NHL.com Spotlight on....

[Outsider 42]

From the article:

"I'm not kidding myself, I haven't played well this year," Osgood said. "This is one of those years where things haven't gone right...

Waaaaaait a minute....

Are you telling me that Osgood is NOT walking around, head in the clouds, thinking what a fine Season he's had?

You mean to tell me that he's aware that he hasn't played well, but has chosen to keep a positive attitude regardless, rather than allow himself to be dragged down into the morass of negativity, recrimination and self-doubt created by the fans and Media in this town?

Why.....That would almost mean that while the majority of fans and Media types have been excoriating him all Season, looking for an apology.....

Oz has been looking for something else? He's been looking inside himself....for answers....for solutions.....for the light at the end of the tunnel? He's been "digging deep" and "working", rather than flagellating himself in the Press in order to appease the fanbase?

You mean to tell me that while everyone else has been looking at this game, that game, the other game, the season, the stats, this soft goal, that terrible rebound, the misplay of the puck.....

Chris Osgood has been looking forward, eyes fixed on the horizon, focused NOT on what he's done.....

But on what he needs to do?

What the F#(K is wrong with this guy? You'd think he'd realize that if he just came clean, admitted that he sucks, that he's a terrible goalie, that the fans and Media just might cut him some slack.

Jeez!

It's almost as if the guy's not interested in any slack. It's almost as if he's not interested in what anyone has to say about him. It's almost as if he's got other things, more important things, on his mind.

What the Hell could he be thinking?

[Doc Holiday 0]

He could be thinking he doesn't give a s*** about the media.

After all the flak he has gotten already, I wouldn't either.

[Outsider 42]

He could be thinking he doesn't give a s*** about the media.

After all the flak he has gotten already, I wouldn't either.

Not just the Media, Doc. Oh no.....not just the Media.

After backstopping the Wings to the Cup last year, the guy spent the summer lugging the Mug around Detroit, taking it from place to place, and telling the fans, in HIS own words:

"You're as big a part of this as I am. You earned it as much as I did, so we're gonna drink from it together."

And then trudging back and forth, personally holding the Cup so that fans, lined up around the block, could drink from it, for hours at a time by some reports....

He's repaid with outright hatred and vitriol, with comments about what a "useless human being" he is, or by some fans wishing injury on him.

And all this for having a sub-par Season....

While STILL WINNING Games.

If I were Chris Osgood, I'd be working hard on my Game in order to turn it around, just so I could have the pleasure of spitting in the eye of anyone who came up to me in the streets to congratulate me, and calling them a f#(king frontrunner.

Of course, that's just me.

I'm sure Chris is a much nicer guy than that.

Edited April 11, 2009 by Outsider

[edicius 3,269]

Outsider, you're now officially one of my favorite members here.

If you ever find yourself in North Jersey, drinks are on me.

[b.shanafan14 733]

Not just the Media, Doc. Oh no.....not just the Media.

After backstopping the Wings to the Cup last year, the guy spent the summer lugging the Mug around Detroit, taking it from place to place, and telling the fans, in HIS own words:

"You're as big a part of this as I am. You earned it as much as I did, so we're gonna drink from it together."

And then trudging back and forth, personally holding the Cup so that fans, lined up around the block, could drink from it, for hours at a time by some reports....

He's repaid with outright hatred and vitriol, with comments about what a "useless human being" he is, or by some fans wishing injury on him.

And all this for having a sub-par Season....

While STILL WINNING Games.

If I were Chris Osgood, I'd be working hard on my Game in order to turn it around, just so I could have the pleasure of spitting in the eye of anyone who came up to me in the streets to congratulate me, and calling them a f#(king frontrunner.

Of course, that's just me.

I'm sure Chris is a much nicer guy than that.

QF F! T.

Ozzy has been through more s*** and broken glass in his career than most. He has played for a winner at the expense of his own pride, which is a high price. The guy wins, he better thank his lucky stars, the guy loses and its all his fault. There has to be some disconnect there. The Detroit system calls for money spent places other than goaltending, causing the misconception that even the most mediocre goaltending should yeild a cup parade come June. Yet Joseph, Legace, and Hasek had all failed in the time between the 2002 Cup and the 2008 Cup.

