Brossoit to mind twine vs. Vegas

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This article was published 18/10/2023 (719 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The last time Laurent Brossoit was on the ice with the Vegas Golden Knights, they were taking turns raising a trophy.

Safe to say it will be much different atmosphere Thursday night at Canada Life Centre. For starters, Brossoit will be doing everything possible to ensure the visitors from Sin City have no reason to celebrate.

“If I was a betting man this is the one I’d assumed I would go. I’m happy that it is,” Brossoit, now a member of the Winnipeg Jets, said of his getting his first start of the new season against some old friends.

Connor Hellebuyck got the first three assignments, giving up a total of 13 goals as the Jets went 1-2-0 against the Calgary Flames, Florida Panthers and Los Angeles Kings. Now it’s Brossoit’s turn, going up against the reigning Stanley Cup champions who are off to a sizzling 4-0 start sand showing no signs of a championship hangover.

“Getting a team that’s in midseason form, I think that’s a great challenge for us,” Brossoit said following Wednesday’s practice at the Hockey For All Centre. “A great opportunity for a great confidence booster if we can take it to them early and play a full 60 minutes against them.”

Brossoit spent the past two years in Las Vegas and was the starting goaltender when the playoffs began last spring, playing a key role in a five-game, first-round series victory over the Jets. Disaster struck early in the second round against the Edmonton Oilers when Brossoit suffered a serious groin injury. His season was over.

Adin Hill took over the crease and the rest, as they say, is history.

“You know, I got a taste of it. It’s great and all, winning a Stanley Cup. But it still didn’t satisfy fully,” said Brossoit. “You want to be the guy in the net in the last game. I got a taste of it and it’s motivated me to want more.”

That wouldn’t come with the Golden Knights. Hill, 27, signed a two-year contract extension this summer that pays him US$4.9 million per year, essentially leaving no room for Brossoit with Logan Thompson (who was injured prior to the start of the playoffs) now back in the mix.

Brossoit, 30, elected to return to Winnipeg, where he spent three previous seasons, on a one-year deal worth US$1.75 million. His hope is to push Hellebuyck, who just signed a seven-year contract extension last week, for playing time.

“Regardless if it was Vegas or not, that was always the game he was going to play,” said Jets coach Rick Bowness.

“Listen, you watch him in practice, he is an incredible worker. Everything I’d heard about him in the summer he’s living up to, like his work habits, he’s being a good teammate, being great around the room and everything. These guys obviously know him a lot better than I do, but he’s done a great job for us so far and he needs to play some games.”

Brossoit said he’s preparing for this start like it was any other, despite who will be firing pucks his way.

“I’ve got some things I’m sharpening up in practice and off the ice and preparing mentally and all that stuff. All those cliches,” he said. “I felt good coming out of the gates, I felt good coming up to camp and through camp and the preseason. Just looking to maintain that and keep pushing forward.”

Brossoit has yet to receive his Stanley Cup ring — he called it “pretty fantastic” — and isn’t sure if the Golden Knights might be bringing it to town to present to him on Thursday, or perhaps save for when Winnipeg visits Vegas on Nov. 2.

“I’m just trying to focus and pay attention here,” he said.

“I’ve been pretty hyper-focused on what I’ve got to do here. I feel like I still have a lot to prove, so I’ve been kind of obsessively focused on improving my game. Selfishly, that’s kind of just let me not focus on what else is going on.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg