What’s it like replacing Nick Saban? Behind the scenes of Kalen DeBoer’s first Alabama game week
-
Chris Low, ESPN Senior Writer
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The drenching rain came out of nowhere Saturday afternoon.
Kalen DeBoer didn’t seem to mind.
Smiling as raindrops ricocheted off his face, DeBoer strode confidently and nodded as he passed the bronze statue of his predecessor, the legendary Nick Saban, while leading the Alabama football team — his Alabama football team — down the Walk of Champions and into Bryant-Denny Stadium.
It was a day that was both surreal and historic, culminating with win No. 1 of the DeBoer era, a 63-0 demolition of Western Kentucky that saw the Crimson Tide gain 600 yards on offense and hold the Hilltoppers to 145 yards.
The players said there were smiles galore in the Crimson Tide locker room afterward, and with good reason. It had been a dizzying transition for everybody since Saban retired.
But on Saturday night, DeBoer was the toast of the locker room. He said a few words to his team and sent the players on their way. But not before quarterback and team captain Jalen Milroe got everybody’s attention and awarded the game ball to the Tide’s new coach.
“He might be new to everybody else, but not to us. He’s our coach, and this was just the start,” said linebacker Deontae Lawson, another team captain. “We’re 1-0, and that’s what he’s been saying ever since he got here, to go 1-0 in everything we do.”
Fifteen years ago, DeBoer was in his final season as head coach at NAIA Sioux Falls. Ten years ago, he was in his first season as offensive coordinator at Eastern Michigan, and five years ago, he was in his only season as offensive coordinator at Indiana.
Now, he is 1-0 as head coach at Alabama.
ESPN had inside access to DeBoer’s first game week in Tuscaloosa. Here’s a look behind the curtain at the dawning of a new era in Crimson Tide football.
31 hours to kickoff: Tide Teammates
Even with Saturday night’s resounding win before a sellout crowd, one of the loudest cheers of the week came from inside the Alabama indoor practice facility Friday morning as the Tide went through their final walk-through before the season opener.
As he gathered the team together, DeBoer stood beside 10-year-old Suzannah Earnest and introduced her to the team. She was about to score the first touchdown of the DeBoer era, part of the “Tide Teammates” program DeBoer brought with him from Washington.
“It’s our way of lifting up a kid that maybe needs to be lifted up, doing our part to help them as they’re going through cancer or anything else they may be fighting,” DeBoer said. “I think we get more out of it than the kids. It’s a reminder that it’s a privilege to play this game.”
Suzannah was diagnosed in 2022 with Friedreich’s ataxia, a progressive genetic condition. There are only 5,000 known cases in the United States, and most people with FA need a wheelchair within 10 to 15 years of diagnosis. She’s also dealing with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which impacts her heart.
But she was ready to go Friday when her favorite Alabama player, Milroe, broke the huddle and handed the ball off to her. It was supposed to be a running play, but Suzannah called an audible and threw a two-handed pass. She eventually got the ball back and was escorted into the end zone by her Crimson Tide teammates for the day.
“They were tall,” she said excitedly.
But the Alabama players were just as excited. They gathered around her, jumping and celebrating as if they’d just won the national championship. Suzannah was there with her parents, Justin and Holly, and her older brother, Keasler. And in the spirit of team, she wanted to make sure her friends at Sipsey Valley Middle School in nearby Ralph, Alabama, were mentioned (Tanner, Eliza, Riley and Jordyn) “if you’re going to put me in the news.”
Being a part of DeBoer’s first game week as Alabama’s coach was nothing short of a dream.
“It gives you hope, all of us, and tells you everything you need to know about Coach DeBoer and these players,” Holly Earnest said.
The players were still talking about their first glimpse of “Tide Teammates” 30 minutes later when they went to lunch. Milroe said that connectivity has been a staple of DeBoer’s program since he arrived on campus.
“It’s like that in everything we do, practice, meetings or anything outside of football,” Milroe said. “You see how real Coach DeBoer is. He’s always who he is, and he trusts us to be who we are. That’s what every player wants.”
24 hours to kickoff: Rare Tide
The team meeting Friday night at Hotel Capstone just across the street from the football complex was short and to the point. All of DeBoer’s meetings are.
He reinforced the 10 p.m. curfew; went over the schedule for Saturday; and, mindful that this was all new ground for the players, casually asked if there were any questions.
