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Hockey East Online: Anybody's ballgame

No. 4 Maine

Overall record: 20-11-7

Hockey East record: 13-6-5

Current PairWise position: t-11th

How they advanced: Swept No. 5 UMass-Lowell, 7-2, 5-1.

Leading scorers: Derek Damon (14-13-27), Jon Jankus (18-7-25), Greg Moore (14-9-23), Michel Leveille (12-11-23)

Goaltender: Jimmy Howard (19-11-7, 1.97 gaa, .921 sv%)

Who’s Hot: Jimmy Howard (has allowed four goals only twice since Christmas), Michel Leveille (Five goals and 11 points in last eight games)

Who’s Not: Ben Murphy (two points since Christmas)

Why Maine can win this championship:

In the postseason it’s all about goaltending. For the second consecutive season, Jimmy Howard has come ready to play in March. Last year, Howard brought Maine within a couple of goal pipes of a national championship, this year he’s brought Maine back from the dead, rallying the Black Bears to home ice and a weekend quarterfinal split of pesky UMass-Lowell.

The Black Bears also have incredible offensive balance. Maine boasts 15 different players with double-digit scoring. Last weekend against Lowell, nine players different players accounted for the 12 goals that were scored.

What Maine has to do to win the championship:

Maine is going to get good goaltending. They’re going to get consistent scoring. The one thing that is critical to the Black Bears is special teams. Last week, Maine scored six power play goals in the sweep of UMass-Lowell. At the same time, the penalty kill stopped nine of ten Lowell chances. If Maine’s going to win this championship, they’ll need this special teams success to continue.

At the same time, Maine has to continue to play with a sense of urgency. Last weekend, it was win or go home. Though an NCAA bid seems within grasp, the Black Bears would need to make the championship game to make that “probably� into a “definitely�. Without any doubt, the pride of the Black Bears showed last weekend. It’s been six straight NCAA appearances for Maine. No one in the North Country wants to see that streak end.

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And 21 saves for Jimmy Howard tonight as Maine swept UMass Lowell. Final score: 5-1. Matt Lundin replaced Jimmy in net with a little over 2 minutes left to play. Howard was spectacular in net, especially in the 1st half when it was a 1-goal game. He was also terrific during the PK. Maine moves on the HE semifinals and improves it's chances of making it into the NCAA tournament. Simply put, Jimmy Howard is best goalie in the nation and no college team wants to face him in the playoffs  thumbup.gif

Hey, NMU's Tuomas Tarkki is no slouch and I think his (edit: regular season) numbers were better, too.

But then, I'm biased. smile.gif

Edited by Bliz

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Defending champs Maine lost in the Hockey East semi-finals to Boston College this evening. The game went to 2 OTs. Howard made 36 saves and did everything in his power to keep Maine in the game. The game winner was deflected into the net by Maine's own d-man. Corey Schneider was equally stellar in net for BC who played without their star, Patrick Eaves. Maine might still qualify for the NCAA tournament as they are seeded 10th in the nation. BC will play the winner of BU and UNH tomorrow evening at the Fleet Center.

And in addition, Jimmy Howard was named all-conference honorable mention at the annual Hockey East Awards banquet in Boston.

He has six shutouts on the season and a 1.97 goals against average and a .921 save percentage. His 19 wins is the most by a Hockey East goalie this season.

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Howard stuff from articles about the game:

...a brilliant goaltending effort by Maine junior Jimmy Howard, who finished with 36 saves while stopping two breakaways by Chris Collins, one of them midway through the third period and the other with 35 seconds left in the first overtime.

"He is awesome. I've run out of compliments for him," said Maine coach Tim Whitehead. "That game could have been over a long time ago if it weren't for Jimmy Howard."

----- X -----

"Jimmy is a terrific goalie," said Cory Schneider. "I like watching him play. He stays focused and does very well. Seeing him making great saves at the other end of the rink made me want to play harder. Seeing the crowd and the way Jimmy was playing helped me keep my eyes open better. Again, Jimmy played great."

