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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, February 14, 2013 · 16 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR:JONKUIPERIJ Phone 905-632-0588 (ext. 294) email sports@oakvillebeaver.com MILESTONE MOMENT: Oakville resident Cody Goloubef scored his first National Hockey League goal Monday in Columbus, helping the Blue Jackets to a 6-2 victory over the visiting San Jose Sharks. A thing of beauty By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR PHOTO COURTESY COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS Cody Goloubef's first NHL goal comes on blast from point As a defenceman, Cody Goloubef knew long ago that if he ever were to score his first National Hockey League goal, it likely wouldn't be of the top corner or flashy deke variety. Monday in Columbus, the 23-year-old Oakville resident did score that first NHL marker, a low blast from just inside the blue line that found its way through a screen and past San Jose Sharks netminder Thomas Greiss. The play perhaps lacked the aesthetics that earn play-ofthe-day honours on nightly sportscasts. But to Goloubef, it was as pretty as they get. "It went pretty well, to be honest," the former Oakville Trafalgar High School student said of his milestone moment, which proved to be the winning goal in the Blue Jackets' 6-2 upset of the Sharks. "It was a good shot, and it was just a good play. The forwards helped me out, getting me the puck and giving me some time." Immediately after the puck hit the back of the net, Goloubef -- the nephew of Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Dick Duff -- looked very much the part of a veteran who had done it before. He calmly celebrated with his teammates on the ice, fist-bumped with all the players on the Columbus bench and then came off the ice for a rest. It wasn't until the following day that the significance of the goal really set in. "For myself, you kind of expect it out of yourself once you get here," Goloubef said. "It was more or less (Tuesday), hearing from all the people coming out of the woodwork who helped me become the player I am today, the minor hockey coaches and players I played with. It's pretty special. Everybody had a different part of it. (Tuesday) was cool to sit back and relive it a little bit." Among the hundred-plus people who contacted Goloubef Tuesday were former University of Wisconsin teammates and current NHL players Ryan McDonagh (New York Rangers), Brendan Smith (Detroit Red Wings) and Adam Burish (San Jose), as well as New York Islanders blueliner Thomas Hickey. Goloubef also heard from longtime friends and fellow Oakville NHLers John Tavares and Sam Gagner. Sam's father Dave, who scored 30-plus goals in six straight seasons for the Minnesota/Dallas franchise from 1988-94, was one of the people Goloubef considers most influential in his hockey career. "He was a big part of the development for me. He pushed me towards the NCAA route and really led me on a good path," Goloubef said of his former coach in the Greater Toronto Hockey League system. "And (Wisconsin coach) Mike Eaves really pushed me to be the best player I could be. Those two guys really did the hands-on work developing me as a player." Goloubef also credits his parents, Peter and Laura, for their support of his career, which has taken off since he was patrolling the blue line for the Ontario Junior Hockey League's Milton IceHawks and Oakville Blades in the mid2000s. Goloubef played three years at Wisconsin and a couple seasons for the American Hockey League's Springfield Falcons before appearing in one game for the Blue Jackets last spring. He started out this season in Springfield once again, earning the call-up to Columbus last week and playing in the Blue Jackets' last four games. "It doesn't seem like long ago I was suiting up in Twin Rinks (now Joshua's Creek Arenas)," Goloubef said. "It's a fun journey. And I think most guys who have done it would agree you wouldn't have it any other way." Now that he's got his first goal out of the way, Goloubef is focused on ensuring he stays with the Blue Jackets for the remainder of the campaign. He sees an opportunity with a young Columbus team that struggled to start the season (which led to Tuesday's firing of general manager Scott Howson) but is showing signs of turning things around. Columbus outshot the Edmonton Oilers 40-13 in a 3-1 loss Sunday, then rode a strong effort from Oakville goaltender Steve Mason to the win over the Sharks Monday. "It's been a process here. We've got a lot of new faces and a lot of new guys. We've been doing the right things the last few games and were not getting rewarded," Goloubef said. "Confidence is starting to build. We've got a good, fast, young, dangerous team here that I don't think gets all that much credit. I think once we get rolling, we will be a difficult team to stop."