Former Canucks goalie Schneider "super grateful" for 15-year career

Apr 30 2022, 12:11 am

Cory Schneider hasn’t had luck on his side for most of his NHL career.

A first-round draft pick by the Vancouver Canucks in 2004, Schneider was the heir apparent until the team traded for Roberto Luongo two years later. He became a full-time NHLer later than he probably should have. Schneider was an All-Star quality starter, but was stuck fighting for minutes, first with Luongo in Vancouver, then briefly with Martin Brodeur in New Jersey.

When Brodeur moved on, Schneider had a three-year run as the Devils’ unquestioned starter, before injuries became more prevalent and his play began to deteriorate.

By 2018, Schneider went a full calendar year without picking up a regular season win. He was sent to the minors, but kept battling.

He didn’t win any of his first seven starts in 2019-20, but appeared to find his game in late February. After being used sparingly for most of the season, Schneider started four times in six games, winning three times for the Devils, which included a 34-save shutout.

Then the pandemic shut down the season, and the Devils weren’t one of the teams that got to return that summer.

Schneider’s seven-year, $42 million contract wasn’t set to expire until 2022. Instead, he was bought out by the Devils on October 8, 2020. He settled for a one-year deal with the New York Islanders as their third goalie, but barely played, as he sat on their taxi squad last season.

“It’s just been a strange two years and change,” Schneider said in a near hour-long interview with Matt Sekeres and Blake Price on the Sekeres and Price Show.

“I was a free agent for the first time in my life, but not at an opportune time… It was a difficult time for me because I felt good about how I played leading into the pandemic, but you go nine months without playing a game. I don’t know what teams or people thought about me, or what my prospects were — I was only 34 at the time.”

After playing just two AHL games in 2020-21, Schneider just wanted to get playing time this season. He accomplished that goal, playing 30 games for the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport, and posting an impressive .921 save percentage.

“I hadn’t played hockey in a year and a half. So for me, I was like ‘hey, I just want to play games.’ Whether it’s here, elsewhere. Just to almost prove to myself, ‘can you still do it?’ I didn’t want to think about retirement yet without knowing… The one thing I did hear from a lot of guys who have retired or contemplated it, they always say ‘just don’t do it too soon, because you can never come back.'”

“I decided to give it another go, and I’ve had a lot of fun. I’ve had a great time in Bridgeport with the guys, a lot of young guys. It sort of gets you going playing with younger players. I’ve felt really good about my game since about the New Year.”

Schneider got called up to the Islanders on March 29, and played on April 3 for what might be the last NHL start of his career. Ironically, it was in New Jersey, against his former team.

The Islanders won the game 4-3, with Schneider making 27 saves on 30 shots.

If that was Schneider’s last NHL game, he’s not looking back at what could have been. At age 36, he has perspective, and he’s proud of what he’s accomplished.

“If you had asked me when I got drafted, ‘hey you’re going to have a 15-year pro career, play 400 games in the NHL, you’re going to meet some of the most amazing teammates and staff and people, and have the most incredible experiences that you’ve ever had in your life, would you take that?’ You’d say ‘hell yeah I would!’ Like, absolutely… I try not to rehash what could have been.”

Schneider hasn’t yet decided if he’s going to retire at the end of this season, so perhaps we haven’t seen the last of him.

“I heard or read some things that said it’s really sad what happened to him in his career, and what could have been… What’s going on in the world is sad, what’s happening in Ukraine is sad. COVID is sad… I’ve had a 15-year career, I’ve made more money than I ever could have imagined playing hockey for a living. Don’t feel bad for me. I’m fine. I’m very content and happy with how my career went.

“At the end of the day, I’m just super grateful that I’ve been able to play this game for so long and have a modicum of success… experience the things that so many kids dream of experiencing that never get that opportunity.”

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