Massachusetts man Mike Condon becomes Montreal hero with Winter Classic win
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Deep in the bowels of Gillette Stadium an hour after the sun had set on the 2016 NHL Winter Classic, a group of thrilled Bostonians celebrated in the wake of a 5-1 Boston Bruins loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Friday.
They were Montreal goaltender Mike Condon's family and friends, and they had plenty to celebrate after years of standing by Condon through every step of his hockey journey — from his days as growing up in Holliston and Needham, Massachusetts, to his time as a goalie at Belmont Hill School in Belmont, Mass., to his years at Princeton University and now, finally, at the start of his NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens.
"[This was] probably the most special [game]," Condon said. "I had a lot of friends and family here tonight. Bruins, Habs, Gillette Stadium, New Year's Day — I don't think you could script it any better."
Condon's family and friends were treated to a strong team performance from the Canadiens and some timely saves from Condon, who made 27 stops on 28 shots.
The only goal Condon allowed was off a tip from Bruins forward Matt Beleskey which slipped through a screen in front of the net, a save that is nearly impossible for any goalie to make.
Condon gave the Canadiens a huge boost when a glove grab robbed Ryan Spooner on a point-blank shot with 1.4 seconds left in the second period. The save preserved a 3-0 lead, and gave Montreal breathing room in the third period, especially after the Bruins scored 3:56 in to tighten the game to 3-1.
Then the 25-year-old stood strong in the final session, when a horde of Bruins and Canadiens collapsed on top of him, somehow managing to keep the puck out of the net despite the chaos.
"Normally guys hop right off the bench and go down the tunnel [at the end of the period]," Montreal captain Max Pacioretty said. "But everyone stayed on the bench and stayed on the ice to give him a pat on the pads because that save was a huge save. I think the most important part was the timing and the situation in the game."
Thanks to Condon's timely saves and stalwart effort, the Canadiens were able to play spoiler in front of the New England crowd. Condon received a commemorative puck for his efforts, and his father, Massachusetts State Police Sergeant Ted Condon, proudly showed it off to the group of family and friends in the halls of Gillette Stadium.
"This is the show," Ted Condon said in a brief interview. "First class, top shelf. The Canadiens are just a first-rate organization and it's been quite a whirlwind tour we've been on."
Whirlwind is one way to describe the odd twists and turns it took for Condon to start in goal for the Canadiens in the 2016 Winter Classic. When this event was first planned, it was assumed reigning Vezina and Hart Trophy winner Carey Price would make the start.
Price's Winter Classic dreams came to an end right before Thanksgiving when he aggravated a lower-body injury and was ruled out for at least six weeks.
Condon was already an unlikely member of the team. He worked hard simply to make it to the NHL. As an undrafted free agent out of college, Condon's hopes depended on making the most of an opportunity after he signed an amateur tryout contract with the Ontario Reign of the ECHL — a league one step below the AHL. He played his way through four minor league teams in his first three seasons of professional hockey, and he only started to near an NHL role last season when he went 23-19-0 with the Hamilton Bulldogs, the AHL affiliate of the Canadiens.
Condon hit the gym hard all summer to come into Canadiens camp in prime shape as he attempted to beat out Dustin Tokarski for the backup goaltending job with Montreal. So when Condon finally made the team, the Winter Classic wasn't quite on his radar.
"The first step [this year] was just making the team," Condon said after the win. "And that was hard enough as it was. When you've got a guy like Carey Price this game is obviously marked off for him. But hockey is a crazy game. Anything can happen. So you've just to make sure you're prepared for the opportunities you get."
Once Price got hurt, however, the road remained difficult for Condon. The team struggled without Price, going 2-8-0 through their first 10 games in December with faulty goaltending from both Condon and Tokarski. The situation in net was bad enough that Canadiens coach Michel Therrien publicly called out his goaltenders following a 5-1 loss to the Nashville Predators on Dec. 21.
The team then traded for goaltender Ben Scrivens on Dec. 28, three days before the Winter Classic, to shore up its depth in net. But then Condon stepped up to stop 66 shots in 72 chances over the two games leading up to the Winter Classic.
"We knew that, first of all, he was going to be ready," Montreal coach Michel Therrien said. "Any time a player is coming back home, it's a special place for him. And we all are happy about the way he performed. ... The kid did show a lot of confidence. He works extremely hard and we feel extremely happy for him for the way he performed, especially for him back home."
But it's likely none of the Canadiens felt as proud of Condon as his father, the police officer in a state full of people who call Montreal their biggest rival in hockey. He was the man who saw Condon fight at every level for a spot on the team, and the father who was able to finally celebrate a big win with his son at a stadium not 20 miles from where Condon grew up.
Ted Condon struggled to find words to describe his feelings an hour after game ended in that hallway full of family and friends, but the little he did say told the whole story.
"It's just an incredible venue, an incredible day," Condon said. "He just keeps taking us to new heights that we never expected."
