Wisconsin goaltender Scott Kabotoff is not familiar with dealing with outside pressure.
The junior keeper will rarely don an expression that even looks as if something is weighing on his mind. Perhaps this can be attributed to the absurd amount of pressure that is self-inflicted.
“I know this,” the Canadian-born Kabotoff said. “The most pressure on me is from me and not anyone else.”
Born and bred in Alberta, Kabotoff first skated in the realm of pressure as a youngster. For the 6-foot-0, 175-lb netminder, it was playing in childhood leagues where he faced the most excruciating test of his career: a team that lacked sports’ highest demand, talent.
“[That’s the] toughest time I’ve had,” Kabotoff recalled. “When I played midgets and bantams with one of the worst teams in the league, they expected me to be out there every night making sure that [the team was] in the game.” Fast-forward a few years, travel a couple hundred miles southeast and you would find Kabotoff in an unfamiliar scenario: playing second fiddle. The Wisconsin hockey program was amid the Graham Melanson era and could only watch as record after record succumbed to the UW great. More than a few might have been daunted by the task of filling in the monstrous void left after Melanson’s graduation. However, even with Kabotoff’s relative inexperience, logging just 111 minutes of ice time over his freshman and sophomore seasons, he didn’t bat an eyelash.
“[I don’t feel pressure] stepping into Graham’s shoes,” Kabotoff said. “There’s more pressure for myself just to go out and perform, not have bad days and be consistent.”
If one word could do justice to Kabotoff’s 2001 campaign, it would most certainly be consistency. In 11 contests, he has amassed an amazing set of statistics via consistent play.
“What has surprised me is the statistical part of the game,” said head coach Jeff Sauer. “The fact that he’s putting the numbers up he’s putting up is amazing. From a technical playing standpoint, he has worked extremely hard.” Kabotoff downplayed his 2.24 goals against average and .936 save percentage, stating that statistics “don’t do much for me.”
Even so, the statistics speak for themselves and the recognition has followed.
Kabotoff was tagged the WCHA’s Defensive Player of the Week after a series against Duluth in which he stymied 82 of 84 shots, helping UW to its only sweep of the season.
The award was then followed by another consistent series against Michigan Tech. Kabotoff stonewalled 65 of the 66 shots he faced and kept the label of Defensive Player of the Week for another seven days.
“I never expected it,” Kabotoff said of the awards. “It’s a huge honor. I never expected it at all.”
The pressure that Kabotoff places on his own shoulders obviously exceeds that of normalcy, yet he is able to maintain his drive and more importantly his focus.
Yet how is he able to do it?
“I just try to keep relaxed,” said Kabotoff. “Keep my mind clear instead of worrying about stuff. The easiest way for me is sleep. I’ll just get up and walk around and take my mind of things while I’m looking at stuff. Just to draw my attention.”
Kabotoff continues to keep onlookers puzzled with his carefree approach, not only to the game, but also to life.
“I put the most pressure on myself,” Kabotoff said. “That’s the way I’ve done it for six or seven years. However, I’m out there having fun. I’m usually the guy who has the big smile on my face, joking with the refs.”
There is one circumstance that Kabotoff lets his competitive nature be known, but it occurs only after many have left the ice.
“I always make sure I can get [the puck] in the net during practice,” Kabotoff said, smiling. “I’ll [make] 10 goals in practice before I leave.”
If he holds to his high personal standards, Kabotoff is looking at an illustrious career not only in the business of hockey, but also in life.
