Aebischer settles into backup role

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000

By Lucas Aykroyd

David Aebischer’s first job was installing heating units. But the 22-year-old rookie Swiss netminder will have to cool his heels for a while with the Colorado Avalanche. That’s life when you’re the backup to an all-star workhorse like Patrick Roy. Aebischer realizes he’s already surprised a lot of people by making it to the NHL. He was Colorado’s seventh choice (161st overall) in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, and might have stayed in the minors if expansion had not sent the incumbent number two man, Marc Denis, to the Columbus Blue Jackets. After being named the AHL Hershey Bears’ rookie of the year in 1998-99, the 6-1, 192-pound Fribourg native proved his mettle with a record of 29-23-2 and 3259 minutes between the pipes in Hershey last year. EuroReport caught up with Aebischer on 12 October after his mentor and goaltending hero led the Avalanche to a 5-2 road victory over the Vancouver Canucks.

EuroReport: How nervous are you waiting to make your first NHL start?

David Aebischer: It’s pretty good right now. I try to work hard in practice, and I’m sure I’m going to be nervous when they tell me I’m playing.

EuroReport: How have you prepared yourself to take on a different role than you had in Hershey last year?

Aebischer: There’s not much to prepare. I know the role I have, and I’ve been in that situation before. I just try to do my best when I’m playing and learn as much as possible from Patrick.

EuroReport: Can you describe your style as a goalie?

Aebischer: I play a butterfly style, pretty much the same as Patrick, Marc Denis or Martin Biron.

EuroReport: What have you been learning from Patrick?

Aebischer: All kinds of little things. I see what he does and I try it out too. He gives me advice on and off the ice.

EuroReport: It must feel pretty special to watch him pursuing Terry Sawchuk’s record for the most wins among NHL goalies.

Aebischer: Yeah, it’s special for the whole team. Hopefully he breaks it as soon as possible.

EuroReport: Another one of your heroes, Dino Stechar, isn’t so well-known among NHL fans. What can you tell us about him?

Aebischer: He’s probably not known over here at all! He was the goaltender who played in my hometown in the first division. I grew up watching him. He was one of the first guys I looked up to.

EuroReport: You’ve had a lot of good players in your town. Names like Bykov and Khomutov come to mind. Is Fribourg a big “hockey town”?

Aebischer: It’s a good hockey town. There are some parts of Switzerland where hockey is bigger than soccer and in others it’s the other way around. But in Fribourg, it’s hockey. Everyone loves it, and since I grew up there, I had not much choice but to play hockey!

EuroReport: In 1997-98, you won a bronze medal with the Swiss national junior team, but you also ended up playing for a lot of other teams. What was that like?

Aebischer: I just travelled everywhere. I played for two ECHL teams and a bit with Hershey. I played for three different national teams in Switzerland. It was a tough year for me, but at the same time I learned a lot. It was good preparation for the travel in the NHL.

EuroReport: What do you think of the progress Swiss hockey has made internationally?

Aebischer: I think it’s huge. Seven or eight years ago, if we finished eighth at the World Championships, it was a miracle. I remember we finished eighth at the 1988 Olympics and that’s what everybody said. Now eighth is average, if not bad. We see now we’ve got three players on NHL rosters, and there’ll be more in the next couple of years, like Thomas Ziegler and Luca Cereda.

EuroReport: Have you swapped stories with Reto Von Arx of Chicago or Edmonton’s Michel Riesen?

Aebischer: I’m pretty good friends with both of them. We just try to keep in touch as much as possible, but it’s not always easy with the schedule we have. We see each other a couple times each year.

EuroReport: What are your personal goals for this season?

Aebischer: Every game I want to play my best and help the team win some points. We’ll see what happens after that.