denverswingsfan

I'm sure that as long as the Wings keep winning with Ozzie behind them, he will have a place in the line up. Other goalies have played until they are 40 or older, so we may be seeing him for a while.

I have to go with Osgood here. I know the finals have a lot of weight but this isn't last year. First round, the Wings came out flat and that's a understatement. Osgood not only held the fort but posted under a goal a game until his injury in the forth game. It wasn't Z shutting down Nash, it was Lids. Second round Most people I've seen comment have felt it was Osgood that made the difference in that series, especially game 7. Third round Games 4 & 5, No Lids, no Pav and a handful of others, Osgood was there. There is a reason Ozzie got the first star in the first two games of the cup. When you are out shot, out played and you still win, it's your goalie that does it for you. If Ozzie had let in a bunch of softies in game four, it would be one thing. He didn't stand a chance on some of those when the team just let him down. What goalie stops cross ice pass goal from a 2 on 1. Last nights shutout after being 2-2 in the series was big. Most goalies would get first star for that. I'm not trying to take anything away from Z, his job on Crosby has been brilliant. Just remember he was one of the ones asleep in the first round when Ozzie was keeping them in it and for a while there it looked like he was only going to score ENG's. There is also no question how much Dats means to this team. Ozzie started last years cup with a pair of SO's and it didn't get him Chit, maybe this year he can end it with a pair and get some respect.

Wendel Clark anyone

MULE SIGHTING!!!!!

OZZIE OZZIE OZZIE

Ozzie He said he'd be ready

I ain't promising nuttin to nobody

They say the same thing every year. They are old and the Goal tending is suspect. In the same breath they mention how the Wings are still the odds on favorite for the cup. Do you think they will ever figure out that it is a balance between skilled youth AND veteran experience?

No one is going to say Osgood had a good regular season. Aside from a groin injury, he just didn't look right. Neither did the rest of the team and that didn't help. They admittedly had a cup hang over and Ozzie's was bad. Luckily, they kept winning and it's not bad to kick the offenses ass once in a while in any event. The team gets lazy on tipped, screened and rebound goals and forgets that the bread and butter is taking it to the net, making the goalie move and picking your spot. Some times they just wont skate with the puck at all. The great thing is they all got over their hangovers in time to hit the ground running for the playoffs. When Osgood said I'll be ready, he wasn't kidding. It may have been his worst regular season ever statistically but I think it's going to be forgotten quickly amongst the back to back cup runs, his entry into the top tens all time for wins and games like last nights that will be considered clutch by any tender at any time. The silver lining to his bad season is that now he has gained the reputation of a playoff goalie, a proven winner and clutch in the big games. not just to his fans, the media too. I for one won't mind if he takes a breather again next season and doesn't play like a god in the regular season. As long as he plays like a Os-God in the playoffs I'm fine with it, really.

I can't blame people for losing faith in Ozzie when his performance dipped in the regular season but after what he did for the Wings last year, I can say I was disappointed to see them express it as much as they did. He was winning after all and neither him or the defense looked that good. I did feel his play had picked up in the end and that he deserved the starters job out of respect for last year if nothing else. They did it for Dom when Osgood was clearly playing better and this year he deserved the respect. I defend Ozzie on HF a lot and have seen things like Osgood doesn't do the things elite goalies do, steal games or series for his team. Ozzie could never be needed to carry the great and mighty wings for he only wins because he is lucky enought to have play on that great and mighty team. Last night wasn't the first time Osgood has both stolen a game/ series for the Winged wheel, the first round last year is a easy example of another time he hit the switch, transformed into Os-god and shut the door. Last night on HF I posted that if any of the other great goalies they feel are/were better than Ozzie had played that game, it would have been epic. They would tell you how ***** picked up his injured team and carried them into the cup to defend their title. There would be no question as to whether or not that the goalie was elite or deserved to be in the top ten. His place in the HOF would be unquestioned. That is of course any goalie not named Osgood, he will never be able to do enough in their eyes to deserve anything. Last night a goaltender by the name of Osgood rubbed their noses in it and showed why when asked, wouldn't you rather have Luongo, Ozzie fans just laugh. Hopefully next year his critics will think twice before they spew their venom onto the keyboard because if they don't, someone is going to tell them to STFU and learn to appreciate what the man has provided. One more thing. In 97, someone brought a sign that said Mike , we're sorry. I think it's time someone broke out the magic markers for Ozzie.