Then came something else DeBoer brought with him from Washington. It’s called “Rare Tide,” a way to honor somebody not necessarily inside the football program who has been “unusually great with uncommon values and/or sets themselves apart from others.” Called “Rare Breed” at Washington, the first recipient at Alabama was Tina Thomas, a longtime custodian at the football complex. She had no idea she was going to be honored, so one of the staff members told her they needed her help just to get her to the meeting.
When DeBoer first came to Alabama, he had everybody in the building gather together and introduce themselves.
“And you got the biggest roar of them all,” DeBoer reminded Thomas.
She received another roar from the players as she signed her “Rare Tide” plaque that will hang in the team room.
“We’ll see it each and every day,” DeBoer said as he hugged Thomas.
His final message for the Western Kentucky game: “When they walk off the field, we want them to know they never want to face us again. Ever. I can’t wait to see you guys on that field. Go out and cut it loose.”
107 hours to kickoff: ‘Prepare like you’ve never won before’
The first game-week team meeting of the DeBoer era was proof enough that there was a new sheriff in town. With rap music from Gucci Mane blaring early Tuesday morning, DeBoer was chatting with players in the front row 10 minutes before the 7:20 meeting began.
Saban’s meetings were more like more like a presidential address as he entered a hushed room just as the meeting began and got right down to business. One of the other differences under DeBoer is that the Tide have shifted to morning practices instead of afternoon. And, yes, there was also music thumping through speakers during the practices.
“Yeah, a little different. I always kid Coach [DeBoer] about what’s on his music playlist for the day,” Milroe said. “He mixes it up, same way as his offense.”
The playlist actually comes from any number of people within the program. DeBoer is a fan of classic rock from the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s, which is why Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion” echoed across the practice field Tuesday. Some days, it might be a little Boston and Journey.
The players love the new vibe, but the holdovers said the suggestion that practices have suddenly become Club Med is overblown. Alabama, which will take Mondays off during the season, begins practice with its Crimson period, the No. 1 offense vs. No. 1 defense.
“It sets the tone for the rest of practice,” said offensive guard Tyler Booker, also a captain. “We’re as physical as we’ve ever been. That standard will never change here, and it’s a standard that Coach DeBoer demands as much as Coach Saban. We said it when Coach Saban was here and say it now.
“We are the standard.”
Before the meeting broke up, DeBoer had one last message:
“Prepare like you’ve never won before. Let it rip and have some fun.”
73 hours to kickoff: The coaches show
DeBoer usually swings by the training table every morning for breakfast to check on the players. Last Wednesday, he also had lunch at the training table, a big plate of grilled chicken.
“It’s important for them to see me in here, and I want to see them and be around them in a setting outside of the practice field or meetings,” DeBoer said.
Saban was a stickler for eating lunch in his office every day, a salad with cherry tomatoes and a few turkey slices.
As DeBoer finished his lunch, he dumped his trash and returned his plate and silverware to the bin. He laughed heartily when asked if it’s true that while at Sioux Falls, he was the one who made sandwiches for his team on its long bus rides.
“That story gets better every time it gets told,” he said. “The sandwiches were already made and in coolers, but we did stop at parks or rest stops to eat on our way. We’d leave early in the morning the day of the game because most of those drives were several hours.
“Now, I’d help clean up and make sure everything was thrown away before we left, but I wasn’t the one making the sandwiches.”
Another connection to the Sioux Falls days for DeBoer is his executive assistant, Ali Smith, who came with DeBoer from Washington. Her father, Rob Smith, was the head coach at Western Washington when DeBoer was a senior at Sioux Falls in 1996, when Sioux Falls beat Western Washington for the NAIA Division II national championship.
Ali helped DeBoer handle the many ticket requests and travel arrangements for family and friends who would come in for the game. Over lunch Wednesday, DeBoer was fielding numerous text messages from folks who went back to his Southern Illinois days more than 10 years ago and beyond.
DeBoer was quick to bring that up Wednesday night as Ali rode with him to his radio show at Baumhower’s Victory Grille. The show was on Thursdays when Saban was coaching, and the place was packed for DeBoer’s first show of the season. DeBoer was joined by Milroe; Saban always had a media member as a guest.
Elbert Roberts, aka Peewee from Grand Bay, who was the first caller to Saban’s radio show every week, drove to be there in person, and in keeping with tradition, asked the first question. Always concerned about the offensive line, he told DeBoer that Alabama needs to be known as “OL U.”
Captain Tommy Rester of the Tuscaloosa Police Department has been a fixture around the Alabama program for several years. He drove DeBoer to and from the radio show, as he did Saban, who was a bit of a backseat driver and known to grumble if the traffic light stayed red too long.
But not DeBoer, who was busy talking about the turnout for his first show.
“Coach, I’m always going to be right there with you and don’t want you to think that I’m hovering,” Rester told DeBoer. “But I also don’t want somebody who’s crazy reaching out for you.”
But that passion, DeBoer said, is exactly why he’s at Alabama. The tricky part is staying on the right side of that passion. When DeBoer was whisked out of the restaurant by his security team at the end of the show, they went through a roped-off area, but that didn’t keep him from stopping and taking selfies with several fans.
DeBoer was in the office before dawn every day that week, so there was not a lot of family time. But there was a smile on his face when he saw his wife, Nicole, and two daughters, Alexis and Avery, sitting at one of the front tables in the restaurant for the show. Alexis will head back to Washington later this month. She plays softball for the Huskies. Avery plays volleyball and attends public school in Tuscaloosa.
“We’re used to not seeing him much this time of year,” Alexis said.
Fans crowded in to welcome the DeBoer family to the area, and Nicole even got a special welcome when Big Al, the Tide’s elephant mascot, accidentally hit her in the head with his trunk.
Nicole met DeBoer during her senior year at Augustana University in Sioux Falls when he was teaching history and coaching high school football. While many football coaches are known for their liberal use of salty language, Nicole joked that she’s the one “who does the swearing for the family.”
“All the years we’ve been together, I think I’ve heard him get angry and raise his voice two times,” she said.
Game day: The passing of the torch
Saban hustled back from his duties on ESPN’s “College GameDay” in College Station, Texas, to be in Tuscaloosa for DeBoer’s debut, watching with his family from their suite. Saban plans to be at as many of the Tide’s home games as possible.
“He knows how much I want to see him have success and the team have success, and the thing I’ve been most impressed with is that he’s done it the way he’s always done it and the way he’s had success doing it,” Saban told ESPN. “I’m like all Alabama fans out there. I can’t wait to see where he takes us.”
DeBoer and Nicole visited with Saban on Thursday night at the memorial services for Saban’s mother, Mary, who died last Monday. She was 92.
Earlier that day, as DeBoer called the team together at the end of practice, he told the players he got a call from Saban that morning.
“He just wanted you guys to know how much he cares about you, how much he loves you and he can’t wait to watch you play this year,” DeBoer told the players.
Saban was inside the Alabama football complex only twice during the preseason, both times using a rear entrance to have head athletic trainer Jeff Allen provide treatment on his back.
“That’s been purposeful by Coach [Saban],” Allen said. “People get a little institutionalized when a coach is there as long as he was and has that kind of success. People ask me all the time how it’s going, and my barometer is always the players. My job is to adapt to the way Kalen DeBoer wants it done, not focus on how we used to do it per se.
“I think the worst thing that we can do … is say, ‘We’ve never done it that way before.’ You can’t fall into that trap, and we haven’t.”
For holdovers from Saban’s staff, there have been adjustments. There was a running joke in the building that if you heard a clicking sound approaching on the tile floor of the complex, you had better be ready. Saban always wore dress shoes to work.
DeBoer is more discreet, moving quietly while wearing sneakers, occasionally paired with a Tommy Bahama shirt, and has shown up at one of his coach’s doors with a plate of cookies.
Running backs coach Robert Gillespie is one of two on-field assistants (along with defensive line coach Freddie Roach) whom DeBoer kept from Saban’s staff. Gillespie has been around some of the biggest names in football. He played at Florida and in the NFL under Steve Spurrier, then coached under the Head Ball Coach at South Carolina. Gillespie also coached under Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State and Mack Brown at North Carolina before joining Saban at Alabama.
“He’s not trying to be anybody but himself,” Gillespie said of DeBoer. “Some guys come into a place like this with a big ego. But he was secure enough and smart enough to know that this place is different. These kids are used to winning, and [DeBoer] was confident, but he listened to the kids. Some new coaches come in and don’t take the time to listen.”
While Alabama certainly is different from any of DeBoer’s previous stops, Ron McKeefery, who first worked with DeBoer at Eastern Michigan and is now special assistant to the head coach, knows him well enough to say it won’t matter.
“He grew up on a farm and is the same guy he’s always been,” McKeefery said. “This place might change a lot of people. It won’t change him.”
Kelvin Croom, younger brother of former Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom and a longtime pastor at College Hill Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa, has come to practice on Thursdays for years to pray with the players. He said he has had a front-row seat for all the coaching transitions at Alabama since Bear Bryant retired in 1982.
