Anaheim Ducks: Countdown to the Season Opener- John Gibson
The days are falling off the calendar quickly. That means that we are one day closer to regular season hockey. As of today, there are only 36 more days until the Anaheim Ducks take the ice for their season opener in San Jose.
It may be overkill for me to mention, for probably the millionth time, the shameful defeat the Anaheim Ducks experienced at the hands of the San Jose Sharks. A series sweep is never the ideal way to go out, especially after working so hard to make it into the playoffs.
The Anaheim Ducks execution during the playoffs certainly didn’t work out in their favor. There were many issues that bubbled to the surface during their shortened run for the Stanley Cup. Although the Ducks were aware of many of their drawbacks, they refused to fully acknowledge them until it was too late.
However, all of those problems took center stage the moment the Ducks took the ice during Game 1 of the Conference Quarter-finals. The obstacles the Ducks faced were like the ferocious Hydra in the legend of Hercules. If they attempted to solve one problem, three more would pop up in its place.
Despite every complication that stood in the Ducks way during the 2017-18 season, there always seemed to be one constant. John Gibson always stepped up when the rest of the team couldn’t. Of course, he didn’t make it through the playoffs without having to jump over some significant hurdles of his own. We can’t blame him when he barely had a team in front of him.
To loosely quote General Manager Bob Murray, good goaltending covers up quite a bit of inefficiency. That has to be one of the most accurate revelations I’ve heard all year. Gibson was the Anaheim Ducks hero last season, and credit must go where credit is due. These are some of John Gibson’s greatest accomplishments of the 2017-18 season.
The Proof is in the Pudding
In my opinion, a goaltender plays one of the most complex positions on the ice. While he does not score the goals, he must stop them. In order to do so, there are a lot of qualifications he has to meet.
A goaltender must exert a certain level of stamina to keep his eyes on the puck at all times. If he loses sight of it, there’s bound to be trouble. He must be flexible, with the ability to contort his body into insane positions that allow him to make a save. Although the main objective is to keep the puck from going into the net, he must do this while wearing all of his equipment.
John Gibson is the perfect example of a netminder who fits those expectations to a T. The amount of criticism he has received is laughable. The rest of the league will use whatever momentum they can conjure up to make him seems incompetent in his position. Frankly, the injury argument is getting old. All things considered, what does one expect when you play for the Anaheim Ducks?
The Ducks live by the mantra “no one likes us, we don’t care!” John Gibson is no exception to this “rule of thumb.” So, if they want proof that Gibby is bulletproof, we’re going to give it to them. The proof is always in the pudding, and I am extending the invitation for you to indulge a little bit.
An Inconceivable Victory
On November 19, 2017, the Anaheim Ducks met with the Florida Panthers for the second time during the 2017-18 season. The Anaheim Ducks faced a disadvantage with Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, Cam Fowler, and a few others out of the lineup.
The Panthers could sense their weakness and used it as their opportunity to pounce. The Ducks took eight penalties that night, adding up to almost twenty penalty minutes. To make matter worse, they allowed the Panthers to take 52 shot attempts, while only making 28 themselves.
There is no logical way the Anaheim Ducks should have won that game. To quote my favorite movie, “as I told you, it would be absolutely, totally, and in all other ways, inconceivable!” (In the off chance that someone out in Ducks Nation hasn’t seen it, that quote is from the Princess Bride),
How did they win? The answer is very simple. Gibby carried the team through the entire game. What is even more impressive is that he saved all but two of the 52 shots the Florida Panthers shot at his net. With absolutely no team in front of him, he managed to keep the Ducks in the game.
Somehow, the Anaheim Ducks won the game 3-2. John Gibson deserves all the credit for that victory!
Breaking a Few Records Here and There
John Gibson is a rare, but valuable, find. If he keeps going at the rate he has been, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see him in the hall of fame one day. Okay, I know I am jumping too far ahead of myself. He still has plenty to prove before that honor is bestowed upon him. However, that doesn’t mean that he can’t break a few records along the way.
There were plenty of personal records that Gibby broke last season. With 60 games under his belt and a win-loss record of 31-18-7, he had the best season of his career in 2017-18. His .926 save percentage (SV%) is a new personal best.
Gibby’s SV% ranked him 8th among all NHL goaltenders; these rankings include many players who have had significantly less ice time than he did. The young netminder also ranked 10th in wins and 9th in shutouts, two more career high’s.
JG36 broke more than just personal records this season. He broke a franchise record as well. With his career-high SV% in 2017-18, John Gibson’s all-time average SV% of .923 is the highest of any goaltender in franchise history.
Obviously, we must take into account that his average SV% only includes five seasons with the Anaheim Ducks. Several other goalies who have played for the franchise have a significantly larger body of work. Nevertheless, there are still many reasons to be proud of our netminder.
The 8-year, $51.2M contract extension the Anaheim Ducks offered to 25-year-old Gibson is a sure sign that there is solid goaltending in the Ducks future. If he continues playing the way he has, he will solidify his spot and continue to lead the franchise with his high save percentage.
Hometown Shutout
It isn’t very often when a goaltender saves every shot he faces. However, when he is able to lead the team to a shutout victory, it’s impressive, to say the least. John Gibson led the Ducks in four shutouts during the 2017-18 season. The shutout that is the most significant for the Pittsburgh native happened on December 23, 2017.
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Just two days before Christmas, John Gibson found himself in his hometown. The Anaheim Ducks were scheduled to face off against the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins. The puck dropped at 7:00 pm and, just three minutes into the first, the Anaheim Ducks scored their first goal of the night.
The Pittsburgh Penguins found themselves in a predicament when not one of their shots would make it past John Gibson. The first period passed, and the Ducks lit up the scoreboard twice, giving them a 2-0 lead over the Penguins. During the second period, the Ducks cashed in on two more goals. However, the angsty Penguins couldn’t pot the puck. John Gibson was a brick wall in the net, and nothing was getting past him.
His phenomenal performance throughout the rest of the night resulted in a 29 save shutout against the Penguins. The game ended with a score of 4-0 and Christmas came a few days early for our goaltender. A shutout is a terrific feat, but it tastes even sweeter when it’s against your hometown team.
Number 10 in the Rankings, but Number One In Our Hearts
The NHL Network recently released a list of their top ten goalies for the 2017-18 season. John Gibson made the list at number 10. I don’t necessarily agree with where he was placed in the ranking. All things considered, I may be biased considering I am a die-hard Ducks fan. Any Duck will always be number one in my mind. Nevertheless, we should be content that he is being recognized as one of the top goaltenders in the league.
This list is simply someone’s opinion, and everyone’s opinion should be taken into consideration. However, Ducks Nation knows how truly great their goaltender is, and a list isn’t going to change our opinion of John Gibson. Number 36 is a force to be reckoned with. He may be number 10 in the rankings, but he is number one in our hearts.
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