Jeff Glass Finally Gets to the NHL
Jeff Glass looked like he was destined to have a long career in the NHL after his very successful junior hockey career in Canada. His success as a teenager help him get drafted with the 89th overall pick by the Ottawa Senators in the 2004 NHL draft. Glass unfortunately struggled in the minor leagues for four years before he was forced to find a job in Russia’s KHL. Eight years in Russia helped Glass fine-tune his game, but a trip to the NHL still looked highly unlikely. That all changed in late December 2017.
Glass spent all of 2017 playing for the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL. Playing for the minor league affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks put Glass only step away from living his dream in the NHL. The Blackhawks were in desperate need of another goalie when Corey Crawford when down with an upper-body injury on December 27, 2017. The injury forced Chicago to bring up a goalie from their minor league system, and they chose to add Jeff Glass to the roster. After playing for 11 teams in his professional career, Jeff Glass finally got to put on an NHL jersey for the first time.
Jeff Glass made his first appearance in the NHL at the age 32 on December 29, 2017. The oldest rookie in the league subsequently earned his first NHL victory after allowing three goals on 45 shots against the Edmonton Oilers. The Blackhawks were so impressed with the performance, they let Glass start in their next game on New Year’s Eve against the Calgary Flames. Glass had another solid performance, but the team ultimately lost in overtime.
Glass has appeared in a total of six games since making his debut with the Blackhawks. This is three more starts than Chicago’s other goalie, Anton Forsberg, has made in the same time frame. Jeff Glass has helped his team win three games in his six starts. He also owns a very impressive .910 save percentage and 3.18 goals against average in Chicago. Glass will be locked in a timeshare with Forsberg during his time with the Blackhawks, but he likely is not complaining.
After a long journey that took nearly 14 years, it looks like Jeff Glass’ stay in the NHL will not be a short one. The Chicago Blackhawks are highly concerned that Corey Crawford will have to miss the rest of the season. This would nearly guaranteed that Glass has a roster spot with the Blackhawks for the rest of the year. It looks like one of the best stories in the NHL this year is only going to get a lot longer, which is exactly what Jeff Glass deserves after persevering in the minor leagues and Russia for so long.
