Absurd Goalie Monday: Philippe Sauve

With many family lineages, the goaltending position is one that is the hardest to have success from top to bottom. This week's AGM is a guy who's father blazed a trail for the Buffalo Sabres and was one of their first great goalies. Although, in the end-- the son couldn't make the same impact and shouldn't have been expected to. This week, the profile of Philippe Sauve.

Sauve started with his midget AAA team in Laval-Laurentides and post a 9-10-0 record in 25 appearances and then 7-8 in 15 playoff games. In the 1996-97 season, Sauve moved to the major junior ranks for Rimouski Oceanic in the QMJHL, putting up an 11-9-2 record in 26 games, while in the 1997-98 season, Sauve went 23-16-0 for Rimouski and then 0-5 in seven playoff appearances. The Colorado Avalanche drafted Sauve in the 2nd Round of the Draft and then in the 1998-99 season, Sauve posted a 16-19-4 record for Rimouski and then 6-4 in 11 playoff games.

During the off-season, Sauve moved to Drummondville to play for the Voltigeurs for the 1999-2000 season and would go 12-12-2 in 28 games, then was traded to the Hull Olympiques mid-season and would go 9-7-1 in 17 games and 6-6 in the playoffs. Sauve also played for the USA in the World Juniors and go 0-1-1 in two games.

Embarking on his professional career, Sauve went to the Hershey Bears of the AHL in the 2000-01 season and finish 17-18-1 in 42 appearances, then 0-3 in the playoffs. The bulk of the starts went to Sauve in the 2001-02 season when he played in 55 games and compiled a 25-20-6 record with six shutouts and then a 3-5 record in the playoffs. Sauve would play 60 games in the 2002-03 season for the Bears, finishing there with a 26-20-12 regular season record and 2-3 playoff record.

In the 2003-04 season, Sauve was the back-up for the Colorado Avalanche behind David Aebischer and play in 17 games, putting up a 7-7-3 record, but would be sent down to Hershey for the end of the season and play in 10 games, finishing with a 3-7-0 record. During the lockout season of 2004-05, Sauve signed with the ECHL's Mississippi Sea Wolves and would go 13-4-4 in 21 games while going 1-3 in the playoffs.

In the summer of 2005, the Avalanche traded Sauve to the Calgary Flames for future consideration, but Sauve would only play for eight games in Calgary (3-3-0); then he would be traded in February to the Phoenix Coyotes with Steven Reinprecht for Brian Boucher and Mike Leclerc; though Sauve would go 0-4-0 in five appearances for the Coyotes.

The 2006-07 season was a whirlwind for Sauve. At first, he reported to the Coyotes' AHL affiliate-- the San Antonio Rampage-- for 10 games (4-5-0), but he would get traded to the Boston Bruins for a prospect. Sauve appeared in only two games for Boston, but didn't have a win-loss record. Sauve did go to the Providence Bruins in the AHL and go 10-11-1 in 23 games and then would be loaned out to the Hamilton Bulldogs for six games and post a 2-3-0 record.

In the 2007-08 season, the Iowa Stars called Sauve to play for them and he would play for 12 games and have a 5-5-0 record to show for it. Mid-season, Sauve went to Germany to play for the Hamburg Freezers for 13 games and have a 9-4-0 record, then 3-4 playoff record. At the end of that season-- Sauve hasn't been heard from.

Though it was hard to deal with the shadow that his dad casted over him with his name, Philippe did what he could to make his own mark. Whether it was mismanagement by those who tutored him or his skill being overvalued, Sauve seemed to just never reach the brass rings set out for him.