Even with the NHL shut down, Tristan Jarry is still exceeding expectations.
After suspending its season March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league encouraged its players to practice self-isolation until further notice. So for the past few weeks, the goalie has been sequestered at the 60-acre barley farm he owns in Sherwood Park, Alberta, which is a half hour outside Edmonton.
“In Pittsburgh, we were in an apartment, so it was kind of tough with the workout equipment and everything. So we came back here where I have a full gym and a lot of land,” Jarry said Tuesday on a conference call. “So we’re able to go for walks and practice social distancing and just stay hunkered down at home.”
Truthfully, Jarry and his girlfriend, Hannah, aren’t exactly hunkered down. Jarry has kicked up dirt with heavy-duty farm equipment. They roam the property with their two English mastiffs. And when the temperature recently dipped below freezing, they laced up the skates and took a twirl around their pond.
There has been plenty to keep Jarry, who turns 25 on Wednesday, busy.
“I’m just doing a lot of odds and ends. I built a hockey stall the other day. I built some cabinets. And I’ve just been doing a lot of gardening around here,” Jarry said. “And obviously working out, making sure I’m staying sharp, has been a big [emphasis], just doing everything I can for when the season resumes.”
Last fall, Jarry emerged victorious from a training camp battle with Casey DeSmith and earned a permanent role in Pittsburgh with strong play early in the season. He was the NHL’s hottest goalie in December, set a team record for the longest shutout streak and played in his first NHL All-Star game in January.
Jarry cooled off in this calendar year and was splitting starts with Matt Murray when the hockey world shut down, scattering Penguins all over the place.
Several weeks later, Penguins players still await word on when they can resume on-ice workouts in Pittsburgh in anticipation for the NHL to start back up.
A number of Penguins have publicly pointed out the difficulty — with no access to the team’s practice facility or public rinks — of trying to simulate skating.
What about the goalies, who have no one to crank slap shots at them?
They are trying to stay mentally sharp with regular WebEx meetings with goalie coach Mike Buckley. Those self-scouting sessions have shown Jarry aspects of his game that need improvement. He feels they have been “a big help.”
Jarry declined to go into specifics about the workouts designed for him, other than saying that Penguins strength and conditioning coaches Alex Trinca and Alexi Pianosi are making sure Jarry, Murray and DeSmith are “working on our hand-eye [coordination] and making sure our hips and core stay engaged.”
Another way for Jarry to engage his hips and core has been gardening.
Jarry said he helped Bob, his neighbor down the road, with a project.
“We did his driveway,” he said. “So a lot of pulling weeds from the driveway and making sure it’s flat and making sure there’s no big water buildups.”
OK, so that isn’t exactly like stopping a slap shot. But it’s something.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been off the ice for this long,” he said, adding, “The biggest thing for me is just staying prepared and making sure that I’m able to do what I can [to help] when the season resumes. Because we’re still fighting for a Stanley Cup. ... That’s got to be the mindset from me and everyone on our team.”
Jarry thanked front-line workers and first-responders for their efforts.
“It’s been incredible what you guys have done for us,” he said. “We all hope that we are able to get hockey back at some point. We’re excited for the breakthrough that we could be having and that we might be able to play soon.”
Matt Vensel: mvensel@post-gazette.com and Twitter @mattvensel.
First Published: April 28, 2020, 8:00 p.m.