Goalies can often be described as the most different players of a team. They might engage in strange rituals that no one else would have considered.

A young Patrick Roy would kiss the goal posts to bring him luck.

Glenn Hall would throw up before every game.

Damian Rhodes...would live in hotels during home games and dye his hair blonde.

In other words, the stereotype of netminders being individuals that are, in simplest terms, odd, would hit pretty close to home for Rhodes.

Damian Rhodes often seems quiet and distant. He is prone to moodiness. His teammates know better than to approach him on game day. Instead of sitting at the front of the bus or plane to chat with the guys, Rhodes will head for a spot at the back and read. He can be great in conversations but sometimes he gives the impression that he'd rather not chat. Prior to a game, Rhodes is quiet and pensive. While on the road, he takes long walks to collect his thoughts.

"The one thing I probably don't like about myself is when I get too intense, not as relaxed as I'd like to be," Rhodes says. "I've got hockey on the brain pretty much all the time and I just kind of get wrapped up in it. I want to do well, and I go to great strides to shelter people out. I am different in the off-season, but it's something I'd like to fix."

Rhodes has a tendancy to be flamboyant. He will dye his hair in an instant. At the beginning of the 1998-99 season, he had a goatee. He elected to dye it black but decided it wasn't him and shaved it off the next day.

While most guys' ideal meal would be steak and potatoes, Rhodes enjoys chicken and pasta. Off the rink, his favorite sport is golf. He also has a taste for modern rock. Rhodes was born in St. Paul Minnesota on May 28, 1969. He was drafted by the Maple Leafs in 1987. He met his wife, Lara, an actress, while living in Toronto. They lived in the same apartment building and were introduced to eachother by a security guard, Alfredo, who worked there. Damian proposed to her at christmas time and they were married in the summer of 1997.

Damian was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers in 1999 from Ottawa and become the franchise's first player to be signed. Damian accepted the "big break" and assumed the role as the teams starting netminder.

His time with the Thrashers in the 99-00 season was one teeming with hardship. Rhodes battled with injuries that kept him from the game since November 17 - torn cartilage in his left knee as well as a sprained ankle. Others doubted his abilities as a No. 1 goalie for the fledgling franchise. Besides the injuries, Rhodes had to cope with emotional strain as well. His fairy-tale marriage to Lara Wickes fell to pieces. This happened the very same month the netminder was sidelined. "It was like two days before," he said. The blow was so devestating that he could not open up to his teammates let alone his mother or sister. "I was keeping it to myself," he went to say. Eventually he did talk about it. It probably wasn't easy for him to do so. "It's never easy," he said "But just getting the support from the team. ... I thought it was going to be difficult (talking to them)." Rhodes returned to the ice 45 games later at the end of the season. In the spring of 2000, Rhodes had the chance to represent the US at the World Championships in St. Petersburg, Russia.