Vancouver Canucks Goalie Cory Schneider taking off to play in Swiss League -NHL Update
It seems like Vancouver Canucks leading goalie, Cory Schneider, has had enough of the work stoppage and has now, finally decided to take off to Europe in order to continue playing while the National Hockey League (NHL) and Players’ Association work their
differences out.
The young net minder is reported to have signed on with Switzerland’s HC Ambri-Piotta, which may not be one of the top rated teams, but for him, in a market which has limited opportunities for goalies no matter how good they are, refusing just was not an
option on the table.
Reading his recent statements, it was easy to see that Schneider was yearning to get back on the ice and play some professional hockey, something that he will be able to do to quench that thirst of his.
"I play hockey for a living," Schneider said, according to VancouverSun.com. "At some point, I really want to play hockey, whether it's here or abroad. I think it's more important for my career going forward to stay sharp and stay prepared and get games
in because 18 months without game action is not a good thing for a goalie, or for anybody for that matter."
The 26-year-old native of Marblehead, Massachusetts, United States, was drafted as the 26th overall by the Vancouver Canucks during round-one of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He has four seasons of major league experience with his draft team and has
68 games played to his name with an accumulated .928 save percentage and 2.24 goals-against average.
Schneider is successor to the Vancouver Canucks goalie throne after a scuffle with veteran goalkeeper, Roberto Luongo, who is looking to find another club once the deadlock between the two sides comes to an end sooner or later. Vancouver showed their commitment
towards retaining Schneider and boosting his career when they locked him on to a three-year, $12 million deal this past offseason, but is yet to take charge.
"I play for a living. At some point I really want to play - here or abroad - and stay sharp and 18 months is not good for a goalie or anybody. I simply can't afford it," Schneider said, according to theprovince.com.
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