Theophany 110 Report post Posted October 21, 2009 http://www.gregeno.com/?p=1037 Name me three goalies in team history better than Osgood. Just three, other than Sawchuck. I’ll even play along with you. There was the kewpie doll-faced Harry Lumley, who was between the pipes during the Red Wings’ successful 1950 Stanley Cup run. Lumley won 163 games for the Red Wings in six seasons (1944-50). I might give you that one out of benevolence. There was Mike Vernon, with his 1997 Cup. But Mike didn’t play in Detroit very long, and I’m not sure he was all that much better, if at all, than Ozzie. Here’s one: Dominik Hasek. It’s hard not to give you Dom, although he wasn’t a Red Wing all that long. But you almost have to include him because of his overall career. So you have Lumley, Vernon, and Hasek. I’d scratch Vernon. And Hasek gets the nod mostly for his time in Buffalo. Any others? The question begs: Why wouldn’t you so honor the second-best goalie in franchise history? Pretty good read, and he presents a good argument. I'm still of the opinion that if you need to think about it, you probably shouldn't retire the number (for the Wings; other teams don't have the amount of superstars we do), but I've also been of the opinion that by the end of Ozzie's career, the numbers will speak for themselves. Ozzie isn't a lock as Lidstrom is, but I think that his 30 should still hang up there with 5, 19, 9, etc. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
egroen 384 Report post Posted October 21, 2009 (edited) Here's the thing, in Red Wings goalie history you have Sawchuk... and then everyone else. Sawchuk did more than pile on wins playing for a Dynasty Team, he was extraordinary -- He won a Calder with the Wings. He won 3 Vezinas with the Wings - the equivelent at the time to the modern-day Jennings Award, almost entirely by himself (started in 201 of 210 games those years). He overwhelmingly won 3 First Team All-Star selections as a Wing - the equivelent to the modern-day Vezina award - and was the runner-up an additional 3 times. He led the league in wins 5 times as a Wing. He led the league in shutouts 3 times as a Wing. He recorded 4 shutouts in 8 straight wins with a .62 GAA for the Wings in the playoffs in perhaps the single greatest playoff performance in NHL history, let alone amongst only goaltenders. If the Conn Smythe was awarded back then, he would have earned two as a Wing. He set virtually every record there was for a goaltender to set, some of which are still in place 50 years later. Chris Osgood was the runner-up for the Vezina once. He jointly earned two Jennings trophies starting in 93 of 164 games. He led the league once in wins and once in GAA. He has won a lot of games as a Wing and turned in two Conn Smythe worthy playoff seasons. Osgood may be the second-best Red Wing goalie in history, but if Sawchuk is a 10, Osgood is a 4. Does Osgood really deserve the same recognition (ie. to have his number hanging in the rafters)? IMO, not yet. Other goalies that could contend for the 2nd greatest Red Wings goalie of all-time (not already mentioned in the article) include: John Mowers Norm Smith Glenn Hall Roger Crozier Edited October 21, 2009 by egroen Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
