Waived, weary and glad to be back

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This article was published 30/12/2019 (2168 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Some might say goalie Eric Comrie has endured three months of hockey torture.

Death by 1,000 cuts, or in his case, three — which included getting cut twice by his former and present employer, who are one and the same: the Winnipeg Jets.

Comrie is right back where he started in September after the Jets claimed him off the waiver wire from the Detroit Red Wings on Dec. 19, successfully pushed him through waivers on Saturday and assigned him to the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League on Sunday.

He practised with his new/old teammates Monday at Bell MTS Place.

Life has, indeed, been a roller-coaster ride since the fall for Comrie, whose NHL rights were shuffled between three different organizations. The Edmonton product would easily be forgiven if he was bitter about being the current poster boy for the old adage, “Hockey’s a business.”

But that’s just not how he’s wired.

“I’m really happy to be back. It feels like family when I walked into the room. It’s right where we left off, having fun, joking around, just being with friends,” Comrie said. “I need stability. I need a chance to practise and get into games. I need a chance to be a hockey player again and be part of a team again.”

That’s not to say the bizarre journey that’s landed him back in the Moose net hasn’t taken a toll on the 24-year-old netminder.

“It’s been weird. I haven’t had stability. I’ve been living in hotels, moving in and out of places, not knowing where I’m going to be the next day. It’s a hard way to live, it’s a hard way to play hockey,” Comrie said. “It’s harder on the psyche because you’re not used to it.

“I’ve been in Manitoba my whole career. It’s been awesome. Then all of a sudden you’re moving around and not sure where you’re going to be. It’s harder mentally. You’re not sure where you’re going be at all.”

Comrie was originally trimmed from the Jets training camp roster Sept. 30, but had to be exposed on the waiver wire, and in fact, the Arizona Coyotes grabbed him Oct. 1. He spent a month with the main club in the desert before being shipped to Tucson for a two-week AHL conditioning stint (he won four straight starts), but was dealt to Detroit on Nov. 30.

Comrie made two starts for the Red Wings, including a chance to face the Jets on Dec. 10 at the downtown arena where he shined on so many nights for the Moose from 2015-19. However, he’d allow five goals on 30 shots in a 5-1 defeat. He’d also suffer a 4-2 loss to the L.A. Kings in a start in Detroit five days later.

The Red Wings placed him on waivers Dec. 18 and the Jets jumped.

Comrie, selected by Winnipeg in the second round of the 2013 NHL draft, said even though a pair of weaker teams chose not to retain him, his confidence hasn’t been fractured.

“Confidence comes from your work ethic in practice. That’s always where I’ve got my confidence from. It was never from what other people think of me,” said Comrie, who has made a franchise-leading 183 appearances for Manitoba.

“I’ve never really thought of it like, ‘Oh, this team doesn’t like me. They cut me.’ My confidence comes from going out in practice and saying, ‘Hey, I’ve done every single thing I can to prepare for that game and I’m going to let that game take care of itself because I’ve put in the work.’”

In eight NHL appearances since 2017, he’s 2-5-0 with a 4.23 goals-against average and .868 save percentage.

Comrie hinted to reporters in Winnipeg earlier this month that he’d relish a chance to return to the Jets organization: “I loved every single second I was in Winnipeg. I love the guys. I love the coaches. I love the management. They were awesome from Day 1… if anything ever comes back, I’d be happy to go back (there),” he said.

From his lips to general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff’s ears.

‘It’s a hard way to live, it’s a hard way to play hockey’– former and now current Moose goalie Eric Comrie on his whirlwind tour around the NHL

“(Comrie) was excited when we got him back in the organization because he really believes that under (goalie coaches Wade Flaherty and Rick St. Croix) they get what he needs as a goaltender. It’s good to have the depth in the organization, for sure,” the Winnipeg GM told reporters Monday in Denver.

“You never want to do it at the point of holding someone back. Eric was excited when (he cleared waivers) and now he gets a chance to try and play. It’s a tough gig. For goalies, it’s such a weird situation for them. There are two (goalies) on a team and only one net. It’s a very hard position to develop and develop properly.”

Once the Jets inked backup netminder Laurent Brossoit to a one-year contract in the summer, Comrie knew he’d be back with creasemate Mikhail Berdin for the 2019-20 AHL season. And he was content with that scenario.

That’s exactly how things will now play out, giving Berdin a true puck-stopping partner. To date, the 21-year-old Russian been an absolute workhorse, leading all AHL goalies with 30 appearances, but could definitely use a break.

Moose bench boss Pascal Vincent said Comrie’s return should be for a major boost for a squad currently 16-18-0 and just sixth out of eight teams in the AHL’s Central Division.

“He’s a good person to be around, he’s a smart person… not just about hockey. He brings a work ethic and a positive energy. It’s every day, it doesn’t matter what happened the day before, and that is really contagious to a hockey team,” Vincent said.

“He was a big piece of our success last year. He was our MVP, for sure, but the second half he won some games by himself. So, the on ice, the off ice, the person he is, he knows the culture here, knows how we work. It’s a combination of a lot of things.”

Berdin backstopped the Moose to a 3-2 win over the visiting Rockford IceHogs on Sunday, and the clubs face off again today at 4 p.m. Vincent hinted Comrie could get the start in the rematch. “It’s up to him being comfortable or not. We’ll have a little chat and decide,” he said.

With a topsy-turvy end to the calendar year behind him, Comrie’s only seeing things now with 2020 vision.

“This is a team that has a chance to push for a championship, and I still believe that,” he said.

“I think it’s a really great tandem and I look forward to working with (Berdin). I’ve worked with him in the past, he’s an excellent goaltender and I think we can use that to our advantage and win a lot of games this year.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell