Elliott: Goaltending battle 'cool to be a part of'

St. Louis Blues goaltender Brian Elliott did not see the season end the way he wanted it to last year. Not only did the Blues fall in the first round of the playoffs; Elliott lost his starting job to backup Jake Allen. 

This year, Blues coach Ken Hitchcock has said he plans to give both players the chance to win the starting job, and while having to compete to play may not be the ideal position for an NHL goalie, Elliott told reporters he does not mind facing the battle ahead. 

"That's your job, to go out there and to prove to everybody, your teammates and your coaches, management that you want to be the guy and you can be the guy," Elliott told Lou Korac of In The Slot. "It's no different for anybody. If you look around the league, there's competitions for positions all over the place. It's cool to be a part of, that's for sure."

The challenge seems to be benefiting Elliott so far this preseason. The goalie has allowed two goals in three games this September while compiling a .965 save percentage. His numbers so far are better than Allen's four goals against in two games with a .895 save percentage.

Of course, the real fight starts in October when the season begins, but it looks like Elliott has plenty of motivation to be at his best when the time comes. 

(h/t In The Slot)