In a recent video on our YouTube channel, a commenter pointed out "Henrik's second season wasn't as good as his first. While the legendary Swedish net minder finished 3rd in Vezina Trophy voting in his second season, the comment was directed at the team's current goaltender, Igor Shesterkin, having a down season. How could he not? Shesterkin's 2021-22 season was among the best in recent memory; comparable to Carey Price's 2014-15 and Henrik Lundqvist's 2011-12. Last season, Shesterkin was writing a legend few can compare to. Maybe the Legend of Zelda, but to be fair, there aren't many sequels in that series. However, there's another player in NY's rich sports history to compare the Rangers' Russian net minder to and he played most of his career in Queens.
First, let's start on Broadway as Shesterkin has clearly not been in his dominant 2021-22 form. Recent struggles have Rangers' fans raising their eyebrows. In his 12 games since the calendar turned to 2023, Igor is 8-2-2 with a 0.904 save % and 3.43 GAA. Shesterkin found his team down 4-1 against Edmonton, prompting him to wonder if coach Gerard Gallant was going to give him the hook. “The way we played in the first, I felt good about our team,” Gallant said when asked if he contemplated pulling Shesterkin. “I was going to see what happened in the second period. The first 10 went well and you know, he’s going to battle back. He’s a star goalie. He’s got a lot of pride in there." Shesterkin wouldn't allow another goal to the league's highest scoring team. Despite the 3.43 GAA, his 4-0 record in his past four is showing that the Russian goalie is making the stops when he needs to. Is the inflated GAA a trend or just a lull in his season? Shesterkin's first real lull in his career was in March last year when he went 7-3 with a 2.68 GAA.
“The way we played in the first, I felt good about our team,” Gallant said when asked if he contemplated pulling Shesterkin. “I was going to see what happened in the second period. The first 10 went well and you know, he’s going to battle back. He’s a star goalie. He’s got a lot of pride in there."
In 1984 the New York Mets called up their top pitching prospect Dwight Gooden. Gooden BURSTED onto the New York baseball scene with a 17-9 record with a 2.60 Earned Run Average as he'd lead the National League in strikeouts (276). His efforts would win him the 1984 Rookie of the Year, but it was only a precursor to what was coming. In 1985, the Mets 20 -year-old pitcher would deliver one of the greatest seasons by a pitcher in history. Gooden would go 24-4 with a microscopic 1.53 ERA (lowest since Bob Gibson's 1.12 ERA in 1968) while leading the NL in strikeouts again with 268 and finishing with a ridiculous 16 COMPLETE GAMES. He would win another award; the prestigious NL Cy Young. Suddenly Mets' fans thought they found the heir to Tom Seaver's throne and Gooden would only improve in the years to come.
As Gooden battled personal demons, his on field persona changed a bit. According to 1986 pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre, "Dwight cut down the strikeouts, but as long as he's getting batters out is what matters" in 1986. Gooden's 1986 was a step down from his career best season. Going a "mere" 17-6 with a 2.84 ERA and only 200 strikeouts. "Only"... haha. That would rank him 11th last season. Gooden would finish 7th in Cy Young voting after his video game like 1985. However, Gooden would continue to pitch well though out the season. A run and a half jump in his ERA would make fans concerned, but he certainly wasn't bad. Gooden would post a 1.06 ERA in the 1986 NL CS vs Houston; losing a 1-0 Game 1 to 1986 Cy Young winner / cheater Mike Scott and a no-decision in Game 5 going toe-to-toe with the ageless Nolan Ryan. Gooden did however struggle in the World Series posting an 8.00 ERA against the Boston Red Sox.
While there are differences in the personal lives of these men, the highest highs of their magical seasons can't help but create a letdown. Shesterkin has already won a Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender and one can think he's just trying to make sure he's fresh for the playoffs. After all, he attended the NHL All-Star Game for the first time and only played one-half period of hockey in that game and saw ZERO NHL game action from 1/25 to 2/8. It could simply be Igor shaking off cobwebs, but as long as he is "not himself" fans will worry. It's what they do. However, the Rangers net minder may be focused on the ultimate TEAM goal since achieving personal glory isn't a distant second in priorities. After all, despite his personal demons and drop off from his career best season, Dwight Gooden became a World Series champion in 1986. Can Igor become a champion even with this drop off? We will see.
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