The Denver Post is reporting that University of Denver freshman goaltender Sam Brittain will undergo major knee surgery next Friday and could miss most or all of next season.
Let's not dismiss that Adam is already a good goalie with the real possibility of growing more capable by playing full time. I saw him play some solid goal tending in most of his games.
Holy Crap. I'm Sorry for Sam, but he'll get through this. So will the team. And here we all thought finding a 3rd Goalie was the only hurdle left.............................
Bummer! Sam must be very disappointed. He had a very real shot at making TC and having an incredible Sophomore year at DU. He's a real competitor so I'm sure he'll be working very hard on his recovery. That said he most likely won't see ice time next year.
I expect they'll pick up someone (not a top tier guy) that is looking for some playing time to fill in for Adam. This is really about the worst news we could've gotten.
I just listened to him on the pipeline show and was talking to my daughter yesterday about how the team was going to be a serious contender. Yes, Murray has experience but his numbers are a far cry from Sam's. I can't see this team going as far as it could with Sam in the nets. Interesting quote from George about how he thought there were knee issues before Sam came to Denver. Had anyone heard any of that before?
These are DI athletes. Criticism comes with all the perks.
Adam has shown flashes of talent and had a winning record last year. But his saves percentage was at least 20 points below average at this level and 40 points below Brittain's level.
Simply put, Murray needs to become a consistent performer at this level or DU is toast. You cannot be a a successful over the course of a season with .879 goaltending. Adam needs to elevate his game.
So, you have the same confidence with Murray in the net that Sam brings? Seriously?
This will even have an effect on the system Gwoz will likely employ and will likely result in a less effective offense. The forwards will likely be reigned in a bit more, in order to offer more defensive support. It could even result in Zucker and Drew Shore having upwards of a 10-15 point hit each on their offensive production. Murray has not shown the ability to put the team on his back as Brittain has...
well, to continue, I saw Zucker and DShore as being 55-60 point guys and I likely see them as being the 45'ish range, with this news. That is a detriment, homey. Murray was given a shot at being part of a rotation last year, which ended rather quickly...
Gee I'm sorry! I apologize. My point that a college athlete can improve from his sophmore to junior year is just wrong I guess. Your comments on Adam's performance this year being the same as last year would hold more water if applied to a thirty year old N.F.L.goalie. Throughout college sports upperclassmen improve,some times significantly ,not always, but often.. Your static analysis needs more analysis.
My analysis is very simple. The ONLY job a goalie has is to stop the puck from going to the net. Can Murray be the man? Maybe. But he needs to get better. Much better.
As a freshman, Murray had a 3.8 GAA and last year, he had a 3.46. Both GAA's are below average. His saves percentage was 8.74 in his first year and 8.79 last year. Both saves percentages are below average. What we have seen is Murray, to date, has been consistently inconsistent, with a small statistical improvement from freshman to sophomore year. It was even not enough of an improvement to earn a slot in a platoon rotation, let alone take the starters' job.
Goalies who save 87-88% of the shots at this level all season will likely not make the playoffs. Murray MUST make a pretty big leap this year, or DU will not be a playoff team. It's that simple.
Well, Aluuum, you are correct in that it is not unheard for a goalie -- or any player -- to have significant improvement from one year to the next. Who would have thought that Ryan Dingle would go from 6 goals one year to 27 the next? However, nothing has been shown by Murray that he will do this. He has had two years to show something.
With Brittain being out, we now have a missing link in our chain towards success, because (as pointed out) an .880 goalie is taking us nowhere. A significant improvement could be adding 20 points to that .880 -- and you know what? That is only .900, which is average at best.
I'm drinking the Aluum kool-aid. Why the hell not!
Murray, given the opportunity this year as the full-time starter without any competition will relax and play the way we all expected him to when he was a top notch recruit on the national team. Expect a .910 saves percentage and 2.5 GAA.
Wow; Goalie Coach LaLonde's long-awaited summer family trip to the lake no doubt just went down the shitter! The I've thought about this, I think Adam might rise to the challenge and elevate his game. Now I'm not saying he'll be shutting out the Boston's and will out-perform every goalie Denver ever had.... but I think he can do this. Plus too - don't forget, he'll have some big rather dudes on Defense in front of him. Now the coaches have thier work set out for them to make this work.
