Dynheart

Well, I think it's because us fans support Ozzie regaurdless of what kind of save. Other teams fans have chants for their arena, ours just happens to be Ozzie. It's not only used for cheering him for good saves, but it's used to boost the team when down, or when they are on fire it shows that the home crowd is in the game and no where else.

I think the rebound issue is more reflected on his style of goaltending. He seems very old fashion, and back then if you watch some of the greats, they used that blocker pad like a friggin baseball bat. Osgood is the only one I've seen in recent years who still does that. He's kinda a hybrid goalie, but I can't help but think he's more stand-up than hybrid. Conklin on the other hand, he's a hybrid goalie through and through. Anyway, goaltenders back in the day gave up, what we would call today, massive rebounds by deflecting it, and to me, that's just another way of controlling the puck. Swallowing a shot isn't the only way to effectively control a rebound. /shrug That's my take on it. H'es very old fashion with his goaltending style.

Franzen for sure, but I think Osgood should get some consideration. Playing awesome IMO.

Game 1. Ozzie saved the wings from a potential loss. Sure he's getting shot at less, but he's still positionally sound, controlling his rebounds well and he's not letting into any softies. But let's be honest here. Isn't the wings and ozzie playing how hockey is supposed to be played? Force as many easy shot as possible? Never understood why a goalie needs to jump around and look like a clown whilst making a save. Or having to make saves an almost impossible angles. If having to jumping across the crease to make a lucky save is a messure of how good of a goalie you are, then I guess ozzie sucks /shrug Sorry if I sound miffed but my god this guy can't even get a nod for his efforts. It's either: A) We lose because ozzie sucked and we lost because of him or B) Win win because of the defense, ozzie played no part in that win whatsoever, and he's just lucky to play with the wings. or C) If it's obvious he saves the game, or series, people wil then compare him to Roy, Sawchuck and Broduer and quickly remind themselves and others that hey, this is Osgood, he's not like these other 3, so he basically got lucky. Oh, did I mention he plays for the wings? Then will patiently wait for osgood to let in 1 goal, it could be 3 shout outs and then lets in 1 goal...he'll be the whipping boy once again. Just wait till he's gone. Most wont really notice during the regular season, but come playoffs? People will be beggin for another Osgood. Sorry for the rant, and really not directed at you. But when I saw the "maybe it's the defense", even after this defense' stellar performance during the first 30 mins of game 1.../sarcasm...and ozzie saving the game, how can he NOT get credit?

I believe this is a classic case of not being mentally ready. IMO, I think most players and fans underestimate the importance of mental fortitude during any sport. But come playoffs, you need even more. We are talking pushing the envelope 80 times more. Some players, while gifted, haven't really embraced this fact. Desire, heart, anger...these are just a few the emotions that drive/drove the best of the best. Granted some turn those emotions into negativity, but what can you do, eh? It's all about how mentally tough you are come playoffs. Thorton is a classic example of this. Tons of skill, but can't do much in the playoffs. The pressure gets to him. Some feed off that pressure, that emotion, and then take it another level. To all the fans/rivals who wonder how the Ozzies regular and playoff stats are total opposites of each other? Kinda like it's 2 diffrent goalies? He's one of the few who feed off the pressure and the emotion needed to win, and then he goes all hulk smash during the playoffs. At the end of the day, Thorton is a phenominal player. Probably one of the best of today...just doesn't have the mental fortitude to with stand the presure and emotion to drive him to the next leve: The playoffs.

I admire their fortitude. They know they are out matched, and made a mistake in using the regular season red wings as an indicator, but still believe they can come back. No negativity. Hell, Hitchcock sounds more defeated that his players do. I do find it mindly amusing that the BJ's think they can play a head game with Detriot. If they go into game 3 with that mentality, I'm sure the Wings will show them how ineffective mind games are to them. This holds more so to Ozzie than most. Once he's on his game and in the zone? Look out!

It's because of the whole "Crosby = God" mentality that the NHL and the commentators have. Not to de-rail the thread, but does anybody remember last year when Datsyuk pick pocketed Crosby at our blueline, went in for a goal...all the while the the commentators were drooling over the fact that Crosby went to get a new stick from the bench. Not one angle of the replay, not two but 3 or 4 times! "Wow look at that, even though he loses his stick, he goes right back to the bench to get a new one". I laughed. What was the most funny part of it all was that the goal, the actual highlight of that moment...was hardly mentioned AND apparently didn't warrant a replay. Go figure.

