"I mean this as a compliment, but I don't think he was that great of a goalie when he started his career," said Tom Laidlaw, his agent and a former NHL player. "But he made himself into a top goalie."
Mason was viewed as a minor leaguer and backup for the Nashville Predators until 2006-07, when Tomas Vokoun's medical issue gave him an opportunity to play regularly. The Blues acquired Mason last summer, hoping he would help solidify their goaltending. But he lost playing time early in the season because of appendicitis and didn't become the clear No. 1 until Manny Legace was shipped to the minors.
St. Louis was last in the conference Feb. 18, and it holds the eighth playoff spot in the West after Tuesday night's 5-1 win vs. the Phoenix Coyotes.
"Chris has been through it all as a goalie," Blues President John Davidson said. "He knows what the position is about. He knows how to practice. He knows when to get off the ice, and when to work hard. He really is a professional in every aspect of the word."
Laidlaw said he has always been impressed by Mason because his approach to the business side of the sport is always to say, "Just put me in position to be the best player possible."
With the Blues fighting for playoff survival, Mason has helped the team to a record of 10-5-2 in its last 17 games.
"We didn't score many goals for him earlier — he was losing 1-0 and 2-1," Davidson said. "That was frustrating. Now it's different."
Does this mean the Blues view Mason, 32, as their No. 1 beyond this season? "The way he is playing, why not?" Davidson said. "This lets us develop our young goalies, like Ben Bishop. And we have Jake Allen playing in Montreal, and we hope he will be the Canadian goalie in the world juniors next year. We don't have to fast track anyone."
When the season started, the Blues were projected as the NHL's worst team because they were going to have several youngsters playing.
"If someone would have asked earlier if I would take having three games with a shot to get in, I would have said, 'I would gladly take those odds,' " Davidson said. "So we will take one period at a time and see where it goes."
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Wednesday's Key Game I:
Buffalo at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. ET: The Sabres essentially need to win all three of their games and then would need the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers to experience calamity to make the playoffs.
Wednesday's Key Game II:
Columbus at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. ET: With three games remaining, the Blue Jackets are in good shape for the playoffs, but they are not yet perfectly safe. Depending upon what happens Tuesday, a win could do it.
Injury update: Nashville's Ryan Jones is ready to go, but Martin Erat (broken leg) and David Legwand (facial fracture) are still out. Although the Canadiens aren't revealing their injury situation, it appears that defensemen Mathieu Schneider and Andre Markov are out for extended periods. ... With Andreas Lilja still out with a concussion and Brian Rafalski also injured, rookie Jonathan Ericsson is receiving a long audition for possible playoff work. He played 22 minutes in Detroit's win over Buffalo. Both players are expected to return for the playofffs. ... Injured Bruins forward Phil Kessel is now ready to return
Notes with playoff implications:
Carolina: With an eight-game winning streak, the Carolina Hurricanes are the NHL's hottest team heading into the playoffs. Goalie Cam Ward is expected to make his 27th consecutive start Tuesday night in Carolina's game against the New York Islanders. The Hurricanes still have a shot to win home ice advantage in the first round, although the Philadelphia Flyers control their own destiny.
New York Islanders: Although well out of contention, the Islanders took a step toward making the playoffs next season by re-signing Doug Weight. If the Islanders end up with the No. 1 draft pick and choose John Tavares, highly-respected Weight could end up as Tavares' mentor.
Who's hot: Detroit defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom has two goals, three assists and is plus-5 in in his past four games. He's now tied for the league lead among defensemen at plus-33 and he's third in points. ... Montreal left wing Alex Tanguary has six goals and 15 points in 14 games since returning from a separated shoulder.
Stat of the day: If the Florida Panthers miss the playoffs for an eighth consecutive season, they will be one year short of the NHL record of nine consecutive seasons out of the playoffs, set by the Colorado Rockies/New Jersey Devils from 1979-87.