Nice. Good choice. I was just kidding, anyway... :)
I actually truly believe that Murray has it in him to be a good goalie. I've heard from people who know, people who worked international tournaments, that Murray at 15 or 16 was one of the best goalies in the world for his age group. Why that hasn't translated yet at this level, I don't know, except that he does need to be more focused while out there. Though it didn't start while he was here...his last year with the NTDP was where his mediocrity began for whatever reason.
If you watch Murray he never seems completely comfortable. He is twitching, and never stays settled. One thing I know he needs to do, stop losing your stick. I saw that happen more than once last year.
Did we ever get an answer why Gwoz went with Sam if he knew about the knee problems
Doctors' opinions on knee injuries can wildly vary. Wiercioch, Bozak & now Brittain prove this out.
What is indisputable is when a player sustains a knee injury, the odds of a more serious injury occurring goes up exponentially unless surgery is performed.
The downside of surgery is the long or unknown rehab period (Bozak).
Josh Rosenholtz graduated, so there are only two goalies on the roster today.
It seems to me that DU's best solution will be looking long and hard for a transfer goaltender rather than a Freshman walk-on.
NCAA transfer rules are complicated, but I believe there are loopholes for student athletes who want to transfer without sitting out a season.
Whether or not DU could find a first class goaltender to back up or platoon with Murray, would be willing to transfer and fit into a loophole might be a tall order.
if Sam doesn't enroll at DU for his sophomore year, then that would open up a scholarship opportunity. Plus, I believe, DU could apply for a hardship waiver on Sam's scholly, which would require him to redshirt.
If DU wanted a transfer who could play right away, it would have to be one who played juniors last year. Matt Weber was an example of this...he played a year at OSU, then left and went to the USHL for a season which meant he was eligible immediately upon entering DU. Angelo Ricci is an example of a transfer (from Wisconsin) who immediately enrolled at DU, which meant he could practice but not play for a year.
In case anyone is wondering, Angelo Ricci never actually played for Wisconsin. He enrolled there, found out he was last on their depth chart (imagine that) and left, before his freshman season even began, to enroll at DU. The fact that he was enrolled at and practiced with a different school meant he still had to sit out the transfer year.
Gwozdecky didn't make the medical diagnosis, Gwozdecky wasn't his coach when he first tweeked the knee in juniors and Gwozdecky didn't send Brittain off to the Canadian camp where he got injured.
Something here isn't quite right. Sammy had an MRI a month ago which revealed the damage. Why not get the surgery done then? Did DU know about these results? Did he/DU really think this didn't need surgical repair? Or did Sammy keep the results to himself?
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!the sky is falling!!
Getting a shot at playing for Team Canada is a hell-of-alot more important than playing for DU...period, end of subject. I'm sure in Sam's mind, it was worth the risk.
Get over it, he got hurt. Injuries are part of the sport.
It's murky. But I very much doubt Gwoz is at fault here.
My guess is that Gwoz and the DU staff medical staff based the 'summer rest and rehab treatment plan' well prior to Sammy's MRI a month ago.
Perhaps Sammy did not share that MRI result with DU, perhaps so that he wouldn't miss out on the Canada Camp. Team Canada sent him home when they examined him.
Had DU seen that that MRI result a month ago, I would bet they would have put him in surgery back then.
The MRI was done in Denver according to Chambers. You can't just walk in a radiology facility and get an MRI like an x-ray. It has to be all pre-approved by the insurance company. I would think that DU sent him for the MRI and the original course of treatment was rest and rehabilitation. Surgery is always the last cousre of action. It obviously wasn't getting better and the second set of eyes from the Team Canada medical staff wouldn't clear him for on-ice activities. I am sure there was lots of discussions between the medical staffs of DU and Team Canada and possibly the Florida Panthers who own his draft rights. Sam is young and hopefully a fast healer. He needs to be 100% before he plays again.
In the mean time we all have to get behind Adam Murray and hope he shows some of the world class talent he showed as a 16-year old. People foget the recruiting war DU was in to land him. Hope he grabs the brass ring and runs with it.
