooting your putt O.B. to remind you “I’m not really playing for score today”.  Not that I’m a conspiracy theorist or anything, but the guy who kept the score won the money:

Ha, sorry, I was looking for an excuse to work that guy in there.

*****

So yeah, I’m on the verge of a complete playoff prediction meltdown this round.  I’m already at the point where I’m drifting from nightly playoff devotion and catching up in highlight packages.  I’m upset.  It’s golf season.  God I hate the Hurricanes.  Better analysis soon.  And by soon, I mean when I feel like it.

*****

Um, as a complete 180, has anybody seen the colorful gobbling bird in the preview for the animated movie “UP”?  I laughed my ass off the first time I saw it.  Gobbling might be my all-time favourite laugh-inspiring sound.  Thats him on the left.

I wonder how blogging about Pixar films is going to go over with the guys…. I’m sure that’ll hardly lead to any abuse.

*****

Today plan is to drive into VanCity, hit up Granville Island, verbally demean a couple guys I ultimately respect and start feeling guilty about calorie consumption and neglect of work.

And by start feeling guilty, I mean willingly remain oblivious.  Hope everyone is having a good Monday at work – we’re thinking it’s Mimosa time!

*****

THE CAST OF CHARACTERS

Charlie Kronschnabel, PICTURE NOW REMOVED BECAUSE CHARLIE HAS A REAL, IMPORTANT JOB.  The post-hockey-tape-removal-rash was HI-larious.

Nick Lowe, in his amazing technicolor hung-overalls.

And lastly, Brandon Segal, wearing a curious-looking yarmulka: PICTURE ALSO REMOVED DUE TO REAL JOBITIS.

Those, were my roommates.

The WCHA

 That gorilla of a human, David (Silver)Backes, scored four goals for the St. Louis Blues last night.  In college, we played against Backes for three years, and he was the picture of the guy I was waiting to be an NHL star (mostly because at one point, an NHL scout called me “the poor man’s David Backes” – still not sure how to take that, but I knew I needed him to be a really good NHLer for me to have any chance at cracking the league).

Backes is just one of many stars to emerge from the WCHA, the NCAA conference where my poor University of Alaska seems to sadly be one of two perennial non-contenders (Michigan Tech is usually in the hunt for the ten-seed as well).  The league is insanely deep, moreso than any other college conference (with honorable mention to the CCHA and Hockey East).  Take a look at the list of some of the players I played against in college, from 2003 – 2007:

Tomas Vanek — Zach Parise — Travis Zajack — David Backes — Paul Stastny — Keith Ballard — Phil Kessel — Kyle Okposo —Alex Goligoski — Matt Niskanen — Mason Raymond — Blake Wheeler — Joe Pavelski — TJ Oshie — Jonathan Toews — Matt Carle — Tom Gilbert — Drew Stafford

There’s a whole bunch of others, but I either didn’t think the guy was worthy of mention or I didn’t like him.

 For a list of all ex-WCHAers currently in the NHL, check here:  http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=puUzT1X4h9sQYAzuOPvdaMQ

Curtis Glencross was the only teammate of mine to establish himself as a full time NHLer, but mark my words, Sound Tigers goaltender Nathan Lawson will be the next (the goalie beside me in that picture).

So that was my plug.  There are six NCAA Division 1 conferences, and since 1951 the WCHA has won 36 National Championships.  Something to keep in mind for any players or anybody with kids with the opportunity to play college hockey.

“UAA.  UAA.  We are the Seawolves and we’re ready to play”.

Ugh.  That song was abolished the second Charlie Kronschnabel and I got letters on our jerseys.

Attending the University of Alaska Anchorage allowed me to play against the best college players in North America. People are occasionally curious about my decision to choose Alaska after flying down to other schools like New Hampshire, but for me it was an obvious decision.  Alaska was offering a full scholarship to play major minutes in a premier league.

Playing anywhere in the WCHA gives players the necessary exposure to pro scouts, and if you’re good enough, they’ll find you.  Take Paul Crowder, a three-year Seawolf, who just signed an NHL deal with the Rangers.

There.  My college and conference have both officially been plugged.  I’m proud to have been a Seawolf, and proud of the major moments we had – like upsetting the #3 seeded Wisconsin in a best of three playoff series to go to the WCHA final five – in their building.

UAA.  UAA.  We are the Seawolves and we’re ready to play.  God I wish you could’ve heard that song…