The Sound of "Druuuuuuuuuuce"
Published on May 2, 2011 under Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) News Release
Sometimes it started in the end arena by Sections Three or Four and rolled around the boards like the wave. At other times it began along the side boards, building in intensity and volume.
It was a sound that got louder and louder as the Federal Hockey League's New York Aviators started to rise in the standings and more frequent when the winning streak reached ten games, then 15 and all the way to 21 games propelling the team into first place with home ice advantage in the Commissioner's Cup playoffs.
"Druuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce," the fans at the Aviator Sports and Events Center at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn would chant in tribute to their starting goaltender Kevin Druce when he was introduced before a game and when he made a great or even a very good save. "Druuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce."
"It's really awesome. I love it," said Druce about hearing his name called out that way. "It actually started back in 2003 when I played in Sault St. Marie [Ontario Hockey League, major junior]. They did the same thing and it's kinda followed me along. It lets me know they're appreciating what I'm doing out there."
Whenever that sound is heard you know the 5-11, 195 pound Kingston, Ontario native is putting on a show.
He loves to put on a show whether it's the reality show he won in Boston in 2006 to earn an invitation to the Bruins training camp or here in Brooklyn where his performances helped take the Aviators from last place to the playoff finals where they lost to the Akwesasne Warriors three games to one.
Along the way, Druce was named to the All-FHL team as the league's top goaltender, won the MVP award and led the league with 24 regular season victories and a 2.51 goals against average. He also finished second in save percentage (.916) and minutes played (2126:51) in the 37 games he appeared in and was third in saves (965). Druce's backup, Peter Dundovich from Philadelphia, had a 6-4 record, a 3.48 goals against average and a .906 save percentage.
"It's always good to have a guy like Dundovich," said Druce, "because he pushes you. He makes you want to get better."
Druce also led the league statistically in the playoffs with a 3.23 goals against average and an .899 save percentage along with the most saves (248) and the most minutes played (520:03) but he was not happy with his performance in the opening game of the finals after surrendering two third period goals to Akwesasne in a 4-3 loss on home ice (Saturday, March 19, 2011).
"I definitely didn't play my best hockey tonight," he said after that game. "A couple of those goals I should have had."
The same could be said for the next game the following day. Druce gave up five goals in the third period before being pulled by head coach and team president Rob Miller in a 6-4 loss as the series moved to Canada with the Aviators down 0-2 in the best-of-five final.
Druce played very well in the Aviators' 6-3 win on Friday, March 25, 2011 making 39 saves and in their 5-2 loss the next day to end the season as Akwesasne's fourth and fifth goals were into an empty net.
Earlier in the playoffs Druce shut out the Danbury Whalers 7-0 on the road on Saturday, March 12, 2011 to tie the semi-final series at two games apiece. The Aviators won 4-3 on home ice the following day on Matt Puntureri's overtime goal.
Druce feels the best hockey he has ever played may have been in the training camp of the Boston Bruins after he won that reality show five years ago.
The show, called "Be a Bruin" was put on by the New England Sports Network (NESN).
"Me and my dad made a road trip," said Druce after hearing about the show from a friend. "We went to Boston, got a hotel for a couple of nights. We went to Cheers....had a few beers at Cheers and a tour of Fenway Park and I tried out for this hockey show and I got a call from Brad Park. He was a Hall of Fame defenseman for Boston [and the New York Rangers]....he, Brad Park, Terry O'Reilly and Gerry Cheevers were the coaches of the show so I got a call a couple of weeks after I tried out from Brad Park on my answering machine saying you made the show.
"I went down to the show and ended up doing very well and the champions of the show, there's three, a forward, a defenseman and a goaltender, if you won the show you had a chance to try out with the Bruins," said Druce.
He finished in the top six to initially get on the show. "It was like a skills thing," said Druce. "There was about six to eight drills you had to do. They would time you, skating, playing the puck, stopping the puck and things like that and you got a score for every drill you did.
"So I went to the Boston Bruins training camp," continued Druce, "and tried my best and in my opinion probably played my best hockey I've ever played at that camp. I played in three periods in three games, let in one goal to their enforcer [Wade] Brookbank. He got a tip goal from [Zdeno] Chara at the point and that was the only goal I let in in three games."
Druce also managed to stop the hard-shooting Chara on a one-timer. "They had a power play and I just robbed him with the glove," he said. "It was a heavy shot and I made a pretty big save and he [Chara] comes by the net after the save and he says, 'Lucky save,'" said Druce, imitating the European player's accent.
Druce was grateful that he got the opportunity with the Bruins.
"One of my goals in hockey was just to...to make it to the NHL is very hard but I just thought if I had a chance to show what I have at an NHL training camp I wouldn't be doing myself any good if I never got that shot and I always would have wondered you know but I got that shot and it was one of the greatest experiences in my hockey career, I believe."
