Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson reflected on his first campaign with the club during Friday's locker room clean-out day.
While Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson didn’t get off to the start he—or the team—had hoped for during the first two months of the 2025–26 campaign, he flipped a switch in December and became arguably the NHL’s top performer at his position.
From December through mid-January, Gibson posted a stellar 16–2 record, along with an impressive .929 save percentage and multiple shutouts.
Unfortunately, he and the Red Wings didn't attain a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs owing to several setbacks in March and April that doomed their chances.
However, Gibson demonstrated that he's capable of being one of the best goaltenders in the NHL.
"I thought it was good," Gibson said on Friday of his adjustment to Detroit from Anaheim. "Obviously, it was a slow start for me personally, but after that, I got back to my game and did what I do."
"I mean, I try and keep it simple and stop the puck and give the team a chance to win," he continued. "I felt like I was able to do that in the second half of the year."
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While the Red Wings unraveled in March and early April, there was considerable discussion about whether outside noise was affecting their on-ice performance. Unfortunately for Detroit, this marked the third consecutive season in which they squandered a comfortable playoff cushion and ultimately fell out of the race.
However, Gibson believes that in a hockey-crazed market like Detroit, it's just part of the job.
"I mean, it's part of the job," he said. "No matter where you play, you're going to hear the outside noise, and in a big market like this that is dying to get back to the playoffs, it's kind of expected. So, you just have to play. We put ourselves in this spot, and there's really nobody to blame or be mad at other than ourselves."
"It's a learning lesson, and hopefully we'll use it next year as motivation."
Gibson struggled out of the gate with Detroit, getting pulled in his first start on Oct. 9 against the Montreal Canadiens and posting a 5-7-1 record with a 3.59 goals-against average over his first 13 appearances.
But thanks to his hot stretch in December and January, he put himself into conversation for the Vezina Trophy, which goes annually to the NHL's best goaltender.
I think, for whatever reason, it took a little longer to find my game this year," Gibson said. "(I want to) make sure next year to put more emphasis on getting off to a hot start. I've taken pride in that throughout my career, wanting to get off to a good start."
"Unfortunately, it wasn't the case this year, so I'll try to make sure it's different next year."
Gibson has one season remaining on his contract, which carries a $6.4 million cap hit.
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