Steve Valiquette

My Freddie thoughts are consistent with my Freddie thoughts for the last 20 plus years.

Look, I go back to knowing Freddie.

His agent told me before he became an NHL-er, I have a goalie that's playing for Fruelanda in the Swedish Elite League.

He's 172 pounds, and he's breaking all of Lundqvist's records.

And he told me all about this Danish goalie that was playing in Fruelanda.

Years later, he comes to Anaheim.

He's a stud off the bat.

He had one of those great runs to start his career.

Before he came to Toronto, one of his previous goalie coaches told me, mentally...

weakest athlete I've ever coached.

This was an NHL goalie coach.

And I'm telling you guys, that was never out of my mind.

I spoke to the Toronto coaches during that season.

If you remember his first year, got off to a really bad start for the first couple months, settled in.

And he's just so talented.

Once again, he's so talented, so good at movement, depth, squareness.

He just looks like a goalie, but he fades in critical moments, and that's when you lose a series.

That's the difference between winning and losing a series.

If I was to explain, guys, what your goalie,

is required to do during a playoff series to win.