"It has been an offseason filled with awards and rewards for Blue Jackets goaltender Steve Mason.

He earned NHL Rookie of the Year honors last week and was named a second-team All-Star. Mason also treated himself to a new car, a Mercedes-Benz SL63.

The most important acquisition, however, might be the goaltenders coach who will greet him at training camp in September. Mason, 21, is eager to work again with Dave Rook, who helped transform him into one of the best goaltenders coming out of junior hockey.

"To work with him for an entire season at the NHL level is only going to bode well for myself, and I think it will be a good opportunity for him," Mason said yesterday.

Rook will be officially named to the Jackets' staff in the coming days. He has been working as a consultant with the St. Louis Blues and spent seven years with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League.

Mason spent three seasons under Rook's watch.

Last season, Mason emerged as one of the NHL's best stories despite injury, illness and the lack of a full-time goalies coach. Mason and former interim coach Perry Elderbroom apparently never forged a good working relationship.

As a result, Mason had few places to turn late in the season as fatigue and holes in his technique took their toll. "