Michael Francis (Mike) Dunham



BIOGRAPHY

BORN: Johnson City, New York, June 1, 1972.
HOME:
HEIGHT: 6'3"
WEIGHT: 185-195 lbs.
UNIFORM #: 1 (Nashville, Atlanta, United States, NY Islanders), 30 (NY Rangers).
CATCHES: Left
HIGH SCHOOL: Canterbury (New Milford, CT)
COLLEGE: University of Maine.
SALARY (1996-97): $275,000

STYLE:
STRENGTHS: Excellent glove hand. New Jersey goaltending consultant Jacques Caron has stated that Mike has the best footwork he has ever seen.
WEAKNESSES:

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING:

"Last year Dunham was the Devils' top prospect and the eighth overall in the NHL. This year, he's No. 3 on the Devils and didn't crack the NHL's top 50. But that doesn't mean the Devils have soured on him. In fact, they view him as the flip side to Sean Burke. Instead of bursting on the scene as a young savior and then seeing his career stall, it is hoped Dunham will arrive at his pace and spend a lengthy career as a Devil." (Rich Chere, The Hockey News Future Watch 1995)

"Mike Dunham, the team's fourth pick in the 1990 draft, will be given an opportunity to step up from Albany as Brodeur's backup. "Dunham played really good at Albany," Lemaire said. "We'll have to try him hard at training camp and see what he can do. If all goes well, he'll probably make the team."" (The Sporting News Hockey Yearbook 1996-97, p. 62)

"Mike Dunham, while unhappy with being inserted into several games last season for a matter of seconds, is a highly regarded backup. He shared the Jennings Trophy with [G Martin] Brodeur, posting two shutouts." (The Hockey News 1997-98 Yearbook, p. 129)

"[New Jersey coach Jacques] Lemaire used him as a part-time backup, often inserting him minutes at a time. Was it so he could fulfill his minimum games-played requirement (25) so the Devils wouldn't lose him this off-season as an unrestricted free agent? His agent is infuriated and now is trying to prove that Lemaire didn't act in good faith, so now Dunham's status is up in the air. Has demonstrated he could develop into a No. 1, but we doubt he'll ever be dominant." (The Sports Forecaster Hockey '97-'98, p. 118)

"After being hand-picked to take the franchise under his wings, Dunham struggled in his first season as a No. 1 goalkeeper. Battling a series of groin injuries, Dunham still showed enough for management to feel encouraged about the future. He's a huge presence in goal at 6-3, 195 pounds. His groin problems should encourage him to play a more stand-up style so as to take advantage of his towering frame. The Predators stoill have high hopes for Dunham. If completely healthy, he has the potential to be a great goaltender." (The Sports Forecaster 1999-2000, p. 164)

"A big-sized puck stopper, the ex-New Jersey backup covers a lot of the net and has brought respectability to the Preds. Occasionally still lets in the soft goal, though. Was streaky at times last year, winning his first four decisions, losing four in a row, winning three more and then dropping five straight. Nonetheless recorded career-highs in wins (19) and games (52). When Dunham is on his game, he can steal a win. Is getting increasingly more comfortable as the No. 1 guy." (The Sports Forecaster 2000-01, p. 156)

"The former Devils backup has emerged as a late-blooming star for the Predators. Dunham finished second among NHL backstops in save percentage (.923) last year and won as many games as he lost (21) for the third-year franchise. In fact, the 6-3 goalkeeper kept Nashville in playoff contention for virtually the entire season. Unfortunately, Dunham's knee injury cost the franchise its first postseason appearance. However, the feeling in Opryland is that the team will succeed in earning a playoff spot as long as their No. 1 goaltender continues to develop. Injuries are the only factors that keep Dunham from being mentioned amond the best goaltenders in the NHL. If healthy, look for him to earn 50-55 starts. At this point, he's the closest thing to a franchise player that the Predators have." (The Sports Forecaster 2001-02, p. 162)

"The stand-up netminder is a workhorse for the Predators. In fact, as Dunham goes so goes the team. He received playing time with the 2002 U.S. Olympic silver-medal squad but endured an off year at the NHL level. His goals-against average and save percentage rose significantly from the breakout season of 2000-01. The 6-3, 200-pounder covers the net well and is capable of stealing games by himself. He is also prone to giving up bad goals. Dunham must get back to previous form since both Tomas Vokoun and Jan Lasak are making noise behind him. However, he remains the key to Nashville's playoff aspirations." (The Sports Forecaster 2002-03, p. 156)

