Ty Conklin

Ty Curtis Conklin (born March 30, 1976) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender.

Throughout his National Hockey League (NHL) career, he played for the Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues and two stints with the Detroit Red Wings.

Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Conklin grew up in Eagle River, Alaska, and was an early recruit of the now-famed Minnesota hockey prep school Shattuck-St. Mary's.

He later played under Don Granato for the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) before attending the University of New Hampshire and playing for the Wildcats under long-tenured coach Dick Umile.

A self-described "late-bloomer" and "shorter kid" at age 18, while spending his draft-eligible years (to age 20) remaining off the radar of professional scouts – first as a post-graduate at Shattuck, and then in his first year in Green Bay – Conklin went unclaimed by any team in the NHL's Entry Draft.

Subsequently, he went on to earn numerous goaltending awards and accolades in both the USHL and NCAA, however Conklin claims he never thought of becoming a professional until his junior year (his second playing) at University of New Hampshire.

Before making his professional debut, Conklin spent two seasons playing for the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League, followed by three seasons playing hockey with the University of New Hampshire's team, the Wildcats (before Conklin could join the Wildcats, he was forced to take a year off because NCAA regulations dictated he do so due to a Division I program transfer).

With the completion of his career at the University of New Hampshire in the spring of 2001, Conklin signed a professional contract as an undrafted free agent with the Edmonton Oilers.

He spent the bulk of his first two seasons with the Hamilton Bulldogs, the then-shared American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate for the Oilers and Montreal Canadiens, and led the Bulldogs to within one win of a Calder Cup championship in 2003.

He set an AHL record for most saves in a game with 83 (in a quadruple overtime, 134:56 minute 2–1 win over the Houston Aeros in Game 2 of the 2003 Calder Cup Final) in what was then the longest game in AHL history.

In the 2003–04 season, he played as back-up to Tommy Salo, effectively becoming the starter when Salo was lost to injury, and then as the joint starter with Jussi Markkanen following Salo's trade to the Colorado Avalanche.

During the NHL lockout he played for Wolfsburg in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), the German elite league.

With the conclusion of the lockout, Conklin entered the new season as Edmonton's probable starting goaltender, backed up by Markkanen.

Given the prevalent idea that either goaltender could assume the starting job, local media began using the nickname "Conkkanen" to describe Edmonton's starting goaltender.

However, during the 2005–06 season, both goaltenders proved to be inconsistent, with Conklin's performance additionally hampered by injury and no longer considered NHL-caliber, prompting the Oilers to waive Conklin in early February and general manager Kevin Lowe to acquire a new starter, Dwayne Roloson, from the Minnesota Wild at the trade deadline.

Despite having played one game for the Oilers between March and June, Conklin was on the bench in Game 1 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals in Raleigh, against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Roloson then suffered what would prove to be a series-ending knee injury late in the third period with the game tied 4–4, and Conklin was suddenly called into play.

Edmonton had led by three goals at one point before allowing Carolina to then score four unanswered and take the lead before the Oilers managed to tie the game.

With just over 30 seconds of time remaining in regulation, he attempted to play the puck behind the net but gave it away and allowed Hurricanes forward Rod Brind'Amour to score the winning goal unopposed, into an empty net.

It also served as his first and at the time, only, experience in the NHL post-season; Jussi Markkanen played all subsequent six games of the series at head coach Craig MacTavish's discretion; not meant as a punishment or a reflection of Conklin's play, MacTavish explained, but, "...I can't be in a situation that I was in during the course of the year where you are going back between 1 and 1-A, and never give them the opportunity to get confident in the net. If he struggles, he will continue to play. If he plays well, he will continue to play."

Canadian national television analyst and former NHL goaltender Kelly Hrudey was less diplomatic than MacTavish: "Not even a question – Markkanen. And I gain no satisfaction in saying that."

"Let's not turn that play into some monumental thing", Conklin said at the time.

However, the extraordinarily bad timing and subsequent massive public focus on the indelible miscue did nothing to improve his reputation, already severely diminished by a poor regular season.

"'I do really feel horribly for Ty Conklin', Hrudey said. 'It's such a traumatic thing that he's gone through and the way in which he let in that goal last night after the season that he's had. It's going to be a real challenge, if you ask me, for him to continue a National Hockey League career. It's going to be tough.'"

Conklin did not return to the ice again as an Oiler, as the team option on his contract for the 2006–07 NHL season was subsequently declined.

"Obviously I needed a change of scenery", he said.

"I kicked myself a lot after it happened, but you can't change things, so you just have to deal with it and move on."

Following the start of free agency on July 1, Conklin was signed as an unrestricted free agent (UFA) by the Columbus Blue Jackets, on July 6.

He was expected to compete for the Blue Jackets' backup goaltending position, however head coach Gerard Gallant opted to go with internationally experienced Fredrik Norrena.

Conklin was subsequently waived and sent to the Jackets' AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.

An injury to Blue Jackets' starter Pascal Leclaire prompted the team to recall him to the NHL on December 11, 2006.

On February 27, 2007, Conklin was acquired by the Buffalo Sabres in a trade for a fifth-round pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

In his first start with the Sabres, Conklin made a then-career high 42 saves in a win over the Florida Panthers.

On July 19, 2007, Conklin was signed as a UFA by the Pittsburgh Penguins to a $500,000, one-year, two-way contract (that would pay him $100,000 in the AHL, exempting him from re-entry waivers).

After being assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL on September 22, he was recalled by Pittsburgh on an emergency basis on December 6, when starting goaltender Marc-André Fleury suffered a high ankle sprain.

His first appearance on December 11 in Philadelphia was noted and extremely unprepossessing, as he relieved Dany Sabourin in the third period of an ugly game with the division rival Philadelphia Flyers and promptly earned a 9.00 goals against average (GAA) by allowing the final three goals in an 8–2 blowout loss.

(from ESPN.com Weekly NHL Power Rankings)

"...is it really running up the score when Ty Conklin comes in to replace your starting netminder?

Note to Penguins: seek goaltending help.

After winning five of their past six games, including the Winter Classic, the Penguins move up our list.