Home > Jeff Schultz > Archives > 2008 > October > 09 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USLehtonen ready to prove he’s grown up
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If acceptance is the first step to recovery, maybe it also can be the first step toward prominence.
Kari Lehtonen came into the NHL as a talented goalie more than three years ago. He is still a talented goalie, just not a great one. Granted, there are issues associated with being the Thrashers’ starting goalie. Psychotic episodes, for example. But there have been questions about Lehtonen’s work ethic, mental toughness and a seeming tendency to assume that talent alone would carry him to success.
There’s no reason to guess any more. Lehtonen acknowledges everybody else was right. He needed to grow up.
“I got here with just talent,” he said with remarkable candidness the other day. “It feels great, you know, when it’s like you don’t have to do that much to get here. But that doesn’t last long. You have to work hard. Sometimes I think it’s easier for the players who have to go the other route — when you have to work harder and you’re a late bloomer. You already know it’s not going to be a walk in the park. I know that now.”
The Thrashers open the season Friday. It will be Lehtonen’s fourth full season. He is playing on only a one-year contract. They call that a crossroads.
Even Lehtonen acknowledges, “I wasn’t in a position to go in there and say, ‘I want 10 years. I want this and that.’ I know that I have to have a solid year.”
Even with an improved defensive corps, expectations for the Thrashers are generally low. The team is young and thin at forward, with little to support the talents of Ilya Kovalchuk. They have one of the league’s lowest payrolls.
The team’s best hope? That Lehtonen makes up for the roster’s deficiencies, which means becoming the difference-maker he was expected to be when he was drafted in 2002.
Goalies always have been the X-factor in hockey. It’s just more pronounced on some teams than others. Lehtonen was drafted second overall. He had size, skill and potential, connected qualities that had eluded his Atlanta predecessors. He was projected as a star, and former Thrashers coach Bob Hartley still says, “He has the potential to be one of the top five goalies in the league.”
But he isn’t. His career numbers (2.82 goals-against average, .913 saves percentage) are solid, especially given he plays behind one of the league’s most porous defenses. But extended absences with groin strains have led to questions about his strength and conditioning, and general goofiness — even dying his hair blue on the eve of the Thrashers’ first playoff series two years ago — illustrated what already had been suspected by teammates and Hartley: Lehtonen needed to grow up.
Hartley was tough on the goalie. Lehtonen didn’t always take it well. Funny how hindsight can be educational. Lehtonen now acknowledges Hartley was right all along.
“When I got here, I thought it would be a little easier,” he said. “Here was this guy [Hartley] who was — not yelling at me, but talking to me about everything. I was like, ‘What’s going on here?’ It was hard. For the first time in my life, somebody was tough on me, pushing me every day. That took awhile to get used to. But now I realize that’s what I really needed.”
Asked if he held any grudges against Hartley, Lehtonen laughed and said, “Not at all. I don’t think I would’ve gotten better if he didn’t do that.”
Hartley believes the pressure of coming into the NHL so young was difficult on Lehtonen, adding: “It’s not as hard for a young forward to be a stud. But it’s hard for a young goalie because there’s so much pressure.
“I would have Patrick Roy talk to Kari two or three times a year about things like how to bounce back from a loss. I told Kari many times, ‘You have the same tools as Patrick Roy. What you need to work on is your mental strength.’ “
We learn in life that words don’t carry the same weight as actions. But Lehtonen is saying all the right things.
“It hasn’t gone the way I wanted,” he said. “But I still have many years left and hopefully I can take my game to the next level. I think I grew a lot.
“Skill-wise, I think there’s 100 goalies who can play here. But the top guys, whether they come to the rink after a loss or a win, they have the same mind-set. They’re not thinking about the past, they’re thinking about the next game. So much of it is mental.”
Reality hits at the age of 24.
Permalink | Comments (20) | Post your comment | Categories: Thrashers/NHL
Comments
By Sage of Bluesland
October 9, 2008 8:52 PM | Link to this
Whaddaya know, our glass-groined wunderkind is now talking of growing up and maturity these days.
I’ll pass, thank you very much.
Show me, don’t tell me.
(Stop subsidizing the incompetence)
By WW5
October 9, 2008 9:38 PM | Link to this
i hope they are saving a spot on the payroll for a head shrinker for young letemin. i think smoltz’s guy is available.
By Toby
October 9, 2008 9:54 PM | Link to this
You’ll pass on what?? The season hasn’t started yet.
By LLTM
October 9, 2008 11:09 PM | Link to this
Well Shultz, I have to give you some credit on this story. It didn’t come off as Thrasher bashing, and actually had some good info from Kari in it. Take note of this, this is more like what journalism is supposed to be.