“This has been the smoothest,” Croom said. “Coach Saban is excited and behind Coach DeBoer, and Coach DeBoer is secure enough to do it his way while still respecting what Coach Saban did before him. But it’s like making scrambled eggs. We all can make them, and maybe we make them different ways.
“What matters is if they come out delicious.”
On to Week 2: ‘The new era’
DeBoer had long since accepted his game ball Saturday night and was already looking ahead to Game 2 of his Alabama tenure when Joe and John Atcheson and their families wandered out of Bryant-Denny Stadium and walked across the street to the condo they had rented for the weekend. They made sure to soak up the moment before leaving the stadium.
The brothers are dentists, graduates of Alabama and lifelong fans. They live 10 minutes outside of Clemson, South Carolina, and reminded their kids (Carter, Carson, Connor and Anna) during Saban’s incredible run “to enjoy this.”
They admitted not seeing Saban on the sideline for the first time in 18 years was weird but agreed the positive energy inside the stadium was impossible to ignore.
“There was never this sense of, ‘It’s over,’ doom and gloom or whatever when Coach Saban retired,” John Atcheson said. “We were all like, ‘Hey, we’ve got something good going here, and this is just the new era.'”
The torch has been passed. This is Kalen DeBoer’s team and his time.
“Can’t wait to do it again a week from now,” DeBoer said.
-
Buster Olney
The Boston Red Sox might be the best embodiment of the emotional swings that teams go through in this era of major league baseball.
Ten days ago, they had dropped nine of their past 12 games, and industry executives were eyeing the strongest parts on Boston’s roster in case the team was forced to start dealing players before the July 31 trade deadline. But instead, right-hander Hunter Dobbins notched two wins against the New York Yankees, Roman Anthony arrived in the big leagues (finally) and the Red Sox are back to .500, fostering a run at the postseason, real or imagined.
Then, a Father’s Day trade, out of the blue: Craig Breslow, the head of baseball operations for the Red Sox, shipped Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. He addressed all the necessary business at once — dumping the contract of the unhappy Devers, adding pitching depth, and creating opportunity for the team’s young position players by opening the team’s DH spot.
He and the Giants’ Buster Posey completed what seems destined to be the biggest trade of the summer. In doing so, they shifted more onus onto some of their peers. Here are seven more who have the most at stake as trade season heats up.
Mike Hazen, general manager, Arizona Diamondbacks
Hazen will have a lot of say about what happens at this year’s trade deadline because if Arizona decides to trade talent, he’ll dangle a highly marketable set of players. Josh Naylor (Could the Mariners be interested? Or the Giants?), Eugenio Suarez (Yankees would be in on him), Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen would become some of the best options, and other GMs like to trade with Hazen because they find him communicative and decisive.
But Hazen has also seen success when his team has been on the fringe of contention. Two years ago, the D-backs won 84 regular-season games and, after upsetting the Phillies in the playoffs, came within two victories of winning the World Series. Arizona just lost Corbin Burnes and reliever Justin Martinez to major injuries, but with an extraordinary core of talent, could Hazen add help, rather than trade away players? Knowing that Burnes will miss most or all of next year, could Hazen start constructing the team’s 2026 rotation? A lot is riding on his choices this trade season.
Arizona’s chances for making the playoffs, according to FanGraphs, are 34.9%.
David Dombrowski, president of baseball operations, Philadelphia Phillies
Over the past couple of years, Dombrowski installed two younger starting pitchers into his rotation, 28-year-old left-hander Cristopher Sanchez and 27-year-old Jesus Luzardo, acquired in a trade with the Marlins. Meanwhile, Andrew Painter, the highly regarded 22-year-old right-hander the Phillies held out of the Garrett Crochet trade talks last summer, has reached Triple-A.
However, the Phillies’ group of position players is older, with Bryce Harper in Year 7 of the 13-year deal he signed and Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto in the last years of their respective contracts. The team’s window is now. Jose Alvarado could return from his PED suspension before the end of the regular season, but he will be ineligible for the postseason. The Phillies need bullpen help, just as they did last season, and Dombrowski will need to augment that group before the deadline.
“He’s been through this plenty of times before,” one of his peers said. “He’ll make deals. He always does.”
Jerry Dipoto, president of baseball operations, Seattle Mariners
Seattle has been wildly inconsistent while sorting through some rotation injuries. George Kirby has gradually improved over the five starts since being activated from the injured list, and Logan Gilbert was just activated off the IL and will start Monday against the Red Sox. If not for Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh would be the front-runner for the American League MVP Award.
