REGAL 'TENDER

FLYERS GOALIE BRIAN BOUCHER HAS RAPIDLY ESTABLISHED HIMSELF AS ONE OF THE; TEAM'S STARS. NOW HE MUST DEAL WITH THE EXPECTATIONS THAT WILL ACCOMPANY HIS; ASCENT.

From the Morning Call (Allentown).

LARRY O'ROURKE; The Morning Call

Finding Brian Boucher's capsulized biographical data in the Philadelphia Flyers' 1999-2000 media guide was like trying to find information on a phantom.

Literally.

You had to turn the guide upside down, flip it over and then thumb a few pages into the section devoted to the team's American Hockey League affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms, to find Boucher's capsulized biography last season.

That certainly isn't the case heading into 2000-01. Not only did Boucher force his way into the major-league section of the Flyers' media guide, his play late last season and in the playoffs enabled the team to trade veteran John Vanbiesbrouck to the New York Islanders. He also received a two-year contract worth a reported $ 2.3 million.

The goalie who a year ago was just happy to make his NHL debut, and share playing time with Vanbiesbrouck until late in the season, is now one of the Flyers' marquee players. The 23-year-old from Woonsocket, R.I., is well aware of that status -- and how precarious it is as the Flyers prepare to open the season Thursday against Vancouver at the First Union Center.

'All eyes will be on me to see if I can handle it,' Boucher said.

That's nothing new, he said.

'There's pressure all the time,' Boucher said. 'I put pressure on myself even last year. Last year, I wanted to fight and stay here. Now, I want to fight to stay as the No. 1 goalie. Every year, there are expectations, whether it's by yourself, the organization or fans.

'For me, it's still a learning experience. I want to learn every day, improve every day and get to that level we were at in the playoffs and maintain it for as long as possible.'

Boucher was 20-10-3 with a league-leading 1.91 goals-against average during the regular season, then went 11-7 with a 2.03 GAA as the only Flyer between the pipes for the team's 1,183 postseason minutes, including the 151 minutes and 48 seconds of Philadelphia's 2-1, five-overtime victory at Pittsburgh on May 4. Boucher stopped 57 shots in that game, and let one get by him.

He expects to win with roughly the same frequency.

He does not, however, expect his goals-against average to be nearly so stingy. 'People might expect those numbers again,' Boucher said, 'but I don't think people realize goals-against average is a team stat. I think the team really battled in front of me last year, wanted to help me out.

'When you only play in 35 games as opposed to 60 games, it's a big difference. In 60 games, you might have off nights. It's going to be a test. My goal is to win hockey games, whether it's 4-3, 7-6 or 1-0. My goal is to get the wins.'

Somewhere in the 2000-01 season, however, there is a slump waiting to happen.

Some night when Boucher stops 38 shots, he will have needed to stop 40 because his teammates will have scored just once. Then two nights later, he will stop 40 of 41 shots and lose, 1-0. And then three nights after that, he will allow four goals and lose 4-3.

Flyers coach Craig Ramsay, who owes his promotion to succeed Roger Neilson as much to Boucher's late-season play as anything else, said he's confident Boucher will get through that inevitable slump.

'I think the key with Brian is his confidence; his belief in himself that he is a National League goaltender and the fact Brian sees himself beyond that,' Ramsay said. 'He could be a top-notch goalie. He exudes confidence. Just the way he stands there -- his appearance, his demeanor -- tells you he believes in what he's doing.

'He'll give up a goal, but that one goal doesn't mean anything. It's how he handles the next shot, and he seems to have that confidence.'

The Flyers certainly believe in that confidence, as evidenced by the new contract. By comparison, Pittsburgh's Jean-Sebastian Aubin, who led all rookie goaltenders with 23 regular-season victories but lost his starting role heading into the playoffs, settled for one year and $ 700,000 after a 2-week training camp holdout.

'Every team has a good goalie at this level, but we trust in Brian and we've made that clear,' Ramsay said. 'Most importantly, he trusts himself.'

It took a while for that trust to develop. The Flyers selected Boucher with the 22nd pick of the 1995 draft, watched him play three years of juniors and two full seasons with the Phantoms before making him Vanbiesbrouck's backup at the start of last season.

There were just enough rough spots in those five developmental seasons that Boucher said he is ready for whatever 2000-01 brings.

'Every year, there seems to be ups and downs,' Boucher said. 'It's how you deal with those times that determines how the season goes.'

What Boucher didn't say was what a lot of people think: That how he goes will be the most significant factor in determining how far the Flyers go.

October 4, 2000


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