Dwayne Roloson

Lore & Background

Roloson went undrafted after a standout college career at UMass Lowell, where he was a Hobey Baker Award nominee and NCAA All-American. He signed with the Calgary Flames in 1994 and later backed up Dominik Hašek in Buffalo.

After being selected by Columbus in the 2000 expansion draft, he instead signed with St. Louis and spent a full season in the AHL. He earned an NHL roster spot with the Minnesota Wild in 2001, sharing goaltending duties with Manny Fernandez as the Wild reached the Western Conference Final in 2003. At age 34, he made his only All-Star appearance in 2004 and won the Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award for the league's best save percentage.

On March 8, 2006, Roloson was traded to the Edmonton Oilers for a first-round pick and a conditional third-rounder. After a rocky regular season, he became a playoff hero, posting a 12–5 record through the first three rounds.

In Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals against Carolina, he suffered a third-degree MCL sprain and a hyper-extended elbow when Hurricanes forward Andrew Ladd was pushed into him by Oilers defenseman Marc-André Bergeron. Backup Ty Conklin replaced him for the remainder of Game 1, and Jussi Markkanen finished the series, which the Oilers lost in seven games. Roloson re-signed with Edmonton on a three-year contract in July 2006.

After stints with the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning, Roloson helped the Lightning reach the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals. In Game 7 of the first round against Pittsburgh, he became the oldest goaltender to record a shutout in a Game 7. He retired after the 2011–12 season.

Reader's Guide

Roloson's legacy is defined by his improbable 2006 playoff run with the Oilers, where he transformed from a criticized trade acquisition into a Conn Smythe Trophy contender before a devastating injury in the Stanley Cup Finals. His performance that spring remains one of the most memorable goaltending displays in Oilers history, and the team's near-championship run is often recalled with the question of what might have been had he stayed healthy.

Beyond Edmonton, Roloson enjoyed a late-career resurgence with the Lightning, leading them to the Eastern Conference Finals at age 41 and setting a record as the oldest goaltender to record a Game 7 shutout. He was the last active NHL player born in the 1960s and the oldest active player following Mark Recchi's retirement in 2011. After retiring, he moved into coaching, serving as goaltending consultant for the Anaheim Ducks and later as Goaltending Coach and Director of Player Development at Lake Superior State University.