Former Dog has his day
Published Tuesday November 3rd, 2009
It's funny how things work out sometimes.
What appeared to be one of the most vanilla, non-emotional transactions in Sea Dogs history came and went with little more than a mention last fall.
Now, a year later, the team might be looking at that move as 'The one that got away'.
Remember Troy Passingham? He was the third goalie on the depth chart when the team made it to the final four of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs two seasons ago. You'll be excused if you don't remember him. He started last season in a fight for the backup spot behind Montreal Canadiens prospect Robert Mayer but lost the job to Karel St. Laurent.
If anyone suggests that the Sea Dogs were out of their minds for letting Passingham go, they might want to get their head read themselves. There was hardly a peep when he was released after five appearances last year.
Until now, that is.
The six-foot-five, 195-pound goaltender is a major reason the Windsor Spitfires are the top ranked team in the Ontario Hockey League and third overall in Canada.
He boasts a record of 12-2-2 and a goals-against average of 2.58.
Not surprisingly, he's no longer flying under the radar.
Two weeks ago, he was named the Canadian Hockey League player of the week.
The fact that Passingham is having such a memorable season is as ironic as it is surprising.
With Saint John cementing itself in the weekly CHL's top 10 rankings - currently No. 7 - the team's Achilles heel seems to be inconsistency between the pipes. Even coming off a three-game sweep through Quebec on the weekend and running their franchise-record winning streak to eight games, there are still many followers who believe the Sea Dogs will have to undergo a major upgrade in goal if they want to make a serious run this year.
Having Passingham as the last line of defence wouldn't have cost the team a penny had he been kept him in the fold which has to hurt when you consider any move to upgrade at the trade deadline will likely come at a steep price.
Still, it's pretty hard to lay the blame at the feet of anyone, including Jacques Beaulieu, the man who eventually cut him loose last year.
He said it was a simple case of St. Laurent winning the job as backup.
"He's definitely shown he can play in the CHL," said Beaulieu, now an assistant coach with the London Knights after being fired as Saint John's head coach and general manager at the end of last season. "It's unfortunate things didn't work out for Troy in Saint John but I thought Karel outplayed him."
Beaulieu has had a front row seat for some of Passingham's finest moments this year. The Spitfires and Passingham blanked the Knights 2-0 back on Oct. 8 and beat them again two weeks later 5-2.
Beaulieu credits a change of scenery and maturation for Passingham's good fortunes.
"He's definitely a late bloomer," Beaulieu said. "And add to that, it's a tough position to play at a young age. You need to be seasoned before you play on a regular basis and I think you're seeing that now."
Passingham turns 19 on Nov. 17,
"It's a credit to him," said Beaulieu. "I'm happy for him for sure."
The feeling seems mutual.
Passingham still holds Beaulieu in high regard.
"It was a good feeling for sure (beating London with Beaulieu behind the bench) but he liked me as a goalie and I still respect him as a coach."
He said he looks back on his time in Saint John with nothing but good memories.
"I loved it there," said Passingham. "The team treated me with a lot of class. Obviously it didn't work out, but getting released gave me a greater opportunity in the OHL."
That opportunity includes playing with some of the finest players at the major junior level, such as reigning CHL player of the week Taylor Hall and Ryan Ellis.
"We just have an unreal offence. We score five goals a game and it makes my job a lot easier. Obviously, we're one of the best teams in Canada."
After being released by Saint John last season, Passingham hooked on with the Vaughan Vipers in the Ontario junior A ranks.
He was invited to a rookie camp for the OHL's Sarnia Sting but then the Spitfires came along and offered him an invitation to their main camp.
"Things went well," he said. "I made it and then I got an opportunity."
That opportunity came in the form of a sprained medial collateral ligament to the knee of No. 1 goaltender Josh Unice.
"That's what it's about, seizing an opportunity," Passingham said. "I took the ball and ran with it. I know I can play. I just had to get the opportunity."
Peter McGuire is the city editor of the Telegraph-Journal. His Game On column appears on Tuesdays during hockey season. He can be reached by email at mcguire.peter@telegraphjournal.com or by phone at (506) 645-3268.
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