Dan Blackburn
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Daniel Blackburn (b. May 20, 1983 in
Minor league career
Born in Quebec, Blackburn moved to Canmore, Alberta as a teen and made a name for himself as a relaxed, easy-going and collected goaltender. Before moving to Canmore, however, Blackburn lived in Markham, Ontario where he mastered his craft during countless road hockey sessions with his step siblings, Christopher and Jonathan Ott. At first Blackburn shied away from Chris's booming slap shots and said, "you are taking them from too close." Blackburn, however, did adapt to Chris's shots and his reflexes subsequently improved. From a young age, he attracted the attention of hockey scouts at all levels. He generally played against players two or more years older than himself and when the Bow Valley Eagles had the opportunity, they signed the local favourite. After a few Junior A seasons with the Eagles and a growing fan base, Blackburn moved on to major junior hockey with the Western Hockey League's Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook, British Columbia. Here, in the minor league, Blackburn had also gotten into numerous fights (rare for a goalie), making him an instant fan favorite. In 2001, he was named the Canadian Hockey League's Goaltender of the Year. While playing with the Ice, Blackburn's superb playing caught the attention of National Hockey League scouts. Blackburn was drafted by the NY Rangers in the first round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, 10th overall. Blackburn is the third youngest goaltender to record an NHL win.
NHL career
For most of 2001-02, Blackburn served as backup to Mike Richter, a longtime Ranger goalie. He played 31 games for the Blueshirts, an amazing total for a teenaged net minder. He was selected the 2002 goaltender for the NHL All-Rookie Team, due to his strong performance with the Rangers. He posted a 3.28 goals-against average and .898 save percentage.
For 2002-03, Richter returned to Manhattan as a free agent. "I really wanted him back," said Blackburn with relief. "We've gotten really close and I knew it would help me a lot, having him around."
But Blackburn could not have anticipated how much more ice time than expected he would receive. In a November 6 game, Richter went down with a concussion, and all goaltending responsibilities fell onto Blackburn's shoulders. He notched his first and only career shutout — a 1-0 overtime win over the Calgary Flames — in the first game of the season Richter missed.
Blackburn dismissed concerns that the heavy workload would be too much for him by pointing out that he had endured a heavier workload in juniors.[1] However, after 17 consecutive starts, Blackburn eventually burned out, playing less effectively and tiring. Just what Rangers General Manager Glen Sather needed was another problem — it was becoming clear that Richter's difficulties with post-concussion syndrome were unlikely to abate, and that more help was needed. "We had to make a deal," Sather claimed. "I did not want to see Danny lose his confidence and struggle, or for our team to struggle."Sather traded for Nashville Predator Mike Dunham, an experienced number-one goaltender, in order to let Blackburn develop at a consistent rate. Blackburn finished 02-03 with a 3.17 GAA and a slightly disappointing .890 save percentage.
Injuries and retirement
Unfortunately for Blackburn, a shoulder injury forced him into retirement in 2005.
He retired after missing the entire 2003-04 NHL season due to a nerve injury sustained just before training camp to his left shoulder. He had nerve exploration surgery on March 31, 2004, then made an attempt to return to hockey, sporting a pair of blockers rather than the conventional blocker/catcher combination, as his injury rendered him incapable of closing his catcher. On February 1, 2005, he joined the ECHL Victoria Salmon Kings going 3-9-0, with a 3.54 GAA in 12 games. On September 15, during the Rangers training camp, he suffered a strained MCL. Subsequently, Blackburn announced his retirement on September 25. Had Blackburn continued to attempt a comeback, he would have forfeited an insurance payout of approximately 6 million dollars. His cousin, Peter Blackburn, is currently in the Boston Bruins minor league organization, the Providence Bruins.
References
- ^ McDonell, Chris. Hockey's Greatest Stars. 2005. Page 179.
External links
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