As the Coachella Valley Firebirds star goalie, Chris Driedger celebrates his 10 years of professional hockey, he has spoken out about the career highs and lows that keep him going to this day.
The 30-year-old goalie began his career in 2012 with the Ottawa Senators and playing for four ECHL and to AHL affiliate clubs for his first four seasons with three appearances in the NHL. He would go on to the Springfield Thunderbirds for the 2018-19 season. Although he was at first relegated to the ECHL, a Thunderbirds trade with Toronto gave him the opportunity to be called back and shine on the ice. He would go on to play with the Florida Panthers from 2019 to 2021, boasting to appearances during the playoffs.
A long road to recovery lay ahead of him but 8 months later he was back on the ice and would go on to carve his place with the Coachella Valley Firebirds becoming their star goalie. There is no doubt that he is what held together a team with a lackluster performance early on in the regular season and has soared with them as they raced past Calgary and Ontario on their way to the Calder Cup. Who knows what the next few years have in store for him but it sure looks promising.
