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Sports Oakville Beaver By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2008 23 Heroic effort thrusts Mason into spotlight Goaltender named top player at world juniors, one of three locals to bring Canada the gold I "He's always kind of flown under the radar," said his dad, Bill Mason. That has become increasingly difficult for t was the biggest moment of Steve Steve to do each year as he seems to defy the Mason's hockey career, and he never odds to achieve an even higher level of success. Last year, he won the Ontario Hockey even saw it. In the case of the Oakville netminder, League's goaltender-of-the-year award. Now, that was a good thing. He never saw the as the most valuable player of a tournament game-winning goal at the World Junior that probably ranks only behind the Hockey Championship because he was 180 Olympics in the hearts of Canadian hockey feet away. Exactly where you want to be if fans, it will be virtually impossible. Maybe it's because Mason has often faced you're a goalie in overtime. "I just saw guys jumping off the bench adversity that the circumstances of his latest triumph didn't seem to faze and it was just an incredible him. A few hours before the feeling," Mason said Sunday, "I just saw guys semifinal against the U.S., he the gold medal he won just 24 jumping off the learned that his OHL team, the hours earlier still hanging bench and it was London Knights, had traded around his neck. "I don't think just an amazing him to the rival Kitchener I've skated so fast in my life. It's feeling. I don't Rangers. He went out and something I'll never forget." stopped 36 shots to earn playerBy backstopping Canada to think I've skated of-the-game honours in a 4-1 victory, Mason has earned him- so fast in my life. win. self a place in Canadian hockey It's something I'll "He was unbelievable," said history, joining the likes of never forget." Saturday's overtime hero Matt Manny Legace, Jose Theodore Halischuk, who will now be and Marc Denis as gold medal- Steve Mason Mason's teammate with the winning Canadian goalies. Rangers. "He was so great Even standouts like Roberto Luongo and Marc-Andre Fleury failed to under pressure. It's going to be great having him in Kitchener." carry Canada to the world junior title. "There was definitely a lot going on," It's the latest achievement in what is shaping up to be an incredible career from Mason said. "Finding out I was traded and the unlikeliest of players. Consider that the dealing with all that pressure, I just had to 19-year-old did not become a goalie until he put it all aside." The performance silenced most of the was 11, that he didn't play rep hockey until peewee, that he played only one year of AAA critics who thought Jonathan Bernier hockey, and that 200 players were selected should have started the semifinal, and Mason proved coach Craig Hartsburg right ahead of him in the 2004 OHL draft. ROB WISE / SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER by coming up with a 26-save performance in the final. The overtime win gave him a perfect 5-0 record in the tournament, with a 1.18 goals-against average and a .951 save percentage. Though he said Sweden's tying goal with 38 seconds remaining was heartbreaking, Mason again persevered, stopping three shots in overtime before Halischuk scored the winner 3:38 into the extra period. "You think of what Carey Price did last year and where he is now (playing for the Montreal Canadiens). To follow in his footsteps, I'm just proud to be a part of this," Mason said. So what does Mason do to top a world junior gold? "Hopefully make the NHL next year," he said. He didn't even have to wait that long. The Columbus Blue Jackets, who drafted Mason in the third round of the 2006 NHL draft, recalled him Monday afternoon on an emergency basis for last night's (Tuesday's) game against the St. Louis Blues. Legein injured in final Mason's former Oakville Rangers teammate, Stefan Legein, also never saw Canada's winning goal. Having separated his right shoulder on the game's first shift, he was taken to hospital. After having X-rays taken, he was back at the arena within 25 minutes. He refused to take his equipment off, though. DEREK WOOLLAM / OAKVILLE BEAVER NATIONAL HEROS: Steve Mason, John Tavares and Stefan Legein played crucial roles in Canada's gold-medal win at the World Junior Hockey Championship. In top photo, Mason salutes the crowd as he accepts the tournament MVP award. Above, Tavares (left) signs a jersey for a young fan Sunday at Pearson International Airport. "If I was going out there, I was going out with my gear on," Legein said. He watched the game from the stands, but in overtime he returned to the dressing room to put on his skates. When the winning goal went in, Legein charged from the room, running to the ice. One poor soul who got in the way ended up finding out what it must be like to get between Legein and the puck. "This is the best thing," Legein said. "For most guys, it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance. The Stanley Cup is a huge deal -- and don't get me wrong, it would be great to win that -- but something like this where it can only happen once, it's pretty special." Legein finished the tournament with a goal and an assist. For the amount of air time he received on TSN, however, you might have thought he was breaking tournament scoring records. In addition to being an outstanding checker, Legein helped keep the mood light with his impressions of TSN's Gino Reda and his interviews with teammates. Tavares, the Ontario Hockey League's third-leading scorer, found himself in an unusual situation early in the tournament, receiving limited ice time as a power play specialist. He made the most of what was given to him, scoring twice in a tournament-opening 3-0 win over the host Czech Republic. By the third game of the tournament, Tavares was taking a regular shift and fin See Tavares page 25