But despite Raleigh’s power, the Mariners are struggling for offense at first base (their group has a wRC+ of 90, 22nd among the 30 teams) and DH (24th in wRC+, at 89). There is a clear need for a thumper, whether it’s Ryan O’Hearn or Josh Naylor — or someone of that ilk. As with the Orioles a year ago, the Mariners’ farm system is loaded, and Dipoto can present a buffet table of options to rival executives looking for a match.
Chris Young, president of baseball operations, Texas Rangers
Last July, with the Rangers coming off their first championship in 2023, Young waited and waited for a turnaround that never came before the trade deadline, refusing to deal. This year’s problems are a little different, but still similar. Jacob deGrom is dominating, but the offense has been shockingly sparse, with Texas ranked 26th in runs scored. There are reasons for hope: Evan Carter, impacted by injuries over the past 18 months, is hitting .387 in June (although he has been experiencing a wrist issue in recent days), and Wyatt Langford is getting better. It’s also hard to imagine Marcus Semien hitting .224 all year.
Young bet on a turnaround last summer. Will he do so again this year?
Mike Elias, general manager, Baltimore Orioles
The hole the Orioles have dug this season might be too deep to escape — they’re 6½ games out of the last AL wild-card spot. The Orioles were just 2½ games out of the wild-card race in 2022 when Elias chose to trade talent away rather than acquire it. But the context is different now, with Baltimore’s group of prospects older. By year’s end, Adley Rutschman will have four years of service time.
One way or another, Elias has to start building a rotation for next season. Maybe dealing Ryan O’Hearn and/or Cedric Mullins and others will help.
J.J. Picollo, general manager, Kansas City Royals
With the recent spate of losses, Kansas City is under .500 — and their playoff chances are 13.3%, per FanGraphs. Picollo’s track record is well-established: He has done what he can to win, signing free agents such as Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha and Carlos Estevez, and more recently, promoting top prospect Jac Caglianone and bypassing the opportunity to manipulate his service time.
But Cole Ragans is out indefinitely because of a strained shoulder, and Lugo has an opt-out on his deal after this season — and at 35 years old, it makes sense for him to take advantage of his leverage. Maybe that’s a contract extension with the Royals, or maybe that’s testing free agency. If the Royals’ recent malaise takes root, Lugo would be coveted in the trade market.
Jed Hoyer, president of baseball operations, Chicago Cubs
Chicago is so good — its offense so dynamic and versatile, its defense so efficient — that one evaluator believes that the question for Hoyer is not whether the Cubs will make the playoffs (their playoff chances, per FanGraphs, is 88.5%), but what will make them more dangerous in the meaningful games they’re bound to play at the end of the season. Especially with Kyle Tucker, the heart of the offense this year, headed for free agency in the fall.
Pitching is needed, with Justin Steele out for the season. The talented-but-young Ben Brown has an ERA of 5.71, and Colin Rea has been inconsistent. The Diamondbacks’ Kelly or Gallen might be a perfect fit, while the Orioles’ Zach Eflin would be an upgrade.
The Cubs’ payroll is well under the luxury tax threshold — 12th highest in the majors — but Chicago’s offer to Alex Bregman wasn’t competitive, even though he would’ve been a perfect fit. Rival evaluators wonder if Cubs ownership will green-light the sort of pricey acquisition that could help this team compete for its second title in the past decade.
-
Kristen Shilton
There is an art to becoming a full-time NHL starting goaltender.
There is art, too, in being a successful NHL backup.
It requires embracing the unknown. It’s preparing to play without actually playing. There are long stretches of no puck touches — but the expectation of delivering your best at a moment’s notice.
That kind of pressure isn’t for everyone. But Edmonton Oilers‘ goaltender Calvin Pickard isn’t just anyone. He has forged a career excelling in secondary roles, the classic blue-collar contributor exemplifying work ethic and a straightforward mentality. One day at a time. One game after another.
It’s not easy. Pickard just makes it seem that way.
“I guess you’d say he’s one of the rare goalies,” Oilers forward Evander Kane said. “He’s just a normal guy. He’s really popular in [our] room.”
And how. Pickard has helped save Edmonton from back-breaking deficits in this NHL postseason not once, but twice. And Pickard could be on track to keep the Oilers alive again as they face elimination in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET, TNT/Max).
That’s as pressure-packed as it gets, yet Pickard’s most recent efforts showcased a goalie at his peak.
