Avalanche's Semyon Varlamov talks pressure of playing goalie under Patrick Roy
Patrick Roy is one of the most legendary goaltenders to play the game, but as coach of the Colorado Avalanche, he now wears a different hat. Instead of Roy manning the crease, the Avalanche send out Semyon Varlamov to take care of netminding duties, but Varlamov said he still feels pressure to play at a certain level given that Roy is his coach.
Varlamov excelled in a recent road trip, earning wins against the Blackhawks, Blues and Predators while stopping 105 of 108 shots he saw over those three games. The goaltender credited his coaches with his increased confidence.
Via The Denver Post:
Varlamov's recent play is an improvement from earlier this season, when the struggling goaltender still had to fight for the No. 1 job. But with wins in six of his last eight starts, Varlamov is looking like the go-to netminder right now for the Avalanche.
"Sometimes, I see it's Patrick and he calls out a mistake and I have to think about it," Varlamov told reporters. "You can put too much pressure on yourself because he's a legend, and he's been a great goalie and he's won four Stanley Cups. You have to just focus on the game and not think about that. But he and (goalie coach Francois Allaire) have been very supportive. They believe in this team, they believe in me. And that's how I get confidence."
