‘Happy’ Shesterkin hopes new attitude will help him, Rangers win

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Igor Shesterkin smiled on the first day of training camp when asked what it was like to be back.

"I'm so happy," the New York Rangers goalie said. "I'm so excited about a new season. … I missed hockey. I missed my teammates. So happy to talk about it."

If he holds true to his words, this happy, upbeat and even loquacious version of Shesterkin is here to stay this season.

It might be the Rangers' best and biggest weapon, too.

"I just want to be positive every day, because last season I was so mad at myself because I didn't play like I want," Shesterkin said. "I hope this season will be the other way and I will be more happy and enjoy more to talk with you guys [the media]."

Shesterkin's statistics from last season bely what he thought of himself.

He was 37-13-8 in 58 games. He had a 2.48 goals-against average and .916 save percentage, eighth and 10th, respectively, among the 42 goalies who played in 30 or more games. He was tied for third in wins. He had three shutouts. He was good. It didn't matter to him.

"Oh yeah, I was too hard on myself for sure," he said. "I think you remember how I was every practice, so mad and I didn't want to talk too much with anybody except my family."

Being your own worst critic can be a good thing to block out the noise or hype around you.

Shesterkin, after all, was coming off a 2021-22 season in which he won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goalie and was the second runner-up for the Hart Trophy as the League's most valuable player.

He went from being Henrik Lundqvist's replacement in New York to being the toast of the town in 2021-22. His stat line was unequaled in the NHL -- 36-13-4, a 2.07 GAA, .935 save percentage and six shutouts in 53 games.

But in Shesterkin's case, being hard on himself didn't help him stop the puck the way he wanted last season. Overthinking was his problem.

"I don't need to think about anything, just make a push, stop and be focused, but last season I just started thinking too much before a shot, before a pass, and I made the first move," Shesterkin said. "It's easier for forwards to score."

That happened way less in 2021-22.

"I had a couple good games in the beginning of that season and I just kept that mindset," Shesterkin said. "When it was bad days and I was taken out or something I just stayed away and the next day I started thinking about a new day, a new practice, a new game. Last season, I kept thinking about games, practices, everything that I did good, that I did bad and what I need to change. I brainstormed too much and it's not easy to be fresh for a game when you think about all that. I'm just a hockey player. I don't need to think about all that. Just keep it simple."

Jonathan Quick understands.

"It comes with the position, especially when you have seasons when you have success you expect that every night," said Quick, the Rangers' new backup goalie. "You need to know when to back off yourself a little bit. Having that drive and striving to perfect your game every day does go a long way, but it's tough finding the balance of what's too much."

Quick said at times he has struggled to find that balance through the course of his 15-year NHL career that has yielded three Stanley Cup championship rings, two as the No. 1 with the Los Angeles Kings (2012, 2014) and last season as the backup with the Vegas Golden Knights.

"You want to be great every night and to be great every night you have to make saves other guys in the League aren't making every night," he said. "When you hold yourself to those expectations it's tough on you mentally, especially when you're playing 60 games."

Quick said what has worked for him is forgetting all the technical details of his game and instead just doing whatever he can do to stop the puck.

"It's not that you're letting your structure go, but you find that when you're not focusing on it, it will start to come naturally," he said.

Shesterkin said he finally started to do that in late February of last season.

"I didn't think about crap," Shesterkin said.

He went 12-3-1 with a 1.98 GAA, .934 save percentage and two of his three shutouts in 16 games from Feb. 26 through the end of the season.

The Rangers lost to the New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference First Round, but Shesterkin wasn't to blame. He allowed 14 goals in seven games, 10 in New York's four losses.

"Right now, I know what I need to do," Shesterkin said.

It involves positive thinking, an upbeat mentality, a genuine smile on his face.

"I just want to be the best," Shesterkin said. "If somebody says I am the best, then thank you so much. If somebody says I'm the worst, well thank you so much. I just want to play my simple game and play good, and if I play good I'm happy."