Rookie Washington Capitals goalie is cool on ice

Washington Capitals' goalie Michal Neuvirth has a cool-as-ice exterior that belies his fiery competitiveness.

Michal Neuvirth is as cold as ice in the rink but coaches say the young Czech is a fiery, competitive guy. He just does not let that show.

Washington Capitals goaltender Michal Neuvirth looks too cool to be true.

The 23-year-old Czech rookie answers questions about the NHL play-offs as if he were filling out a boring government form at the post office. This is a kid who said, with a straight face, that his NHL post-season debut would be no big deal because he had won championships in the minors.

"He's just as dry as they come," goaltending coach Arturs Irbe said with a laugh. "No, it's the surface. And that's the way we want that surface to be. ... He's a fiery, competitive guy, but you won't ever see it."

Coach Bruce Boudreau twisted a phrase recently when he said Neuvirth was "as calm as a cucumber," but no one disputes the description. And no one is disputing the coach's decision to make Neuvirth the Caps' No 1 goalie for the playoffs: "Neuvy" has been the NHL's best so far in the postseason, allowing only eight goals in a five-game series victory over the New York Rangers in the first round.

"He doesn't get rattled," defenseman Scott Hannan said. "Bad bounces can happen, and good shots, and sometimes there's nothing you can do. And the way he's able to leave those in the past and move forward, it's a great demeanor to have, especially in a goalie."

Neuvirth won the job over Semyon Varlamov, although the season-long battle didn't play out as planned. Both missed considerable time with injuries, but Neuvirth got 45 starts to Varlamov's 25.

Late in the season, and again during the Rangers series, the fans' chants of "Noooo-veee" showed just how important he has become to a team that is scoring fewer goals than a year ago. But now that he's gone through the intensity of an NHL play-off series, Neuvirth must surely appreciate that it's a world of difference from winning American Hockey League titles with the Hershey Bears.

Well, maybe not, because according to Neuvirth: "Every play-offs is the same thing. You need to get four wins to win a series. There was a lot of pressure on us down in Hershey, same as here.

"Obviously, the NHL is best league in the world, so there's a little difference."

Despite the even-tempered exterior, Neuvirth concedes he can run the gamut of emotions.

"A lot of things get me nervous, but I try not to show it," he said.

"It's my game.

"Don't get excited after a good game.

"Or after a bad game, I don't want to get too low."

Neuvirth admits he had some tough adjustments after coming to North America from his native Czech Republic in 2006, but he picked up English quickly and successfully navigated the various stops in junior hockey.

His family stays up until the wee hours to watch his games back home, and his faithful companion in the States is his dog, Tractor.

Boudreau couldn't care less about Neuvirth's choice of pets as long as the puck stays out of the net.

Goalie drama had become a Capitals rite of spring since the coach arrived in 2007, with a cast of characters that has included Olie Kolzig, Cristobal Huet, Jose Theodore and Varlamov.

And Boudreau is known for claiming that he rarely communicates with his goalies. Asked how much he speaks to Neuvirth these days, the coach answered: "I said 'Good morning'."

The Rangers series is the first under Boudreau in which there has been absolutely, positively no controversy over the choice of starter.

They know that No 30 will be wearing the goaltender's mask.

And the job of talking to Neuvirth belongs to goalie coach Irbe.

"[Neuvirth] knows what's at task," Irbe said.

"Nothing will make him go for a detour. It's his determination, and it may not seem that way because he's subtle, and very cool and collected.

"It might seem like there's nothing much behind it, and maybe it's better that way.

"If he doesn't give out much, it means there's less ammo for anybody, and that's the way we want it."