Where Are The Young, Canadian Goaltenders?

from Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun, Quick’s outstanding regular season makes him full value for being a contender for the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender. His fellow finalists in Vezina voting are a Swede, Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers, and a Finn, Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators. There’s no denying that struggles at the position have been the main reason for Canada’s failure to win recent world junior championships. There’s a chance it could just be cyclical, especially if more goaltenders like the Phoenix Coyotes’ Mike Smith emerge during the next few seasons. But based on where Canadian goaltenders have been taken in the draft in recent years, there is certainly a lull in promising youngsters being developed in the country. So who is to blame? Former NHLer Ron Tugnutt, who know works as Hockey Canada’s goalie consultant, believes you can start with the Canadian major junior hockey infrastructure. “Too many junior teams are taking the easy way o...