The days of Chris Kreider gnawing away at himself, internalizing, seeking to find the belief that would allow him to thrive and avoid paralysis by analysis are gone.
This is Kreider 2.0, who is tied for third in goal-scoring in the NHL, his 25th in Wednesday’s 6-3 Garden victory over the Maple Leafs tying him with Auston Matthews and leaving him one behind Leon Draisaitl and two behind Alex Ovechkin. These are luminaries and this is the next generation Kid K.
“The biggest change for me is acknowledging that I don’t need anyone else’s validation at the end of the day. When I look in the mirror, I’m looking at the only person who can give me validation, praise and belief,” Kreider told The Post before this impressive victory over one of the league’s big dogs. “I want to be the best player I possibly can to help the group and I’m at the point now where I know what that entails.
“So shame on me if I’m looking somewhere else for that validation. The more confident I can be in my own game and what I bring to the team on a nightly basis and understanding what my role is and who I am in that locker room, ultimately I’ll be better off and better able to contribute to our group.”
Kreider has taken a lead role on this engaging Rangers team that has exceeded everyone’s expectations playing under head coach Gerard Gallant. He has earned expanded duties. In addition being on the first power play, he is now a primary penalty killer who also gets the call to go on in the final minute to protect a one-goal lead. At age 30, nearly 10 years after his Broadway debut in the 2012 playoffs, he is having a career year.
“The guys who I’ve looked up to are the guys who play in all situations and would do whatever it took to win hockey games,” said Kreider. “I always said to myself that’s what I wanted to do, I wanted to help us win hockey games any way I could. I had some incredible examples early on with those teams that we had, so it’s something I’m really enjoying and trying to get better at.
“Having a coach who believes in you and empowers you, you want to prove him right.”
Kreider has been known as a streaky scorer throughout his career. The corresponding problem was that when he stopped scoring, he just as often disappeared from view. You know, Did. You. See. Chris! vs Did. You. See. Chris? Now, you see Chris every night. You see him sealtting screens. You see him retrieving pucks. You see him in position to take out his man and break up a play at the other end. And then you see him deflecting praise as expertly as he deflects pucks in front.
“I think there’s a fine line between putting yourself down, disparaging yourself and deflecting praise,” said the Rangers’ senior player. “I honestly do think my job is pretty simple. We’re being asked to play a simple game that’s not necessarily easy, so obviously I need to play hard and keep my feet moving, but I think there are a lot of things that are in my control on a daily basis regardless of whether pucks are going in.”
Kreider is the lone Blue-blooded forwards of the group that once featured Ryan Callahan, Derek Stepan, Brandon Dubinsky, J.T. Miller, Artem Anisimov and Carl Hagelin to make to age 30 as a Ranger. His game has evolved in concert with his mentality. He gives great credit in his growth to Marty St. Louis, who continues to impart wisdom to his one-time teammate.
“In terms of outside validation, it was more of looking in other places for answers, looking to my teammates, management, whatever it may be,” Kreider said. “I think [growth] comes from maturity and experience but I’ve had conversations with people, I’ve sought those conversations outside of the season and the game of hockey, whether it be working with Marty, speaking with family members, friends, loved one, or speaking with specialists on the matter.
“I’ve tried to understand who I am as a person and the kind of leader I want to be. I know what I can be, but I think there are times in my career I probably lost that self-awareness and belief. I’ve said this before, but you never arrive in this league, and when you think you’ve arrived you’re cooked. That’s one of the biggest things I took from Marty. You’ve got to keep getting better.
“But when you’re putting pressure on yourself, you have to be able to give yourself a modicum of slack and give yourself a break,” he said. “I feel like I’m a pretty compassionate and empathetic person and I deal that way with our younger players because I know how hard this can be, but it took someone to point out that I should extend some compassion to myself.
“I’m very lucky to have played with so many unbelievable players. I wish I could have soaked up those lessons a little bit quicker and helped us to win even more games early on, but it’s part of the process. I’m proud of the person and teammate I’m becoming.”