"Despite appearing in 100 games with the Rangers between 2002-04, Dunham wasn't asked to return. Nowadays, the 33-year-old Dunham may be best suited for a second-string role. He'll most likely share duties with phenom rookie Kari Lehtonen in a 1-1A situation until the latter is ready to take over full-time, which will be soon." (The Sports Forecaster 2005-06, p. 100)


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PENALTY SHOTS:

NHL SHOOTOUTS:

SEASON RECORDS:

REGULAR SEASON
Year  Team                        GP    Min   W   L   T   OL    GA    GAA   Shots    Sv%   ShO   G   A   PiM     S/60    PERS
87-88 Canterbury School CHS       29                                 2.37                    4
88-89 Canterbury School CHS       25                            63                           2
89-90 Canterbury School CHS       32   1558                     55   2.12
90-91 University of Maine HEAST   23   1275  14   5   2         63   2.96                    2   0   0     2
91-92 University of Maine HEAST    7    382   6   0   0         14   2.20                    1   0   0     0
      United States NATIONAL       3    157   0   1   1         10   3.82                    0
92-93 University of Maine HEAST   25   1429  21   1   1         63   2.65                    0   0   2     0
93-94 United States NATIONAL      33   1983                    125   3.78
      United States OLYMPICS       3    180   0   2   1         15   5.00      86   .826     0   0   0     0
      Albany River Rats AHL        5    305   2   2   1         26   5.11     183   .858     0   0   0     0    36.00  917.92
94-95 Albany River Rats AHL       35   2120  20   7   8         99   2.80     966   .898     1   0   0     2    27.34  943.08
95-96 Albany River Rats AHL       44   2591  30  10   2        109   2.52    1182   .908     1   0   1    12    27.37  953.40
96-97 New Jersey Devils NHL       26   1013   8   7   1         43   2.55     456   .903     2   0   0     2    27.01  950.72
97-98 New Jersey Devils NHL       15    772   5   5   3         29   2.25     332   .913     1   0   1     0    25.80  955.66
98-99 Nashville Predators NHL     44   2472  16  23   3        127   3.08    1387   .908     1   0   0     4    33.67  964.54
99-00 Milwaukee Admirals IHL       1     60   1   0   0          1   1.00      15   .933     0   0   0     0    15.00  958.33
      Nashville Predators NHL     52   3077  19  27   6        146   2.85    1584   .908     0   0   0     6    30.89  959.31
00-01 Nashville Predators NHL     48   2810  21  21   4        107   2.28    1381   .923     4   0   0     2    29.49  971.67
01-02 Nashville Predators NHL     58   3316  23  24   9        144   2.61    1525   .906     3   0   2     2    27.59  951.56
      United States OLYMPICS       1     60   1   0   0          0   0.00      23  1.000     1   0   0     0    23.00 1038.33
02-03 Nashville Predators NHL     15    819   2   9   2         43   3.15     397   .892     0   0   0     0
      New York Rangers NHL        43   2467  19  17   5         94   2.29    1229   .924     5   0   1     0
03-04 New York Rangers NHL        57   3148  16  30   6        159   3.03    1522   .896     2   0   0     0
04-05 Skelleftea AIK SWEDEN-1      3                                                         0   1    25
05-06 Atlanta Thrashers NHL       17    779   8   5        2    36   2.77     336   .893     1   0   0     0
      Gwinnett Gladiators ECHL     2    120   2   0        0     5   2.50      36   .861     0   0   0     2
06-07 New York Islanders NHL      19    979   4  10        3    61   3.74     552   .889     0   0   1     0
TEN (10) NHL SEASONS             394  21653 141 178  39    5   989   2.74   10701  0.908    19   0   5    16
 
POST-SEASON
Year  Team                        GP    Min   W   L   GA    GAA   Shots    Sv%   ShO   G   A   PiM     S/60    PERS
94-95 Albany River Rats AHL        7    420   6   1   20   2.86                    1
95-96 Albany River Rats AHL        3    181   1   2    5   1.66                    1

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