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WJC2012: Watch Mark Visentin’s no-look save vs. Finland (video)
CALGARY — In the collective consciousness of Canadian world junior fans, Mark Visentin might have gone from maligned to magnificent with one flexible flick of his trapper.
Canada's 4-0 bronze-medal game win over Finland was anticlimactic for the team, but not for the goalie stigmatized by his part in the devastating loss to Russia in the 2011. Visentin seemed to shed all that baggage by making 27 saves to blank the Finns, including a highlight-reel stop on Finland's Miikka Salomäki two minutes into the third period. Salomäki tested Visentin top corner; the goalie got a piece of the shot, then made an incredible recovery by reaching behind his back and snatched the puck out of the air. It took everyone's breath away; as TSN's Gord Miller exclaimed, "That had to be in."
For those who have seen Visentin have an up-and-down season for the OHL's Niagara IceDogs, it was a nice little vignette about a goalie getting his groove back. He probably did repair his image in many fans' minds. It was also nice to see that he won't bear the burden of Buffalo and Jan. 5, 2011 any longer. As he told Yahoo's Sunaya Sapurji:
"It's been a tough year for that. I know I didn't do my job last year, but I've healed from that, I got over it and I used it to get better. I apologize to everybody that we couldn't be playing for a gold medal tonight, but we tried our best and I hope we did everybody proud."
" ... I just wanted to prove it to myself that I am (a big game goalie). I was confident going into this game and I felt confident the entire game. Our crowd was supporting the whole team, not just me out there and it's just a great feeling having them behind our backs." (Yahoo! Canada Sports)
Now an apparently recharged Visentin is heading back to a contending IceDogs team for the OHL stretch drive. Given the questions all tournament long about he and Scott Wedgewood, it would be a great storyline if Visentin's IceDogs and Wedgewood's Plymouth Whalers square off in the league championship series. That would settle the debate once and for all, albeit retroactively.
Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Contact him at neatesager@yahoo.ca and follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet (video: TSN).
