Giguere Officially Supplants Hebert as the No. 1 Goalie

Goalie Guy Hebert, the last original Mighty Duck, will be more spectator than player the remainder of the season, clearing the way for 23-year-old Jean-Sebastien Giguere to gain NHL experience.

Coach Guy Charron met with Hebert before practice Tuesday and confirmed that Giguere is the No. 1 goalie.

What this means for Hebert’s future remains to be seen. He has one year remaining on a three-year, $12-million contract.

“The great thing about my job is all I have to do is stop the puck,” Hebert said. “Everything else is out of my control.

“I’m a professional. That’s what that job title says, ‘professional hockey player.’ I just want to help the team any way I can.”

That, at the moment, means backing up Giguere.

“Guy has handled the situation to the best of his ability,” Charron said. “I don’t think he’s enthusiastic about it, but he understands this could be an opportunity for J.S. to get some experience.”

This, though, is not only about getting a young goalie’s feet wet in the NHL. This is also about playing the best goalie.

Giguere has started eight of the last 12 games and has a 3.00 goals-against average and .898 save percentage in that time. He is 1-1-1 in his last three starts, stopping 74 of 81 shots.

The 34-year old Hebert is 0-11-2 since a 3-1 victory over Tampa Bay on Dec. 17. He has appeared in 441 of the Ducks’ 658 games and has been a consistent, often spectacular goalie. But this has been one of his worst seasons. Hebert is 12-23-4, giving up 3.12 goals a game.

“This has been a frustrating season for us as a team and frustrating for me,” he said. “This is not how we envisioned things before the season. What I wanted was to have a great playoff stretch.”

Giguere, acquired from Calgary in a June trade, played in 30 NHL games before this season. He has appeared in 11 games this season and has a 2-7-1 record.

“I feel more comfortable knowing I’m going to play,” he said. “I don’t have to worry that if I make a mistake that I’ll be sent down tomorrow. I can just focus on stopping that little black thing.”

Giguere said he has sought out Hebert for advice, especially after giving up goals.

“I look at this as the Ducks developing a real strong goalie tandem,” Hebert said. “Obviously, Jiggy has a chance to develop into someone who can play in 50-60 games. I still think I’m a guy who can play 50-60 games. We’ll deal with that situation if it happens.”

TONIGHT

vs. Edmonton, 7:30

Fox Sports West 2

* Site--Arrowhead Pond.

* Radio--XTRA (690).

* Records--Ducks 16-31-7-4, Edmonton 26-23-8-1.

* Record vs. Oilers--1-2.

* Update--Duck center German Titov will miss tonight’s game because of a shoulder injury. He has six goals and 14 points. Marc Chouinard was recalled from Cincinnati to replace Titov.

* Tickets--(714) 703-2545