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Saskatoon Blades goaltender Nolan Maier wasted no time taking his place atop the franchise record books.
The 20-year-old netminder earned his 86th career victory in a 3-2 win over the Winnipeg Ice Wednesday to set the new mark for wins by a Blades goalie.
Making the achievement that much better was passing former goaltending coach and mentor Tim Cheveldae, who left the Blades in 1988 with 85 wins.
“I think that makes it even more special,” Maier said. “Having him as a mentor for all those years at the start of my career and most of my career as a Blade just makes it more sweet.”
Cheveldae was the Blades goaltending coach from 2013 to 2020 and introduced Maier to the Western Hockey League and the daily routines that come along with it.
“It’s going to be awesome to reach out and maybe have a couple laughs with him,” Maier said.
Knowing the attention was on him all week, Maier wasn’t feeling the pressure to claim the new record on his first attempt, but it does help him reflect on his WHL career.
Saskatoon Blades goaltender Nolan Maier poses with the game puck on March 31, 2021 (Saskatoon Blades)
“There’s not many guys in the locker room that (were) here from my first year as a Blade,” Maier said. “I know we shared a couple good laughs and good memories along the way.”
Maier took over as the Blades full-time starter in the 2017-18 season when was 17 years old. Since then he’s managed at least 20 wins each season, and he isn’t expected to give up the role until he ages out of the league at the end of next season.
Maier’s record is one of many reasons Blades players have to be happy nearly halfway through the 24-game WHL hub season in Regina.
Maier has a 7-0-0 record and a shutout to start his season, while the Blades extended its winning streak to seven games.
Saskatoon currently sits atop the East Division with nine wins and an overtime loss, the best start to a campaign in the team’s 57-year history.
“We have a tight-knit group — we’re all family here. Every day we’re going out there and trying to get better. The results are coming for us right now,” said defencemen Aiden De La Gorgendiere, who had two assists.
The Blades quickly came back from a 1-0 deficit in the first period thanks to a Brandon Lisowsky goal near the end of the period.
Kyle Crnkovic earned his team the lead with his sixth goal of the season, just a little more than three minutes into the second period before Colton Dach, scored his fifth goal and sixth point in his last three games, to seal the win.
Following the game, Gorgendiere was passing all the praise of the team to the all-time wins leader.
“It’s pretty crazy. He’s making history out here and he had another awesome game today,” he said.
Maier’s best save of the night came in the second period during a penalty kill with his team up 3-1. First, he went post-to-post to stop a Connor McClennon one-timer before recovering to rob Peyton Krebs with his glove on the rebound.
“It was just a scramble. I think being able to make a key save in a timely game against their top player — and one of the best players in the league — was really important,” Maier said.
Cheveldae held the record for 33 years before Maier one-upped him. The new record holder isn’t expecting to lead the team for that long.
“I have no idea. I hope someone can be a Blade as long as I was and break the record,” he said.
With files from 980 CJME’s Britton Gray