Pickard entered the Final as Edmonton’s No. 2 behind Stuart Skinner. He looked on as the Oilers split the series’ first two games, and then entered troubled waters. Skinner started again in Game 3, and Florida pounded Edmonton 6-1. Coach Kris Knoblauch replaced Skinner with Pickard late in that debacle, where all Pickard could offer was cleanup duty.
Edmonton moved on to Game 4 with a 2-1 series deficit, carrying an undeniable whiff of fragility that was about to be painfully exposed.
Knoblauch passed over Pickard for Skinner as his starter. The result was disastrous. Skinner gave up three goals on 14 shots in the first period, for an .824 save percentage. Edmonton limped off the ice down 3-0 and Knoblauch had to do something.
Enter Pickard.
The 33-year-old took over Edmonton’s crease and backstopped them to a shocking comeback as the Oilers scored three second-period goals for a 3-3 tie heading into the third. Pickard was excellent holding off the Panthers’ attack with tough, critical stops that gave the Oilers a chance to offer some goal support at the other end. And Edmonton’s eventual 5-4 victory in overtime would not have been possible without Pickard’s 22 saves.
2:24
How ‘clutch’ Calvin Pickard helped spur Oilers to Game 4 win
Steve Levy and Kevin Weekes break down the Oilers’ comeback win in overtime in Game 4 to even the series with the Panthers.
It was simple enough then that when the series returned to Edmonton tied 2-2 going into Game 5 on Saturday that Pickard would have at least 24 hours notice of his next playing time. That it was happening in the Cup Final could rattle other goalies who hadn’t actually started a full game in five weeks.
But then again, Pickard isn’t a typical backup. He’s built differently.
“I guess you could look at [Game 5] as the biggest game in my life, but the last game was the biggest game in my life until the next one,” Pickard said. “It’s rinse and repeat for me. It’s been a great journey; I’ve been to a lot of good places. Grateful that I had the chance to come to Edmonton a couple years ago, and this is what you play for. I’m excited.”
The game itself didn’t go to plan for Edmonton. The Oilers fell behind early — again — and this time no number of eye-popping stops by Pickard (including a massive one on Carter Verhaeghe in the first period) could save Edmonton from itself in a 5-2 loss.
Pickard’s stat line was weak — giving up four goals on 18 shots for a .778 save percentage — but Knoblauch wasn’t convinced he was the problem. Nor would Knoblauch commit to him for Game 6.
“I’m not going to make that decision right now after a tough loss tonight,” the coach said after Game 5. “But from what I saw, I think Picks didn’t have much chance on all those goals. Breakaways, shots through screens, slot shots. There was nothing saying that it was a poor performance.”
It was Pickard’s first loss in the postseason, a testament to his body of work. It wasn’t so long ago he was in control of the Oilers’ crease. A stronger team effort in front of Pickard could have him shining there again Tuesday; Edmonton has been outscored 15-8 in its past three games, a frustrating reality given the Oilers’ depth of offensive talent and defensive capabilities.
“The quality of opportunities were really good [in Game 5], so there’s no fault at Calvin at all on any of those goals,” Knoblauch said. “When the pressure’s not on [the goalies] that they have to make every single save to keep this close or keep us ahead [it’s better]. It’d be nice to get some goal support. [Game 5] was a case where we were having difficulty generating offense. It’d be nice to have that lead and play knowing that they have to open things up when they’re trailing.”
THE OILERS WERE in a bad spot midway through the first round.
They’d entered the playoffs among the field’s Cup favorites after making the Final a year ago, falling there in Game 7 to the same franchise they’re battling now. The Oilers rebounded in a strong regular season, finishing third in the Pacific Division with 101 points.
It was worrisome then that they started the postseason with a thud, falling behind 2-0 in their first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings. Skinner was Edmonton’s starter at the time, and had given up 11 goals in those two defeats. Pickard had watched (almost) all of it happen from the bench, save for a brief appearance late in Game 2.
Knoblauch tapped Pickard to start in Game 3. Cue another comeback.
Pickard helped the Oilers reel off four straight wins to vanquish the Kings and send Edmonton to the second round. He peeled off another pair of wins against the Vegas Golden Knights to spot Edmonton a 2-0 series lead — only to sustain a lower-body injury in Game 2 that would cut his magical postseason run off at 6-0-0 with an .892 save percentage and 2.76 goals-against average.
Edmonton again turned to Skinner, who responded with a sensational run of his own leading the Oilers through their Western Conference finals series against the Dallas Stars. The now-healthy Pickard was more of a spectator again. Biding his time had become second nature.
