"No Elite Goaltending Left In The 2009 Playoffs"

[StormJH1 231]

His statement about Chris Osgood never being considered one of the "best goalies in the league" is factually correct, but it's where he goes with that fact that is so absurd. Had Osgood never won anything in the past, he could get away with that crap, but you could've said the same things about the 1998 or 2008 Osgoods, and he'd have been just as wrong.

Honestly, I don't even know what an "elite" goaltender is anymore. It used to be easier because in the pre-salary cap era, the elite goalies seemed to play on teams that had some degree of success. If you think about Roy, Brodeur, or even Belfour in the 90's, those were guys that could at least get to the Cup finals, and had some success. Recently, it seems like we have to be convinced by the media that Henrik Lunquist or Roberto Luongo is the best goalie in the league. Guys like that get almost get rewarded for playing on mediocre teams, because less is expected of them

A similar thing goes on with Nicklas Backstrom of the Wild. The guy is one of the Top 5 goalies in the league, no doubt, and he has the GAA AND save percentage to prove it, but people discredit him b/c they think the Wild is a defensive system that makes goalies look good (which isn't really correct anymore). Who gives a crap if you have a sucky GAA in the regular season, especially on playoff-bound team like Detroit. A lot of people thought Ward was a fluke, but here he is again dominating in the playoffs, and both him and Osgood should be recognized for doing it when it matters most.

[Barrie 900]

Funny, the two elite goalies in this year's playoffs, Brodeur and Luongo, blew it for their teams.

I think a Final 4 of Ozzie, Khabibulin, Ward, and Fleury is very solid.

[Cicada 4]

I like the one comment... (actually by a Wings fan too)

always weird when someone on another message board quotes something you wrote and then you read it, think "i agree", and then remember you wrote it in the first place... (i use a different username most places)

i think ever since that guy came on to KK beginning of the season i've disagreed with just about everything he's said, but that column was the worst. He wrote one the next day saying that coaching doesn't matter..

he's a tool of the highest order. He uses statistics to forumlate opinions, without taking anything into any context at all...

he wrote a column ages ago stating that the AHL regular season was between the Manitona Moose and the Hersey Bears, and it was obviousl to see that he just brifely glaced at the standings table. He completey failed to take into account that at the time Grand Rapids were 4 point behind with 4 games in hand, as were the Milwalkee Admirals.

i wrote an email to Kukla a while ago asking him to get rid of the guy.. maybe after this latest tripe and when he's feeling better he will. i hope so..

it's a pretty dickhead move to insult Chris Osgood, Cam Ward and MA Fleury on a site which has major Carolina (Red and Black Hockey), Pittsburgh (The Confluence) and Wings (A2Y) blogs on it... he had to know he would get ripped apart. especially when his argument was assinie and ill conceived..

i'm glad the 19 ripped him a new one...

[Inultus 12]

I actually agree with him that Ozzy isn't an elite goalie (like Roy for instance, as much as I hate the guy), but he's a very good goalie and Detroit is still an elite team with him in net.

How he says that their are no elite teams left is beyond me.

[Frozen-Man 144]

The playoffs are supposed to be epic battles between elite teams. If none of the remaining teams have elite goaltenders then none of the remaining teams are elite teams. Detroit may come the closest to elite status, but they fail with Chris Osgood in net. The fan is cheated. Fans don’t get to see epic playoff battles between elite teams anymore because the NHL structure prevents the formation of elite teams.

This makes absolutely no sense. If the teams remaining are not elite teams then what happened to the elite teams? They had to have been beaten by one of the remaining teams (or one of the teams that was then beat by one of the remaining teams), so this guy is saying that teams that are not elite teams beat teams that are elite teams? I'm not sure that he knows what elite means since none of the teams that he would classify as elite could even make it to the conference finals much less the Stanley Cup Finals.

[Zion 93]

Man, this guy is getting RIPPED APART.

Funny comments...

[titanium2 867]

Don't you guys get it? This is just one of those forces that looks to unnecessarily draw your attention away from more important things. Let it die.

[Guest Four]

My response:

"I’m sorry, but if you don’t consider Detroit an elite team, then I wonder what team is elite? The team who one last year, who still have a chance to win this year and have won a total of four in the past eleven season. Do you realize that if the Wings win this year too, they will be 5 for 12, which is nearly 50% of the past 12 seasons? Are the Sharks elite after losing in the first round? What about Vancouver, who lost to the team the Wings are being 2-0 in the series? What about the Devils who lost first round? It’s funny how Brodeur even has the same amount of Stanley Cup rings as Osgood, yet Osgood is not elite. Hell, he may even pass him this year.

Please, do your homework next time."

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

Chris Osgood has won 3 Stanley Cup, 2 as the guy with the most PT in the playoffs.

Nikolai Khabibulin has won a Stanley Cup.

Cam Ward has won a Stanley Cup.

Marc-Andre Fleury has been to a Stanley Cup Final.

While all these guys definitely aren't the greatest goalies ever on the planet, to say there's no elite goaltending this year anymore is incredibly ridiculous.

[MidMichSteve 1,115]

No Elite Goaltending Left In The 2009 Playoffs

The title fails bigtime all by itself.

Nope, no reason to read on here.

[Zetterling 16]

He said elite 6 times! He said epic twice, for hockey. He used epic and elite in the same sentence twice. I guess the galactic empire is not in the playoffs this year. I'd like to see a word cloud with this writing in it.

[cupcrazy 13]

Methinks there are no elite writers left in the playoffs.

+100

[GORM19 0]

Not that i agree with this moron ,he says that not having an elite goalie in the playoffs is cheating the fans,would you rather watch a team with elite goaltending and no elite players NOW thats cheating the fans. 3 OF THE REMAINING 4 GOALIES HAVE WON STANLEY CUPS FOR THERE TEAMS YET THER ARE NO ELITE GOALIES. MORON

[Chunkylover 26]

Solution: Scrap the salary cap, Detroit retains Hossa, Hudler, Samuelsson, and their near-elite status, then when he's available they sign Luongo, who is more a media favorite than an actual elite performer but I digress, and they can beat up on everyone else like it's 2008, or 2002.

[sixer 37]

This guy is a complete idiot, and were wasting time talking about him.

[Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204]

Osgood and Ward suck alright, this guy make me laugh!

[Konnan511 1,736]

So "elite" hockey only occurs when there is "elite" goaltending? i guess the other 5 people on the ice don't count. should we go to a straight shootout format?

Nope, that would involve skaters. Goalies one on one with each other.

[Drummerboyyy! 0]

Osgood and Ward suck alright, this guy make me laugh!

What's a few Stanley cup rings mean anymore? I guess they do not mean anything. Anyhow, Bulin is no slouch either. Chicago made a great choice when they signed him.