"Being heckled is an incredible honour": Oilers' Skinner shrugs off haters
Being an NHL goaltender must be one of the most pressure-filled jobs in all of professional sports, but Edmonton Oilers netminder Stuart Skinner isn’t letting his naysayers get to him.
The 25-year-old sophomore has been the focal point of plenty of criticism this season due to a terrible start to the season. The finger has been pointed at Skinner more than a few times and the young player has not been afraid to accept responsibility for his poor play.
The most recent example of this came after a 7-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on December 14.
“I don’t think anybody in this room should be upset except for me, to be honest. I ended up kinda losing us the game,” Skinner told reporters after that game.
"You learn from your mistakes & you move on."
Stuart Skinner shares his perspective on the loss at home. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/cGlA2a9PDQ
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) December 15, 2023
That night seems like a long time ago, as the Oilers are now riding a six-game winning streak ahead of Saturday night’s matchup against the Ottawa Senators and Skinner is among the league leaders in wins since November.
Skinner once again spoke with reporters after practice on Thursday morning. When asked about how he was able to handle so much criticism early in the year he had a peculiar answer.
“Sometimes being heckled is an incredible honour,” said the mustachioed goaltender with a smile. “When I was really young, I think I read a quote from a goalie saying, ‘The best job in the world is all the fans booing at you cause you let in a goal,’ and that is extremely true.”
"Sometimes being heckled is an incredible honour."
Skinner talks about overcoming adversity after practice at @RogersPlace. Full availability ➡️ https://t.co/pHoQWx6VN0@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) January 4, 2024
It’s precisely that type of mindset that a goaltender has to have in the NHL, where a simple misplay could be the difference between your team winning or losing on any given night. For Skinner, this mentality stems from being grateful to play for his hometown team no matter the situation.
“It’s the best job I have, it’s the best job I’ll ever have,” continued Skinner. “I’m very fortunate to be heckled, to be booed.
“Some people say I suck and that’s great. I’m gonna keep on working on my game and I get to play the game that I love to play.”
This isn’t the first time that Skinner has approached criticism with a positive attitude. Earlier in the season he puzzled fans after saying he was happy with his game despite having just let in four goals on 16 shots in a 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks.
Though Skinner says he welcomes the heckles and boos, he hasn’t been the subject of much lately. The Edmonton native has a stellar 4-1-0 record in his last five games and a .928 save percentage during that span.