5 goalies who paid their dues in the ECHL
In the past 48 hours, the NHL world has fallen in love with it's newest breakthrough story.
Garret Sparks made his NHL debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday, and became the first goaltender in franchise history to chalk up his first career shutout in the same game.
What makes Sparks' story even more incredible is that he was able to climb his way out of the ranks of the ECHL, a league two tiers below the NHL.
It's a fascinating story, and one that's given Maple Leafs fans a sense of pride during a season that seemed destined to invoke only shame.
That said, Sparks is just the latest in a long line of goalies to have risen from the lowly ranks to make a splash in the NHL - though not necessarily with a debut shutout - and many of them are now among the best puck-stoppers in the NHL.
Here are the top five goaltenders who paid their dues in the ECHL:
Mike Smith
No goaltender would know what Sparks is feeling right now better than Mike Smith.
Like the Maple Leafs netminder did last night, Smith recorded a shutout in his first NHL game, blanking the Dallas Stars on Oct. 21, 2006.
Fast-forward nine years, and the Arizona Coyotes netminder - despite mixed results the past two seasons - is as good as any goaltender in the league when he's on his game.
During the 2011-12 season he finished fourth in Vezina Trophy voting. This after enduring a lengthy spell in the American Hockey League and a stop with the ECHL's Lexington Men O'War during the 2002-03 season.
There, he posted a respectable 11-10-4 record with a .910 save percentage and 2.55 goals-against average.
Jonathan Quick
You could say Jonathan Quick got a taste of all North American hockey has to offer during the 2007-08 season.
He started the year with the Reading Royals of the ECHL, dressing in 38 games and posting a 23-11-3 record, .905 save percentage, and 2.68 GAA.
He also dressed in 19 games for the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL before making his first three NHL starts in December.
He spent one more year splitting time between the NHL and AHL, but earned full-time NHL duties during the 2009-10 season. The rest is history.
Jaroslav Halak
Jaroslav Halak's trip to the NHL was no simple feat.
After being drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the ninth round in 2003, Halak worked his way through the Slovakian hockey ranks before ending up in the QMJHL in 2004.
He split the 2005-06 season between the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs and the ECHL's Long Beach Ice Dogs.
He tore it up in 20 games with the Ice Dogs, going 11-4-2 with a .932 save percentage and 2.05 GAA.
He received his first NHL start the following season, making 31 saves on 33 shots in a win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
He split his time with the AHL the next two seasons, before his coming-out party during the 2009-10 playoffs proved he was an NHL starter.
Devan Dubnyk
Before having his breakout last season with the Minnesota Wild, Devan Dubnyk looked like he had been run out of the NHL.
However, a better club in front of him and a newfound purpose proved that his ascension from the ECHL was no fluke.
Three years after being drafted in the first round by the Edmonton Oilers, Dubnyk found himself with the ECHL's Stockton Thunder.
Instead of rolling over, he used the stay to post greater numbers than he had during his draft year, riding a .921 save percentage and a 2.56 GAA to a 24-11-7 record.
His first start in the NHL wouldn't come for another three years, but Dubnyk hasn't looked back since.
James Reimer
The very man Sparks is filling in for also had to climb out from the ECHL depths.
James Reimer spent part of the 2008-09 season with the Reading Royals. He posted a mediocre 10-7-3 record with a .904 save percentage and 3.30 GAA in 22 games.
He was dealt at the ECHL trade deadline to the South Carolina Stingrays, where he was near-perfect down the stretch, going 6-0-0 with a .961 save percentage and two shutouts, ultimately leading the club to a Kelly Cup Championship.
He finally suited up in the NHL during the 2010-11 season, and, despite inconsistent production, has remained there. He is off to the best start of his career this season, and for the time being looks like the man to beat in Toronto.
Note: Goaltenders who dressed in fewer than 20 games in the ECHL were not included