Columbus goalie Steve Mason starring in NHL far ahead of schedule

by woodpeck | January 13, 2009 at 12:37 pm

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Another rising star in the making in the NHL.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — In early November, Steve Mason was just another promising minor leaguer.

Now he's the hottest goaltender in the NHL.

The 20-year-old emerging star also has given hope to the once hopeless Columbus Blue Jackets, the only current NHL franchise to never appear in the post-season.

"A lot has happened in a short period of time," said Mason, who is playing his first season of professional hockey at any level. "There's been a lot of hard work that's been put into it. It's nice to get rewarded for it. We still have a lot of work to do. But I'm sure it's going to be just as much fun as the first month."

The numbers say that opposing teams aren't having nearly as much fun as he is.

The kid from Oakville, Ont., has a 15-9-1 record and leads the NHL with six shutouts, a 1.75 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage. He's allowed two or fewer goals in 18 of his 25 starts.