Roman candle

Cechmanek's unpredictable play could burn Flyers

When attackers home in on his crease, Roman Cechmanek often has no idea what kind of shot -- forehand, backhand, snap, slap -- will come his way. But when the Philadelphia goaltender's game is the topic of conversation, he can be sure backhands will be the order of the day. No NHL netminder elicits more arched eyebrows, scratched heads, rolled eyes or fainthearted compliments than Cechmanek.

"Unorthodox," is center Jeremy Roenick's response when asked to describe Cechmanek's style. Translation: Roenick has played in the NHL for 15 years and he's never seen a high-level goaltender flop and fall quite like Cechmanek.

Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock says, "Roman's technique is athleticism." In other words, Cechmanek's mastery of goaltending fundamentals and positioning lies somewhere between that of Ken Dryden's and the legendary Spanish matador Manolete's. (Probably closer to the latter.)

In a way, Cechmanek is the poster boy for this postseason. In a playoff year that has defied all prediction -- sure, you knew all along that on May 1 the Mighty Ducks would be on the brink of the Western Conference finals -- he is the most unpredictable single element that remains in this Stanley Cup playoff season. The Flyers, who trail the Senators 2-1 heading into Thursday's Game 4, have been working overtime this week to submit Ottawa's allegedly dirty stickwork, or even their own futility on the power play, as the key to the series. But the Flyers' Cup chances are firmly hitched to Cechmanek, which is why their playoff train swerves like a kid's remote-control truck. As Hitchcock says, with Cechmanek in goal "something bizarre happens every night."

A successful playoff team doesn't need a shutout every night (though that would be nice). Rather, the successful playoff team needs its goaltender to be consistent, a rock, someone who breeds confidence and trust. A team needs to have a good idea of what it will get out of its goaltender from game to game so that it can settle into its system and play aggressively. LIke a good drummer, a goaltender must set the rhythm and pace for his team.

Cechmanek is capable of the occasional brilliant solo effort, but his timekeeping is as erratic as a hiccuping metronome. His problems start with the physical. He tends to overcommit to the play, often taking himself too far to one side of the net and leaving the other side wide open. (His first name should be spelled "Roamin'.") He usually drops to his knees too early. He dives and falls and flails around the crease like a 4-year-old gymnast. He allows even the easiest saves to clang off his chest or stick or pads, leaving rebounds in front of the net.

"My style is I like to stop pucks," Cechmanek says, and because of his size (6-foot-3, 190 pounds) and skills as an acrobat, he often does so in spectacular fashion. Witness his shutout of Ottawa in Game 2, when the Senators outplayed Philadelphia but lost because Cechmanek was stellar. But what he lacks in polish leads to too many soft goals, to the point that Philadelphia's skaters must cringe as they look over their shoulders after every shot on the Philly net.

Cechmanek's physical unpredictability is compounded by the emotional roller coaster he rides. He's prone to embarrassing brain freezes -- remember the goal Toronto scored in Round 1 when he took his eye off the puck to pick up his dropped glove? And he sometimes gets so amped up for games that he plays without any control at all. That was the case in the second-round opener against Ottawa, when Philly blew a two-goal lead and lost, 4-2.

"He's an emotional guy, and when he gets on the other side of that competitiveness, he plays like [he did in Game 1]," says Hitchcock. "But he's so quick and so big and so competitive that he can be very effective."

A goaltender should not be that much of a psychological question mark during the most emotionally charged time of year -- or a distraction. Regardless of how Cechmanek plays for the rest of the playoffs, his teammates will be bombarded with questions about him. If the Flyers win: How did Roman keep himself together? If the Flyers lose: How could they have hoped to win a Cup with him in net?

After Cechmanek shut out the Senators in Game 2, Roenick said, "I don't know what makes Roman tick." That unpredictability may well cost the Flyers a chance at the Stanley Cup.

Sports Illustrated staff writer Stephen Cannella covers the NHL for the magazine and will contribute frequently to SI.com throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs.

 

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