By LLTM
October 9, 2008 11:10 PM | Link to this
Well Shultz, I have to give you some credit on this story. It didn’t come off as Thrasher bashing, and actually had some good info from Kari in it. Take note of this, this is more like what journalism is supposed to be.
By Tox
October 9, 2008 11:11 PM | Link to this
Well done Schultz, you finally came up with a gem of a Thrashers column. I tip my cap, and look forward to more critical but not needlessly negative pieces like this from you.
By Brendan
October 10, 2008 1:09 AM | Link to this
What’s done is done. We can’t change the 2002 draft. But we can look back and start to judge, “Was taking a high pedigree goalie with the 2nd overall pick, in 2002, the ‘right thing’ to do at that JUNCTURE of the franchise’s evolution?”
Some say “yes,” others say “no.” But one thing is certain: It’s now six (6) years later. Has the investment paid off? If you answered, “not yet,” then possibly drafting a goalie wasn’t the best option Atlanta had in 2002, especially when Ed Belfour, Dominik Hasek, Evgeni Nabokov, Nicholai Khabibulin, and Curtis Joseph all became available on the free agent market between 2002 and 2003. Shoot, Cujo was put on waivers. All Atlanta had to do … was pay him. No draft picks lost. No prospects surrendered. Nothing.
Bygones.
Kari Lehtonen is a good goalie, with the potential to be great, in my opinion. He would benefit from an improved defense. As would ALL goalies. This year, he’ll see an upgrade along the blueline. He’ll have a coach who won’t play mind-games with him. He’ll have a “workable” goaltender rotation in place. In other words, shrugs, “things ought to be better this year for Kari.”
What about the “recurring groin problems?” Well, don’t blame John Anderson for that. That’s on Kari to keep himself fit and ready. And by all indications, he is. It is now TIME for Kari to shine.
We will ‘sink or swim’ with Kari Lehtonen. Don Waddell hung his future on this kid. Back in 2002, 2003, and 2004, Waddell explained, “Just you wait ‘til Kari gets here.” Meaning? Shrugs. I don’t know. It seems rather open-ended. But I took it to mean that Kari would deliver a series of playoff performances that took the franchise to the next level.
Before anyone throws Kari under the bus for what transpired in 2007, Bob Hartley was very much responsible for that debacle. His decision to start Moose in Game Two floored most of us. Hartley said it was his ‘command decision’ to go with Hedberg for the ‘rest of the way.’ But then, after Hedberg delivered a ‘solid’ performance in Game Two, he shifts back to a ‘jolted’ Lehtonen to right a 2-0 series deficit, on the road, at MSG, in his playoff debut campaign. Great plan?? Those are “mind games” with an impressionable young netminder. Hartley should have known better than to do that.
Had Hartley stuck with the mantra “We sink or swim with Lehtonen,” it might have been better. Maybe Game One is … just “one game” in a series. Maybe Kari bounces back in Game Two. Goaltenders sometimes do that. Bygones.
Okay, back to the FUTURE!! It’s now the 2008-09 season. It’s time for our 2nd overall draft pick to pay some dividends. We’ve waited long enough. Kari’s won’t reach restricted free agency until 2010, I believe. But I’d bet he’s pretty sick of 1-year deals, when the money is all but guaranteed, barring a “buyout” of his contract. I think Kari would like to stamp his mark on this team and take ownership of it.
He’ll certainly have the opportunity. Especially with Ondrej Pavelec entrenched in Chicago, of the American Hockey League. I credit Waddell for the foresight to take young Pavelec as the “insurance policy” for Kari’s groin. Let’s see what comes of it.
By Brendan
October 10, 2008 1:19 AM | Link to this
Uhh, make that Kari is restricted until 2010. On July 1, 2010, I think he can hit the “open market” of unrestricted free agency.
By Brian R.
October 10, 2008 1:25 AM | Link to this
By George!
Schultz has actually written a positive article…and a good one at that. Good work. I’m looking forward to seeing Kari this year.
