http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?service=p...ticleid=285331
Mason making the most of opportunity
Nashville’s Chris Mason knows his time in the spotlight could soon be coming to an end.
The Predators' backup goalie was thrust into a starring role last month when star goalie Tomas Vokoun tore a ligament in his thumb. Mason has taken the opportunity and run with it, winning six of 10 starts since Vokoun suffered his injury, gaining at least a point in seven of the outings as the Predators maintained their hold on first place in the Central Division.
”I feel pretty good,” Mason says. “This year, I got to play a little more frequently even when Tomas was healthy. That always helps, because you get a little bit of a rhythm, so you're not going every two or three weeks. I still get that nervousness a little bit when I start, but it's not as bad as it was previous years. I feel pretty good right now and the guys are helping me out.”
Mason has come to grips with life as a backup, a role he has inhabited off and on since joining the organization at its inception back in 1998-89. It is not a role he desires, but it is one that he has vowed to handle as best he can, at least until his own opportunity comes along.
Mason has stunned his critics to earn a NHL paycheck and he has emerged as a more-than-capable backup for Vokoun, a workhorse who has carried Nashville from its expansion-team struggles to its current place among the Western Conference elite. Yet, Mason also knows that his body of work in that role during the past three seasons – a 25-14-4 record, five shutouts and .918 save percentage in 60 games – suggests he could be ready for bigger and better things.