Aebischer first Swiss player to reach NHL playoffs

David Aebischer has enjoyed a good rookie season with the NHL's Colorado Avalanche Keystone Archive

The Colorado Avalanche's number two goalie, David Aebischer, is the first Swiss player to reach the National Hockey League playoffs. His team, odds-on favourites to win the Stanley Cup, take on the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.

Aebischer has no guarantee of being the team goaltender during the play-offs. His chances of playing are limited by the presence of Patrick Roy, one of the league’s legendary players.

Roy finished the regular season with a career-high of 40 victories, playing in a style he thinks is close to his best. The Canadian veteran has also always answered present at playoff time, although he has been suffering from knee problems in the past few weeks.

Twenty-three year-old Aebischer won’t complain about his first season with the Avalanche, though. He played in 26 games, more than he expected to originally, starting and winning 12 of them.

The Fribourg native goals against average is very close to Roy’s, with opposition teams scoring a median 2.24 times against him.

Colorado, which won the trophy for best regular-season team, are aiming to conquer its first league title since 1996. They should be helped by the home ice advantage they will hold throughout the playoffs.

The Denver-based team has made it through to the semi-finals for the past two seasons, bowing out only after losing a seventh and decisive game.

Unfortunately, Aebischer’s good news is bad news for the Swiss national hockey team. The goalie will be unavailable for the upcoming world championships in Germany.

swissinfo with agencies