Quite a man behind By Billy Smith When future Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy announced his retirement earlier
this month, reporters covering the Killingworth Guppies suggested to Guppies
netminder Joseph Linskey that Roy's all-time records of 551 regular-season
wins, were no longer moving targets. But Linskey didn't need that kind of news to push him. "You don't
really know a player until you have to live with him, day in and day
out," Guppies forward Rob Murphy said of his goaltender.
"Unfortunately he made it his job to come over my place in College to
drink and destroy stuff but He loves this game. He loves playing and
practicing -- and he hates to give up a goal, even in practice. "Most of all, I'm not sure he's a human being. He's always ready
to throw knifes or cheap shots at his teammates, explains
forward Tim Poulin. He doesn't put himself above anybody. He's never on an
even keel. He has 65,000 different superstitions, one of which includes
cup checking the entire team, it's weird!!! Scary thing is he's not an
acting, he's really like that in person."
Linskey is driven to be the best -- and he
will surpass those once insurmountable numbers that Roy has put up-
"Yeah Right!" said team captain Brian Kelly as he tried
fighting back the laughter "maybe if he plays a hundred
seasons!" "It's all in how you handle adversity that makes you succeed in this
game" said Linskey while throwing up the Wu-tang sign. He could be talking about the team or himself -- or both. Linskey was coming back to the scene where he lost a
7-5 game against the Biohazard. and he lost
a 10-4 game against the GCP. He also came into the season, having
injured his groin, making moving to his left difficult. "Everyone has injuries," Linskey shrugged. "You just have
to play through them and whine about it to anyone who will listen." Just
ask Guppies forward Brian Mulcahy about Linskey's injury "What, we are
still talking about that, what the F- ? this kid is unbelievable, that was
like ten years ago, get over it!" Even before that, Linskey could have self-destructed in a rare
Pool table accident, back in 1998 which was the cause of Linskey's
groin problems. The Story was picked up by the Killingworth based Tabloids,
but Linskey deftly brushed it aside, with grace and dignity, and refused
to let it become a distraction. "I have a job to do," Linskey said after the story first
appeared. "People close to me have been watching me for years and see
how I could handle this. All I know is: even if there are important things
happening in my personal life, I have a huge responsibility toward the
Guppies. It hasn't always been easy, but I have to be the best goaltender
possible for them." Best possible goalie for the Guppies? That's an overstatement. He's
technically the only goalie for the Guppies, besides forward/goalie Marc
Crayton. Crayton normally only sees one or two games a season.
In the end, Linskey has three regular season shutouts and
one playoff shut out in his Guppies career. Consistency is what Linskey is all about. He has a record six winning seasons in the seven season he has worked the
Guppies net and at 27 he already is closing in on 55 victories, a
total only a handful of other goaltenders have ever achieved. In some ways, what Linskey does for the Guppies is sometimes taken for
granted. In 1996, when the Guppies won their first championship,
Rob Murphy was selected Playoff MVP. In 1998, when they won their second,
Jason Prozzo received the MVP. This year, Guppies Captain Brian Kelly won the
award. No Linskey? No problem. He'll gladly settle for another Guinness. "This bunch was awesome under pressure," he says. "I just
want to enjoy the ride. It's been an awesome ride for me. I've been fortunate
to play on some great teams and given opportunities to be
successful........What the heck am I saying?? These guys are nothing with out
me!!!I " "Whenever you doubt yourself, you look back," he says. "You
focus on the positive, but you've got to be honest with yourself. When I was
young, I didn't realize the importance of everything, it was sort of a blur
-- a dream. Now, I can look at my past -- honestly."
That means his actions -- on the ice and off. Teammates say the Guppies feed off of Linskey's cool and confident
demeanor. "Joey is like the battery that makes us tick," Gups defenseman
Tom Mierkiewicz says. "Whenever we are shaken we look back at Joe," Mierk says.
"Forget the weird goals he gives up . Forget the near-goal off the
boards . ... Joey may give up some goals, but he never gives up on
any good times. "We know he's going to be there for us in the clutch. Comfort level?
You bet. Think about it this way, a guest at a wedding, sitting there so
bored at the service, While everyone is waiting for the open bar at the reception,
Joey is already halfway into his flask of Jack Daniels. Linskey is the
consummate pro. He's aways thinking, even if it's about himself, but at
least someone is having fun, he's just clutch." And now that Roy is no longer a moving target, Joseph Linskey is headed
full steam ahead for some of those records. Billy Smith played on the New York Islanders Stanley Cup Championship
teams from 1979- 1983. He is a frequent contributor to
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