Final Grades 2014

Final Grades 2014: JS Giguere, #35

We didn't need Giguere to be stellar this season as Varlamov had that role down pat, but we did need him to hold his own. He did pretty much that.

By Cheryl Bradley Jun 11, 2014, 8:13am MDT

Midway through the season, there was no denying that time had caught up with Jean-Sebastien Giguere. While still positionally sound, he wasn't moving side-to-side or recovering from pad saves quite fast enough. Still, he performed admirably in his spot duties and continued to be an anchor for a team steamrolling towards the playoffs. He'd been there before, and you can be sure his locker room conversations with the kids were spot on. His support of Varlamov in the young Russian's Vezina campaign was also noticeable as the two talked often during practices and TV time outs. Giguere is a legend in his own time, a sure-fire candidate for the Hall of Fame, and while his swan song could have been that of movies, it was one of reality—solid, reliable, and without panic. We'll miss ya, Jiggy!

Regular Season

Stats

GP	W	L	T	OT	SO	GA	SA	SV%	GAA	MIN
22	11	6	-	1	2	53	608	0.913	2.62	1,212

Grade

Staff Comments

c6hor8: He did a great job early on and stole wins for the Avs. He struggles later, which is fine in his age, but I think he was a great mentor to Varly.

Sandie: Sadly his best years are behind him.

Mike: Barely operated at replacement level. Still provided invaluable leadership.

Cheryl: He's still the only goaltender the Avs ever had that didn't induce a panic attack when skating out to play the puck. I'm thrilled that he was able to end his career with the Avs, being that he's my favorite NHL goalie of all time. Yeah, yeah, pipe down. People love players for more than just being the best.