Alex Lyon sits down for a one-on-one with THN to talk about staying fresh without game action, the Red Wings goalie room, the trip to Sweden, and more

On July 1st, Alex Lyon signed a modest two-year, $1.8 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings.  

With Ville Husso entrenched as the team's starter and James Reimer signing the same day he did, Lyon was never in line for a heavy workload, but it's something of a surprise that he's yet to appear in a regular season game, even if he has backed up on several occasions.  

Before Detroit set off for Sweden, I had a chance to check-in with Lyon to talk about staying fresh without game action, the Red Wings goalie room, the trip to Sweden, and more.

The Hockey News: To start with the obvious question, what has the process been like for you of trying to stay sharp, even as you aren't getting the in-game workload you might be accustomed to?

Alex Lyon:  "Luckily I'm at the point where I have a routine and I know what I need and the things that make me feel good, so it's just kind of about keeping that edge mentally and physically. But also, you know, compromise [that] with trying to be a good teammate at the same time. Obviously, there are those factors at play, and so you're just trying to kind of balance. But it's good. I like it. I enjoy the process more than anything. I think a lot of goalies will tell you that, so it's enjoyable."

THN: Internally, amongst the three goalies, what is the balance like between some measure of healthy competition and wanting to support one another as teammates?

AL: "It's great. There's two types of goalies, goalies that care about the goalie room and goalies that don't care about the goalie room. Fortunately, all three of us take pride in that. I think as you get older you realize you're not really one against the other. It's just about if you succeed, it helps the other person succeed. They can pick up the slack. It's a really important aspect of the team, and of just the goalie room in general, if everybody's playing well, usually it's contagious and infectious. So I think we all have that attitude and that mentality, and we get along well."

THN: Are there things that change for you as far as what you want to get out of practice when you aren't getting the game action you might be used to?

AL: "For sure. As a third goalie, there's a level to it of servitude, and so you're out there to help the other guys, and especially if I'm not playing, it's always been important to me to prioritize the rest of the team. When the time comes, I'll be more selfish and I'll take what I need. But for sure, your third goalie whether it's—I've actually been in three goalie system the last two years in the American League, and that's just kind of the way the cookie crumbles. So you got to find value in those situations, and that's what I really try to do all the time."

THN: As far as looking ahead to the Sweden trip, I know how routine-oriented hockey players are and especially goalies, so where is the balance between the excitement of going on a trip like this with doing your best to maintain some semblance of the regular routine?

AL: "Well there's no balance, because it's gonna be all about keeping the routine as tight as possible.  I lean way more on that side.  For sure, it's gonna be an awesome experience.  I went to Czech with Philly a few years ago, and it was awesome.  I'm excited to see the reception that [Lucas Raymond] gets.  It's gonna be cool for him...It's not gonna be perfect, and it's probably going to be ugly at some points for everybody—the way you feel, sleep, all the food, and everything.  But I think you go into it with a healthy mentality and just try to be as positive and on top of it as possible, it's really all you can do.

THN: Based on that experience, do you think there's room to enjoy the trip as something resembling a vacation while still keeping the focus you need on two big divisional games?

AL: "It's cool because you put the vacation in the context of hockey.  So it's what we love, people are there to see you play hockey, and you get to see the hockey reception.  For example, last time I went Jake Voracek, and there were like 5,000 Czech people there [waiting to see him]. In that context it's awesome, and then going there for non-hockey is a completely different experience.  So I try to enjoy it as much as possible."

THN: All right, last one from me.  My first season covering hockey was covering the ECAC when I was in college and you were at Yale.  I know it hasn't been the smoothest journey for Yale in the last few years, but do you have much time these days to keep up with college hockey?

AL: "I do not follow college hockey even a little bit.  I care about Yale hockey; I care about the program and obviously want them to do well.  It's not as much on my radar now just because I'm still playing.  I think that if I wasn't playing, it would be a bit more.  Rob O'Gara [a teammate of Lyon's at Yale] is an assistant coach there now.  Keith Allain [Yale's head coach since 2006, who coached the Bulldogs to an improbable NCAA title in 2013] is a person who had a great influence on my life, so I care about those people, and I obviously want the program to do well.  But I think as you get further in hockey, the context of college hockey changes a bit.  It seems like a huge deal in the moment, and then you realize how big the hockey world is."

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