Colin Zulianello, Thunder Bay's unofficial godfather of goaltending, had the most enjoyable Family Day long weekend.

His parents were visiting Zulianello and his family at their hockey-season home of Stockton, California, where, as the Calgary Flames developmental goalie coach, he keeps a watchful eye on the prospects playing in the American Hockey League for the Stockton Heat.

The Heat won both of its weekend outings as did the Flames to stop a mini-slump. But Calgary's 5-4 victory in Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon came at the expense of one of Thunder Bay's favourites, Penguins goalie Matt Murray.

Strange how things play out in a season, but beginning with the Penguins-Flames matchup last Saturday it was supposed to be a special four-day stretch for Thunder Bay's fantastic goaltending fraternity.

There was Murray going up against Zulianello's Flames on Saturday. On Sunday, another one of Thunder Bay's brilliant goalie acts, Carter Hutton of the Buffalo Sabres, was scheduled to clash with young MacKenzie Blackwood of the New Jersey Devils.

Blackwood re-assigned to AHL

But after a terrific 13-game stint with an impressive .926 save percentage, he was re-assigned to the AHL Binghamton Devils after the organization's No. 1 netminder, Corey Schneider recovered from his abdominal strain.

Devils coach John Hynes told Blackwood that it was unfair he was going back to Binghamton. He proved in his seven-week stint that he was ready to join Hutton and Murray as prime timers. In late December, he became the youngest goalie in Devils history to record back-to-back shutouts, beating Hockey Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur's mark.

But the Devils wanted to play out the season with veterans Schneider and Keith Kinkaid. Hynes challenged Blackwood to return to Binghamton and push the AHL team into the Calder Cup playoffs and enjoy a strong postseason, a similar circumstance that Murray and Hutton face with the Penguins and Sabres sitting in shaky situations.

Pittsburgh is tied for the final playoff spot in the East with the Montreal Canadiens, while the Sabres remain six points back with a game in hand.

But that's not the only common thread with the three goalies from Thunder Bay. They each have worked under the tutelage of Zulianello at Zulie's Goalie Academy in the summer.

Scouting report

We asked the goalie guru for a brief scouting report on each Thunder Bay netminder.

Blackwood — He has a football player frame … So much athletic ability … It's a big jump from junior to pro and he has to learn you can get away with things in junior that you can't in the NHL … He's so much better than say four years ago … He needs to keep working on the details.

Hutton — Good athlete … A person of high character … Good teammate … Expects a lot of himself and his teammates … High hockey IQ, as a result, he reads the play so well … Isn't afraid to use his athleticism to make highlight-reel saves.

Murray — He's calm … Makes it look easy … Always in good position … Underrated athletically … He has an ability to slow down the game, like Jonathan Quick, who once remarked a play that takes two-seconds sometimes feels like seven-seconds to him.

Just like former NHLer Alex Auld of Thunder Bay helped inspire the latest Lakehead trio royalty in goal, John Adams's story inspired Zulianello years ago.

Adams was good enough to play 22 games with Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals in the mid-1970s. He then returned home to finish out his career in senior hockey with the Thunder Bay Twins.

Zulianello, now 40, helped the Thunder Bay AAA Kings win the 1994-95 national midget championship and came within a whisker of a repeat the following year.

After four years and three NCAA tournament appearances with Colorado College, the Phoenix Coyotes signed him as a free agent in 2001. He enjoyed four seasons of pro and played a few games with the San Diego Gulls late in 2004, exactly 30 years after Adams played for the same team.

Zulianello is a loquacious, humble man. He would never take credit for the success of his star pupils Hutton, two-time Stanley Cup-champion Murray, Blackwood and former Canadian under-18 women's national team member Amanda Makela. Instead, he credits their work ethic.

'Nothing seems to rattle us'

But the truth is Zulianello has been a goalie whisperer to his students, which includes local up and comers Jordan Smith (Thunder Bay Kings) and Christian Cicigoi (Powassan Voodoos). Zulianello is a teacher first, a good communicator. He has an easy way about him and gains the trust of his students.

He also is extremely proud of his Thunder Bay roots. When asked why his hometown has turned out three elite-level goalies in Blackwood, Hutton and Murray, Zulianello had an interesting response.

"It's not just goalies, it's players at all positions when you look at the Staals, Patrick Sharp, Robert Bortuzzo, Tom and Taylor Pyatt and all the greats before them," Zulianello said. "Nothing seems to rattle us. We weren't born with silver spoons in our mouths. We endured long bus rides and by the time some these guys advance to the pro ranks they've seen it all."

"It's a relatively small town at 110,000," he said. "But for a small town, there is a deep talent pool and that makes for healthy competition. Thunder Bay has cold, harsh winters. Hockey is part of the fabric. We have 11-12 arenas and a lot of outdoor rinks."

"We're family-oriented and we shouldn't underestimate the value of family because that makes most of us good teammates."