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Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010 25 Mason confident he can turn season around Goalie can rely on past experience to regain award-winning form Steve Mason's been here before, just on a much smaller stage. The sophomore struggles of the 21-yearold goaltender this season are no secret to even casual followers of the National Hockey League. A year removed from posting a 3320-7 record, .916 save percentage, 2.29 goalsagainst average and a league-high 10 shutouts on the way to winning the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie, Mason's 2009-10 numbers rank near the bottom of the league. It's enough to remind Mason of his early days with the London Knights. Mason's OHL debut with the Knights in 2005 was a memorable one, but for the wrong reasons. He allowed five goals before being pulled, and the Abbey Park grad was eventually sent down to play Junior C with the Grimsby Peach Kings. Working with Knights goaltending coach Dave Rook, Mason made his way back to the Knights later that season, even getting some playing time in the Memorial Cup when London starter Adam Dennis suffered an injury. The following fall, Mason took over the No. 1 goaltending job in London and developed into one of the finest young goalies in the world, backstopping Team Canada to gold and earning MVP honours at the 2007 World Junior Hockey Championship. stretch from Dec. 15-29, the wheels have quickly come off again. An ugly outing Jan. 5 against the Vancouver Canucks, when Mason was beaten six times on 17 shots in a 7-3 loss, prompted Blue Jackets head coach Ken Hitchcock to sit Mason for a week and start Mathieu Garon instead. No longer with the chance to play himself out of his slump, Mason had to work harder in practice as he tried to regain last season's stellar form. He returned to the Columbus net last week and has earned wins in two of his three starts since, including a 3-2 victory Tuesday over the Nashville Predators. "It's almost been a blessing," said Mason. "I've got to work extra long with the goaltender coach here." That goaltender coach is the aforementioned Rook, who is taking his share of the heat after taking the position with the Blue Jackets last summer. But Mason says his struggles this year are no fault of his mentor. "That's people on the outside assuming things. It's not fair to him and not fair to the image of the organization," Mason said. "He's done a great job. Ask Garon. "He takes away all the worries from outside of the game. He translates info, what I need to know. "There's nothing technical about it right now. It's all the thinking process." Mason's also learning how to deal with the criticism that can come with being under the NHL media microscope. Those who lauded his play so often last season are now questioning his abilities. "People forget sometimes I'm only 21 years old. A lot of things have been said, and you have to move on," Mason said. "I haven't lost confidence at all. No one within the organization has lost confidence in me. "It's all on the outside." GREG BARTRAM / COURTESY OF COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS TOUGHER TIMES: Steve Mason, the NHL's top rookie a year ago, is finding things a bit tougher this season. Now, as he struggles through the most trying season of his goaltending life, Mason can at least be comforted by the knowledge that he's battled through similar tough times before. "It's another thing I've had to overcome. Nothing's ever been handed to me," Mason said Monday from Columbus. "My first year in junior, I had to earn my playing time. Last season, everything was kind of laid out and things went fairly smoothly." Mason's second NHL season started promisingly enough. He had a 4-1 record after the first five games, allowing one goal in three of those contests. Since, the Blue Jackets have lost 22 of his 31 starts, and 19 of his past 24. The lowlight was a 9-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings Nov. 11, when eight of those Detroit goals came against Mason. He's had moments of brilliance during that time as well, including shutouts last month against the Florida Panthers and Red Wings. But every time that Mason has appeared to be getting on a roll, like when he allowed only nine goals in a five-game Investments with an annual dividend rate of 5.50%*. Yes, you can have your cake and eat it too. Investment Shares are in limited supply and can sell out quickly. Visit your nearest branch or call 1-800-616-8878 to book an Investment Service Chat now. ThinkFirstNow.com *Dividend rates and payments are not guaranteed; however FirstOntario has historically always paid a dividend on its previous two series of Investment Shares. Past payment of dividends in no way predicts future ability to pay dividends.