Only support goalie gets is from dad

By TIM WHARNSBY -- Toronto Sun The Grahame family huddled in the bowels of the Air Canada Centre following the Maple Leafs' 4-0 blowout of the Boston Bruins last night.
You just knew what advice Ron Grahame was giving his son John, who made his NHL debut in goal for the Bruins last night.
"Son, there will be nights like this," said Ron, who played 114 NHL games with Boston, L.A. and Quebec.
The younger Grahame's first-game performance was spoiled by the pathetic play of the team in front of him. Before the young netminder had a chance to catch his breath, the Leafs enjoyed a 3-0 lead.
"I felt sorry for the kid," Bruins coach Pat Burns said. "The Leafs came out very strong. You can't fault our goalie. I thought the kid played very well."

Highlight-reel save
The Leafs fired 34 shots at Grahame, who made a highlight-reel glove save on Jonas Hoglund when the score was 1-0.
"The first game is something you would like to remember," Grahame, 24, said. "A 4-0 loss obviously is something you don't want to remember.
"I was planning for the worst and the worst happened. I was just trying to hold us in there until we got some goals, but that didn't happen."
The Bruins miss Dmitri Khristich's offence, Tim Taylor's checking and the confidence that goalie Byron Dafoe seems to offer.
Khristich was cut loose by the Bruins for winning his salary arbitration case. Taylor signed with the New York Rangers. Dafoe has yet to sign, but after a lengthy negotiating session, he could be in the fold later this week.
"I knew from Day 1 we were going to miss those guys," Burns said. "Those are foot-soldier guys.
"But that's no excuse for the way we played in the first period. We have to get some emotion going. In the past six periods of hockey, some of our forwards don't have a shot on goal and not one forward has a goal. It doesn't look like a Boston Bruins team."
The name Grahame is hardly crackers in Bruins club history. Ron Grahame played 40 games for the 1977-78 Bruins before being traded to the Kings in exchange for the L.A.'s 1979 first-round pick.
That first-round pick, eighth overall, was used to select Ray Bourque, the future Hall of Famer who is playing his 21st season in Boston. John was three years old when the trade was made.
"I have vivid memories of pulling on my dad's helmet and gloves," said John, who led the AHL Providence Bruins to the Calder Cup championship last spring. "I look at pictures of him in goal in a Boston uniform and it gives me a chill."
Grahame's parents flew in from Denver for their son's first NHL game. Ron, who played at the University of Denver, is now the assistant athletic director at the school. Charlotte is an administrative assistant for Colorado Avalanche GM Pierre Lacroix.

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