59 comments:
Devastating news for all concerned. Certainly hope for a speedy recovery for Sam.
First question I would have is if a player is going to miss an entire year, what are the options with the scholarship?
DU might grab a Division III goaltender or perhaps a D-I Junior who has completed his academic courseload and can come in without sitting out a year.
Hard to imagine a top flight recruit coming in for just one season of backup duty.
Hard to imagine that you'd feel comfortable starting Sam in a one & done playoff situation if he only could return in time for the playoffs.
Awful news.
Time for Murray to get some intensive coaching and hope that he can get at least to a serviceable WCHA level, or DU is going to have a long year.
Murray must go from an 8.80 goalie to a .900 goalie this year, or find a suitable replacement or DU has no postseason shot.
Let's not dismiss that Adam is
already a good goalie with the real possibility of growing more capable by playing full time. I saw him play some solid goal tending in most of his games.
The Norwegian Nightmare should have some eligibility left! :-)
Where is Eddie Guinn?
Aluuum,
I slightly digress about Murray...he's talented but has yet to prove he is good. To me, it's a scary thought of having to rely on Murray...
Say it aint so.
noooooooooooo
hope murray can step it up
Holy Crap. I'm Sorry for Sam, but he'll get through this. So will the team. And here we all thought finding a 3rd Goalie was the only hurdle left.............................
Your dicked Vaughn
Bummer! Sam must be very disappointed. He had a very real shot at making TC and having an incredible Sophomore year at DU. He's a real competitor so I'm sure he'll be working very hard on his recovery. That said he most likely won't see ice time next year.
I expect they'll pick up someone (not a top tier guy) that is looking for some playing time to fill in for Adam. This is really about the worst news we could've gotten.
I just listened to him on the pipeline show and was talking to my daughter yesterday about how the team was going to be a serious contender. Yes, Murray has experience but his numbers are a far cry from Sam's. I can't see this team going as far as it could with Sam in the nets. Interesting quote from George about how he thought there were knee issues before Sam came to Denver. Had anyone heard any of that before?
We have to all get behind Adam and let him know it. Knock off the criticism if he has a bad game. If you recall, Sam had a couple.
These are DI athletes. Criticism comes with all the perks.
Adam has shown flashes of talent and had a winning record last year. But his saves percentage was at least 20 points below average at this level and 40 points below Brittain's level.
Simply put, Murray needs to become a consistent performer at this level or DU is toast. You cannot be a a successful over the course of a season with .879 goaltending. Adam needs to elevate his game.
Aluuum -
So, you have the same confidence with Murray in the net that Sam brings? Seriously?
This will even have an effect on the system Gwoz will likely employ and will likely result in a less effective offense. The forwards will likely be reigned in a bit more, in order to offer more defensive support. It could even result in Zucker and Drew Shore having upwards of a 10-15 point hit each on their offensive production. Murray has not shown the ability to put the team on his back as Brittain has...
well, to continue, I saw Zucker and DShore as being 55-60 point guys and I likely see them as being the 45'ish range, with this news. That is a detriment, homey. Murray was given a shot at being part of a rotation last year, which ended rather quickly...
From Sioux nation,
We wish Sam a successful surgery and speedy recovery.
DU will still have a fine season backed up by Murray.
Gee I'm sorry! I apologize. My point that a college athlete can improve from his sophmore to junior year is just wrong I guess. Your comments on Adam's performance this year being the same as last year would hold more water if applied to a thirty year old N.F.L.goalie. Throughout college sports upperclassmen improve,some times significantly
,not always, but often.. Your static analysis needs more analysis.
My analysis is very simple. The ONLY job a goalie has is to stop the puck from going to the net. Can Murray be the man? Maybe. But he needs to get better. Much better.
As a freshman, Murray had a 3.8 GAA and last year, he had a 3.46. Both GAA's are below average. His saves percentage was 8.74 in his first year and 8.79 last year. Both saves percentages are below average. What we have seen is Murray, to date, has been consistently inconsistent, with a small statistical improvement from freshman to sophomore year. It was even not enough of an improvement to earn a slot in a platoon rotation, let alone take the starters' job.
