Chris Driedger was in the midst of a breakthrough season when the NHL shut its doors two months ago, establishing himself as an everyday option by posting a .938 save percentage for the Florida Panthers more than eight seasons after being drafted by the Ottawa Senators.
For Driedger, who turns 26 this month, it hasn’t always been an easy path from third-round pick to NHL regular but the journey, which included spending time in the ECHL as recently as two seasons ago, has provided the Winnipeg-born goaltender with a lot of valuable lessons and insights into what it really takes to make it to the world’s best league. From how to approach practice, even when they’re running drills set up for the goalie to fail, to managing his mindset before and during games and what he learned from Roberto Luongo and is still learning from Sergei Bobrovsky, as well as a detailed breakdown of his game-day routine right up to how he maintains focus through the national anthems, Driedger spent close to an hour sharing those lessons with InGoal.