It’s a question that has sparked some intensive debate on the Fire and Ice Forum this past week, over who is the best goalie that the Blaze has ever seen? In one corner, you have the old guard who saw the outstanding performances of one Jody Lehman, especially in the BNL Double and the EIHL Grand Slam. Then you have the master of technique, Trevor Koenig, and now to the fans favourite, Peter Hirsch. In my opinion, all three of these goalies who have lead the Coventry Blaze to the ELite League promised land deserve their names in history, and choosing which one is the best is a very tough decision.
So firstly, Jody Lehman. Most renowned for scoring a goal against the Basingstoke Bison which ended up on Question of Sport. The Saskatchewan native played three seasons for the Blaze, two in the EIHL, one in the BNL. Lehman was known as the big time goalie, and he certainly proved that, conceding only 12 goals in 9 playoff games when the Blaze won the BNL playoffs back in 2003. Lehman’s style was also very erratic, and he was one who loved to pass the puck quickly. Jody will always have a soft spot in the heart of Blaze fans for being the goalie that lead us to the Elite League title, where he had a mind blowing .941% through 45 games. However stats are not everything, and although it was an 11 import league at that time, the standard of players (in my opinion at least) was lower then as it was now. Let us also not forget Jody’s rather unspectacular season before that, where his performances were not exactly outstanding. For me, Lehman is the goalie I would pick if I had to win one match. A cup final, and I would put Lehman in and tell him to shut up shop. Jody worked wonders for the Sheffield Steelers, proving that his season in 2004-05 was not a fluke, but for seasons prior to his breakout one last year, he had lead the Steelers to seasons of mediocrity, mainly thanks to his play before the month of January.
I know I am biased, but I do have to give a brief mention to Martin Klempa. The Slovakian, signed from the Belfast Giants had a very rough time of it when he was at the Blaze. With arguably the worst defensive core (I’ll grant you Neal Martin, but Mihalik was no better than a #3, Moborg didn’t know how to play defence, and the less said about Graham Belak and James Pease the better). Klempa played extremely well, despite having little to no support from his defence, and always kept the Blaze in with a shout of winning games, although at times he did seem to collapse under the pressure, and was prone to let in a few soft goals. Even though I am extremely biased, I know that I can’t say that Klempa was the best Blaze goalie of all time, but I do feel he does not get the praise that he deserves, especially with how that 2005-06 team was formed, and the shocking D he had.
With two Elite League medals, one Challenge Cup and one Knockout Cup, Trevor Koenig is the most decorated goalie in the Blaze’s Elite League history. Whilst Lehman and Hirsch would make the stunning acrobatic saves, Koenig did not need to make those saves. Koenig was the maestro of technique, and his scientific style meant that his positioning was perfect, and very rarely he put himself at a bad angle to make a save. Koenig’s great skill was the ability to see the puck through traffic, and his rebound control was flawless. Whilst he didn’t have the ability to just shut up shop and steal a game like Lehman had, Koenig has the true consistency required to win a League title, and two seasons with a save percentage above .930% is testament to that. Koenig was prone to the odd lapse in concentration, but this was mainly in the third periods of games which were already won, and you couldn’t fault his cocky swagger, of making a brilliant glove save and then dumping the puck on top of the goal and skating away like it was nothing. The game that stands out in my mind was the shootout win against Nottingham, where Koenig made a ridiculous blocker save on a Sean McAslan one timer, and then made all the saves in the shootout to win the game, and almost seal the title after the Blaze had been faltering before that.
And now the latest goalie to backstop a Coventry Blaze league winning side is Peter Hirsch. The Danish international has quickly become a fan favourite, with his in game antics, and post game celebrations. You can’t fault his credentials. Played in the Elitserien, starter for Team Denmark in the past, and quickly made a name for himself in the Coventry Blaze side. Ever consistent, it was very rare to ever see Hirsch make any glaring mistakes, and he had the consistency that was required to win the league, however his ability to truly steal a game ranks below Koenig, and definitely below Jody. Hirsch’s positioning is also a skill which I have found myself questioning over the season, including his ability to see the puck through traffic. Hirsch can pull off some ridiculous saves, and his glove hand is a sight to behold when in full flow, and I daresay that when he has sight of the puck, he is the best shot stopper in a Blaze jersey, I just don’t think he has enough to be able to take the title of best goaltender.
So with that, I have narrowed it down to two. Jody Lehman or Trevor Koenig. For me, I have to give the vote to Koenig. As a coach, you have to build your team around a solid goaltender, who will be able to give your team the best chance to win a game night after night, and this is what Koenig brought. While he had the privilege of playing behind two of the best defences that the Blaze have had, Koenig was the key in the Blaze winning game that they had no right in winning, and he wouldn’t just do it once in a blue moon, but he would give the team the best chance to win night after night.
I’d like to know your thoughts, so if you agree or disagree, please comment!
Have your say!