Skinner Draws Praise After Handling Tense Exchange With Reporter

Say what you will about Stuart Skinner and the way he’s playing for the Edmonton Oilers this season. He’s not had his A-Game, and there is a chance he’s moved before the end of the season. However, there might not be a nicer guy in the NHL, and the way he reacted to an awkward jab from Hall of Fame journalist Jim Matheson this week shows just how patient and cool a dude Skinner really is.

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After practice on Thursday, Skinner took the time to chat with the media, and Matheson posed what he called a tricky question that probably came out a little wrong. He said, “The fans want another goalie. They don’t want you. That must hurt.” Skinner could have gotten upset at the way the question was phrased and at its seeming disrespect, but he didn’t. He stayed calm, never wavered, and said, “That’s happened a lot here, no?” Matheson clarified and said, “They’re (the fans) are down on goalies here.”

“That’s happened a few times here. I think it happens anywhere around the league. Goalies need to come up with big saves at big times.” He added, “I’m not really too sure how much I can really say on that either, it’s kind of just part of the game of being a goalie. I decided to choose that. I’m going to try to get my kids to be a player for sure. Sometimes when it gets really bad you wish you made a different choice but, honestly I love it man, like it’s the best thing in the world being able to be a goalie.”

Skinner is Learning a Lot About Being a Good Teammate

Skinner talked about what he goes through on a nightly basis as a starter on a team like the Oilers and added, “I’ve learned so much and so many different ways, not just on ice but just character, being able to pull yourself out of some really tough spots, being a good teammate even when you feel like the world’s crashing down on you.” He added, “You know it’s easy to be selfish, and you learn a lot about not being selfish in this position, you know, again it’s not about just one guy, it’s about everybody when they’re really frustrated.”

Noting that it’s easy to shift blame and not take responsibility, “… that’s the easiest thing to do when things are tough is pointing the finger. But for our group, we’re not we’re not in the business of doing that. We’re in the business of lifting each other up and trying to carry ourselves out of this thing as a team, cuz we’ve created that culture, we’ve created that Brotherhood in here. It’s easy to point the finger, it’s human nature sometimes you still do it, but you try your best to be aware of it and catch yourself, and I’m certainly not doing that. I need to be better for this group.”

The Oilers Need to Be Cautious With Any Skinner Trade

The Oilers may have little choice but to make a trade and give Skinner a fresh start somewhere else. At the same time, how he responded in this situation is one of the reasons the Oilers should be cautious before pulling the trigger on a quick trade that may later come to regret.

Skinner is a goalie who was not meant to be a starter as quickly as he became one in the NHL. That was meant to be Jack Campbell, who fizzled out of the NHL. Skinner took on the role, probably before he was ready, and has been learning on the fly. That doesn’t excuse his inconsistent play, but it proves he’s maturing and still finding his way in the NHL. There’s a good chance he could move on and become the goalie fans are crying for the Oilers to acquire.

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