Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jaroslav Halak dives and makes the save as they face the Washington Capitals during third period of Game 6 NHL Eastern Conference quarter-finals hockey action Monday, April 26, 2010 in Montreal. The Canadiens beat the Capitals 4-1 to tie the best-of-seven series 3-3 to force a seventh and deciding game.Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press
It was hours deep into the 2003 NHL entry draft, the heart of the sixth round, and there was a heated debate at the Minnesota Wild draft table.
One high-ranking member of the organization wanted one European netminder while a scout with expertise in that part of the world preferred another. Words were exchanged, papers were shuffled and as the other teams around them began growing impatient, it fell to general manager Doug Risebrough to break the deadlock.
"Take the bigger one," he said.
So, with the 187th overall pick, the Wild dutifully selected Miroslav Kopriva, a 6-foot-4 Czech who has played far more games with the Austin Ice Bats (25) than he's had in the NHL (zero).
Overlooked, as he has been for much of his hockey career, was Jaroslav Halak.
Today, seven years after he eventually went to the Montreal Canadiens in the last round, all eyes are on the little goalie from Bratislava, Slovakia, entering Game 7 against the Washington Capitals.
Halak has been the series' star, guiding the Habs from a 3-1 deficit to a one game, winner-take-all-scenario by barring the door the past two games - including a superb 53-save performance in Monday's 4-1 win.
Those who have known him all along the way say Halak's rise from the bottom of the draft to the top of the league has been one of the NHL's best untold stories.
"He always stood out because of hard work," said Rollie Melanson, the Canadiens former goaltending coach who tutored Halak for six seasons. "He didn't leave anything on the table."
Raised in a modest, working class home in the Slovakian capital, Halak first hit scouts' radar at the world under-18 tournament, where he backstopped his country - not known for its netminders - two years in a row. In 2003, two months before the draft, he stopped Russia's Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin in a shootout in the semi-finals, a win that led to a surprise silver medal after a narrow loss to Canada in the final.
Halak then caught on for one season with the Lewiston Maineiacs of the Quebec junior league and continued to impress the Habs brass, eventually earning an entry level contract - a rarity for a ninth-rounder - after starring at the world juniors.
Being such a low pick, however, made him a low priority for the Canadiens, and Halak's first NHL training camp ended with a ticket to the Long Beach Ice Dogs of the ECHL.
It didn't take long for him to standout there.
"I remember telling [then Canadiens GM]Bob Gainey that this kid would play in the NHL in a year," said Halak's Long Beach coach, Malcolm Cameron. "I was that confident. He was that good."
By midseason, Halak was up with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL, where he would post sparkling save percentages of .927, .932 and .929 in three consecutive seasons.
"He was dominant when I had him," former Bulldogs coach Don Lever said. "Every year he got better and better."
After leading that team for much of the 2006-07 season, Halak took a backseat to top prospect Carey Price come the playoffs, as the organization wanted their 2005 first-rounder to get a taste of pro hockey.
With Halak sent to sit on the bench at the world championships, Price took over and led the Bulldogs to a Calder Cup title, giving him a leg up on a job in Montreal come that fall.
It wasn't until Cristobal Huet was dealt away in 2008 that Halak got his shot -- and he's waged a quiet battle for the Canadiens crease with Price ever since, one that he eventually won midway through this season.
Credited with helping Halak develop from a raw 18-year-old, Melanson was let go by the Canadiens last summer - a move one person close to the situation said was likely made due to a contentious relationship with Price.
Melanson continues to keep in touch with Halak and said he is proud of how he has beaten the odds to excel in what's likely the toughest starting role in the league.
"I'm not surprised," Melanson said of his protégé's success. "He's one of those guys you're going to see around the NHL 10 years from now."