Wasn't it not long ago that all of us was wondering whether Comrade Igor was playing pucks as if pucks were tiny sweet peas and not six ounces of vulcanized rubber.
Matt Rempe owes Igor Shesterkin an apology -- maybe two or three, for that matter.
With all the fuss about Rollickin's Rempe's arrival as a New York Rangers regular, the manic media seems to have overlooked a compelling story in the New York crease.
Wasn't it not long ago that all of us -- including The Honorable Professor of Puck-Stopping Benoit Allaire -- was wondering whether Comrade Igor was playing pucks as if they were tiny sweet peas and not six ounces of vulcanized rubber.
The Maven, himself, decided that Shesterkin had better get used to being Jonathan Quick's backup. I even wondered out loud if even the enormously gifted Benny A could save Iggy's career.
Well done, Benny, Shesty is back to form; doesn't know what the word "lose" is all about and now we can even think about Igor actually starting the playoffs for Sir Peter Laviolette.
So, from the dark days of no confidence, soft goals and beating himself up, Igor is looking very much like the fella who once won a Vezina Trophy.
And if you're looking for a "turning point," look no farther than February 21 when the Blueshirts beat Dallas, 3-1.
More specifically check out the sequence of saves he made late in the game. And, if you have forgotten, here's the refresher:
First he robbed Tyler Seguin on a deflection and then, amazingly, was able to reach across the crease with his blocker to stop the second attempt.
That was Shesterkin's way of saying "I'm back!"
No doubt we'd be lauding him even more had Man Mountain Rempe not ridden in from the West to hoard the press and get all the headlines.
With The Maven's trusty Thought Recording Machine, I can read Igor's mind on the subject.
Translated: "Nah. No sweat!