Seven years ago, the National Hockey League’s two biggest stars went head-to-head in the postseason as Sidney Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins faced off against Alex Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals.
Brian Dumoulin, fresh off leading Biddeford High to consecutive Class A state titles in 2007 and 2008, was playing junior hockey in New Hampshire when the Penguins edged the Caps in Game 7 of a memorable series that saw Crosby and Ovechkin each score eight goals.
Now Dumoulin finds himself wearing the same Pittsburgh sweater as Crosby and trying to defend against Ovechkin as the Penguins and Capitals meet in the second round of the NHL playoffs for what’s being dubbed Crosby-Ovechkin II.
A rookie, Dumoulin played in 79 of Pittsburgh’s 82 regular-season games, more than any other Penguins defenseman, averaging 18 minutes, 53 seconds per game – fourth-highest among Pittsburgh defensemen. A steady, stay-at-home type, Dumoulin registered 16 assists and no goals with a plus-11 rating during the season and one assist in Pittsburgh’s 4-1 first-round series victory over the New York Rangers.
He spent most of the previous three seasons with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, going up for six NHL games in 2013-14 and eight last season before the Penguins summoned him for the playoffs last April. He has remained in the NHL ever since.
“People always talk about playoffs and the atmosphere and what it’s like,” Dumoulin, 24, said by phone this week from Pittsburgh, “but you don’t really know until you experience it for yourself. It was just a lot of fun and showed me how crucial every play was.”
This season, the Penguins were slightly above .500 at Christmas but finished the regular season red hot after Mike Sullivan took over as coach after Mike Johnston was fired in mid-December. They finished second in the Metropolitan Division and have won 18 of their last 21 games.
“I’ve learned a lot,” Dumoulin said. “It’s the most games I’ve played in a season for a while. I’m thankful I wasn’t injured too much.”
One injury that didn’t cause Dumoulin to miss any games was a painful charley horse resulting from a check into the boards from Ovechkin during the Penguins’ 6-2 victory in late March.
“He’s a big guy who can hit,” Dumoulin said. “That’s something you’re aware of.”
Something Ovechkin hasn’t been able to do in five games against the Penguins this season is score. Dumoulin, with a single assist in Washington’s 3-2 victory in early March, has more points than Ovechkin in the season series.
Despite the thigh bruise, Dumoulin was able to return for the Pens’ next game against New Jersey. But two days later in Detroit he was checked face-first into the glass and sat out the remaining three games of March, his only absence all season.
Pittsburgh’s upcoming series will start in Washington at 8 p.m. Thursday.
Another 24-year-old who first laced up skates at Biddeford Arena alongside Dumoulin will be paying close attention. Garnet Hathaway of Kennebunkport made his NHL debut in late February with the Calgary Flames.
“I remember car pooling with Brian and Brian’s family,” Hathaway said. “It’s really exciting to see someone I started out playing with being so successful.”
Hathaway helped Cheverus win the 2006 Class A state title as a freshman before transferring to Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. He turned pro after playing four years at Brown University. Dumoulin won two NCAA titles at Boston College before turning pro.
Hathaway’s fourth NHL game was at Pittsburgh. A right wing, Hathaway delivered the first hit of the game, 63 seconds in, against Dumoulin.
“That’s part of my game and it just happened to be Brian,” Hathaway said. “We kind of just laughed.”
Hathaway and Dumoulin make their offseason homes in Boston. Both share a taste for fine cuisine. Dumoulin has a reputation as the best cook on the Penguins. Hathaway, for two summers during college, sold lobster rolls in Providence from a push cart.
After a season with Adirondack, Hathaway became part of the AHL migration to California and played for the Stockton Heat this season, aside from his 14 NHL games with Calgary, for which he recorded three assists and 31 penalty minutes.
“I’ll follow Brian a lot,” Hathaway said. “But it’s definitely an exciting series for a lot of NHL fans.”
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