“The last couple of years, [Skinner] has played much more than I have,” Pickard said. “So, practice time is huge for me. [Our staff] has me dialed in when I’m not playing and doing different drills to replicate situations in games, and for when that chance comes.”
Pickard has learned how to leverage his reps, perceiving each one as meaningful even when the outcome is a foregone conclusion.
“Getting the time in Game 3 [of the Final] at the end, even when it was out of hand there [with the score], it’s still good ice time for me to get out there and see game action,” Pickard said. “That propelled me to be ready for Game 4. [Any of that] practice time’s huge.”
It’s also fitting for a goalie like Pickard — who can revel entering a rout — to be on the path to a potentially distinctive feat. According to ESPN Research, the last time multiple goalies on a Cup-winning team recorded decisions in a Final for non-injury related reasons was when the Boston Bruins alternated between Gerry Cheevers and Eddie Johnston in 1972. Cheevers started Game 1, Game 3 and the clinching Game 6 in that series.
Skinner and Pickard are also only the second tandem in NHL history to have each recorded at least seven victories in a single postseason, joining Marc-Andre Fleury (nine wins) and Matt Murray (seven) during the Pittsburgh Penguins‘ Cup run in 2017.
But Pickard’s road here wasn’t quite like his predecessors — or his current goalie teammate.
Pickard was drafted by Colorado in the second round at No. 49 in the 2010 NHL draft. His first and only season as a starter for the Avalanche was in 2016-17, when he filled in for injured Semyon Varlamov.
Colorado exposed him that summer in the expansion draft and Pickard was selected by Vegas, with the idea he’d be Fleury’s backup. But the Golden Knights also selected Malcom Subban off waivers and put him behind Fleury instead. Pickard was then put on waivers and picked up by the Toronto Maple Leafs, who sent him to the minors.
From there, the New Brunswick, Canada, native kept moving around, waived by Toronto and then Philadelphia before a brief stint in Arizona. In July 2019, Pickard signed as a free agent with the Detroit Red Wings — his fifth team in two years — and still couldn’t take hold in the NHL. He toggled between the Red Wings and the American Hockey League for three seasons.
In July 2022, Pickard arrived in Edmonton … sort of. He signed a two-year, two-way deal with the club and spent his first season in the AHL. Pickard finally saw sustained NHL play the next season as the Oilers grappled with struggling starter Jack Campbell, giving Pickard his most games in the league (23) since 2016-17. That was enough to keep him on as Skinner’s backup this season.
The rest, as they say, is history. Pickard’s patience through the process has impressed those teammates now relying on him to pull them through to a Cup title.
“He’s been doing this for a long time, he has a ton of experience and been to a lot of different dressing rooms,” Kane said. “That can help you along when you do come on to different teams, making a little bit of an easier transition. Now you’re just seeing that off-ice translate on to the ice with his performance, and how much he’s helped us to where we are here today … in the Stanley Cup Final.”
If people weren’t paying attention to Pickard when he stepped in for Skinner against the Kings, there’s no doubt all eyes are on him now. It’s attention that Pickard has earned.
“[Pickard is] someone who’s just kind of stuck with it all along and he’s been a true pro and a great person all the way through,” Edmonton captain Connor McDavid said. “I think good people get rewarded and he works as hard as I’ve seen. Couldn’t be more deserving.”
KNOBLAUCH ISN’T ONE to be rushed.
He has been cagey about naming a starter throughout the Final. That will hold true again for Game 6.
“[It’s] a conversation with the staff, obviously our goaltending coach, Dustin Schwartz, but with all the assistants, the general manager,” Knoblauch said. “[We’ll] kind of weigh in how everyone feels and what’s best moving forward. It’s not an easy decision. We’ve got two goalies that have shown that they can play extremely well, win hockey games and we feel that no matter who we choose, they can win the game.”
Pickard’s numbers in the series (.878 SV%, 2.88 GAA) are stronger than Skinner’s (.860 SV%, 4.20 GAA) and they are on par for the entire postseason (Pickard holds an .886 SV% and 2.85 GAA to Skinner’s .891 SV% and 2.99 GAA). Their records, though, are quite different: 7-1 for Pickard, 7-6 for Skinner.
So, who gives the Oilers their best chance to win Game 6 and drag Florida back to Edmonton for a second straight Game 7 finale between these teams in the Cup Final?
If Pickard does get the call, it will be a culmination of 10 years of consistent effort to be trusted when there’s no tomorrow. There’s only the present moment — where the right backup goalie has always been trained to stay ready.
