After 11 seasons, six NHL franchises, and 154 games facing down the world’s most terrifying slapshots, Michael Hutchinson is hanging up the pads. But if you think he is stepping away from the rink to live a quiet life, you don’t know netminders. Goalies are a special class of individuals: a combination of strategist, elastic acrobat, and mental toughness. That is why Hutchinson’s next chapter looks like much of a continuation as opposed to a dismissal.
From the Crease to the Bench
It’s a logical next step for someone who’s proven to be adaptable when facing pressure and has done so on the court. Hutchinson did not merely watch the game, however; as a journeyman netminder, he gained a first-hand look at all the systems in the league. He knows the mental grind; it’s like being ready and getting your name called every night, and how wild the adrenaline rush can be when it’s a game that could make or break playoff success. Now, he’s come to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League with his wealth of experience in the trenches as the team’s all-new goalie coach for the Selkirk Steelers.
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