Things are looking up for Lance Galbraith, whose face is his canvas.
Cuts, scrapes, bruises and swelling to his melon mean the Alaska Aces' veteran winger is doing his job, visiting the areas on a hockey rink where crime rates are highest.
In front of the opposing net, a smack to the back of the head drives the visor of his helmet down upon his nose or cheek. Battles behind the net and in the corners inflict stick wounds. Fights -- those explain themselves.
Galbraith is at his best when his face becomes a mess -- "paying the price,'' he calls it.
"That's because he's getting in the danger zones, the dirty places,'' said Aces captain Scott Burt, Galbraith's long-time teammate and friend.
Getting there this season took some time -- some sleepless nights, some soul-searching, a prolonged slump and one encounter with hockey's dreaded albatross, the "healthy scratch.''
In the last four games, Galbraith has generated two goals, three assists and a plus-one rating, evidence he may finally be emerging from his early-season funk.
Galbraith three times in his ECHL career has delivered more than 20 goals in a season. Two other seasons, he would have reached 20-plus had he played a full season. He has twice won the Kelly Cup (2007 and 2004 with Burt for Idaho), once led the ECHL playoffs in scoring, and his rink resume proves he is at his most productive in the postseason. Last season, which ended when the Aces lost Game 7 of the Kelly Cup Finals to South Carolina, Galbraith's 10 goals in 21 playoff games tied for the team lead.
Through his first 14 games this season, though, he scored just one goal and furnished just two assists. He has never finished a season mired as a minus in the plus-minus category, but he found himself slumming at minus-13. He went eight straight games without a point.
"It was just killing me,'' Galbraith, 29, recalled. "There were some long nights. You're thinking, 'Am I too old? It's a young man's game.' So many things go through your mind.
"There were days I didn't want to come to the rink, and I'm a guy who loves to come to the rink.''
The low point arrived Nov. 14, when Aces coach Brent Thompson told Galbraith he would be a healthy scratch for a game against the Bakersfield Condors. Galbraith had gone minus-3 the previous night and been on the ice for Bakersfield's overtime goal. Until then, Thompson had remained patient, mindful of Galbraith's credentials, his veteran status and his pride.
"You've got to give him a little more leeway,'' Thompson said. "The older guys have been there, so they get a little longer leash, as long as they still meet the team standard, and that's hard work. And one thing about Lance is he's never not worked hard in practice.''
Still, Galbraith was struggling badly enough to warrant a night in the stands, the first time he can recall being a healthy scratch in his pro career. Burt said he supported Thompson's move, which he said served as a "wake-up call'' for Galbraith. The Aces promptly went out and rolled the Condors 7-1.
Galbraith was embarrassed to be a healthy scratch. By then, he wondered if he might be jettisoned -- traded, or perhaps even released.
"Thomer did the right thing, but I was thinking, 'Are my days numbered in Alaska?' '' Galbraith said. "I thought of everything.''
Looking back, Galbraith conceded he wasn't in great shape when he arrived in training camp. He spends his summers playing fast-pitch softball back home in Toronto. The pain of losing Game 7 ate at him too.
And he's never been labeled a workout fanatic -- "I'm not a guy who throws around the weights, and I'm not going to hide that from anyone,'' he said.
A league-imposed, three-game suspension for a fight after the end of a period in the finale of a season-opening series against Victoria set back Galbraith's fitness too.
"You have all these young guys who work out hard all summer, and he's still approaching it like the old-school days, and it takes 20 games to get him up to speed,'' Burt said. "I'm not sure there is any old-school these days, not the way guys work out in the off-season.
"I got on him about not working out. He's starting to come around. He's getting into a couple scraps, getting to the net, getting some goals. Like he always says, 'You don't win anything in the first 20 games, you win something in the last 20 games.' ''
What Thompson sees in Galbraith lately is a player who is more up to the speed of the game. He's playing his customary style, which is half point producer for the Aces and half pain-in-the-butt for opponents.
"He's been slowly improving,'' Thompson said. "The last two games with Idaho, with the emotions of facing his former team, he brought his game up to a level we'd like to see him at, and a level we need.
"His conditioning is slowly catching up. He's getting to the places he needs to be because he's moving his feet.''
Galbraith's mouth has followed. As they say around the Aces' room, you usually hear him before you see him -- Galbraith is an inveterate chirper, often in sentences that end with an exclamation point.
Noticeably quieter during his slump -- "When you're not getting the job done, it's better not to be heard,'' Galbraith said -- his volume is increasing. After practice Thursday morning, he could be heard over the music in the team's dressing room.
"Sing it, Lee! Sing it, Lee! Sing it, Lee,'' Galbraith brayed at defenseman Lee Green.
The two fake-tussled in the doorway.
"Lee, remember what happened when I beat you up in Vegas!'' Galbraith mock-warned.
Aces equipment manager Michael Burkhead said Galbraith is slowly sounding more like himself.
"He's turned the volume up three or four levels,'' Burkhead said. "Still not up to 11, but...''
Galbraith's game isn't fully back to where he wants it to be, but he at least appears headed in the right direction.
"I'm not through it yet,'' he said. "I've still got mountains to climb. I'm smiling, but a couple of weeks ago, I had a 14-day frown on my face.''
Find Doyle Woody's blog at adn.com/hockeyblog or call him at 257-4335.
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