Perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey: The NHL’s Masterton Trophy seems made for Scott Clemmensen this season.
When he signed back with the Devils last summer, restarting his career didn’t seem even a remote possiblity. Clemmensen wasn’t even going to be the backup to Martin Brodeur this season, a notion that startled coach Brent Sutter when he was outplaying Kevin Weekes in preseason.
Clemmensen was supposed to be the mentor and teacher for their minor league goalies, winding down a hockey career that never really took off from the heights he hit as an NCAA champion at Boston College.
“I was afraid, last year when I played with the Leafs and lost 6-2 to Pittsburgh, that it might be my last game in the NHL,” Clemmensen said. “Not that I was afraid to play in the NHL, but opportunities are so hard to come by.”
So Clemmensen came back to the Devils, his minor league situation so major that the Devils kept his salary $1 below the figure requiring waivers.
“I pretty much expected to be the whole year in the minors. But I knew they’d call me up and use me if something happened,” Clemmensen said.
Then Brodeur underwent surgery, the team nose-dived to 1-5 in the aftermath, and Clemmensen started winning games – 25-9-1 in his last 36 decisions. The Devils’ season was saved, Brodeur didn’t have to hurry back from surgery, and Clemmensen has a chance at a big contract this summer as an unrestricted free agent.
What happens after Brodeur returns, probably next week, no one knows. But Clemmensen already has written an inspiring story of healthy persistence.