In the city of Banska Bystrica, then in Czechoslovakia, a 4-year-old boy watched the Soviet Union face Canada on television in one of the three games in the finals of the 1987 Canada Cup — a series still known as perhaps the most thrilling in hockey history.
Little Peter Budaj declared to his father, Jozef, an anesthesiologist: “I want to be a goalie, and I want to play in Canada.”
Jozef, whose wife, Lubica, was a physician, responded with something along the lines of: Sure, son, sure. He didn’t bother to point out that young Peter not only hadn’t played goal, he hadn’t played hockey at all. Not yet.
Years later, with Peter facing the challenge of going into the 2008-09 season as the Avalanche’s undisputed No. 1 goalie, he still smiles about his audacity.
“I kept asking about it,” Budaj said this week. “So they did everything they could to support me, to get me the equipment and everything else. My dad really loved soccer. But when I decided to play hockey, he supported me. My mom did, too, and I’m really thankful for that. I would never be here without them.”
Budaj, who turned 26 last week, went to Toronto at age 17 to play major junior with the Ontario Hockey League team based at St. Michael’s, a prep school.
The limited English instruction he received in Slovakia left him ill-prepared.
“St. Michael’s has a good tradition and it’s a really tough school,” Budaj said. “My first year was really rough. Now I like to talk, as you know, as everybody knows. My teammates say I cannot stop. So I probably was pretty annoying back then. I asked every time, ‘What does that mean?’ ‘How do you say that?’ ‘Why did you say that?’ I watched a lot of TV, and that really helped me, too.”
Regardless of whether he was mimicking lines from the fall 1999 “Friends” episodes about Ross and Rachel’s Las Vegas marriage, Budaj picked up English and played well enough to be selected by the Avalanche in the 2001 NHL draft.
Now, in his seventh season with the organization, his fourth with the Avs, he has the No. 1 job — to secure or lose after Jose Theodore’s July 1 signing with Washington as an unrestricted free agent. The Avs signed Andrew Raycroft, a former Calder Trophy winner at Boston who was a washout at Toronto, as Budaj’s backup and a potential contender for the No. 1 job if Budaj falters, or if Raycroft rediscovers his rookie-of-the-year touch.
Budaj said he was surprised when Theodore left. “But on the other hand,” he added, “I was really happy because it was a big chance for me. And then the coaches told me I was going to play the majority of the games. That’s something I’ve always dreamed about.”
With the post-lockout Avalanche, Budaj has had runs — including impressive runs — as the No. 1 goalie. Most notably, his work down the stretch of the 2006-07 season helped the Avs stage a stirring rally before they fell just short of making the postseason.
Budaj’s regular-season record of 61-36-16 is praiseworthy but he couldn’t lock up the No. 1 job for good. The Avs at various stages showed a willingness to live with the embarrassment of keeping Theodore — and his $5.3 million cap hit a season — on the bench in a baseball cap most game nights.
Given Budaj’s handful of opportunities, including when coach Joel Quenneville seemed to be disenchanted with both goalies, the young Slovak couldn’t put a stranglehold on the job.
“Every goalie wants to play the majority of the games,” he said. “I didn’t do that last year and that’s obviously disappointing. It’s a different situation now, which I’m really looking forward to.”
Tony Granato, an assistant under Quenneville the past three seasons, is back for his second stint as head coach. “He should be confident with what he’s done for us the past few years, his development and how he’s stuck with us and how he’s been somewhat patient,” Granato said of Budaj. “He’s been put in a position where he’s started for pretty significant parts of different seasons in the past couple of years, but hey, he’s a kid that’s ready. . . . This is the time he’s been waiting for.”
Avalanche defenseman Brett Clark played with Budaj at Hershey of the American Hockey League during the 2004-05 lockout season, then the past three years at Colorado. “For sure, he can handle this,” Clark said. “He’s a hard worker, he comes to play every night. ”
Defenseman Adam Foote rejoined the Avalanche late last season. “He’s had some success here,” he said of Budaj. “And I was talking to Saks (Joe Sakic) about it, and Joey really likes him, filled me in on him. Early on, we have to make sure we’re there for him and help build the confidence.”
Budaj is heading into the final season of his three-year contract and will make $700,000 in 2008-09 — or less than one-eighth of what Theodore got last season. If he plays well, Budaj will be in line for a big raise in a new deal.
“I’m not worrying about it, but I’m just trying to do the best I can and help my team win,” he said.
Terry Frei: 303-954-1895 or tfrei@denverpost.com
Budaj’s big years
A look at the development of Avs goalie Peter Budaj:
1999: At 16, is scouted as he plays for Slovakia in an age-group international tournament. St. Michael’s of Toronto brings him over to play major junior in the Ontario Hockey League.
2001: Avalanche takes him in the second round of the NHL draft.
2002: He joins the Hershey Bears for the first of his three seasons in the American Hockey League.
2005: After the lockout, he sticks with the Avalanche as a backup to veteran David Aebischer.
2006: In a confidence-building experience at the Olympics, Budaj is in the net for Slovakia’s victories over Russia and the United States, and a quarterfinal loss to the Czech Republic.
2007: Budaj helps lead the Avalanche to a 15-2-2 stretch run to end the 2006-07 season. He starts 24 of the Avalanche’s 39 games in the 2007 portion of the 2007-08 season, but Jose Theodore eventually locks down the No. 1 job.
Terry Frei, The Denver Post
