Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

The Rise Of Devan Dubnyk

03/24/2015 at 8:02am EDT

from Chris Johnston of Sportsnet,

Devan Dubnyk was a forgotten man when crunch time arrived last season. As a Black Ace during the Montreal Canadiens playoff run, the NHL seemed a long way off.

“I was skating with five guys,” Dubnyk recalled Monday. “Five guys that made me feel old.”

The goaltender was so far buried down the depth chart that he asked to go home after the second round to spend time with his wife Jennifer and infant son Nathaniel. Even when Habs starter Carey Price was injured in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final, he didn’t second-guess the decision.

“I felt like I needed to go be a dad,” said Dubnyk.

He also needed a break after a season that saw him go from Oilers starter to Predators backup to Habs minor-leaguer in the span of a couple months. It was a precipitous fall. Dubnyk was beaten down and embarrassed.

"It was a big slip for me," he said.

When you speak with the 28-year-old today it's hard to believe he's the same guy.

continued

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About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

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