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Sports Oakville Beaver ven before Steve Mason began playing net, Rob MacDougall was envisioning how the youngster could help lower his hockey team's goals-against average. "When you're dealing with a house league team, you're trying to hide all your weaknesses," said MacDougall, who first coached Mason in the Minor Oaks Hockey Association's novice division. "He definitely wasn't my weakest (player), but he did have a heck of a wrist shot. I was wondering if I should put him back on defence." The two even went as far as working on Mason's slap shot on MacDougall's backyard rink. But, if Mason was going to become a blueliner, there was one big problem. "He wasn't the greatest skater going backwards," MacDougall recalled. "If it was all straight ahead, look out." Mason soon switched from skating ahead to simply looking ahead, convincing parents Bill and Donna to allow him to strap on the goaltending pads when he was nine years old. "I said `Why don't you be the goal scorer?', and that's what he started out to be. And he was good at it," Donna said. "Rob MacDougall taught him to take a slap shot from the blueline so he played defence sometimes, too. He played both positions, but he wanted to be a goalie." Since making the switch, Mason hasn't looked back. Thursday in Las Vegas, Mason became the first-ever Oakville native to win a National Hockey League individual end-of-season award, taking home the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's top rookie of 2008-09. Led NHL in shutouts The 21-year-old Abbey Park High School grad enjoyed a stellar freshman campaign with the Columbus Blue Jackets, leading the team to its first playoff appearance in franchise history. Mason had a league-high in shutouts (10), was second in goals-against average (2.29), recorded a save percentage of .916 and compiled a 33-20-7 record. Those numbers also earned him consideration for the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the league's top goaltender. That award went to the Boston Bruins' Tim Thomas, but Mason is still thrilled about the way things went down in his first trip to Sin City. "It's been a very happy time for myself and my family," Mason said Saturday morning. www.aplushomes.ca Adam Campbell 905-844-4444 I N D E P E N D E N T LY O W N E D A N D O P E R AT E D Broker of Record B R O K E R A G E SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 2009 25 Mason caps storybook season with Calder E minutes before sitting down for a four-hour autograph session at Kennedy Ford. "There's a lot to be proud of. For the season that was, it was definitely nice to have it capped off by a nice award like (the Calder)." The only downside of the evening was that Bill could not be in attendance, due to the recent recurrence of blood clots in his leg. "He was a huge part of getting me to where I am today, so for him not to be there at such a special time was disappointing," Mason said of his father. "But we listened to the doctors and had him stay home, and he seems to be doing alright." Mason was considered the favourite to win the Calder going into Thursday's gala, but wasn't taking anything for granted. "I'd heard all the rumours. (Sporting News Magazine) gave me their rookie of the year, so that was pretty promising, but until it's done and over with, anything can happen," Mason said. "I was never fully confident until I heard my name called." Confidence is generally not an issue for Mason, who first played rep at age 11 and wore Oakville Rangers colours for at least one season in each of the A, AA and AAA levels. He was drafted into the Ontario Hockey League in 2004 by the London Knights, where Knights goaltender coach Dave Rook further developed Mason into an elite netminder. Mason was selected in the third round of 2006 MICHAEL IVANIN / SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER NHL Entry Draft by the Blue Jackets, and later upped his stock by backstopping Team Canada GOALTENDING FRATERNITY: Oakville Rangers AAA goalie Colton Incze (left) looks on as fellow netminder Steve Mason autographs memorabilia Saturday at Kennedy Ford. Mason was named to gold and earning tournament MVP at the the National Hockey League's rookie of the year last week in Las Vegas. 2007 World Junior Hockey Championship. After undergoing knee surgery last sum"The hiring of Dave says a lot about what the hiring of Rook. mer, Mason wasn't expected to play much in the organization thinks of myself," Mason "If my season goes backwards this coming the NHL this year, starting the season with said, "and I want to prove them right. I don't season, at least I'll have someone to blame," the Blue Jackets' American Hockey League just want to be a one-hit wonder. I want to be he said with a laugh. affiliate Syracuse Crunch. a good goalie in this league for a long time, Based on Mason's history of continual Injuries to Pascal Leclaire and Fredrik and Dave's going to be a key part of it." improvement, a scapegoat is the last thing Norrena forced Columbus to call Mason up Then Mason thought of another positive in he'll need. after only three games in the AHL. He won his debut, 5-4 over the Edmonton Oilers Nov. 5, then defeated the Montreal Canadiens and Calgary Flames in the following few days. Despite the fast start, Mason said his breakthrough game didn't come until Dec. 17, when the Blue Jackets visited the leagueleading San Jose Sharks. "That was really my first outstanding game," said Mason, who made 47 saves that Week Five night in a 2-1 overtime victory. "I was really comfortable that game and gained a lot of Photo Contest confidence for the rest of the year." Winner: The Blue Jackets are now showing similar Jeff Mamer faith in Mason. They dealt Leclaire -- long seen as the Sponsored by: club's goalie of the future -- to the Ottawa Senators in March, and have since signed The Oakville Beaver and A Proud Sponsor of Oakville Soccer Club Rook as their new goaltending coach. OAKVILLE SOCCER CLUB