----- X -----

Junior goalie Jimmy Howard made several clutch saves among his 36. Among them was a point-blank stop on Chris Collins, who was sent in alone by a long flip pass from Ryan Shannon, with 35 seconds remaining in the first overtime.

"It's kind of like you expect it," UMaine's Josh Soares said of Howard's performance. "You can't ask for a better goaltender. He does it every night."

----- X -----

Howard's 36-save performance was perhaps his sharpest of the year. He made several phenomenal saves in the first overtime - the most memorable on a Chris Collins breakaway with just 30 seconds to play.

Ryan Shannon lobbed Collins a pass that dropped over his head and onto his stick as he crossed the blue line. Howard readied, then went down on his side to make the save.

"I decided to take away the whole bottom of the net," said Howard. "We did a lot of the little things out there tonight. The guys just laid their hearts on the ice. I enjoyed it out there. It was unfortunate we came out on the losing end."

Howard said Albert's winning goal deflected off a teammate's stick before it beat him.

"It was a broken play and the pressure was pretty thick," said Howard. "(Alberts) walked in and let the shot go and (John) Ronan tried to block it when it went in."

Maine relied heavily on Howard as the game wore on.

"We played a real good game. Both teams played hard," said Soares. "We definitely had our chances. Jimmy does what he does and it's kind of like you expect it. It could have been one of his best games of the year."

----- X -----

MaineToday.com: It's a loss, but just look what they've found

----- X -----

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Maine is in the NCAA tournament.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=2017900

Most Likely First-Round Upset 

Jimmy Howard could help Maine upset BC.

Discounting the No. 2 vs. 3 games  since those would be mild upsets at best  the biggest chance for a surprise lies in the West Regional. Minnesota's rematch of the 2002 national championship game against Maine in the first round could spell trouble for the top-seeded host school.

Black Bear goaltender Jimmy Howard is an upset waiting to happen, while Minnesota played Saturday's game without its leading scorer, Tyler Hirsch, after a bizarre postgame incident on Friday night. Hirsch's status is uncertain for this weekend. The Gophers could also be missing freshman defenseman Alex Goligoski, who was injured in Saturday's WCHA consolation game.

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Saw the NCAA seeds announced this morning and Panger couldn't stop gushing about Jimmy Howard. Jimmy is a world-class goaltender, an elite goalie at college level. Maine has a very shaky team this season but he helped them turn their season around from January. Come playoff time, he puts his team on his back and knows how to get it done. In the Hockey East semifinals he saved so many chances, it was ridiculous. This kid doesn't have the word 'quit' in his vocabulary. If there's 1 goalie in college hockey who gives you a chance to steal a game on any given night, it's Howard. But Maine hasn't been scoring goals or playing well enough to help him. They rely heavily on Howard. He needs some support and he will take them far. He's fabulous, I can't wait until he signs and starts playing within our organization.

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Lots of praise for Jimmy Howard on his play against BC on Friday.

From MaineCampus.com:

The chance to star in another thrilling Hockey East playoff engagement was not lost on Howard.

"It was two teams leaving it all out on the ice," said Howard. "It was a thrill to really participate in another classic Hockey East playoff game."

The game-winning goal, coming at 9:09 of the second overtime, punched the Eagles their first trip to the Hockey East Tournament final since 2001. Boston College went on to win the tournament Saturday night, dealing the University of New Hampshire a convincing 3-1 defeat.

On the final tally, Alberts sent a rising shot over the glove of Howard into the back of the net. Alberts received the puck off the sticks of Brian O'Hanely and Dan Bertram. The shot was deflected by John Ronan, who was trying to block the attempt.

Howard talked about the game winner.

"It somehow got kicked out to Alberts and they were putting the pressure on," said Howard. "Ronan came sliding across and it went off his stick just enough to fool me and go over my glove."

York commented on the goal.

"We got a little lucky," said York. "Andrew's shot hit the defenseman's stick and just went in glove side."

The semifinal almost didn't see a second frame. With 40 seconds remaining in the first overtime, BC's Ryan Shannon began a dazzling play by launching the puck 20 feet in the air up to a streaking Chris Collins. Collins hauled in the Hail Mary pass just past UMaine's blue line to setup a breakaway on Howard. Collins then attempted to flip the puck into the top corner, where Howard stacked the pads sending the puck spiraling out of the danger zone. The play was easily the Black Bears' finest of the year.

"I knew he really couldn't do much with it because it was bouncing all over the place," said Howard. "He never really had good control on it, so I just stacked the pads and he put into my chest."

The play was also fresh on the mind of Tyler, who was chasing down Collins on the play.

"I was chasing him, I had no idea what was going on," said Tyler. "I saw him flip the puck and go on a breakaway and I was going 'Oh my God." Jimmy Howard is in the net so you don't feel that scared but you are nervous."

The near-goal by Collins was one of several by BC in the closing 10 minutes of the first overtime. At 3:41, Dan Bertram fired a clear shot that sprang off the bottom of Howard's leg pad and out of confusion. Another close call came with 8:30 left when Shannon pinged off the top crossbar causing the Eagles' legion of fans to shutter in disbelief.

Tyler discussed the play of Howard throughout the game.

"The kid is just phenomenal with what he does," said Tyler. "He keeps us in every game."

Howard finished with 36 saves.

From Boston.com:

Minnesota will have a home-ice advantage, but Maine, which is rolling four confident lines and boasts arguably the best goalie in the country in Jimmy Howard, is the toughest No. 4 seed in the bracket.

From MaineToday.com:

As Whitehead looks around his locker room he sees a team that deserves this bid.

"I think it's our perseverence, our determination, our ability to pull together," he said. "As a team we've recogognized that every guy is crucial."

"We've got an elite guy in the net and we've been protecting him better. We're playing smarter as a team and getting our strength from his play. We've got a whole team playing with confidence. We know we can go toe to toe with anybody."

From Maine's Official website:

Black Bears Student-Athlete of the Week

Week Ending March 20, 2005

Jimmy Howard

Goaltender - Men's Hockey

Maine Goaltender Jimmy Howard (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) stopped 36 of 38 shots on goal against then #4 Boston College in the semifinal round of the Hockey East Tournament. The game marked the longest semifinal game in Hockey East history at 89:09. The NCAA Selection show held on Sunday, March 20 at 11:00 am on ESPN2 sent Maine to Mariucci Arena in Minnesota to take on the Golden Gophers of Minnesota on Saturday, March 26, 2004 at 2:30 PM EST.

And some pictures...

Making a save on Chris Collins during the HE Semifinals

user posted image

Watching the NCAA seeds being announced intently

user posted image

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First off, Happy Birthday to Jimmy Howard. He turned 21 yesterday.

He had 38 fabulous saves yesterday yet Maine lost 1-0 to Minnesota in OT. Offense, or rather the lack of it, was going to be the death of Maine as it rightfully was yesterday. This game could've been over several times before but as he has done many times, Howard kept his team in the game. He had some unbelievable saves. This guy pulls wicked stuff day in and day out from who knows where. Tremendous focus and athletic ability have helped him reach this elite status in college goaltending. I don't know how much more he can learn and grow at Maine. Perhaps it's time to sign him and have him playing within the organization now.

Some praise for Jimmy Howard...

From Star Tribune:

Men's hockey notes: Maine's Howard stands out with superb saves

Dean Spiros,  Star Tribune

March 27, 2005

Maine goaltender Jimmy Howard, who starred in a losing cause, had a handful of outstanding saves in Saturday's NCAA West Regional semifinal, won by the Gophers 1-0 in overtime. He stopped Mike Vannelli from in close in the opening minutes of the game. He showed a quick glove on a Kris Chucko wrist shot during a Gophers 3-on-1 in the second period.

Howard's best save probably came in the third period, when he stopped Gophers freshman defenseman Derek Peltier on a 2-on-1. Danny Irmen carried the puck into the Black Bears zone on left wing. He waited for Howard to commit to him before sending the puck across the slot to Peltier.

