If there’s been one constant in Jonathan Bernier’s life over the last few years it’s the fact that nothing has gone as planned. The former first round draft pick debuted in the NHL as a teenager, then found himself stuck in the minor leagues for a while. After posting ridiculous numbers in the AHL he joined the Kings again, only to not play much the past two seasons. This year, he didn’t expect to see the ice much, as coach Darryl Sutter loves to play his number-one guy a lot. Yet, Bernier has started three games of late and only allowed one goal in each of them. So, he’s likely to see more action soon. How soon? Here’s what he had to say after practice on Friday…
– On being the second goaltender off the ice today: “That doesn’t mean anything,” he said with a huge smile. “I don’t know. I don’t know actually. Actually, I swear to God I don’t know. If I don’t know it’s usually Quicker. But I really don’t know (who will start tomorrow).”
– On his own play lately: “I think the most satisfying thing is I can help the team. Last year Quicker was so good, I didn’t get a chance to actually get a bigger role. And it was fine. But this year feels great to feel more part of the team and feel you can actually play more. Obviously confidence builds up, and that’s what I wanted. I just wanted a chance to play and I finally got a back-to-back game; and that kind of got me going a little bit.”
– On playing behind a defense that’s missing three of its key starters: “They’ve been unbelievable. I think one thing that really helps is Manchester has the same system. So when guys are coming up they already know how to play, and that makes a big difference. They’ve been outstanding and obviously you know a guy like Scuderi, Dewey, our veteran guys, have been playing a lot of minutes. So they’ve been really good for us.”
– On why he’s still wearing his unpainted mask in practice: “I always wear two masks. I like my game one to stay nice, no puck marks. Plus I wear that plastic protector on my practice one.”
RELATED CONTENT: Doughty talks day games and his personal performance
Note to webmasters/reporters: When recapping news or interviews from this site please include a link to www.MayorsManor.com
Goalie controversyyyyyy
Was wondering about the old mask being used in practice. Wish he would break out the new one for a practice or two so I could get some shots of it 🙂
I absolutely love how Bernier is playing this year. He’s so solid, so consistent and reliable. However, Quick is coming back into form now, so I still see JB as the backup. The one thing I’ve felt watching JB play the last few games: I FEEL like he’s going to be reliable and play great. Go JB! So glad you’re still with the Kings!