"Blue Jackets goaltending coach Dave Rook waited patiently for reporters to vacate the crease of Steve Mason's locker-room stall Friday before sidling up to his prize pupil.

"Hey, Mase - .901," Rook said.

Mason and Rook exchanged knowing smiles and shook hands.

It required a 45-save performance in the season's final game, a 1-0 shootout loss to Detroit, to elevate Mason's save percentage above .900 - a line of respectability for NHL goaltenders.

"It's something I was working for the last little while," said Mason, who had an .886 percentage as late as January. "For a goaltender, you want to set a bar, and it's always to be above .900."

If the Blue Jackets could have picked one player to walk away from a disappointing season feeling good about his game again, it was their franchise goaltender. There are no league trophies to collect or honors to accept after a trying second season, but Mason did show improvement on and off the ice in the final two months.

He had a 2.57 goals-against average and .923 save percentage since Feb. 4, with three shutouts in 18 appearances.

"I can definitely say I'm extremely happy with where my game is at right now," said Mason, last season's rookie of the year. "It will be nice going into the offseason feeling good about that."

From a technical aspect, Rook said Mason made progress in three areas: challenging shooters, handling the puck and remaining patient and upright when the play was behind the net.

There was other growth, as well. He showed maturity in dealing with adversity, some of it self-inflicted. He also became a better teammate and worked to improve his fitness."