Howard made a quick move to his left to block Peltier's shot.

"Danny Irmen made a great pass," Howard said. "I was fortunate that I was able to read his eyes. I saw him look over at the last second, and I was able to react."

Maine coach Tim Whitehead smiled and shook his head as Howard described the play. "He was able to read his eyes? That's pretty good focus," Whitehead said. "The guy has the puck on his stick, and he still can read his eyes."'

Howard, a second-round draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings, shut out the Gophers 4-0 in last year's season opener. Gophers coach Don Lucia has seen enough of the junior from Ogdensburg, N.Y. "Detroit needs to sign him right now," he said.

From Maine Today:

Goalie Jimmy Howard and the University of Maine left its season on the wide ice of Mariucci Arena Saturday afternoon, shutting out the Minnesota Golden Gophers for a remarkable 61 minutes 45 seconds.

It took but a moment to end the dream.

The Gophers' Evan Kaufmann, left alone in the slot, made it 1-0 at 1:46 of overtime by burying a feed from behind the goal and ending Maine's NCAA tournament in this opening game of the West Regional.

It was the only shot of 38 that got by Howard -- who was by any account -- simply extraordinary.

"This guy right next to me was without question the best player on the ice," said Maine coach Tim Whitehead in a post game press conference.

....

Maine's players were frustrated and disappointed in the outcome. They wanted to give Howard goal support.

"We felt we owed it to him after that performance," Soares said.

When Kaufmann scored, Maine could hardly believe it.

"We thought we were going to win this game," center Derek Damon said. "We wanted to do it for Jimmy. For the whole state of Maine."

From St. Paul Pioneer Press:

An instant after doing what 37 other shots failed to do  get past Howard  Kaufmann jumped into the arms of a teammate and wound up on the bottom of a pile of thrilled Gophers. As this was happening, Howard skated ever so slowly toward his bench. Just before he got there, he broke his stick in half over his right knee.

"A lot of emotion was built up inside,'' Howard said, who turned 21 Saturday and won't ever forget this birthday. "It just hurts.''

This was the kind of pain that will linger. You couldn't ask a goalie to do more than Howard had done. Through three periods, he had shut down and shut out the Gophers with one spectacular save after another. The Gophers were 0 for 9 on the power play; it was their worst power-play performance of the season. Howard had a lot to do with that.

He used his stick, his glove, his elbow, and both legs. He turned away several two-on-one breakaways and even a three-on-one break. One time he went into a split that would shred the ligaments and tendons of most men who would try it.

Another time, Howard reacted to a shot before the shooter even had the puck.

"Danny Irmen came down, and he made a great pass. I was just fortunate that I was reading his eyes,'' Howard said. "I saw him look over there in the last second and he made this little motion to pass across, so I reacted to it.''

Speaking of reactions, here is how Maine captain John Ronan reacted to Howard's play: "What he did was phenomenal. I haven't seen too many performances like that. If it wasn't for him, the game could have been over in the first period.''

Howard made 11 saves in the first period, 17 in the second, nine in the third. Then came overtime.

The first shot fired at Howard in overtime was Kaufmann's. Howard wanted more than anything to make that save No. 38. There just wasn't enough time to think, to react, to get his stick or glove or elbow in the way.

"It was just a broken play,'' Howard said. "One of our guys panicked.''

One of his guys was supposed to shadow Kaufmann. Instead, he skated toward Garrett Smaagaard, who passed the puck to Kaufmann.

"He went to block the pass,'' Howard said. "I don't even know who it was, but he should have stayed with the guy in front.''

The guy in front was Kaufmann. During a TV timeout, Kaufmann said he was talking to teammate Justin Johnson, who mentioned that if the Gophers were "going to score on this guy, it's going to have to be somewhere other than his glove.'' So, in that instant he had to aim, Kaufmann knew where he had to go with the puck.

"I aimed blocker side and just ripped it,'' Kaufmann said. "I was pretty much wide open.''

