By KEVIN PROVENCHER -- Staff Sports Writer
October 6, 2006
If Jason LaBarbera has nothing left to prove in the American Hockey League, what’s a guy like him doing in a place like this?
Two years ago, he was the AHL most valuable player and the league’s top goaltender with the Hartford Wolf Pack. Last year, he played 29 games for the Los Angeles Kings with a team-best 2.89 goals against average.
But over the last few weeks, it turned out he was the extra goalie of three in the LA Kings camp, which included starter Dan Cloutier and backup Mathieu Garon.
LaBarbera cleared waivers earlier in the week, meaning no team wanted him at his $800,000 NHL salary, so he arrives in Manchester to help lead this hungry city to the promised land. This is the city that provides the best support for its hockey team in the league and it frustratingly has never been rewarded with post-season success.
“Being human, you’re a little bit frustrated,” he said. “All I could have done is what I did. I had a great camp. I mean, what are you going to do? I kind of got stuck in a bad situation.”
LaBarbera will make his $800,000 salary no matter where he plays. Instead, his landing in the Verizon Wireless Arena Saturday night will be all about personal pride. He will prove the Kings wrong right under their nose (our words, not his).
“The expectations are going to be high, and that’s fine,” said the 26-year-old, seventh-year pro. “I want to come in here and help the team win.
“I’m not the kind of guy who’s going to come in with a bad attitude and be aloof and be miserable. I’m going to work my hardest, play my butt off,” he said. “I know what to expect from myself. I need to be a dominant force out there and give this team a chance to win every night. I have no choice but to come here and be the guy I can be. I’ve done it before, obviously.”
Manchester was always LaBarbera’s favorite place to play when he was with Hartford.
“You really get excited playing here because the fans are so into it,” he said. “I’ve played a lot of games here.”
There is potential surely for LaBarbera to step out again as the best goaltender in the minor leagues. That would really pressure Los Angeles to summon him to the NHL. And it is always said that an AHL starting goalie is just a phone call away from the NHL. However, now if LaBarbera is recalled by Los Angeles he is again subject to a waiver claim by another club. Only this time, on the way back, he is available for a mere $400,000 and the Kings would be liable for the other half of his salary. That half would remain against the Kings’ salary cap.
“It’s going to be interesting. I can learn from this for sure. It’s going to make me a better player and a better person to go through this,” LaBarbera said. “But, who knows what’s going to happen? I’ve been looking at it for the last couple of days. Realistically I could be here all year. I understand the situation. I kind of worry about it a little bit . . . Teams aren’t going to call you up because they don’t want to lose you for nothing. So that’s kind of the situation I’m in, perhaps.
“For me, I’ve always tried to stay away from all the speculation, especially over the years as I’ve gone along. When I was younger I’d try to sort it all out, figure it all out and it never ended up going that way. The one thing I have control over is how I play. I have no control over what goes on behind the scenes or what teams are thinking or any of that stuff.
“But, it is interesting isn’t?” he said.
It gets better Saturday night at 7:35 p.m. when the Monarchs and their very proven commodity, Jason LaBarbera host the Worcester Sharks.
