Stephen Leithwood, MWMG
PUCK STOPS HERE: Waterdown native Mark Visentin (29) fends off a rush on the crease during a recent Niagara IceDogs game against the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors. The IceDogs won 11-0 as Visentin made 18 saves for the shutout. On Saturday, Visentin broke the all-time mark in shutouts when he blanked the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 3-0 for his 10th this season.
By Scott Radley, METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP
One of the Ontario Hockey League’s longest-standing records has fallen.
When Waterdown’s Mark Visentin led his Niagara IceDogs to a 3-0 win over Sault Ste. Marie on Saturday night, he earned his 10th shutout of the season, passing the mark held by Len Broderick (1956-57) and Glenn Hall (1950-51).
To give some sense of how long the record has stood, consider that, when Broderick reached the mark, Gordie Howe was the leading scorer in the National Hockey League, Frank Mahovlich had just entered the NHL and Jacques Plante won the Vezina Trophy as top goalie.
In case the shutout wasn’t enough, the win was Visentin’s 14th in a row since returning from the world junior tournament.
The 19-year-old has given up just 15 goals in that time. Six of his shutouts this season have also come in that span. For the record, his last game in that tournament was a 4-0 shutout over Finland in the bronze-medal game.
What makes the OHL record especially remarkable is that Visentin has only appeared in 35 games this season.
He now has 12 games to go after the Canadian junior hockey record of 13 shutouts in a season set by three players, all in the Western Hockey League.
