Minnesota Wild goaltender Josh Harding has been the story of the first quarter of the 2013-14 NHL season. Despite being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis last year, he has become one of the best goalies in hockey and a huge reason his Minnesota Wild team is enjoying so much success.
Even ignoring the multiple sclerosis diagnosis, what Harding is doing is truly remarkable. He has been nothing more than a backup for most of his NHL career, but has suddenly blossomed into a superstar.
Playing with multiple sclerosis is difficult in and of itself, but the way Harding has been playing seems like something out of a movie; something too good to be true.
Harding holds an incredible record of 13-3-2, is third in the NHL in save percentage as .939, and is second in the NHL in goals against average with a miniscule 1.48.
Unfortunately, he has missed a few starts due to an injury from slipping on a puck in practice, but an MRI showed that the injury is not severe and he should be returning to the ice very soon.
It would not be wise to expect Harding to keep his stats at this level. Why? Because, well, nobody stays this good throughout an entire season. Nothing against him, but maintaining this type of success is about as impossible as anything can get in hockey judging by history, no matter how good a player is.
However, there is no reason to believe that Harding will not continue to be one of the better goalies in hockey, as he has shown that he has what it takes to be consistently productive.
In fact, he has posted very consistent numbers over the course of his career, holding a very respectable 2.49 career goals against average and a .917 save percentage.
It's a shame that Harding does not get as much national media coverage as he deserves. He has been an inspiration to everyone suffering from serious diseases like multiple sclerosis, and has captivated the hockey world by having one of the most astonishing starts in NHL history.
He will continue to be an inspiration to all of those around him, and will look to help his Minnesota Wild make some noise in the tough Western Conference this season.