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McKenna Is A Neat Story

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON

eerlendsson@tampatrib.com

Published: February 9, 2009

BRANDON - Mike McKenna's story is why we love sports. His journey from unsigned draftee and East Coast Hockey League free agent to pitching a shutout in his second NHL start Saturday is the kind of inspirational path to make even casual fans stand up and applaud.

It was neat to see veteran G Olie Kolzig, whose season-ending arm injury paved McKenna's path to the Lightning locker room, be among the first to greet McKenna as he made his way from a postgame television interview back to the locker room.

Seemingly one-by-one, McKenna was getting fist pumps and atta-boys from every direction and every member of the team, from equipment managers Rob Kennedy and Clay Roffer, forward Adam Hall and goaltending coach Cap Raeder, who brought McKenna into the organization.

As he fielded questions from members of the media, he had to collect himself on a couple of occasions before his emotions got the better of him. The questions kept focusing on his journey that started in St. Louis and culminated with an embrace with his father, Terry, at the bench after the game.

By now, McKenna's story has become well known, having started his professional career with Las Vegas of the ECHL after spending four years at St. Lawrence University in New York.

You want karma? How about one of his youth coaches, who happens to live in the area, sitting in the stands Saturday. Or his parents, Beverly and Terry, making it from St. Louis and then navigating the unfamiliar stairwells and hallways to ensure they could be there to greet their son coming off the ice.

And there was referee Don Koharski, who coached McKenna for a brief time in the St. Louis area when McKenna was a young teenager, who happened to get the call to officiate the game.

It's a story that's easy to fall in love with.

"It's really neat," interim Lightning coach Rick Tocchet said. "I've been around sports all my life and when you watch a show like HBO's 'Real Sports,' and I love the sports stories where a guy comes from nowhere and there's a ton of those stories and maybe he's one of those guys. Why can't he be? Why can't he be a guy who gets his chance at the age of 25 and become a regular NHL goalie? That's the sort of stuff that intrigues me. I love that stuff."

You also have to love McKenna's attitude, as he stated after Saturday's game how quickly the bandwagon can turn if things begin to go south.

"You don't know how long this will last. It could be the high point of my career or it could be the starting point," McKenna said after practice Sunday. "It's the nature of the game and you keep trying to put it in perspective as everybody else. I know the reality of it."

No matter how long the ride lasts - one more game, one more week or a 10-year career - McKenna's story will be fun to follow.

STATUS QUO ON SMITH: Nothing has changed regarding the upper-body injury involving G Mike Smith.

Saturday, Lightning general manager Brian Lawton indicated Smith would be ready to practice either Sunday or today and be available to play on Tuesday against Atlanta.

But that is still up in the air after Smith again missed practice Sunday.

FIVE MISSING: Tampa Bay's top five defenseman missed practice Sunday as Paul Ranger, Matt Smaby, Lukas Krajicek and Steve Eminger were given the day off, while Andrej Meszaros remains out with a left arm injury.

Tocchet said the situation with the defense is literally day-to-day and he finds out when he arrives at the rink each day who is ready to play.

The four who suited up on defense for practice were Cory Murphy, David Koci, Marek Malik and Paul Szczechura.

NUTS AND BOLTS: LW Wade Brookbank, acquired from Carolina on Saturday, was not at practice and the team said no decision has been made on his future with the team. ... RW Mark Recchi was given the day off from practice.

Reporter Erik Erlendsson can be reached at (813) 259-7835.

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