Long time lurker, first time poster. After reading several...O.K more like hundreds of other teams forums (what happens when you're laid off hehe), I realize, despite the slumps, how lucky we are to have such a great team to cheer for. An awesome defensive system, even though having some issues this season, that is probably the best in the league, if not close to it. Offense? Beyond stellar. Depth? Probably the best in the league, if not close to it as well. Goal tending? Above average (even though Ozzie was in a bit of a slump this year, Conklin was perfect to step up till his game was on), and knows his place in the team. Top that with having one of most friendliest of franchises (probably why 99% of the players want to play in detriot before they retire)...and Dr Rahmani! Now these are the obvious things, but after reading alot of forums, and what other teams expect of thier player...(that's right I sid player), that makes me feel even more lucky. Other teams wonder about how the red wings are able to win so much. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say it's because we play actual hockey, not the one man show game. I guess for some teams this works (I.E see Ovechkin), but will only take you so far. Some teams even go as far as to rely on just their goal tender, this is a bad idea IMO. A goal tender can only do so much! Speaking of goal tending, there seems to be this trend that has been getting on my nerves; especially the last 5 years or so. I always thought being a goalie was to stop the puck and much as possible. Granted there will be mistakes...professional or not, we are human after all. But what gets me is if a goalie doesn't do ninja backflips across the crease to make a save, then it's not considered a good save. 30 shots saved 1 goes by, VS, 28 shots 3 go by, but made 3 ninja like saves. The way fans think nowadays, the second goalie would be better just because he made some saves that he had no reason to making in the first place. But that makes me feel all the more lucky, because with the wings' system, the goalie doesn't need to be a ninja to save the game. That's also probably why Ozzie doesn't get that much respect, not enough ninja skills. This is related to the Habs' Carrey Price. It's obvious that they are a goal tender team. The poor guy is a rookie, 21 years old AND playing in front of one of the worst defense in the league...poor guy is being sent to be burned at the stake. Like I said earlier I feel lucky that the team I root for plays as a team, and not a 1 player team. The formula of champions.

Some have a natural gift, others not so much. Unfortunatley for Ozzie he's the latter, but that doesn't mean he's a bad goalie. I'd put Ozzie around a 7 out of 10 scale. Above average. People saying the wings would do better with broduer type goalies...I think they would actually do worse. Most goalies, especially the good ones, need to stay active. 20 shots a night would kill these type of players. This is when it turns into the mental ascpect of the game, which IMO, ozzie is among the best of the best in that regard. To me, and this is my opinion, but to me what has been holding ozzie back is his physical limitations. 5ft 10 maybe 180lbs? How many goals have you seen ozzie let in (cross crease one timers..prolly the hardest to face) and miss the puck by mere inches? It's not because he's out of postion, he just doesn't have the size to make those crazy saves, although he manages to save a good chunck of them anyway. He's positionally sound (with the exception of the first 3 quarters of this season), has one of the fastest glove hands in the NHL, even at age 37, and he makes himself big as possible in the net. Can't ask for more than that. And if he's put in a postion where he needs to jump across the crease or having to contort himself in funny ways to make a save, then the defense is doing something wrong. The important thing is that he's among the best playoff goalies today. He sprays himself with uber juju juice when the playoffs start and he's a totally diffrent goal tender all together. Frustrating? Yes. But atleast he's there when it matters most: The playoffs. The whole "the regular season is a good indication of how the goalie will perform in the playoffs" cliche' doesn't sit anywhere near ozzie. He deserves more props and respect that when he gets now.

I never understood the "ozzie is only good because the defense is good" argument. Put any goalie in the league in front of a poor defensive core and watch their stats stumble. Sure some goalies can steal games, and those are few and far between. But people forget that these are the exception, not the rule. It's a team sport, not a goalie show. It's the up to the defense to make sure the goalie doesn't need to jump across the crease at 200MPH to make a save. Those are based off luck, but we all know you make your own luck through skill...but even the bestest of the beset goalies will let in 8 maybe 7 out of 10 cross crease one timers. I think ozzie does well for himself considering one of the biggest flaw in his game that isn't his fault...his build. He's not what you would call the ideal goalie build. 5ft 10 and barely breaking 180lbs. Taking this into consideration, I think he doesn an exceptional job. Take a goalie with the same skill and athletic prowess and give one a 60lb and 6-7 inch more than the other...who will preform better? The choice is obvious. Also (with the exception with this year, ozzie was in some type of funk), I think ozzies stats suffer because he's on the wings. 20-25 shots faced a night, and a good 10+ are really good scoring chances (if the opposition can get past detriots defense enough to get to the crease, it's most likley a high scoring chance). Giving the physical limitations/age and aybe just not being broduer as far as skill, these scoring chances will go through half the time. 20 shots, 10+ high scoring chances and lets in 3...his stats will obviously suffer (this is though out his 15 year career, though...this year excluded). What more seem to forget is that Ozzie has this uncanny knack to be able to turn it on to almost a patrick roy level of play in the playoffs. Don't know how, I don't really want to question it. Fact is he comes through when needed most. his 3 cups, 2 as a starter, prove that. Sad thing is most will even frown upon that accomlishment because he hasn't won 10+ already with the wings.