Goalies who save 87-88% of the shots at this level all season will likely not make the playoffs. Murray MUST make a pretty big leap this year, or DU will not be a playoff team. It's that simple.
An 88% goalie in the WCHA is roadkill.
Well, Aluuum, you are correct in that it is not unheard for a goalie -- or any player -- to have significant improvement from one year to the next. Who would have thought that Ryan Dingle would go from 6 goals one year to 27 the next? However, nothing has been shown by Murray that he will do this. He has had two years to show something.
With Brittain being out, we now have a missing link in our chain towards success, because (as pointed out) an .880 goalie is taking us nowhere. A significant improvement could be adding 20 points to that .880 -- and you know what? That is only .900, which is average at best.
At this point, we are looking pretty screwed...
I'm drinking the Aluum kool-aid. Why the hell not!
Murray, given the opportunity this year as the full-time starter without any competition will relax and play the way we all expected him to when he was a top notch recruit on the national team. Expect a .910 saves percentage and 2.5 GAA.
Wow; Goalie Coach LaLonde's long-awaited summer family trip to the lake no doubt just went down the shitter! The I've thought about this, I think Adam might rise to the challenge and elevate his game. Now I'm not saying he'll be shutting out the Boston's and will out-perform every goalie Denver ever had.... but I think he can do this. Plus too - don't forget, he'll have some big rather dudes on Defense in front of him. Now the coaches have thier work set out for them to make this work.
Murray went undrafted for a reason.
He has size and talent, but so far, has lacked the mental toughness to be an elite goalie.
He needs to develop that side of his game.
Is that the 80 or 100 proof Aluum kool-aid... ;-)
12 year old Macallan single malt is it Anon. About two ounces in a snifter with a touch of water does indeed make a fine quaff.
Nice. Good choice. I was just kidding, anyway... :)
I actually truly believe that Murray has it in him to be a good goalie. I've heard from people who know, people who worked international tournaments, that Murray at 15 or 16 was one of the best goalies in the world for his age group. Why that hasn't translated yet at this level, I don't know, except that he does need to be more focused while out there. Though it didn't start while he was here...his last year with the NTDP was where his mediocrity began for whatever reason.
If you watch Murray he never seems completely comfortable. He is twitching, and never stays settled. One thing I know he needs to do, stop losing your stick. I saw that happen more than once last year.
Did we ever get an answer why Gwoz went with Sam if he knew about the knee problems
Miller -one shot of Macallan single malt a half hour before the start would stop the twitching and settle Adam down just fine.
Aluum, can't hurt!
@#$%^&*()_)(*&^%$#@#$%^&*()_)(*&^%$#$%^&*+_)(*&^%$#$%^&*()_+_)(*&^%$ER*()_)(*&^%$%^&*()_)(*&^%$%^&*()_)(*&^%$#$%^&*()_+_)(*&^%$#$%^&*()_@#$%^&+_)(*&^%$@#$%^&*()__)(*&^%#@#$%^
Just a question but why did Sam go to the Canadian Camp if he was supposed to be rehabbing and resting?
Was an injury possibly made worse by going?
Doctors' opinions on knee injuries can wildly vary. Wiercioch, Bozak & now Brittain prove this out.
What is indisputable is when a player sustains a knee injury, the odds of a more serious injury occurring goes up exponentially unless surgery is performed.
The downside of surgery is the long or unknown rehab period (Bozak).
I'm thinking that Sam probably got medical clearance to go. Was it a good choice to go? Well, hindsight is 20/20...
I suppose there is no use second guessing the doctors and coaches.
Assuming Sam is out for the year, how do they find room for another scholarship?
Bringing in a third goalie where does that put Sam next season. They certainly can't carry four goalies.
Josh Rosenholtz graduated, so there are only two goalies on the roster today.
It seems to me that DU's best solution will be looking long and hard for a transfer goaltender rather than a Freshman walk-on.
NCAA transfer rules are complicated, but I believe there are loopholes for student athletes who want to transfer without sitting out a season.
