Montreal Canadiens' goaltender Alex Auld, centre, makes a save on Minnesoata Wild's Antti Miettinen, right, as Canadiens' Mathieu Carle looks for the rebound during third period pre-season NHL action in Montreal, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2010. Backup Auld will get his first start in goal for the Montreal Canadiens on Friday. The club will rest Carey Price for the game against the Islanders in New York.Graham Hughes
It's something, along with money, that nearly everyone wishes he had more of: time.
To think, to relax, to generally get more stuff done, although it's not a complaint you're likely to hear from Alex Auld.
If it's a scarce commodity for the rest of us, the Montreal Canadiens' reserve goaltender has it in ample supply these days, having yet to play a minute this season. That all changes in Long Island Friday night, when Auld takes the net for his first start in bleu, blanc et rouge.
On Thursday, the 29-year-old veteran talked about life as a spectator with the candour and perspective that befit a man who has had a chance to reflect on things.
"A few years ago I would have dwelled on it more, but now my approach is to take it day by day and game by game," he said. "I've found that if you start worrying about the games you're not playing, you won't be ready when it's your turn."
Auld admits that without the benefit of game-level adrenalin, it's harder for him to stay sharp, and pulled back the curtain on what it's like to prepare to start after a month of hanging up dry equipment after games.
"I'll wake up and be a little bit more inside myself," he said. "I think it's a different mental approach. You come to the rink and you're a little more methodical and things like that. Probably the biggest difference is in the afternoon. A lot of times when I'm not playing, I don't sleep on game day, because then I find I can't sleep at night. But obviously I'll sleep for an hour two [Friday]and go over a lot of things in my mind."
That "mental rehearsal" is the biggest difference from a regular day, when Auld comes to the rink knowing he'll play only in case of injury or equipment malfunction.
And even in this case, Auld already knows he's going to be back to his regular duties on Saturday, when Montreal plays host to the Florida Panthers.
But Auld, like his 23-year-old stablemate, Carey Price, is a pretty low-key customer, so he's unlikely to suddenly morph into an incarnation of former Habs goalie Jeff Hackett, who used to bark at anyone who dared brush his equipment in the dressing room.
"I'm not going to be too difficult," Auld said. "I don't need a huge perimeter or force field around myself. It's not like the old days where if somebody touched their gear, guys would be breaking sticks and stuff."
When the Habs signed Auld to a one-year, $1-million (all currency U.S.) contract last summer, it raised eyebrows in some hockey circles given the other players available. But Auld played for Habs coach Jacques Martin in Florida and has an excellent rapport with goaltender coach Pierre Groulx, who was part of Martin's staff with the Panthers.
Martin said that after a 2009-10 season in which Price competed tooth-and-nail with Jaroslav Halak for net time, the team was looking to create a different, less adversarial vibe this season.
"Alex is a veteran netminder, he has a good relationship with Carey and he helps Carey, and I think will give us some strong games," Martin said.
Martin is not averse to riding a starting goalie hard; Roberto Luongo started 75 games for him in Florida in 2005-06. Price likely won't top that number.
"I don't have a number in mind, we'll just manage it as we go along," Martin said. "I won't rule out [75] but it doesn't mean I'm targeting 75 either."
At another stage in his career, Auld would have been less understanding. A former second-round draft pick, the lanky, Alberta-born goalie started 67 games for the Vancouver Canucks in 2005-06.
But in what has become a peripatetic career, he has now played for seven NHL organizations.
"I have a good record in first games with new teams," he said with a smile.