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Thanks, Mac! MacInnis slapper breaks Thibault's finger
Posted: Saturday November 27, 1999 09:48 PM ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Jocelyn Thibault will be sidelined two to four weeks after suffering a broken left ring finger in Saturday's game with the St. Louis Blues. At the earliest, Thibault could return for a Dec. 9 game at home against New Jersey, but likely will be out longer than that. Thibault went down after trying unsuccessfully to glove Al MacInnis' slap shot from the right faceoff circle 3:49 into the first period. MacInnis possesses one of the NHL's hardest slap shots and is a five-time winner of the hardest shot competition at the All-Star skills competition. Thibault, 24, entered tonight's game with a 2-9-3 record, one shutout and a 3.19 goals-against average for the last-place Blackhawks. After signing a multi-year contract in the offseason, the former Montreal Canadien has split playing time with rookie Steve Passmore. Thibault was replaced tonight by another rookie, Marc Lamothe. A Montreal native, Thibault was acquired from the Canadiens in November 1998 with defensemen Brad Brown and Dave Manson for goalie Jeff Hackett and defensemen Eric Weinrich and Alain Nasreddine. Thibault immediately took over as Chicago's No. 1 goalie and went 21-26-5 last season with four shutouts and a 2.71 GAA. Before the trade, Thibault was splitting time with Jose Theodore in Montreal and was 3-4 with a 2.61 GAA. The 5-11, 170-pound Thibault had trouble living up to impossible expectations after coming over from Colorado in the December 1995 deal that sent future Hall-of-Fame netminder Patrick Roy to the Avalanche. © 2003 SportsTicker Enterprises, LP
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