By Barry
October 10, 2008 2:15 AM | Link to this
Goalie has probably got to be the hardest position to really be ready to play well in the NHL. A goalie is the last line of defense and no one covers his mistakes. There is a lot more pressure on a goalie than just to be in shape or trying to make sure you play good defense or try to do something offensively for the 45-60 seconds you are out on the ice per shift. A goalie is out there the WHOLE time. I think this year will be better for him. He’s right..he does need to grow up and it sounds like he has a better idea of how to prepare for this season. Hartley did seem like a tough nosed coach and we all questioned some of his decisions several times. It seemed like Hartley would get stuck in certain mind sets with the team and players and if a player didn’t do exactly what he wanted…they were in his dog house. We all saw how good Metropolit did while he was here, but there was many times and consecutive days where he was scratched by Hartley and even Metro had told fans he didn’t know why. Hartley is a decent coach but he needs to be a little more open minded and willing to adjust depending on how well a player is doing at a certain time or what an opposing team is trying to do. I agree he was horrible how he mismanaged the goalies. Anyone remember the Flyers game that Moose started and just battled his arse off and kept the score tied as 2-2? OT was scoreless so they go to a shootout and Hartley brings in Kari cold off the bench for the shootout only to allow 2 goals out of 3 attempts to lose the game for us. I know at the time Kari was our shootout master, but seriously…Moose obviously felt good, was having a good game that time, and honestly earned to finish out that game. The constantly switching in the playoffs made no sense either. Kari has had to deal with a lot of mental struggles throughout his career here with his groin problems and Hartley’s mind games. It’s no wonder Kari hasn’t started seeing a shrink. Heck he probably has. I think Anderson will be great for this team and for Kari. His positive winning attitude will rub off on everyone and I believe this team will start playing for each other again. This season is going to be lots of fun. We just have to be patient as a new era of Thrashers hockey is created.
By Sara
October 10, 2008 7:51 AM | Link to this
Jeff, great blog post.
I have to say, I am really impressed that Hartley had Kari talking to Roy. I was not (and still am not overall) a Hartley fan after that 2006-2007 campaign for a myriad of reasons that are moot. But that was a very cool thing BH did.
Kari, and the rest of the team frankly, has to learn to shake off the bad. There is not a single goalie in the league that doesn’t foul up at one point or another. Osgood made a doozie last night against TO. Roy made a bigger one in the 2002 Conference Finals with his botched statue of liberty play. It happens. While Kari needs to start honing his judgments a bit more, he needs to also learn objectivity - look at the bad plays, learn from them, apply those lessons, then let it go.
From the very beginning of this franchise under Frasier, this team has struggled to shake off the bad stuff. I can remember in the early years, the opposition would score one or two goals and you could literally see the Thrash give up. They stopped skating, stopped pushing. We saw a brief change to that in the early part of Hartley’s regime - this team became the gods of come-from-behind wins. However, it was an attitude that was not sustained. It is my sincere and fervent hope that under Anderson, the guys will learn how to deal with those issues. There are countless stories in the NHL of teams that have accomplished more than anyone would expect simply by hard work and never giving up or becoming complacent. The Red Wings said after winning the 1997 Stanley Cup that they had had to realize that all the talent in the world was meaningless if the work ethic wasn’t there shift in and shift out. Zetterberg last night when interviewed in-game talked about staying focused and pushing themselves every game - they know they have to take every game and every opponent seriously. That is what separates the champions from the rest of the league.
By Bob
October 10, 2008 9:42 AM | Link to this
Good article, Schultz. You are spot on, the first step to recovery is recognizing and accepting the problem.
I have said for a couple years now that Kari has all the skill in the world, but that mental toughness is his problem. He comes out every year and looks great the 1st 4 or 5 games. When he comes back from injuries, he’s great for 4 or 5 games. But he breaks down then. That’s why Hartley would have to give the backup more starts, because Kari couldn’t handle starting multiple games in a row. A lot of our fans didn’t recognize that and said “he’s young, he can handle starting multiple games in a row, he’s young”. But the facts are that it’s not the physical aspect why he couldn’t handle multiple starts in a row, it was the mental aspect. And now we see Kari admit it.
Kari will start out great, I’m sure he’ll be very sharp tonight, and the next few games. The test will be to see how he handles that 5th or 6th start in a row. How he looks 20 games into the season. Then we’ll know if he’s turned the corner.
By kev
October 10, 2008 10:18 AM | Link to this
Glad to see we can acknowledge positive pieces from Jeff. Makes it even more real when we dump all over the typical negative crap he writes.
By flames fan
October 10, 2008 10:51 AM | Link to this
you still suck schultz. one decent article in your lifetime proves nothing. my guess is you plagiarized most of this piece you low rent wannabe writer. now get back under your rock.
