When Scott Wedgewood was traded to the Stars on March 20, 2022, he waited anxiously to see what his relationship with his new goalie partner would be like.
He had some friends on the team who told him about then-23-year-old Jake Oettinger, a rising star in his second year in the league.
“They said, 'This guy's a bastard.' I think he needs to understand that he wants to play every night, but he doesn't have to do that,” Wedgewood said.
Wedgwood is in his fifth season in the NHL and was just looking to find a home after going back and forth between New Jersey and Arizona to start his career. He sat down with Oettinger and made it clear.
“I told him, 'Listen, I don't want your job. I want my own job at this point,'” Wedgwood said.
From there, a symbiotic relationship developed between the two star goaltenders.
Over the next two seasons, Wedgewood came to learn how Oettinger played and how, despite his age, his attitude and mentality were that of a veteran goaltender.
“It was easy,” Wedgwood said. “He's a very humble person. What he does and how he does it, I don't think he portrays himself as being as good as everyone else sees him. I think that’s a good quality.”
Oettinger, in the fourth year of his NHL career, has been selected to represent the Stars in the 2024 NHL All-Star Game in Toronto on Saturday afternoon. This selection comes at a unique time for the goaltender, who has faced more adversity than ever before with both injuries and performance.
Those who know Oettinger best vouched for his hiring, insisting that what makes him an All-Star goalie doesn't necessarily show up in the box score.
“He's a great goalie because of his attitude. He's not too high and he's not too low,” Stars head coach Pete DeBoer said. “I see similarities between Jake and some of the great goalkeepers I have coached during my career, including Martin Brodeur and [Marc-André Fleury]the quiet competitive spirit they have, and the ability to raise the bar when it matters most.
“He exudes leadership, but he's not in a position where you can expect much leadership.”
“He deserves every bit of it.”
Oettinger wasn't even sure of his position in Dallas when he learned he would be playing in the All-Star Game.
Star forward Ty Dellandrea said he and goalie coach Jeff Reese have been working with Oettinger for five days to get Oettinger back after being sidelined for several weeks with a groin injury in mid-December.
Dellandrea and Oettinger have been close friends for years, having been drafted a year apart, playing together at Cedar Park and living in the same apartment in Dallas. The same night Oettinger scored his first win, Dellandrea also scored his first NHL goal.
Dellandrea, who has been sidelined for many games this season due to injury, worked with Oettinger during his rehabilitation and was on the scene shortly after word of the goalie's arrival.
“I was so excited,” Dellandrea said. “He works very hard. He's one of the most disciplined and consistent players I know.”
But even Oettinger's closest friends on the team admitted that this season wasn't what any of the goaltenders or star players expected from him.
Oettinger battled injuries during the 2023 playoffs and a trip to the Western Conference Finals, requiring offseason ankle surgery and missing summer training opportunities. After playing well through the first month of the season, Oettinger began to show unusual struggles during his playing days before suffering a long-term injury on December 15 against the Senators. It was after his injury that he learned the news of his All-Star selection. Statistically it was the worst season of his career (.900 SV%, 3.04 GAA).
Of the 59 NHL goalies who played in at least 15 games this season, he ranks 36th in points average and 35th in save percentage.
“Obviously he’s not as happy with his numbers as he would have liked, but overall, given the way he works and the way he shows up and what he’s done for this team over the years. He deserves every role 'for that matter,' Dellandrea said. “I think it’s great for him and great for his confidence.”
“Things that can't be taught”
Reese sees a silver lining in the adversity Oettinger has battled over the past year.
“It’s all building blocks for a Stanley Cup,” he said. “Every goaltender is going to go through that. Every player is going to go through that. He's going to have to go through these to get to where he wants to get to.”
Addressing Oettinger's injuries and on-ice struggles this season has given Reese a closer look at what he and many in the Stars organization believe makes the 25-year-old goaltender special. .
DeBoer talked about this consistently during Dallas' playoff run last year. Oettinger has shown the ability to bounce back better than other players at his position, even after losses, difficult stretches, and even injuries.
“He did it all his life,” Reese said. “That's something you can't teach. It's inside you. And he understands that.”
Reese, DeBoer and Wedgwood all cited Oettinger's size and ability to make timely saves as traits that make him an All-Star. But even if those traits aren't the sharpest, his competitive spirit, resilience, and desire under pressure still prevail.
“In our hearts, he's an All-Star goaltender, and I think he feels that in his own mind without showing it,” Wedgewood said. “At the end of the day, I don't think if we picked up 35 pounds of silver we wouldn't be upset about our stats.”
Oettinger will be joining Jeremy Swayman (Boston), Alexander Georgiev (Colorado), Sergei Bobrovsky (Florida), Cam Talbot (Los Angeles), Igor Shesterkin (New York Rangers) and Thatcher Demko (Vancouver) this weekend. ), will join goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg). — Elite company in a group with five All-Stars.
Whether that experience put him on the highlight reel, boosted his confidence, or was just an extra opportunity to get back on the ice during the break, his teammates and coaches believe it was I believe it will come at the right time before the real work begins.
“I think he's been rewarded more for the body of work he's put in over the last 24 months than he has been over the last few months,” DeBoer said. “I think it makes sense for him to be a player in that category and be able to experience that. At the same time, I want him to enjoy it and come out of All-Star break refreshed and be the goaltender that everyone knows. That’s what we want. That’s what we need.”
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