MVP looks to ink NHL deal

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It doesn't quite match the excitement of winning the Stanley Cup, a feat Norm Maracle and his Detroit Red Wings' teammates accomplished in 1998, yet Maracle is still rather pleased with his latest accomplishment. The 26-year-old Native goaltender backstopped the Orlando Solar Bears to the Turner Cup, the International Hockey League's championship.

Orlando defeated the Chicago Wolves 4-1 in the best-of-seven championship series, which concluded in late May.

To top it off, Maracle, a Mohawk, was selected as the most valuable player in the IHL playoffs.

"It was a great thing for me," Maracle said, a day after returning to his off-season home on Tyendinaga. "It was a great feeling for me. I had never had the chance to be a number one goalie and win a league title before [in the pros]."

Still, Maracle admits winning a Turner Cup is not as prestigious as capturing the Stanley Cup, one of the most recognizable pieces of hardware in sports.

"The NHL is obviously the better league," he added. "But there's still a lot of talent in the IHL."

During his days with the Red Wings, Maracle was always a backup. He was acquired by the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers during the summer of 1999 in an expansion draft.

Maracle appeared in 32 games for the Thrashers during their inaugural campaign in 1999-2000. He had a 4-19-2 record and a 3.29 goals-against average for the club, which won just 14 of its 82 contests.

Maracle now admits he didn't help his own cause last summer when he engaged in little physical activity. He showed up at the Thrashers' training camp in September out of shape and he subsequently found himself out of an NHL job.

The Thrashers assigned him to the minors in Orlando. Atlanta, however, did recall Maracle in late February. He appeared in 13 games with the Thrashers this season, compiling a 2-8-3 mark, before sending him back to Orlando, prior to the IHL post-season.

"It was a wake-up call for me," said Maracle, who plans to do things a bit differently this summer.

Following a month at his off-season home, Maracle will spend July and August in Orlando working out with a personal trainer to prepare for the upcoming hockey season.

One thing for certain is Maracle won't be playing in Orlando again. In early June, the 11-team IHL folded after six of its franchises moved to the American Hockey League. The Solar Bears' organization did not switch leagues and simply folded.

"It's tough for the fans," Maracle said. "I was only there for the one year but they've had the team there for six years. Hopefully, they'll get another team there, maybe in the East Coast Hockey League [another minor pro circuit]."

As for Maracle, his contract with the Thrashers has ended, but he is looking to resign with Atlanta.

He's hoping to ink a deal for at least three years. And he'd like to get it done as soon as possible.

"I don't want to be thinking about that all summer," he said.

A positive sign for him is the fact Thrashers' general manager Don Waddell attended Game 5 in the IHL final held in Orlando. Afterwards Waddell praised Maracle's efforts.

"He told me I had a great year," said Maracle, who played 51 regular season games with the Solar Bears and had a league-best 2.02 goals-against average as well as a league-high eight shutouts. "And he told me to come to camp in September and play good there. For sure that made me feel good because he's still interested in me and that's great."