Curtis McElhinney: Get to Know Your New Back-Up Goalie
By James Tanner
The Leafs claimed Curtis McElhinney off waivers today. But what do we really know about him?
Curtis McElhinney used to play for Columbus, until today. That is literally all I know about him, other than his name.
What We Learned
According to the Hockey DB, Curtis McElhinney was born May 23, 1983. This makes him a Gemini and everyone knows they make the best back-up goalies. At least, they do when the moon is in either the fourth or sixth house.
McElhinney is 6’2 and a robust 205. He (probably) enjoys long walks on the beach. The Flames drafted him, back in 2002, which means he probably really likes the band N.E.R.D, the movie Lord of the Rings and of course the rapper Ja Rule.
During his career, he’s played for the Flames, Ducks, Senators, Coyotes and Blue Jackets. While his career stats suggest that of the career back-up, it is of note that he also has three career assists, the same amount as Roman Polak (that’s a joke, Polak has at least five career assists).
Perhaps you’d like to learn more about your favorite new back-up goalie while enjoying this sweet Can-Con Classic?
More Great Back-Up Goalie Info
In case you weren’t totally psyched about the recent influx to the Toronto area of articles about back-up goalies, you should stay tuned for my Frank Corrado think piece, coming up next.
But please don’t get the idea I’m making fun of back-up goalies. They get free tickets to games I’d pay a ton of money to see, they get to meet Jeff O’Neil in person (one assumes) and, say what you will, they are still among the top 60 in the entire world at what they do.
I don’t know if this will be a good pick up or not for the Leafs. They don’t like Jonas Enroth anymore, and that’s a bummer, but when you close a window, a door opens. Or something. Enroth was no Peter Ing, and it’s doubtful that Curtis McElhinney will be the new Allen Bester. Regardless, what does anyone really know about a back-up goalie?
He made the NHL, so he’s probably OK, but you’d prefer not to use him, since he isn’t your main guy. I don’t know if this requires 3000 breathless blogs analyzing the deal, but I for one am just glad to get in on the action.
If you want my opinion, you could likely have any of 20 or 30 different back-up goalies on your team and never notice a difference. What I want in my back-up goalie is a good knowledge of old TV shows and the ability to do hilarious impressions – you know, so he’s fun to hang out with.
Conclusion
In the cap-age, if your starter goes down, you’re probably pretty screwed either way, so why not look for the back-up goalie who most closely resembles the Fonze? I’m not saying that Curtis McElhinney in any way resembles Fonzie, only that this is probably an overlooked aspect of the claim.
Overall, I guess I rate this move 47 Carlton the Bears.