And Howard pretty much didn't stand a chance. After the game, Kaufmann didn't get a chance to talk with Howard. If they had gotten a moment together, Kaufmann said he would have told him, "You were great. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You made some great saves. You rank right up there with the best goaltenders we've faced.''

From Maine Today:

If it was his college hockey finale, University of Maine goalie Jimmy Howard went out with perhaps the most brilliant performance of his career Saturday afternoon. Howard made 37 saves in Maine's 1-0 overtime loss to Minnesota in the opening round of the NCAA tournament - gloving, blocking, covering and smothering a multitude of dangerous shots.

Howard, a Detroit Red Wings prospect, said he does not yet know if he will return for his senior season and one more crack at an NCAA championship.

"I'm not sure yet. As of right now I will be back," said Howard, smiling. "It will definitely be a family decision. We'll weigh the pros and cons and make the best decision."

Howard, who turned 21 on Saturday, said he came to Maine to have a chance to win an NCAA championship.

He said the fact that he hasn't yet will weigh considerably on his mind.

"It weighs a lot on me," said Howard. "It is one of the only things I wanted to do coming to Maine. Last year we lost 1-0 in the (NCAA championship game). Now 1-0 today. It's tough."

Howard's teammates were buoyed by his performance Saturday.

"We did a great job for 61 minutes. And we owe it all to this guy," said Maine captain John Ronan, looking at Howard. "What he did out there was phenomenal. I haven't seen too many performances out there like that. If it weren't for him it could have been over in the first period."

None of his saves were more critical or impressive than the one he made to thwart a two-on-one rush late in the third period. Howard read a pass by Danny Irmen and slid across the crease to glove a shot by Derek Peltier.

"I don't know how Howard made that save," said Minnesota Coach Don Lucia. "It was a great play and he's an outstanding goalie."

Howard, who set NCAA records last season for goals-against average (1.19) and save percentage (.956), struggled the first half of this season while recovering from mononucleosis.

He returned to top form in the second half of the season, however, fueling Maine's drive to an NCAA tournament berth, and he made 36 saves last Friday in a 2-1 overtime loss to Boston College in the Hockey East semifinals.

"I'd rank them up there," Howard said of his last two games. "These are games I will never forget. Minnesota at Minnesota with such a loud crowd."

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That blows. I guess that would be a huge factor on whether he decides to stay or leave. He's said he wanted to win a NCAA title with Maine. The team is going to lose 5 more seniors this season. Depending on what sort of team Maine can put together for next season + the CBA resolution will be the key factors. IF the CBA is resolved by this summer, we need to ink this kid. He's got some time to make a decision.

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I think it's a little early to hand Howard the starting goalie spot. There's been a lot of studs like Rick Dipietro and Ryan Miller that came out of college who haven't exactly taken the NHL by storm.

I'd like to see him play in the AHL. If he can dominate for a season or two there, then he gets his shot at the bigs.

uh Dipietro kinda has bub. He's been doing pretty damn good for backstopping such a sh*thole team.

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I think it's a little early to hand Howard the starting goalie spot. There's been a lot of studs like Rick Dipietro and Ryan Miller that came out of college who haven't exactly taken the NHL by storm.

I'd like to see him play in the AHL. If he can dominate for a season or two there, then he gets his shot at the bigs.

uh Dipietro kinda has bub. He's been doing pretty damn good for backstopping such a sh*thole team.

And Miller hasn't really been given much of a shot....more of head games.

They've treated him as the "you'll be the starter soon" on one hand and "you're third string, get back in the minors" on the other.

But the way Miller's playing in the AHL this year...they don't really have much of a choice when the NHL comes back.

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I think it's a little early to hand Howard the starting goalie spot. There's been a lot of studs like Rick Dipietro and Ryan Miller that came out of college who haven't exactly taken the NHL by storm.

I'd like to see him play in the AHL. If he can dominate for a season or two there, then he gets his shot at the bigs.

uh Dipietro kinda has bub. He's been doing pretty damn good for backstopping such a sh*thole team.

And Miller hasn't really been given much of a shot....more of head games.

They've treated him as the "you'll be the starter soon" on one hand and "you're third string, get back in the minors" on the other.

