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Nictox · 11-18-2022, 05:14 PM

Aleister Cain, the goalie who would not give up until he became one of the greats. The legendary goalie went from Mr Irrelevant in his SMJHL Entry Draft to Hall of Fame Goalie with the New Orleans Specters. A lot of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears went into his career, but it was not all roses. Sit back, relax, and enjoy my deep dive into who I consider the best goalie the league has ever seen.

[que dramatic music]

Aleister Cain came into this league a nobody. Just a kid growing up in Chicago looking to play the game he loves. Not much was known about the young goaltender before the SMJHL Entry Draft. Most scouts did not even have him on their board, but late in the 11th round, St Louis Scarecrows decided to take a chance on a goalie they saw play once. Cain was picked 87th OA, the last player to be picked in what would become a huge draft class.
His time with St Louis was a long successful road. He played third string goalie in his debut season. He was okay with that. The two goalies in front of him were solid and on their last legs anyways. St Louis was not a strong team in S42, placing 7th out of 8 missing the playoffs. The next season Cain started and led the team to the S43 Four Star Cup finals where they lost to a hot Vancouver team. Cain buckled down and decided to help win the next 2 Four Star Cups in S44 and S45. He would be called up to the Edmonton Blizzard after that season…

Cain would be stuck behind longtime Edmonton Blizzard goaltender, Tommy Tuck, and never get to see a starting position with the Blizzard. With an expansion draft coming up, Cain was hoping to be picked up by one of the new expansion teams to finally get his chance in the SHL. Cain wouldn’t have to wait long to hear his name for this draft. With the 1OA pick in the S46 Expansion draft, the newly established New Orleans Specters drafted Aleister Cain. Cain would be the bonafide starter for the Specters until he retired. The Specters were a top team from the moment they entered the league and acknowledge that Aliester Cain is a big reason for it. It would take the Specters some time to win a Challenge Cup, but they finally did it in S54 thanks to Cain’s lights out performance. Not only did he finally prove himself to be one of the bests by winning the Cup, but he also won the Anton Razov Award, which is of course the Playoff MVP.
With the Specters starting to age, Cain knew his time was coming to an end. While he was still playing at a high level he decided to make S57 his last. In an uneventful season, Can quietly walked away from the league. Cain ended his career playing in 477 games and winning 286 of those. A positive record for such a brilliant goalie. In S60, the Hall of Fame Committee would induct Aleister Cain to the SHL Hall of Fame’s S60 Class. The kid from Chicago who went dead last in his SMJHL draft, was now a legendary Hall of Fame goalie.

[548 Words]

RIP Dangel #AD26 | RIP TDZ

*CptSquall* · 11-19-2022, 12:58 PM

Approved, +5 TPE to @Nictox

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