322.9 but I lik the nose ins around 200 better

Considering last games results, I'd rather see them completely healed for the cup than forced to play a game that they are not essential to.

Unfortunately, even as well as Ozzie has played and as many times as the coach or the players have come out praising his play, I don't see him getting it. They didn't give it to them last year after saving their asses in the first round, posting incredible stats thru out and even starting the cup with a pair of shutouts, so I just don't see it this year either.

How do you spot a elite goalie, that's easy. You put their stats on a piece of paper without any ID to the player and see if it is considered elite. Believe me, Ozzie got a bad rep on a few goals a decade ago and it has been used against him since. That wont be forever though. Osgood has been the most successful goalie on the dominant team of his time. His place in history is set in the fact that he has made it to the top ten of both win categories as well as has won multiple cups. He has records to his name, both team and individual. And he isn't done yet. He will be remembered as a major part of the success, not as a burden. His name will come up when ever the concept of a playoff switch come up I wouldn't be surprised if #30 doesn't even hang in the rafters some day. As for what the others think. eh, they are sheep

Well I guell it is kind of hard to get excited if you feel you know you have no chance of winning. Wings fans know they have a great chance and we are excited.

Wild Wings from the parodies for charity cd. (95 I think)

Ok so I'm a photographer, not a photoshopper, so I hope you dont mind these. Thanks for looking

Ozzy is the MVP hands down, no questions asked. He was last year too but his name is Osgood and no matter what, it ain't happening. He has had ONE bad period out of twelve. One that he was obviously injured, in a lot of pain and could barely get up and move side to side. After that, he came back in the third and returned to shutting down a team that was playing for everything trying not to be eliminated. Not that the whole team isn't playing well, the opposite is true actually. The whole team looks like this is a continuation of last years playoffs. Like the regular season was just something to get through. Here's to hoping Osgood returns healthy for the next round. The scoring can be spread out but there is only one player in the net and he is a lot more responsible for the success of this team than most will ever give him credit for. Go OZZY, we really do believe.

It's well known that Osgood had a groin problem during the season.

So whatever the parade route in Detroit is...send it to him.

I don't think a lot of Wings fans think about Osgood retiring. He has that baby face and has just kinda always been here through out the successful years. What will it be like when he does, you only have to go back to the Manny PO years to know what it is like. I think many will never see his value until he does retire and they see that not just any goalie can drive the big wheel to a cup. They may really realize it when they find out what it will cost to replace him. Like you said, the regular season is different from the playoffs and proven playoff winners are hard to come by. Hopefully one of the kids coming up can take on the easiest job in the NHL. Lord knows the super expensive "elite" goalies can't. (Cojo) One thing you never seen mentioned with Osgood. Most would say that the 97 cup team was stronger than the 98 and even as good as the Wings were last year, the 02 team had to be one of the most loaded teams ever. That means that Osgood took the weaker teams and won in the comparison with Vernon and Dom. In fact, Dom couldn't do it with the same team last year and in 07 the lost is blamed on a injury, not Dom. Yet one of the knocks against Ozzy is the 99 and 01 PO's when we had major injuries including Ozzy himself. Enjoy what you have now people and pray that the Wings front office has produced another one because we can't afford anything else for a while.

As long as I can remember, the Wings have been on stealth mode with the announcers, especially in the playoffs. It doesn't matter who they are playing, it's all about how wonderful that team or it's players are. Osgood might be posting a shutout but you wouldn't know it because the other goalie is so great in his loss. The Crosby stick incident is the perfect example. You would have thought they would give him the cup for his ability to exchange his stick, well at least the CS. I think the reason they seem to need to pump up anyone but the Wings is that the Wings don't need their fanbase pumped up. We are everywhere and show up at every away game in force. It does irk me to see their accomplishments disregarded but it's been that way sense I can remember.

Has there been a year that someone didn't question Ozzy's ability in the playoffs? Even in 98, before the long softies, he was considered the weakest link. I think the fact that they focus on him is a great advantage. How many times do you see a team trying the long bomb thinking that those softies a decade ago are still the way past him. It always ends up the same, the puck is turned over and a scoring chance is wasted. Of the regular season part, one of the announcers were talking about it in the first game. He had like 8 more 5 on 5 goals for the season and we know the PK was terrible this year. As long as Ozzy plays the regular season and OZ-GOD shows up for the playoffs, it's all good.

The question may be who does Dallas go to when Turco doesn't match Ozzy save for save.