Manny Fernandez
Manny Fernandez was drafted in the 3rd round, 52nd overall, of the 1992 NHL Entry Draft by the Quebec Nordiques. Before playing in the NHL, he was traded to the Dallas Stars in 1994. Fernandez bounced around in Dallas until June of 2000, mostly playing as a backup or in the IHL.
In June of 2000, Fernandez was traded to the Minnesota Wild. During the 2002-2003 NHL season, Fernandez shared duties with Dwayne Roloson as the Wild made their first ever appearance in the post-season. As Fernandez continued to play in a backup role, he was often frustrated by a lack of overall ice time. Many considered him to not be ready, while many hockey pundits claimed Fernandez was one of the most underrated players in the league.
Eventually Roloson left the Wild and Fernandez was given the starter job. He had a solid year in 2005-2006, playing 58 games and winning 30 of them. Fernandez finished 2005-2006 with a GAA of 2.29 and a save percentage of .919. He silenced his critics that year and has remained a consistent goalie ever since, growing and maturing with the game.
Fernandez had a decent 2006-2007 season, but wasn't as solid as he was in 2005-2006. In June of 2007, he was traded to the Boston Bruins. Fernandez will bring his services to the Bruins and will likely immediately take over starting duties or split them with Tim Thomas. Fernandez is a confident goalie that covers the net well. He is a great puckhandling goalie, too, and is adept at protecting his crease. Fernandez does suffer bouts of inconsistency, however, and can be rattled by bad goals or too much crease presence.
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