| | TORONTO -- Boston Bruins goaltender John Grahame became part of NHL history when he made his debut in a 4-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night. It's just that he wasn't
the first to do so.
|  | | Byron Dafoe's contract dispute has given Bruins rookie John Grahame a chance to flex his skills in the NHL. |
Grahame and his father, Ron, became second first father-son
combination to play goal for the same NHL team. Ron Grahame played
114 games over four seasons with Boston, the Los Angeles Kings and
Quebec Nordiques from 1977-78 to 1980-81.
It was thought that the Grahames were the first father-son duo to play in net for the same team. But Brent Johnson, currently playing for St. Louis' AHL affiliate in Worcester, Mass., is the son of former Blues
goalie, Bob Johnson, who played 12 games for St. Louis in the 1972-73 season.
Brent's grandfather, Sid Abel, played 14 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings as a center, beginning in the 1938-39 season.
The only other known father-son goaltender duos in the NHL are
father Dennis Riggin and son Pat, and Sam LoPresti and son Pete. However, they never played for the same team.
"It's a good feeling. It's nice to be part of an exclusive
tradition like that," said John Grahame, who stopped 30 of 34
shots Monday night. "It's a good thing for the family."
Grahame, 24, played the past two seasons with
Providence, leading the American Hockey League with 37 wins last
season. He won 15 more games in the playoffs as the Bruins captured
the Calder Cup.
Grahame wasn't expected to play in Boston this season, but a
contract squabble with Vezina Trophy finalist Byron Dafoe has
resulted in the Bruins being forced to go with Robbie Tallas and
Grahame. Tallas gave up three goals on 20 shots in a 3-1 loss to Carolina on Friday.
"The kid played well, he just didn't get a lot of help,"
Boston coach Pat Burns said of Grahame.
Ron Grahame was traded from Boston to Los Angeles in 1979 for a
first-round draft pick that turned out to be current Bruins
defenseman Ray Bourque. Ron Grahame, who was on hand for his son's
NHL debut in Toronto, is the athletics director at the
University of Denver.
The Maple Leafs went right after Grahame in the opening minutes. Mats Sundin scored at the 2-minute mark on his third consecutive chance
against the Denver native.
"I wasn't sure what to expect so I just prepared for the worst and that's what came at me," Grahame said. "I tried to play well, but there were some awful bounces and some tough luck."
Grahame did make the save of the game at 13:30 of the first period when he snared a blast from Jonas Hoglund with his glove.
Replays showed Grahame made the stop just as the puck was crossing the plane of the goal line.
"You have to be a bit lucky, I guess," he said. | |
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