But the way Miller's playing in the AHL this year...they don't really have much of a choice when the NHL comes back.

Goalies need time to adapt. The Islanders have been taking it slow with DiPietro and so should the Red Wings with Howard. Most top prospect goalies will need at least 4-5 seasons before they pan out. Look at Theodore, Thibault and Giguere for example.

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I think it's a little early to hand Howard the starting goalie spot. There's been a lot of studs like Rick Dipietro and Ryan Miller that came out of college who haven't exactly taken the NHL by storm.

I'd like to see him play in the AHL. If he can dominate for a season or two there, then he gets his shot at the bigs.

uh Dipietro kinda has bub. He's been doing pretty damn good for backstopping such a sh*thole team.

And Miller hasn't really been given much of a shot....more of head games.

They've treated him as the "you'll be the starter soon" on one hand and "you're third string, get back in the minors" on the other.

But the way Miller's playing in the AHL this year...they don't really have much of a choice when the NHL comes back.

Goalies need time to adapt. The Islanders have been taking it slow with DiPietro and so should the Red Wings with Howard. Most top prospect goalies will need at least 4-5 seasons before they pan out. Look at Theodore, Thibault and Giguere for example.

lol@Thibault....

Thibault has yet to pan out laugh.gif

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I think it's a little early to hand Howard the starting goalie spot. There's been a lot of studs like Rick Dipietro and Ryan Miller that came out of college who haven't exactly taken the NHL by storm.

I'd like to see him play in the AHL. If he can dominate for a season or two there, then he gets his shot at the bigs.

uh Dipietro kinda has bub. He's been doing pretty damn good for backstopping such a sh*thole team.

And Miller hasn't really been given much of a shot....more of head games.

They've treated him as the "you'll be the starter soon" on one hand and "you're third string, get back in the minors" on the other.

But the way Miller's playing in the AHL this year...they don't really have much of a choice when the NHL comes back.

Goalies need time to adapt. The Islanders have been taking it slow with DiPietro and so should the Red Wings with Howard. Most top prospect goalies will need at least 4-5 seasons before they pan out. Look at Theodore, Thibault and Giguere for example.

lol@Thibault....

Thibault has yet to pan out laugh.gif

Look beyond his stats for a minute. He's a good goalie on a poor team.

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I think it's a little early to hand Howard the starting goalie spot. There's been a lot of studs like Rick Dipietro and Ryan Miller that came out of college who haven't exactly taken the NHL by storm.

I'd like to see him play in the AHL. If he can dominate for a season or two there, then he gets his shot at the bigs.

uh Dipietro kinda has bub. He's been doing pretty damn good for backstopping such a sh*thole team.

And Miller hasn't really been given much of a shot....more of head games.

They've treated him as the "you'll be the starter soon" on one hand and "you're third string, get back in the minors" on the other.

But the way Miller's playing in the AHL this year...they don't really have much of a choice when the NHL comes back.

Goalies need time to adapt. The Islanders have been taking it slow with DiPietro and so should the Red Wings with Howard. Most top prospect goalies will need at least 4-5 seasons before they pan out. Look at Theodore, Thibault and Giguere for example.

lol@Thibault....

Thibault has yet to pan out laugh.gif

Look beyond his stats for a minute. He's a good goalie on a poor team.

The following are the fourteen best goalies currently on the non-playoff teams from 2004.

Roberto Luongo

Jean-Sebastien Giguere

Roman Cechmanek

Dwayne Roloson

Marc Denis

Jamie McLennan

Martin Gerber

Martin Biron

Ryan Miller

Kevin Weekes

Brian Boucher

Manny Fernandez

Kari Lehtonen

Mathieu Garon

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I think it's a little early to hand Howard the starting goalie spot. There's been a lot of studs like Rick Dipietro and Ryan Miller that came out of college who haven't exactly taken the NHL by storm.

I'd like to see him play in the AHL. If he can dominate for a season or two there, then he gets his shot at the bigs.

uh Dipietro kinda has bub. He's been doing pretty damn good for backstopping such a sh*thole team.

And Miller hasn't really been given much of a shot....more of head games.

They've treated him as the "you'll be the starter soon" on one hand and "you're third string, get back in the minors" on the other.

But the way Miller's playing in the AHL this year...they don't really have much of a choice when the NHL comes back.

Goalies need time to adapt. The Islanders have been taking it slow with DiPietro and so should the Red Wings with Howard. Most top prospect goalies will need at least 4-5 seasons before they pan out. Look at Theodore, Thibault and Giguere for example.

lol@Thibault....

Thibault has yet to pan out laugh.gif

Look beyond his stats for a minute. He's a good goalie on a poor team.

The following are the fourteen best goalies currently on the non-playoff teams from 2004.

Roberto Luongo

Jean-Sebastien Giguere

Roman Cechmanek

Dwayne Roloson

Marc Denis

Jamie McLennan

Martin Gerber

Martin Biron

Ryan Miller

Kevin Weekes

Brian Boucher

Manny Fernandez

Kari Lehtonen

Mathieu Garon

According to what criteria? Lehtonen, Miller, Gerber and Garon are yet to prove themselves as starting goalies. What have Weekes, Chechmanek, McLennan and Boucher done? Their stats are comparable to Thibaults. Especially when considering Chicago has one of the worst defenses in the league.

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I think it's a little early to hand Howard the starting goalie spot. There's been a lot of studs like Rick Dipietro and Ryan Miller that came out of college who haven't exactly taken the NHL by storm.

I'd like to see him play in the AHL. If he can dominate for a season or two there, then he gets his shot at the bigs.

uh Dipietro kinda has bub. He's been doing pretty damn good for backstopping such a sh*thole team.

And Miller hasn't really been given much of a shot....more of head games.

They've treated him as the "you'll be the starter soon" on one hand and "you're third string, get back in the minors" on the other.

But the way Miller's playing in the AHL this year...they don't really have much of a choice when the NHL comes back.

Goalies need time to adapt. The Islanders have been taking it slow with DiPietro and so should the Red Wings with Howard. Most top prospect goalies will need at least 4-5 seasons before they pan out. Look at Theodore, Thibault and Giguere for example.

lol@Thibault....

Thibault has yet to pan out laugh.gif

Look beyond his stats for a minute. He's a good goalie on a poor team.

The following are the fourteen best goalies currently on the non-playoff teams from 2004.

Roberto Luongo

Jean-Sebastien Giguere

Roman Cechmanek

Dwayne Roloson

Marc Denis

Jamie McLennan

Martin Gerber

Martin Biron

Ryan Miller

Kevin Weekes

Brian Boucher

Manny Fernandez

Kari Lehtonen

Mathieu Garon

Only one I'd REALLY want off that list is Luongo.

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I think it's a little early to hand Howard the starting goalie spot. There's been a lot of studs like Rick Dipietro and Ryan Miller that came out of college who haven't exactly taken the NHL by storm.

I'd like to see him play in the AHL. If he can dominate for a season or two there, then he gets his shot at the bigs.

uh Dipietro kinda has bub. He's been doing pretty damn good for backstopping such a sh*thole team.

And Miller hasn't really been given much of a shot....more of head games.

They've treated him as the "you'll be the starter soon" on one hand and "you're third string, get back in the minors" on the other.

But the way Miller's playing in the AHL this year...they don't really have much of a choice when the NHL comes back.

Goalies need time to adapt. The Islanders have been taking it slow with DiPietro and so should the Red Wings with Howard. Most top prospect goalies will need at least 4-5 seasons before they pan out. Look at Theodore, Thibault and Giguere for example.

lol@Thibault....

Thibault has yet to pan out laugh.gif

Look beyond his stats for a minute. He's a good goalie on a poor team.

The following are the fourteen best goalies currently on the non-playoff teams from 2004.

Roberto Luongo

Jean-Sebastien Giguere

Roman Cechmanek

Dwayne Roloson

Marc Denis

Jamie McLennan

Martin Gerber

Martin Biron

Ryan Miller

Kevin Weekes

Brian Boucher

Manny Fernandez

Kari Lehtonen

Mathieu Garon

According to what criteria? Lehtonen, Miller, Gerber and Garon are yet to prove themselves as starting goalies. What have Weekes, Chechmanek, McLennan and Boucher done? Their stats are comparable to Thibaults. Especially when considering Chicago has one of the worst defenses in the league.

Only once has Cechmanek's save percentage been under .920. Only once has his GAA been over 2.05

His career numbers are 2.08 and .919

Thibault has never hit either of those marks in any SINGLE SEASON.

Cechmanek is WAY better than Thibault. He had a bit of a down year (for him) last season. But his GAA two seasons ago was 1.83.

Weekes' numbers are a bit closer to Thibault. But Thibault's teams have been significantly better. Weekes' teams have only made the playoffs once in seven seasons, where Thibault's teams have gone 5 of ten seasons. This is due more to the offense than anything, but as we know, a good offense does take pressure off the goalie.

Also, the list was about what goalies were better. Not who was the better starter.

Just because some teams go two deep with guys more skilled than Thibault doesn't mean they have proven themselves as starters.

Hell, I don't think there's much argument on here that Legace is better than Thibault, but he hasn't really proven himself as a starter.

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Only once has Cechmanek's save percentage been under .920. Only once has his GAA been over 2.05

His career numbers are 2.08 and .919

Thibault has never hit either of those marks in any SINGLE SEASON.

Cechmanek is WAY better than Thibault. He had a bit of a down year (for him) last season. But his GAA two seasons ago was 1.83.

Weekes' numbers are a bit closer to Thibault. But Thibault's teams have been significantly better. Weekes' teams have only made the playoffs once in seven seasons, where Thibault's teams have gone 5 of ten seasons. This is due more to the offense than anything, but as we know, a good offense does take pressure off the goalie.

Also, the list was about what goalies were better. Not who was the better starter.

Just because some teams go two deep with guys more skilled than Thibault doesn't mean they have proven themselves as starters.

Hell, I don't think there's much argument on here that Legace is better than Thibault, but he hasn't really proven himself as a starter.

Thibault isn't nearly as bad as your are making him out to be. While Cechmanek's numbers are better, he was on a way better team longer than Thibault. What happened when he moved to LA? And if you want to judge by numbers, Lethonen's numbers are easily the best, but he's played 4 NHL games. And Boucher is better than Thibault??? I have no idea what you based your list on. Skill? How do you know Miller is better than Thibault? He has only played in the AHL. You said Thibault has yet to pan out, yet was on the 2002-03 all-star team.

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Only once has Cechmanek's save percentage been under .920. Only once has his GAA been over 2.05

His career numbers are 2.08 and .919

Thibault has never hit either of those marks in any SINGLE SEASON.

Cechmanek is WAY better than Thibault. He had a bit of a down year (for him) last season. But his GAA two seasons ago was 1.83.

Weekes' numbers are a bit closer to Thibault. But Thibault's teams have been significantly better. Weekes' teams have only made the playoffs once in seven seasons, where Thibault's teams have gone 5 of ten seasons. This is due more to the offense than anything, but as we know, a good offense does take pressure off the goalie.

Also, the list was about what goalies were better. Not who was the better starter.

Just because some teams go two deep with guys more skilled than Thibault doesn't mean they have proven themselves as starters.

Hell, I don't think there's much argument on here that Legace is better than Thibault, but he hasn't really proven himself as a starter.

Thibault isn't nearly as bad as your are making him out to be. While Cechmanek's numbers are better, he was on a way better team longer than Thibault. What happened when he moved to LA? And if you want to judge by numbers, Lethonen's numbers are easily the best, but he's played 4 NHL games. And Boucher is better than Thibault??? I have no idea what you based your list on. Skill? How do you know Miller is better than Thibault? He has only played in the AHL. You said Thibault has yet to pan out, yet was on the 2002-03 all-star team.

I'd trade Legace for Thibault in a heartbeat.

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