Lindgren's "Fresh Start" A Dream Ride for Family

Jun 2, 2022

T-Birds goaltender Charlie Lindgren’s legend in St. Louis and Springfield reached viral levels in the second week of December when he made 22 of 23 saves to pick up a win for the Blues. It was neither Lindgren’s first NHL win nor his most spectacular, and nobody would have classified it as a surprise, but one look at the night’s context tells a deeper narrative.

Lindgren’s opposition that December night was none other than the Montreal Canadiens, the very organization with which Lindgren spent the first five seasons of his professional hockey career. A promising 2016-17 campaign with the St. John’s IceCaps led Lindgren to receive multiple NHL stints in Montreal, including a 14-game look in 2017-18.

As it did with many other walks of life, the COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench into Lindgren’s career. After the lengthy halt to play, the Canadiens’ back-to-back playoff runs in 2020 and 2021 saw Lindgren in a no-man’s land goaltending situation, where the right-glover found himself buried below Carey Price, Keith Kinkaid, and later Cayden Primeau and Jake Allen, in the Habs’ goalie pecking order. Further exacerbating Lindgren’s frustration was his placement on the Canadiens’ taxi squad, meaning he was relinquished to, in essence, practice-only duty.

From October of 2019 through the end of the shortened 2020-21 season, Lindgren played in just 25 NHL and AHL games combined. Such long stretches of time with so little game action can weigh on any goaltender, and Lindgren saw the writing on the wall.

“After the way the last couple years had gone up there, it’s no secret it was time for a fresh start,” Lindgren said.

That opportunity for a fresh start presented itself when the St. Louis Blues made contact with Lindgren in the summer of 2021.

“I was super excited for the chance to play with St. Louis,” Lindgren recalls upon signing.

Which brings us back to December 11, 2021. Lindgren’s night was far from his busiest in dispatching his old team, but with one emotionally-driven quip, a folk hero was born.

“Frickin’ A, right?”

Right, indeed.

“Chuckie Sideburns” season was only just getting started. That win wound up being one of five he would earn for the Blues during a run in the month of December that saw St. Louis deal with the absences of both Jordan Binnington and Ville Husso. All Lindgren did in that bind was go 5-0-0 while allowing just five goals on 118 shots for a .958 save percentage.

Even after being returned to Springfield, the 28-year-old never lost stride, finishing his AHL season with the league’s second-best save percentage (.925) and third-best goals-against average (2.21). His 24 wins matched his rookie-year best in St. John’s in 2016-17.

If a change in scenery was the first ingredient to Lindgren rediscovering his excellence, the Thunderbirds’ goaltending room provided the key secondary attribute. Lindgren, once the young man in the Montreal system, now has a key role as a mentor for 21-year-old Joel Hofer. Much the same way the other Calder Cup semifinalists feature two reliable netminders, Springfield’s situation mirrors that.

“The inner competition has made us better. I can speak so highly of Joel Hofer as a kid and as a goalie. The sky’s the limit for him. We’ve had an absolute blast together this year, and it’s made for an excellent tandem. It’s the classic case where iron sharpens iron.”

When Lindgren was summoned to St. Louis during the Blues’ playoff series against Colorado, it meant that the rookie Hofer would get all the responsibility as the T-Birds aimed to take down the Atlantic Division’s top seeds, the Charlotte Checkers. All Hofer did with that opportunity was go 3-0 in the series while keeping Charlotte’s potent offense to just four goals in the entirety of the T-Birds’ dispatching of their rivals.

“The way (Joel) handled that Charlotte series was so impressive. He’s had a heck of a year and is a real competitive kid. (He and I) have been going back and forth all season, and I’m sure that’s probably going to be the recipe for success the rest of the way.”

Lindgren’s recollection is correct – when he and Hofer have both been at head coach Drew Bannister’s disposal on the Springfield roster, neither man has played two consecutive games dating back to early March. Springfield, as a team, has won its last 10 games dating back to the close of the regular season.

So, when it comes time for Lindgren (or Hofer) and the T-Birds to march onto the ice to begin the series against the Rocket, nobody will have a better idea than Lindgren about what awaits Springfield when the series shifts north of the border for Game 3 on Wednesday.

“It’s going to be an environment like none other. They know how to pack (Place Bell). As a goalie, you want to be in those games where the seats are packed and it’s a fun environment. That’s when the game is the most fun. I’m sure those fans are going to be all over us, but we wouldn’t want anything different.”

As for what it will take for Springfield to advance to a Calder Cup Finals for the first time since the city’s last title with the 1990-91 Indians, Lindgren expects special teams and goaltending – definitive strengths of each team – to be differences once more.

“It’s going to be probably a lot of that. Goaltending, special teams, and bounces. You look at our team and we have a lot of depth, but you could say the same thing about them. Each team is going to have to bring their best each game if you want to win. I can’t wait. We’ve had the last 5-6 days to foam at the mouth and come Saturday, it’s time to get at it.”

As if one magical Lindgren’s run at a championship is not enough, the Lindgren family does not just have their eyes on Springfield. Charlie’s younger brother, Ryan, a defenseman with the New York Rangers, currently sees himself battling the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning with a spot in the Stanley Cup Final on the line.

“It’s been pretty hectic (for the family), but they wouldn’t want it any other way. They’re incredibly proud, and their support means the world to both of us. My dad and brother have a golf tournament lined up in about 10 days, and I think they’re going to cancel that because they don’t want to miss a game. They’re super excited and super proud of us.”

Charlie says he sends younger brother Ryan a message before each Rangers playoff game and follows up with a conversation after each series.

“He’s banged up, but he’s playing through it and he’s having a blast and performing really well. I’m so proud of him.”

Whether one, both, or neither Lindgren gets a title by the time June comes to an end, there is little doubt 2021-22 will be remembered fondly as the year the Lindgren family name put the whole hockey world on notice.