I for one have faith in Ozzy IF the team plays to their capability, which they really haven't this season. Ozzy knows he hasn't been great, but neither has the defense around him, and yet, here they are, the 2nd seed is theirs fallin' off a log. Imagine if (when) they get it all click when the chips are down.

Does it kill us as fans to believe, to give a s***? Or are we better served as cynics, expecting the best and yet expecting the worst ("cup is ours to lose, we'll lose it"). I for one will take my chances. There are teams with less proven playoff tenders, believe it or not, one is in Columbus and the other is in Vancouver.

Edited April 11, 2009 by b.shanafan14

[Z and D for the C 712]

He is a professional athlete who has earned millions of dollars playing in the NHL. Being criticized comes with the territory. I'm not really sure what point you are trying to make with your well, well-overdone sarcasm. No one except the true crazies, which aren't relevant anyway, think that he should just bow his head in shame and never try to improve his play.

That said, Osgood has looked great recently and if he can continue to play as he has I like our chances very, very much.

[Outsider 42]

He is a professional athlete who has earned millions of dollars playing in the NHL. Being criticized comes with the territory. I'm not really sure what point you are trying to make with your well, well-overdone sarcasm. No one except the true crazies, which aren't relevant anyway, think that he should just bow his head in shame and never try to improve his play.

That said, Osgood has looked great recently and if he can continue to play as he has I like our chances very, very much.

The point I was trying to make is pretty clear-cut:

Most fans have held to the (erroneus) belief that Osgood has been "in denial", or "delusional" about his play this Season.

There are some fans who have stated that Osgood's assertions that he "feels fine" is an indication that he's blaming his Teammates for his sub-par play, becuase if HE feels that he's been "fine", then he must believe that the rest of the guys "suck". Still shaking my head on that leap in logic....

Furthermore, most fans have been angry with Osgood as much for his shoddy play this Season as for not coming out in the Press and "admitting" that he's been bad, stating that if he'd just "admit" that he was playing badly, maybe he could turn it around.

The reality is that Osgood is neither "in denial", nor is he "delusional" about his play this Season. He's also never stated, (not once), that his GAME has been fine, only that he FELT fine. Subtle, but profound difference.

Fact of the matter is that Osgood is well aware of the fact that his game is not where it needs to be, (a fact that some of us have asserted all year long). But rather than pulling a Manny Legace in the Press, he's decided to soldier through it, rather than "bow his head in shame", as you put it.

Oh....and as for that.....

You're right, alot of people haven't expected Osgood to "just bow his head in shame and never try to improve his play".

What they've expected is that he be waived. Or traded. Or that he should just retire, already. Or failing any of those scenarios, that he should just sit quietly and politely while the Wings hand the reins of their Cup defense over to a career back up. After all, based on the play of both goaltenders over the past FORTY GAMES, that's obviously what each of them has "earned". At least according to some fans.

And now, look.....

Oz has picked up his Game heading into the most crucial point, (actually the ONLY point), of the year that matters. (Wow....who could have predicted that nearly impossible scenario?!?!) And suddenly everyone feels "more comfortable", or "much better" about the Wings Post Season chances.

I can't speak for others but I, personally, get a kick outta watching the faint of heart hopping back and forth from foot to foot, leaping off and rejoining the bandwagon, then leaping off again, with every little shift in the wind.

With that said;

The SCPO's are a grueling war of attrition. There is a certain mindset, a palpable energy, a distinctive "feel" to the eventual Winner. There is a swagger involved, an almost arrogant "No worries.....we got this" type of attitude, when the game is on the line.

The Wings had that last Season. In spades. When you watched them play, it was with an almost gleeful sense of how unfair it was to the opposing Team.

While they're damned good this Season, I haven't seen that slow, deliberate lowering of skateblade to opponents throat that we all witnessed last year.