By Jeff Schultz
October 10, 2008 11:11 AM | Link to this
WW5 : Lehtonen said it himself. 100 goalies have the talent to play in this league. What separates the good from the bad, or the great from the good is all mental. But him saying it and doing it are two different things. ….LLTM and Tox: I still think you’re confusing constructive criticism with meaning that I must have some agenda to bash. Trust me when I tell you that nobody wants hockey to survive in Atlanta more than I do. But I writing that something is going great when it’s not going great does nothing to improve the product and it does a disservice to the reader — plus, it’s disengenuous. I grew up with hockey and loved it as a kid, as I do now. But I’m genuinely concerned for the sport’s future here. …. Brendan: Drafting goalies high is always a concern. They’re unpredictable – because so much of their success is mental – and many blossom so late in their career (Dominic Hasek being the best example. Remember, he actually was waived early in his career.) Also, on the playoff benching: There’s a lot that went into that decision other than a guy dying his hair blue. I’ll leave it at that. But Hartley made the right call ….. Sara: I agree, the Roy thing is pretty cool. Roy and Hartley actually are very close – and Bob’s not the tyrant his detractors have made him out to be. I put more blame on some of the veterans that were in the locker room the last two years. It’s worth noting that went Hartley was fired after the 0-6 start, the young players actually were playing well. It’s the older one who were crap. I admit that I like Bob personally and always have, but I think he got a raw deal and I think his reputation has been unjustly soiled. ….. Kev, thanks: Refer back to my first comment. …. Flames Fan: I think you’re taking up so much room under that rock, there’s no room for me.
By TRON
October 10, 2008 1:38 PM | Link to this
WELL JEFF………..WE UPGRADED THE DEFENSE THIS SUMMER…………SO WHAT HAPPENS……WHEN LETEMIN “LETS IN” 5 OR 6 NIGHTLY AGAIN…..?……WHO DO THE LETEMIN CODDLERS/APOLOGISTS BLAME THEN…..?…….LMAO……LAST YEAR IT WAS THE DEFENSE’S FAULT…LMAO…..BUT WE UPGRADED ON DEFENSE THIS YEAR, SO WHO IS TO BLAME THIS TIME….?….WHEN HE DOES THE SAME CRAP, AGAIN……DUH!…….THE ANSWER IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEIR EYES….!!…..ROFLMAO…..ROFLMAO…..ROFLMAO……..
By Jeff Schultz
October 10, 2008 2:26 PM | Link to this
Tron: You should judge it the way you should always judge it. If it’s a 40-shot night with 20 shots coming from between the circles and the opposition has nine power plays, the fault isn’t the goalie’s. If Kari let’s in a softy or two in a 4-2 loss, then it’s on him. JS
By Brendan
October 10, 2008 6:33 PM | Link to this
The following was obtained from www.nhlnumbers.com.
Atlanta’s Cap number: $45.879M Carolina’s Cap number: $51.804 Tampa Bay’s cap numbeR: $53.570 Florida’s cap numbeR: $53.951 Washington’s cap number: $58.467 (must contain some injury exemption that allows them to be over the cap until the injured player returns)
The Capitals, inexplicably, have $733,000 in available cap space. Yikes, that’s cutting it fine.
The Florida Panthers have $2.749 million in cap space, to improve their club at the trade deadline.
Tampa Bay has $3.130 million in available cap space.
Carolina has $4.896 million in growth potential.
But your Atlanta Thrashers … have a whopping $10.821 million in spare budget. That’s money that is “permitted” to be spent, if the ownership saw fit to do that.
By Sage of Bluesland
October 10, 2008 7:22 PM | Link to this
If that’s not prima-facie evidence of what ownership thinks of this team and its real goals.
Schedule-fodder, sheep, schedule-fodder (for the real teams in the NHL)…
When will you learn?
Want to change things? STOP GOING TO THE GAMES…This is the ONLY way to make your voice heard…The ONLY way…
By Brendan
October 10, 2008 10:41 PM | Link to this
Jeff Schultz, for the longest time, you’ve talked about how the Thrashers don’t have an identity or any consistency.
Will this be the year that changes, with Anderson’s system?
We’ve also talked about the Thrashers historical lack of a “killer instinct.” Tonight, the Thrash got up 3-0, but saw it slip to a 4-4 tie. That’s not killer instinct. But then, Kari Lehtonen stopped Ovechkin on a penalty shot. That was the turning point. Bryan Little scored the winner, and Colby Armstrong and Todd White added insurance goals, in a 7-4 shellacking of the Capitals. Atlanta even got off the schneid against Thrasher-bashed Brent Johnson, the Capitals back-up goaltender, who historically fares rather well against the Ice Birds. Starting goalie, Jose Theodore, had a disappointing debut for Washington and was yanked in the 2nd stanza.
Well, John Anderson is UNDEFEATED and 1.000 as an NHL Head Coach. Scoring 7 goals in a game will do that for a coach.