That same year Druce spent some time with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization when he filled in during the Olympics after his season ended at York University where he played in 51 games over three years. He wound up dressing one game for the Toronto Marlies (the Maple Leafs' American Hockey League affiliate) but did not play. "It's really cool being a part of those clubs at that level because they do everything so professionally and so well," said Druce.
Druce also played baseball at York, which is his second love in sports and was used mostly as the designated hitter. At the age of 16 he had to choose between the two sports when he was invited to the 16-and-under all-Ontario baseball and hockey camps which were held on the same weekend.
"I loved playing both and it was kind of a big deal playing for your province and I had to make a decision, what would you rather do with the next years of your life, focus on hockey or baseball and not too many Canadian baseball players make it," said Druce. [230 Canadians have played in the major leagues since 1871].
Druce, who earned a degree in sociology at York, played in the OHL with the Oshawa Generals (2001-2003) and the Sault (pronounced soo) St. Marie Greyhounds (2003-2004). His best year was his last as he compiled a 21-26-2 record with a 2.95 goals against average and a .909 save percentage in 49 games (2811 minutes) with one shutout.
Druce moved on to the Twin City Cyclones of the Southern Professional Hockey League from 2007-2009 after college and had a 25-22-6 record.
"They didn't have many fans," said Druce of the North Carolina-based team, "but the fans that they did have were very passionate." Does that sound familiar'
Druce sat out last year when the team he signed with in Holland lost its major sponsor. He then signed a contract with the Louisiana IceGators of the SPHL but the team was not willing to pay for his immigration papers (about $1,700) so he went home.
Fortunately, Druce had something to go home to called "Between the Pipes," a goalie school and camp he started in the summer of 2005 in his home town, initially to pay his college tuition.
"When I was growing up in Kingston there really wasn't any goaltending instruction," he said. "I either had to travel to Toronto or Ottawa which is about two and a half hours each way so I wanted to kind of provide Kingston with the stuff I learned at those camps, make my own camp and have it available to the goaltenders and kids in Kingston.
"Hockey is what I know best so it was in my comfort zone and I had been to so many of these camps and done so many drills and stuff like that it came very simple. I started out my first year out of the university and it's been growing every year. I've been doing it for six years now. So every year it's got bigger and bigger and it's been very successful."
Druce, who says the guys give it to him about his Canadian accent now and then (what does he mean, ay'), might love to put on a show but he is not overly dramatic when it comes to his preparation and routines for the game.
"Nothing too weird or special," he says. "I try to warm up the same. I try to eat around the same time so I kind of feel the same going into games. I get stretched by our trainer Matt [Devin] before each game when possible."
Druce likes to drill by throwing and catching a ball against the glass off the ice to work on his reflexes, hand-eye coordination and visual tracking.
Not too weird, like he says, but he does know other goaltenders who have strange routines and behaviors.
"I know a lot of guys, starting with getting dressed, they always put their left stuff on first, their left skate, their left pad, something like that," he said. "I played with a guy Tyson Kellerman who would take the exact amount of sips out of a water bottle after every whistle or after every whistle in the faceoff in his zone, he'd take three sips of water, stuff like that. I don't do that too often. When I'm in the net I'll drink when I'm thirsty."
Druce regularly skates laps near his net following whistles as part of his routine and started giving his teammates what he calls "like horns or like air high fives" which he copied from the Texas Rangers baseball team from last year's playoffs.
"It kinda started out earlier in the season. Guys didn't notice for a while," he said.
Everybody notices Druce now.
"I only have one aspiration right now," he said before the playoffs, "and that's to win the championship of the FHL. That's it. I'm 27 years old and I'm kind of on the downward spiral of my career so I'm just taking it one year at a time and after this I might be looking at a big boy job pretty soon."
If Druce was to ask the fans in Brooklyn if they would like to see him come back and try for that championship again, there could only be one possible response.
"Druuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce."
~~~~~ ~~~~~
GM / Coach Mike Elberty Resigns
Alexandria Bay, NY-- Team President, Nicole Kirnan announced today that Mike Elberty has resigned from his position of General Manager and Head Coach of the 1000 Islands Privateers in order to pursue other professional opportunities and fulfill family obligations. "I am appreciative of Mike Elberty's efforts leading up to and throughout our inaugural campaign. Coach Elberty's contributions will be felt into the future of this organization".
The 1000 Islands Privateers operate in Alexandria Bay and are a founding franchise in the Federal Hockey League. The Privateers play at the Bonnie Castle Recreation Center in Alexandria Bay. "The future is now" in the Federal Hockey League as the top talent play professional hockey with a chance to advance their careers.
Federal Prospects Hockey League Stories from May 2, 2011
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
