After 44 parades in game 4, the Vezina nomination of Darcy Kuempere is suitable for a king

On June 19 of last year, Darcy Kuemper’s shower was interrupted by his wife, who brought him the news that he had been traded in La Kings by the Washington Capitals.

He could not have known exactly what would be in front of him for himself, his family and the organization of La Kings.

But he felt in his heart that he went to the right place.

On Monday morning, these feelings came in a stricter focus when Kuemper was appointed as a top net red in the National Hockey League for the first time in his career as a finalist for Vezina Trophy. He has only been the fourth goalkeeper since 1981-82, which was appointed as a finalist for the first time at the age of 34. Kuemper will be 35 years old next week.

“It’s pretty cool. Obviously thanks to my teammates and goalkeeper Mike Buckley, who helped me all year round. Obviously, I would not have been named without these boys,” said Kuemper in Edmonton on Monday morning, before he and the Kings flew back to California to a critical fifth game against the Oilers on Tuesday night against the Oilers receive.

In view of the fact that Kuemper is involved in a competitive playoff series, it is not exactly the right time to think about the season and the journey that brought him here.

After all, this trip is very in the here and now.

“I mean, I didn’t really think about such things, but I was excited and thought it would be a great season,” said Kuemper about his first thoughts that follow the trade. “On the horizon I was very optimistic about how things would go and I knew that I would go to a great team, and I was really grateful for it. Yes, it was a really funny season, and now we are in the playoffs in the mix, but it was a lot of fun now, but not much to look back now.”

Perhaps the moral of history is according to the Vezina awards that you can sometimes go home.

One of the reasons why Kuemper was so enthusiastic about the trade from Washington was that in the 2017/18 season he had spent a short time with the kings in his career. His work with the then goalkeeper coach Bill Ranford, who is now head of the organization’s goalkeeper department, contributed to reviving Kuemper’s career. After Kuemper had been traded in Arizona at the 2018 trading period, Kuemper took a Renaissance in Arizona in Arizona in Arizona in Arizona in Arizona in Arizona next season. Three years later, he won the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2022 before signing Washington before last season.

Ranford’s successor, King’s Goaltending coach Mike Buckley, is in his second season at the Kings. He did not know Kuemper personally when Kuemper was purchased, but he studied on the Kings New Startminder NetMinder so that he was ready with a plan when Kuemper arrived.

“I did a lot of homework all summer, I tried to get a lead into things. To his honor, he was open to his honor, he was all for him to take new steps,” said Buckley. “I could immediately see that he understands his game. I think he may have had the feeling that he had come away from his game and tried to make changes that were simply not natural for him, and that is all that it was, only brought him back to his natural state.”

After a few hiccups at the beginning of the season due to injuries, Kuemper was statistically one of the top net minefs in the league and, through his clear game and his ability to keep them in games in which they sometimes had no business, made it popular with his teammates.

He took one. His 2.02 GAA was a hair behind Hellebuyck’s best 2.00 GAA and Kuemper, the league led a percentage to have a chance.

“I definitely think that he also felt more comfortable with our team structure. I think that’s a large part of it. It is also familiar with the team structure and familiar with adjustments that he had to do with his own game,” said Buckley. “I think one of the most important things is to play the game again.”

Years ago I talked to Kuemper about his career -Renaissance after moving to Arizona and he said exactly the same about his first, if to a short time with the kings – that it allowed him to enjoy the game again. It doesn’t always happen and, above all, not for goalkeepers.

“It is really important. You have to love what you do and we have a very difficult job to keep pucks in the NHL out of the net,” said Buckley. “To do this every day, do not consider it a mucus.

Buckley is proud of Kuemper’s recognition and also proud that the team around him appeared at a level that created the recognition of Vezina.

“I think it’s great for the team, I think it’s great for Darcy. Especially in today’s league it is hand in hand, you won’t have a big goal without a big defense and vice versa,” added Buckley. “It is exactly what it is. The league is so qualified and so good that you have to defend yourself, and I think she speaks volumes for the team and for Darcy’s hard work, and he was there when we needed it and the team is also there for him a lot.”

In conversation with two former Netminders and national NHL analysts Kevin Weekes and Brian Boucher before the season they gave their thoughts about Kuemper’s fit for the Kings.

Weekes thought that LA was a good place for a Buemper career restart, and Boucher had a similar experience in his career to return to a former team, the Philadelphia Flyers, and to find great success there, and thought that the same was possible for Kuemper.

Now that Kuemper to defend Vezina Trophy winner Hellebuyck and the former winner of the Vasilevskiy Vasilevskiy Vasilevskiy Vezina on the ballot paper Vezina, both analysts have a great praise for the work that Kuemper introduced.

Weekes – Big year for Darcy. He is a big, patient goalkeeper. He is not necessarily a dynamic goalkeeper from Jonathan, he plays a different style. All in all a huge year for a very good guy, a big year for him.

Boucher – I just think it’s a pleasant situation. I think they appreciate him and let him estimate and I think that goes a long way. I see a guy, he just looks bigger on the net, he looks in command. He is aggressive if he can be and he is back if he has to be or if there are other options. I don’t know that I saw that in Washington.

It also does not surprise Boucher that Kuemper and Buckley have formed a strong dynamic.

“Goalkeepers share things with their goalkeeper coaches that they do not share with other people,” said Boucher. “This comfort can sometimes mean that a goalkeeper is able to give two, three, four or five percent. I know that in certain cases I felt like that with certain goalkeeper coaches.”

In a way, the announcement of the Vezina voting slip is made at a perfect time, in the morning after a 4: 3 loss of 4: 3 against the Oilers, which equalized the first round of the Kings in Two Games per piece.

Although the statistics of Kuempere are not as bright as his regular seasonal numbers, he was excellent in game 4 and was the main reason that the kings made it deep into the first extension time in game 4 before Leon Draisaitl scored a goal on a power play to end the competition, with Kuemper in the game was largely innocent.

Whether he was the best goalkeeper in this series is of little importance for Kuemper. Just like Vezina’s ballot paper, the circumstances must also be kept in the perspective.

“Yes, I don’t know, I haven’t really thought about it in this sense,” said Kuemper. “I think I want to build every game better and better from my point of view, try to beat every evening and earn your goals and do my work to give us the chance.”

How he did all season for this club.

Photo by Chris Tanouye/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images