The unequivocal, powerful words of a teammate can help galvanize a group.
They echoed through the walls of the Scotiabank Saddledome Friday, after one of their own unfairly shouldered the blame and offered one of the most blunt self-assessments you’ll ever hear.
‘Jacob Markstrom,’ his teammates declared:
‘We’ve got your back.’
“It’s a crazy comment,” Blake Coleman said of his goalie’s post-game comments, where he told a throng of reporters that he “sucks at hockey” right now.
Markstrom’s criticism comes on the heels of a 2-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, where he surrendered the first goal 13 seconds into the contest. He strayed from his crease to beat former Flame Sean Monahan to a 50-50 puck in the high slot, but slid too far, knocking the puck even further away, and onto the stick of Habs rookie Juraj Slafkovsky.
The game-winning goal then came hot off the stick of the sharp-shooting Cole Caufield – a powerplay marker that he had absolutely zero chance on.
In all, Markstrom stopped 17 of 19 shots, while the Flames put up 40-plus of their own for the eighth time this year, as part of a season-high 83 attempts in all situations.
Sometimes, you don’t get the bounces.
But Markstrom is one of the most guttural competitors you’ll ever meet – and instead of pointing the finger and placing blame at the feet of others, he predictably looked inward and saw a need for improvement.
Agree or disagree, it certainly is noble.
“He’s more than earned everyone’s respect in our room and he’s been the backbone of our team for a long time,” Coleman said. “The bottom line is we didn’t give him the run support. We had (46) shots and scored one goal. That’s on us to lift him up and give him opportunities to win games. Obviously, you respect a guy that wants to put that on himself, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to play better in front of him and give him the support he needs.”
Video: “As forwards, we have to find ways to put pucks in”
The Flames – who’ve had trouble finishing this year with a 29th-ranked 8.38% team shooting percentage – have scored only one goal in Markstrom’s last two starts.
That’s not cutting it.
And it’s leaving the margin razor-thin for a goalie fighting to get his groove back.
“We have all the confidence in the world in Marky,” said Rasmus Andersson. “There’s no doubt about that. He proves time and time again how good he is and you can’t win a lot of games when you score one goal. … We’re a team here and we always have each other’s back – and if one guy, two guys or three guys don’t play their best, it’s a new day, new opportunity (the next game).”
The goaltending position is often considered one of the ‘loneliest’ in sports. You’re the last line of defense and when things don’t go to plan, you have thousands of eyes putting you under the microscope.
Certainly, that comes with the territory.
But few in the Flames’ orbit understand this better than his partner, Dan Vladarwho works alongside the steely-eyed puck-stopper each and every day.
In his mind, no one has the gumption to handle it better.
“That’s why he’s one of the best in the league,” Vladar said. “He’s a competitor and he cares. Obviously, it’s not easy – but he’s been dialed in, he’s been trying. Just not getting the results yet. I’m pretty sure if he keeps doing the same things, it’s going to show soon.
“That’s why you have two goalies, right? Supporting each other and being positive. That’s all you can do. I don’t think I need to be telling much to Marky. He knows he’s one of the best and my job when he’s playing. is to support him every single time. I’m always positive with him. Whatever happens, he’s still a great goalie and a great guy.
“He just cares.”
Video: “He has high expectations of himself”
It begs the question, though… Can a player be too hard on himself, or is that hyper-critical mindset a good thing at this level, and at this stage in the season?
For context: Markstrom (and Vladar) both took to the ice for an optional skate Friday and the mood – both on the ice and in the dressing room – was upbeat. Twelve hours earlier he was blunt and to the point in the four questions lobbed his way in a quick post-game media scrum.
“Work harder,” Markstrom said of how to turn things around. “Work harder and stop more pucks.”
At practice, he certainly put in the work. More than half an hour’s worth, in fact, on a day when most players – in this grind of a schedule – elected for an off-ice workout instead.
Markstrom’s a pro. He knows you can’t change the past, and that spending time stewing in your emotions is not only a waste of energy, but does little to improve your form.
Instead, he’s laser-focused on the future.
The next game.
Next puck.
It’s what’s made him such an elite netminder in this league, and what’s earned him the respect of his teammates as they rally around a brother.
“He has high expectations of himself,” said Head Coach Darryl Sutter. “At the end of the day, that’s the bottom line. That’s a good thing. It’s better than having high expectations and being a 50-50 guy.”
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