Louis Domingue was ready to give up.
In a recent interview with Matt Sammon and Brian Engblom of the "Lightning Power Play" podcast, the 25-year-old goaltender said he hit rock bottom after a slow start this season, left with the feeling that his playing days were over.
Through seven games with the last-place Arizona Coyotes, Domingue came up winless, seemingly losing his confidence before losing his spot to AHL call-up Adin Hill and newcomer Scott Wedgewood.
In late October, the Coyotes waived him. Ultimately clearing, he didn't follow the usual path of an assignment to the minors, as the organization's AHL team already had three netminders, Coyotes correspondent Craig Morgan reports. However, an assignment to the team's ECHL affiliate was on the table.
Domingue declined, choosing to bide his time while Arizona worked to find him a new home. A deal materialized just over two weeks later, when he was traded to Tampa Bay and subsequently assigned to the Lightning's farm club in Syracuse.
He got his game back on track with the Crunch, finding the win column 11 times through 15 games while posting a .921 save percentage and 2.07 goals-against average.
When an injury to the Lightning's veteran backup, Peter Budaj, opened up an NHL spot, Domingue's performance was enough to earn him the call.
He made his return to the show on Jan. 7, turning aside 34 shots and backstopping the Lightning to a 5-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings.
It was his first victory since April 6 of last season.
"If you would have called me a month and a half ago or so, I was going to Europe in my head," Domingue told Sammon and Engblom. "I was looking for answers. ... Honestly, I almost quit hockey."
Domingue has been rewarded for his play, as he remains on the roster while Budaj recovers from a leg injury. And while his time in the desert ended on a down note, he remains thankful to the Coyotes for giving him his start in the big leagues.
"Maybe if I was drafted somewhere else, I would have never played in the NHL," he said. "I'm very fortunate to have gotten a chance with Arizona. I'm very grateful for that."
- With h/t to Raw Charge
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