1:26
Weekes perplexed by Oilers: ‘They look like a shell of themselves’
Kevin Weekes calls out the energy level by the Oilers in their Game 5 loss to the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final.
The San Francisco Giants acquired three-time All-Star Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox on Sunday in a stunning trade that sent a player Boston once considered a franchise cornerstone to a San Francisco team needing an offensive infusion.
Boston received left-handed starter Kyle Harrison, right-hander Jordan Hicks, outfield prospect James Tibbs III and Rookie League right-hander Jose Bello.
The Red Sox announced the deal Sunday evening.
The Giants will cover the remainder of Devers’ contract, which runs through 2033 and will pay him more than $250 million, sources told ESPN.
The trade ends the fractured relationship between Devers and the Red Sox that had degraded since spring training, when Devers balked at moving off third base — the position where he had spent his whole career — after the signing of free agent Alex Bregman. The Red Sox gave no forewarning to Devers, who expressed frustration before relenting and agreeing to be their designated hitter.
After a season-ending injury to first baseman Triston Casas in early May, the Red Sox asked Devers to move to first base. Devers declined, suggesting the front office “should do their jobs” and find another player after the organization told him during spring training he would be the DH for the remainder of the season. The day after Devers’ comments, Red Sox owner John Henry, president Sam Kennedy and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow flew to Kansas City, where Boston was playing, to talk with Devers.
In the weeks since, Devers’ refusal to play first led to internal tension and helped facilitate the deal, sources said.
San Francisco pounced — and added a force to an offense that ranks 15th in runs scored in Major League Baseball. Devers, 28, is hitting .272/.401/.504 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs, tied for the third most in MLB. Over his nine-year career, Devers is hitting .279/.349/.509 with 215 home runs and 696 RBIs in 1,053 games.
Boston believed enough in Devers to give him a 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension in January 2023. He rewarded the Red Sox with a Silver Slugger Award that season and made his third All-Star team in 2024.
Whether he slots in at designated hitter or first base with San Francisco — the Giants signed Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman to a six-year, $151 million deal last year — is unknown. But San Francisco sought Devers more for his bat, one that immediately makes the Giants — who are fighting for National League West supremacy with the Los Angeles Dodgers — a better team.
To do so, the Giants gave a package of young talent and took on the contract that multiple teams’ models had as underwater.
Harrison, 23, is the prize of the deal, particularly for a Red Sox team replete with young hitting talent but starving for young pitching. Once considered one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, Harrison has shuttled between San Francisco and Triple-A Sacramento this season.
Harrison, who was scratched from a planned start against the Dodgers on Sunday night, has a 4.48 ERA over 182⅔ innings since debuting with the Giants in 2023. He has struck out 178, walked 62 and allowed 30 home runs. The Red Sox optioned Harrison to Triple-A Worcester after the trade was announced.
Hicks, 28, who has toggled between starter and reliever since signing with the Giants for four years and $44 million before the 2024 season, is on the injured list because of right toe inflammation. One of the hardest-throwing pitchers in baseball, Hicks has a 6.47 ERA over 48⅔ innings this season. He could join the Red Sox’s ailing bullpen, which Breslow has sought to upgrade.
Tibbs, 22, was selected by the Giants with the 13th pick in last year’s draft out of Florida State. A 6-foot, 200-pound corner outfielder, Tibbs has spent the season at High-A, where he has hit .245/.377/.480 with 12 home runs and 32 RBIs in 56 games. Scouts laud his command of the strike zone — he has 41 walks and 45 strikeouts in 252 plate appearances — but question whether his swing will translate at higher levels.
Bello, 20, has spent the season as a reliever for the Giants’ Rookie League affiliate. In 18 innings, he has struck out 28 and walked three while posting a 2.00 ERA.
The deal is the latest in which Boston shipped a player central to the franchise.
Boston traded Mookie Betts to the Dodgers in February 2020, just more than a year after leading Boston to a franchise-record 108 wins and a World Series title and winning the American League MVP Award.
Devers was part of that World Series-winning team in 2018 and led the Red Sox in RBIs each season from 2020 to 2024, garnering AL MVP votes across each of the past four years. Devers had been with the Red Sox since 2013, when he signed as an international amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic. He debuted four years later at age 20.
Boston is banking on its young talent to replace Devers’ production. The Red Sox regularly play four rookies — infielders Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer, outfielder Roman Anthony and catcher Carlos Narvaez — and infielder Franklin Arias and outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia are expected to contribute in the coming years.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike