Osgood Wants To Play Five More Years

[glasgowcelticwing 18]

Here's hoping that Ozzie retire's a Wing . IMO he's one of the most underated goaltender's in the NHL.

[Son of a Wing 1,644]

I would pick Ozzie over everybody in that list, maybe other than Emery. And Biron sometimes.

Well im sure every Wings fan would Thats why I asked what team would want him as a starter over one of those guys.

[HockeyCrazy3033 168]

I love Osgood and all but who are you kidding? What team's starter could he actually beat out?

Biron, Emery, Denis, Leclaire, Mason, Legace, Budaj, and Aebischer are the only current starting goaltenders he would really have a chance against. Not to mention that they are all young (exception of Legace) and are only going to get better while Osgood is only going to deteriorate.

Osgood is going to deteriorate? What makes you think that, is it because he's getting older? Sorry but I don't buy that. At all.

Osgood is better than everyone you just listed, and then some. He wouldn't have a 'chance' against them, he'd simply beat them out. Emery is the only good one up there, as in he's actually really good in the season and playoffs, and is consistent. The rest? Not so much. Basically seeing the ones you listed Ozzie would be a better choice as a starter for the Flyers, BJ's, Preds, Blues, Avs, Habs, and Lightning.

Other teams he could start for: Canes, Kings, Wild.

That's a lot of teams right there. So how anyone can say he can't beat out those teams starters, and be a #1 goalie again is just beyond me. Ozzie would be snatched via free agency. The thing is he loves it SO very much here in Detroit, a place he calls his home now, that he's comfortable enough to just stay with the Wings until he retires no matter what his job is. Don't anyone get fooled into thinking Ozzie can't be #1 again. He can be and he knows it. He's just damn loyal to this Wings team, and they are lucky to have a guy like him on the team. That kind of loyalty is very rare these days.

Edited August 16, 2007 by HockeyCrazy3033

[eva unit zero 271]

I love Osgood and all but who are you kidding? What team's starter could he actually beat out?

Biron, Emery, Denis, Leclaire, Mason, Legace, Budaj, and Aebischer are the only current starting goaltenders he would really have a chance against. Not to mention that they are all young (exception of Legace) and are only going to get better while Osgood is only going to deteriorate.

So i guess my question is what team is it that you think would sign him as a starter? Not who you think he could do well with but what team would WANT him as a starter?

Teams where Ozzie likely couldn't start ahead of the current starter:

Anaheim, Buffalo, Calgary, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, New Jersey, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, San Jose, Vancouver

Teams where Ozzie would have a shot at starting: Boston, Chicago, Edmonton, Minnesota, Montreal, Nashville, Ottawa, Toronto, Washington

Teams where Ozzie likely would start: Atlanta, Carolina, Colorado, Columbus, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Tampa Bay

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That's 19 teams Ozzie would at the very least have a shot at starting on. Also known as 'most.' Nobody should be shocked by that number, because nobody here is claiming Ozzie is a top-ten goaltender, merely disputing the tag of 'backup' that is being applied as pertaining to his ability rather than his role.

As far as teams that would actually be interested in Ozzie as a starter? Atlanta, LA, Columbus, Phoenix, Pittsburgh would all probably love to have Ozzie. Osgood was Chicago's first choice in 2005, AHEAD of Khabibulin.

[Kp-Wings 3]

I love Osgood and all but who are you kidding? What team's starter could he actually beat out?

Biron, Emery, Denis, Leclaire, Mason, Legace, Budaj, and Aebischer are the only current starting goaltenders he would really have a chance against. Not to mention that they are all young (exception of Legace) and are only going to get better while Osgood is only going to deteriorate.

So i guess my question is what team is it that you think would sign him as a starter? Not who you think he could do well with but what team would WANT him as a starter?

The names I highlighted are all guys that Osgood could easily beat out of a starting job if he wanted to. Denis is terrible, Leclaire is overated and injury prone, Mason is so-so, Legace sucks, and Aeibischer is inconsistant at best. Osgood would probably be better starter then all of them.

Granted, he hasn't been a starting a goalie in a long time, but he can still do it. Does that mean I want him to be a starter here? No, it doesn't, because he was getting injured like crazy last year, and does have a tendancy to give up soft goals.

That said, he's not chopped liver. He can be a starting goalie, and if it came down to him or the names that I highlighted on the list you made, I'd rather have Osgood.

[GMRwings1983 8,793]

Teams where Ozzie likely couldn't start ahead of the current starter:

Anaheim, Buffalo, Calgary, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, New Jersey, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, San Jose, Vancouver

Teams where Ozzie would have a shot at starting: Boston, Chicago, Edmonton, Minnesota, Montreal, Nashville, Ottawa, Toronto, Washington

Teams where Ozzie likely would start: Atlanta, Carolina, Colorado, Columbus, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Tampa Bay

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That's 19 teams Ozzie would at the very least have a shot at starting on. Also known as 'most.' Nobody should be shocked by that number, because nobody here is claiming Ozzie is a top-ten goaltender, merely disputing the tag of 'backup' that is being applied as pertaining to his ability rather than his role.

As far as teams that would actually be interested in Ozzie as a starter? Atlanta, LA, Columbus, Phoenix, Pittsburgh would all probably love to have Ozzie. Osgood was Chicago's first choice in 2005, AHEAD of Khabibulin.

Pittsburgh has Andre-Fleury. Yes he's been inconsistent at times, but do you really think they'd make him a backup to Osgood? The same goes for Atlanta with Lehtonen. That leaves only LA, Columbus, and maybe Phoenix from your list of places where he could start. That's only 3 teams, and besides those teams wouldn't want to start a new future with a goalie in his mid 30's, they'd look for someone younger they can build a team around.

[Kp-Wings 3]

5 other names you didn't mention but Osgood could easily beat for a starting job: Cloutier, Fernandez, Roloson, Auld, and Backstrom. Backstrom has a much brighter future then Osgood, and will be much better soon enough, but right now, Osgood is still the better goalie.

Edited August 16, 2007 by Kp-Wings

[GMRwings1983 8,793]

5 other names you didn't mention but Osgood could easily beat for a starting job: Cloutier, Fernandez, Roloson, Auld, and Backstrom. Backstrom has a much brighter future then Osgood, and will be much better soon enough, but right now, Osgood is still the better goalie.

Backstrom carried the Wild into the playoffs last year and Auld isn't even the starter in Phoenix. Also, I doubt that Cloutier is the favorite to start in LA right now. Osgood is a good backup, but some of you guys are getting carried away with the number of teams that yout think would love to have him start.

[Kp-Wings 3]

Backstrom carried the Wild into the playoffs last year and Auld isn't even the starter in Phoenix. Also, I doubt that Cloutier is the favorite to start in LA right now. Osgood is a good backup, but some of you guys are getting carried away with the number of teams that yout think would love to have him start.

It's been confirmed that Cloutier will be the starter in L.A. next year.

I'm not getting carried away, since I have already stated I do not want Osgood to be a starting goalie here. Plus, I am not one of the die-hard Osgood fans like some here. He's just so-so with me.

But it remains factual that most of the names people have mentioned that are "better" then him really aren't. Maybe it's just me, but I'd think that most teams would rather have Osgood as a starter then someone like Marc Denis, who has never had a winning record in his entire career. All be it many of those years for him were in Columbus, but still. The man is 30 years old already, and has never had a winning record nor lived up to his potential in any way.

I don't think I'm overating Osgood at all. No, he's not great, but he is capable of being a #1 goaltender in the NHL, whether it be on a non-playoff team is not really relevant. If guys like Cloutier and Denis can land starting jobs, I see no reason why Osgood couldn't.

Edited August 17, 2007 by Kp-Wings

[FinRedWing 172]

It's been confirmed that Cloutier will be the starter in L.A. next year.

I'm not getting carried away, since I have already stated I do not want Osgood to be a starting goalie here. Plus, I am not one of the die-hard Osgood fans like some here. He's just so-so with me.

But it remains factual that most of the names people have mentioned that are "better" then him really aren't. Maybe it's just me, but I'd think that most teams would rather have Osgood as a starter then someone like Marc Denis, who has never had a winning record in his entire career. All be it many of those years for him were in Columbus, but still. The man is 30 years old already, and has never had a winning record nor lived up to his potential in any way.

I don't think I'm overating Osgood at all. No, he's not great, but he is capable of being a #1 goaltender in the NHL, whether it be on a non-playoff team is not really relevant. If guys like Cloutier and Denis can land starting jobs, I see no reason why Osgood couldn't.

QFT

But I wouldn't replace Backstrom with Ozzie,not yet anyway (after the strong season he had).

[eva unit zero 271]

Pittsburgh has Andre-Fleury. Yes he's been inconsistent at times, but do you really think they'd make him a backup to Osgood?

Fleury has not improved significantly since the lockout. Osgood is as good as he was at the end of the lockout. And Pittsburgh was on the list of teams that were interested in Ozzie as a starter at that time.

The same goes for Atlanta with Lehtonen.

After looking at the numbers, I guess I hadn't realized Lehtonen had played 70 games last year and for some reason thought he had only played maybe 40. They still fall into the middle group though.

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That leaves only LA, Columbus, and maybe Phoenix from your list of places where he could start. That's only 3 teams, and besides those teams wouldn't want to start a new future with a goalie in his mid 30's, they'd look for someone younger they can build a team around.

What about Carolina, Colorado, Philadelphia, St. Louis? And that's just from the list of places Ozzie would PROBABLY start, not even mentioning the places that I put in the second category where he would have a reasonable shot at starting.

[GiantRobot 0]

Teams where Ozzie would have a shot at starting: Boston, Chicago, Edmonton, Minnesota, Montreal, Nashville, Ottawa, Toronto, Washington

Teams where Ozzie likely would start: Atlanta, Carolina, Colorado, Columbus, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Tampa Bay

As far as teams that would actually be interested in Ozzie as a starter? Atlanta, LA, Columbus, Phoenix, Pittsburgh would all probably love to have Ozzie. Osgood was Chicago's first choice in 2005, AHEAD of Khabibulin.

Ozzie would not start in from of Lehtonen or Fleury. Those teams are investing in those two, whether they pan out or not.

Backstrom is also the clear cut #1 in MIN, hence the departure of Manny. 23-8-6. 1.97, .929 in 41 games. The kid carried the Wild into the post season. Ozzie would be backup.

Boston maybe, if Manny falls flat.

Montreal I dont see him beating out Huet and Halak...and next year, none of them beat out Price.

Emery is Ottawa is debatable.

Kolzig is the franchise guy in washington. Hes a class act, and a great goalie on a crap team. Ozzie would be #2 there.

Toskala is the clear #1 in toronto too. If it were Raycroft, Ozzie would start.

Carolina would be possible, as Ward had a crap year.

Colorado I dont see, as Budaj played well, and will most likely do so again.

The rest that I bolded above I could see, although Ozzie would compete for most jobs and might not be a consensus #1.

Ozzie is a solid goalie, but a lot of that has to do with playing for the Wings. His years in NY/STL weren't stellar by any means. 102-81-26....Thats a losing record. Last year he was 11-3-6, thats two games above .500

If Ozzie were a starter, then he should start here. Theres a reason Holland brought Hasek back though.

That being said, Ozzie rocks as our #2 and Id love to see him retire here after a few more years.

[eva unit zero 271]

Ozzie would not start in from of Lehtonen or Fleury. Those teams are investing in those two, whether they pan out or not.

My list wasn't intended to show teas I think have interest in Ozzie. I was compiled to show teams that, if you replaced the backup with Ozzie, what role would Ozzie play on the team.

Backstrom is also the clear cut #1 in MIN, hence the departure of Manny. 23-8-6. 1.97, .929 in 41 games. The kid carried the Wild into the post season. Ozzie would be backup.

Backstrom has played 41 games in his career with a team known for being very kind to goaltenders. The fact that the Wild have been able to have a goalie-go-round of journeymen and no-namers and yet still have moderate success and great defensive statistics makes me view Backstrom with a bit of skepticism until he can prove that it was more than just good defense.

Boston maybe, if Manny falls flat.

Montreal I dont see him beating out Huet and Halak...and next year, none of them beat out Price.

Emery is Ottawa is debatable.

Kolzig is the franchise guy in washington. Hes a class act, and a great goalie on a crap team. Ozzie would be #2 there.

Toskala is the clear #1 in toronto too. If it were Raycroft, Ozzie would start.

Carolina would be possible, as Ward had a crap year.

Colorado I dont see, as Budaj played well, and will most likely do so again.

Toskala has never started full-time, Budaj is inexperienced, Ward is inexperienced and hasn't proven capable of handling the load over a full season. Kolzig is overrated and washed up, Emery is good but still inexperienced, Huet is overrated, and Manny is not better than Ozzie. While all of those guys are clear-cut starters on their teams right now, if Ozzie were around he would at the very least contend for the starting job in those cities.

The rest that I bolded above I could see, although Ozzie would compete for most jobs and might not be a consensus #1.

Ozzie is a solid goalie, but a lot of that has to do with playing for the Wings. His years in NY/STL weren't stellar by any means. 102-81-26....Thats a losing record. Last year he was 11-3-6, thats two games above .500

That's not a losing record. OTLs were not a separate part of a goalie's record until 2005-06. Until 2003-04, OTLs were included in the L column. I don't think you'll find anyone anywhere who agrees with you that a goaltender who over three years wins 102, loses 81, and ties 26 has a losing record. And BTW...Osgood has NEVER had a losing record. Ever. As far as his performance in NYI and StL...if you remove the one season where he had a major injury and came back significantly early because his team needed him and then traded him, his save percentage is .910, he averages a 32-25-7 record, and 2.36 GAA. Those are solid numbers in any season.

If Ozzie were a starter, then he should start here. Theres a reason Holland brought Hasek back though.

That being said, Ozzie rocks as our #2 and Id love to see him retire here after a few more years.

Hasek was brought back because he's one of the five best goalies in the world, and Ozzie is willing to take a lowball salary to make the team better. This team still contends with Ozzie, but nobody is going to sit here and say Ozzie is better than Hasek.

[OsGOD 3]

That's not a losing record. OTLs were not a separate part of a goalie's record until 2005-06. Until 2003-04, OTLs were included in the L column. I don't think you'll find anyone anywhere who agrees with you that a goaltender who over three years wins 102, loses 81, and ties 26 has a losing record. And BTW...Osgood has NEVER had a losing record. Ever. As far as his performance in NYI and StL...if you remove the one season where he had a major injury and came back significantly early because his team needed him and then traded him, his save percentage is .910, he averages a 32-25-7 record, and 2.36 GAA. Those are solid numbers in any season.

Bloody Spot On, mate!

A team that went 102-81-26 is NOT LOSING I mean you are talking about 230points out of a possible 392... last I checked that was Above 50% meaning it was a WINNING recoord... However I can see a problem if you wrongly assume that the 26 TIES was actually 26 OTL's back in the day its an Honest, but HUGE error!

[eva unit zero 271]

The rest that I bolded above I could see, although Ozzie would compete for most jobs and might not be a consensus #1.

If Ozzie were a starter, then he should start here. Theres a reason Holland brought Hasek back though.

You bolded ten teams that you said Ozzie would start on and said he wouldn't on 20 others. That ranks Ozzie as the 21st best goaltender in a 30-team league. In other words, it means he's a starter. It's also similar to the range I provided with my three tiers of teams, which ranks Ozzie as somewhere between 12th and 21st.

[RedWings Gone Wild 6]

The only reason anyone would invest in Osgood (given his age) is if they were already contenders but somehow lacked a goaltender. Other teams that are still in the building process are going young, not looking for 30 something goalies. So yes, Osgood is more than good enough to be a starter on many teams, but because of his age his list of potential suitors would be very small. A team would basically have to be willing to do what we did with Hasek (put our future on hold in hopes of winning now). Hasek has the name and reputation to make any team salivate and yet he didn't even have any legitimate offers after his season with Ottowa, despite playing very well prior to his injury. Granted he is older than Osgood and more injury prone, but I would still think Hasek would be a hotter commodity. I could only realistically see Osgood taken into a team as a plan B or as a temporary mentor / starter while a team is working on a young goalie.

Also, just because St. Louis is the biggest group of underachievers in history, doesn't mean that when Osgood was on the team they were bad. They had Tkachuk, Weight, Demitra, Pronger, Drake, Mellanby, Backman, Cajanek, and Osgood. They were still a good team, and if anything I would consider Osgoods 31-25-8 record underachieving. The only non-contender Osgood was ever on were the NYI, and even they weren't THAT bad. So, Osgood's stats are a little inflated due the teams he has been on. I mean, even Legacy looks like a great goalie when u look at his record.

[HockeyCrazy3033 168]

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That's not a losing record. OTLs were not a separate part of a goalie's record until 2005-06. Until 2003-04, OTLs were included in the L column. I don't think you'll find anyone anywhere who agrees with you that a goaltender who over three years wins 102, loses 81, and ties 26 has a losing record. And BTW...Osgood has NEVER had a losing record. Ever. As far as his performance in NYI and StL...if you remove the one season where he had a major injury and came back significantly early because his team needed him and then traded him, his save percentage is .910, he averages a 32-25-7 record, and 2.36 GAA. Those are solid numbers in any season.

Thank you for writing this, because I was just about to write like 5 plus paragraphs on it. Haha

IMO, some of Ozzie's best play has been in St.Louis, and especially Long Island. Specifically his first year there where they named him MVP.

Also, just because St. Louis is the biggest group of underachievers in history, doesn't mean that when Osgood was on the team they were bad. They had Tkachuk, Weight, Demitra, Pronger, Drake, Mellanby, Backman, Cajanek, and Osgood. They were still a good team, and if anything I would consider Osgoods 31-25-8 record underachieving. The only non-contender Osgood was ever on were the NYI, and even they weren't THAT bad. So, Osgood's stats are a little inflated due the teams he has been on. I mean, even Legacy looks like a great goalie when u look at his record.

Woah woah woah.. did you watch Ozzie 's season with the Blues? Because I did. The team looked good on paper, but on ice? Not so much. Jackman, Pronger, and Mac were ALL out for more than half the season with injteuries. Tkachuk, Weight, Demitra were not playing like themselves. Mid season they were down in the standings, having no playoff hope, when Osgood literally stood on his head for two months and got them to the 8th and final spot in the conference. He played great for them. I remember in interviews, Pronger, Weight, etc.. stating that they had no right being in the playoffs, and that Oz was the only reason they were there. They were all talking about what a great leader and goaltender he was for them. So yeah. Ozzie's record is not at all inflated. It's more like he gets discredited for anything and everything by fans. It's pretty sad if you ask me.

Edited August 18, 2007 by HockeyCrazy3033

[eva unit zero 271]

The only reason anyone would invest in Osgood (given his age) is if they were already contenders but somehow lacked a goaltender. Other teams that are still in the building process are going young, not looking for 30 something goalies. So yes, Osgood is more than good enough to be a starter on many teams, but because of his age his list of potential suitors would be very small. A team would basically have to be willing to do what we did with Hasek (put our future on hold in hopes of winning now). Hasek has the name and reputation to make any team salivate and yet he didn't even have any legitimate offers after his season with Ottowa, despite playing very well prior to his injury. Granted he is older than Osgood and more injury prone, but I would still think Hasek would be a hotter commodity. I could only realistically see Osgood taken into a team as a plan B or as a temporary mentor / starter while a team is working on a young goalie.

Also, just because St. Louis is the biggest group of underachievers in history, doesn't mean that when Osgood was on the team they were bad. They had Tkachuk, Weight, Demitra, Pronger, Drake, Mellanby, Backman, Cajanek, and Osgood. They were still a good team, and if anything I would consider Osgoods 31-25-8 record underachieving. The only non-contender Osgood was ever on were the NYI, and even they weren't THAT bad. So, Osgood's stats are a little inflated due the teams he has been on. I mean, even Legacy looks like a great goalie when u look at his record.

The Isles were bad enough to have been the worst team in the league before Ozzie got there. The Blues were bad enough that they became the worst team in the league when Ozzie left.

[Heaton 1]

The Isles were bad enough to have been the worst team in the league before Ozzie got there. The Blues were bad enough that they became the worst team in the league when Ozzie left.

The Blues didn't become the worst team in the league because Osgood wasn't re-signed.

[eva unit zero 271]

The Blues didn't become the worst team in the league because Osgood wasn't re-signed.

Osgood's presence on the team was the biggest factor in the Blues having made the playoffs in 2004, according to the Blues players. The 2005-06 Blues had a comparable forward corps; the defense was without Pronger, but the top four did include Team Canada's Eric Brewer as a replacement, and Alexander Khavanov was replacedby Dennis Wideman. Still a competent top four.

What hurt the Blues the most was bad goaltending and injuries, but they likely wouldn't have made the playoffs healthy.

EDIT: Spelling and grammar.

Edited August 19, 2007 by eva unit zero

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

The Isles were bad enough to have been the worst team in the league before Ozzie got there. The Blues were bad enough that they became the worst team in the league when Ozzie left.

Goaltending or lack there of probably wasn't the only reason why the Blues went in the tank a few years ago.

[eva unit zero 271]

Goaltending or lack there of probably wasn't the only reason why the Blues went in the tank a few years ago.

Using Ozzie's save percentage and the total combined time played and shots face by Lalime and Sanford, Ozzie would have allowed about 30 fewer goals over the season in the same number of shots and minutes. That's a MASSIVE difference.

One thing that's noticeable; the Blues in 03-04 were seven goals on the minus side, yet still posted 91 points. Based on goal differential, that should translate to the 05-06 Blues posting about 64 points. Not far off what really happened, and goal differential generally is a good predictor of win-loss record. That 30 goal difference I mentioned earlier? The Blues lost 19 games, or about 25% by 1 goal, including 15 OTLs. If we assume 7 of the 30 goals not allowed, or about 25%, come in those 19 games, that's an increase of a minimum 7 points. Given Ozzie's history of locking it down in clutch situations as compared to Lalime's history of NOT locking it down, and perhaps a higher percentage of goals in tight games are not allowed, meaning a greater number of points the record would increase by. I would surmise that Osgood on the 2005-06 Blues would have resulted in a 75-80 point season for the team.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

Using Ozzie's save percentage and the total combined time played and shots face by Lalime and Sanford, Ozzie would have allowed about 30 fewer goals over the season in the same number of shots and minutes. That's a MASSIVE difference.

One thing that's noticeable; the Blues in 03-04 were seven goals on the minus side, yet still posted 91 points. Based on goal differential, that should translate to the 05-06 Blues posting about 64 points. Not far off what really happened, and goal differential generally is a good predictor of win-loss record. That 30 goal difference I mentioned earlier? The Blues lost 19 games, or about 25% by 1 goal, including 15 OTLs. If we assume 7 of the 30 goals not allowed, or about 25%, come in those 19 games, that's an increase of a minimum 7 points. Given Ozzie's history of locking it down in clutch situations as compared to Lalime's history of NOT locking it down, and perhaps a higher percentage of goals in tight games are not allowed, meaning a greater number of points the record would increase by. I would surmise that Osgood on the 2005-06 Blues would have resulted in a 75-80 point season for the team.

That's all nice and dandy, but you pretty much lost me there after that 3rd line of synopsis. Nobody is going to care that badly, outside a sports statistician, about those stats. I certainly don't. Goaltending in all likelihood, wasn't the SOLE reason they struggled.

Edited August 19, 2007 by SouthernWingsFan

[eva unit zero 271]

That's all nice and dandy, but you pretty much lost me there after that 3rd line of synopsis. Nobody is going to care that badly, outside a sports statistician, about those stats. I certainly don't. Goaltending wasn't the SOLE reason they struggled.

And I never claimed as such. Above I even stated it was not. But it was a major reason.

[BigTex 1]

I hope Ozzie is our backup as long as he wants to. Nice to see a Wing climb the all time charts. He'll be pretty far up there if he gets some decent starts here in the Wins category