Whether or not DU could find a first class goaltender to back up or platoon with Murray, would be willing to transfer and fit into a loophole might be a tall order.
if Sam doesn't enroll at DU for his sophomore year, then that would open up a scholarship opportunity. Plus, I believe, DU could apply for a hardship waiver on Sam's scholly, which would require him to redshirt.
If DU wanted a transfer who could play right away, it would have to be one who played juniors last year. Matt Weber was an example of this...he played a year at OSU, then left and went to the USHL for a season which meant he was eligible immediately upon entering DU. Angelo Ricci is an example of a transfer (from Wisconsin) who immediately enrolled at DU, which meant he could practice but not play for a year.
Good info. Thanks for posting.
In case anyone is wondering, Angelo Ricci never actually played for Wisconsin. He enrolled there, found out he was last on their depth chart (imagine that) and left, before his freshman season even began, to enroll at DU. The fact that he was enrolled at and practiced with a different school meant he still had to sit out the transfer year.
EDIT: Now, I'm not sure...maybe Ricci did play in the USHL after leaving Wisconsin...
Angelo played four seasons at DU, so he didn't have to sit out or lose a year of eligibility.
Maybe you guys can get Shibrowski. He played for CC in 2009-2010 and then played in the USHL last year. I just think it would be hilarious...
Hilarious would be Shibrowski coming to DU and winning a National Championship.
Mexico, would you please go back to the trailer park, you aren't welcome here. What part of this don't you get?
@ anon 11:53
Nice try but FedEx office is not a trailer park.
If Shibrowski came to DU, he would be a prime candidate for #57. :-)
DG,
My mistake. It looks like he's going to be a Gopher.
He could wear #57 for the Gophers and it would still be funny.
Isn't 57 where DU is expected to be ranked at the end of next season?
Shame on Gwoz for letting him play
I thought 57 was the last year that blackface was an acceptable costume.
Gwozdecky didn't make the medical diagnosis, Gwozdecky wasn't his coach when he first tweeked the knee in juniors and Gwozdecky didn't send Brittain off to the Canadian camp where he got injured.
Mexico, don't you have anything better to do. This is the reason inbreeding just never works.
Latest from Mike Chambers at the Denver Post:
http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_18264546
Something here isn't quite right. Sammy had an MRI a month ago which revealed the damage. Why not get the surgery done then? Did DU know about these results? Did he/DU really think this didn't need surgical repair? Or did Sammy keep the results to himself?
Either way, a month was lost here.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!the sky is falling!!
Getting a shot at playing for Team Canada is a hell-of-alot more important than playing for DU...period, end of subject. I'm sure in Sam's mind, it was worth the risk.
Get over it, he got hurt. Injuries are part of the sport.
Life goes on. Next subject.
Turns out Sam didn't participate in any of the on ice drills in Canadaaccording to Chambers latest article.
So what your saying Lamian is Gwoz doesn't know his players very well
Seems like Tressel to me a big cover up
It's murky. But I very much doubt Gwoz is at fault here.
My guess is that Gwoz and the DU staff medical staff based the 'summer rest and rehab treatment plan' well prior to Sammy's MRI a month ago.
Perhaps Sammy did not share that MRI result with DU, perhaps so that he wouldn't miss out on the Canada Camp. Team Canada sent him home when they examined him.
Had DU seen that that MRI result a month ago, I would bet they would have put him in surgery back then.
The MRI was done in Denver according to Chambers. You can't just walk in a radiology facility and get an MRI like an x-ray. It has to be all pre-approved by the insurance company. I would think that DU sent him for the MRI and the original course of treatment was rest and rehabilitation. Surgery is always the last cousre of action. It obviously wasn't getting better and the second set of eyes from the Team Canada medical staff wouldn't clear him for on-ice activities. I am sure there was lots of discussions between the medical staffs of DU and Team Canada and possibly the Florida Panthers who own his draft rights. Sam is young and hopefully a fast healer. He needs to be 100% before he plays again.
In the mean time we all have to get behind Adam Murray and hope he shows some of the world class talent he showed as a 16-year old. People foget the recruiting war DU was in to land him. Hope he grabs the brass ring and runs with it.
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