That's to be expected. They had a helluva Spring and Summer, and not much time to recover, (both physically AND emotionally), from their dizzying climb to the summit. Couple that with the fact that every Team they now face comes at them knowing that their hockey lives hang in the balance with every shift against these guys.....

And in THIS year's Play Offs, you'll have the hockey equivalent of mothers lifting cars off their trapped infants, nearly every game.

I truly believe that Osgood will be very, very good this Post Season. I've believed that from the beginning, despite all of his struggles this year.

But I acknowledge the FACT that while the focus has been on GOALTENDING as the reason for the Wings struggles with GA, PK and general Defense this year.....

The Defense has been ATROCIOUS - Not even a shadow of what it was last year.

It will take a LOT more than Osgood on top of HIS Game to make it back to the top of the mountain this year. It will take the REST of the Team being on top of THEIR Games, too. Something they HAVEN'T BEEN, all Season long.

There's only so much a goaltender, ANY goaltender, can do. And we all know that while Ozzie is good, damned good, he's not going to drag the Wings kicking and screaming to the Cup. They are going to have to play Cup caliber hockey, too.

ALL OF THEM.

I'm hoping that they can get there. They're a veteran Team, and if anyone can, they can.

[Guest Shoreline]

I wanna quote some of that article as some refreshing bit of logic coming from this team's GM, something that a few specific posters here can learn from -- a thing called understanding where the problems lie, but looking at the bigger picture, and retaining optimism rather than employing a persistent sky-is-falling attitude:

There's only one Martin Brodeur, one Patrick Roy, one Roberto Luongo. The Wings haven't had anyone like that on a long-term basis since Terry Sawchuk, but they've still won the Stanley Cup four times in 11 years with guys like Vernon, Hasek and Osgood.

Yet, every single season Holland gets asked if his team's goaltending is good enough?

"That has been an age-old question for us," he said. "I've lived with it for 15 years."

This season, though, the question has some real validity to it as the Wings enter the playoffs with Osgood slated to be the starter in Game 1.

Statistically speaking, Osgood has put together his worst regular season in his 15-year career with a 3.10 goals-against average and .887 save percentage entering Thursday. Osgood struggled so mightily at times that Detroit gave him a 12-day break between starts in February to find his game.

In his second game back from the sabbatical, he gave up four goals on 14 shots to Nashville. He shut out the Blues on March 3 with 22 saves, but, four days later, Columbus scored seven goals on him.

"This year has really tested me more than any other because I always felt I have been on the verge of turning things around and then something else would happen and something else would happen," Osgood told NHL.com. "I would get on a big roll again, and then something else would happen."

Through it all, Osgood said he's learned how to be tougher, how to compete harder. The competition from backup Ty Conklin brought about a lot of his motivation.

"If he wouldn't have played like he was, it would have been real tough on me this year," Osgood said of Conklin.

Fortunately, the Wings were still winning at a decent clip, even when Osgood was stumbling this season.

And to the underlined part, it's rather funny that I said this earlier on in the season, that Ozzie just needs pressure of losing his starting job (or at least the pressure of being a backup trying to earn the starter spot) to light a fire under his ass, which I'm fairly sure I was criticized for by what some here call "Ozzie lovers", but I also show some friggen faith (which has been rewarded FOUR times in the last eleven years) in management's/coach's decisions, to go with him, and especially with Ozzie who is in this situation, and can wipe the slate clean come playoff time. Being realistic, as the article plainly points out, that the team is still winning despite his struggles during the season, they, like the Wings management, understands Ozzie (as well as every other player on this team) only needs to be good enough to help this team win.

A winning formula and attitude is not "woes me, Ozzie has a horrible GAA/Save%, we're doomed!"

It's, get your s*** together Ozzie, we believe in you, and you've rewarded our belief in you before. And my faith is primarily in proof in the pudding, which Ozzie and the Wings management have both delivered on numerous times now.

Edited April 11, 2009 by Shoreline

[interminded 1]

Ozzie is awesome.

End of story.