Bob Essensa Robert " Bob " Essensa ( born January 14 , 1965 , in Toronto , Ontario , Canada ) is a retired professional goaltender who spent 12 seasons in the National Hockey League . Currently , he serves as the goaltending coach for the Boston Bruins . Playing career . Amateur career . Essensa was selected in the fourth round of the 1983 NHL Entry Draft , 69th overall , by the Winnipeg Jets after dominating Junior B hockey in the Toronto area . He had played for the Henry Carr Crusaders of the Metro Junior B Hockey League in 1981 - 82 and 1982 - 83 , The Crusaders won the league championship im both years and the Sutherland Cup in 1982 - 83 . Following the 1983 Draft , Essensa played for Michigan State University and posted an overall record of 62 – 13 – 2 in his four years at Michigan State . He named the CCHA First Team All - Star his sophomore year and won the CCHA and NCAA Championships with Michigan State in his Junior year . He graduated as the school ' s all - time leader in GAA and shutouts , although both records have since been broken . Professional career . After spending his first professional season entirely in the AHL , Essensa made his NHL debut during the 1988 – 89 season , and posted a 6 – 8 – 3 record in 20 games . His workload increased to 36 games in 1989 – 90 , and he took over as Winnipeg ' s starting goaltender the following season . For four seasons , he was a workhorse for the Jets , averaging nearly 60 games per year . In 1991 – 92 , he was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL ' s top goaltender after leading the league in shutouts with 5 while posting a sparkling 2 . 88 GAA . Essensa and the Jets suffered through a dismal 1993 – 94 campaign , struggling to the second - worst record in the league next to the expansion Ottawa Senators . However , fortune seemed to deal him a break as he was dealt to the Detroit Red Wings at the trade deadline . A legitimate contender for the Stanley Cup , Detroit had been let down in previous seasons by poor goaltending and Essensa , just two years removed from his Vezina nomination and a college star in the area at Michigan State , was considered an ideal solution . However , it proved to be a disaster as he posted a disappointing 4 – 7 – 1 record down the stretch and struggled in the playoffs , ultimately being usurped by rookie Chris Osgood . Things went from bad to worse for Essensa in 1994 – 95 , as Detroit acquired star veteran Mike Vernon to partner Osgood . In the span of a few months , he went from a legitimate NHL starter to Detroit ' s 4th - string goalie , as the team preferred to call up prospect Kevin Hodson when insurance was needed . Exiled to the minors , he spent the next two seasons in the International Hockey League , and his NHL career seemed all but over . Essensa finally escaped the Red Wings organization when he was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers for the 1996 – 97 season . He spent the next two seasons backing up Curtis Joseph for the Oilers , and although his workload was limited behind one of the top goalies in the league , he re - established himself as a solid NHL goaltender and an above - average backup . When Joseph left Edmonton as a free agent in 1998 , Essensa ' s responsibilities increased , as he split the goaltending duties evenly in 1998 – 99 with the newly - acquired Mikhail Shtalenkov . While neither goalie performed poorly , it represented a significant drop - off from Joseph and the team eventually acquired Tommy Salo late in the season to take over as the starter . For 1999 – 00 , Essensa signed with the Phoenix Coyotes . The move represented a homecoming of sorts , as the Winnipeg Jets had moved to Phoenix in 1996 , and gave him an opportunity to extend his franchise records for games played and wins by a goalie . Ironically , he was again partnered with Shtalenkov in Phoenix , and the tandem perhaps unsurprisingly failed to deliver much better results . Shtalenkov was dealt mid - season in a deal for Sean Burke , and Essensa finished the season as Burke ' s backup , posting a solid 13 – 10 – 3 record in 30 games . Essensa was on the move again for the 2000 – 01 campaign , this time signing with the Vancouver Canucks to back up Félix Potvin . ' Backup Bob ' quickly became a fan favourite in Vancouver , as he outplayed the highly - paid Potvin by a wide margin . He was cheered wildly in most appearances by Canuck fans who were frustrated that the struggling Potvin continued to get the majority of the team ' s starts while Essensa , playing his best hockey in nearly a decade , was clearly giving the team a better chance to win . Ultimately , Potvin was shipped out of Vancouver and replaced by Dan Cloutier , and Essensa and Cloutier split the goaltending duties as the Canucks were knocked out of the playoffs by the Colorado Avalanche . Essensa finished the year with an 18 – 12 – 3 mark in 39 appearances , his highest win total since 1994 . After Vancouver somewhat controversially failed to give him a serious contract offer , Essensa signed with the Buffalo Sabres for the 2001 – 02 season . However , he was unable to recapture his heroics of the previous year , posting an 0 – 5 record in 9 appearances for the Sabres before retiring at the conclusion of the season . Essensa finished his career with a 173 – 176 – 47 record in 446 career NHL appearances , along with 17 shutouts and a 3 . 15 GAA . He has served as the goaltending coach for the Boston Bruins since 2003 .