Osgood v Babcock round 2

[zettie85 106]

First off, Ozzie didn't play a stellar game against the Caps -- nobody really did. Secondly, Ozzie has, for years, been the most popular scapegoat for just about any game this team doesn't win while he's in net -- even IF this team ends up winning the Stanley Cup and having the #1 seed. There is that much vitriol toward a single player, and there is that much bandwagon'ism in hockey (and really every sport) that if your team happens to lose (god forbid that ever happen) some people will either jump off the team's bandwagon or they'll take a complete s*** on whoever is the more popular player to pick on. It's really fighting a battle of futility to try and stop it, so the best thing to do is just make fun of (or mock or parody) people who do it.

I don't bash Ozzie and I certainly didn't think he played bad against the Cap's but scapegoats become such for a reason. Yzerman was never a scapegoat or Lidstrom or Shanahan for one reason. Consistency. Ozzie has been in this organization for years and for just as many years he has been very good at times and very bad. His inconsistency is what marks him as a scapegoat.

Edited January 20, 2010 by zettie85

[GoWings1905 2,694]

ozzie stinking up a second regular season in the row, just this year wings can't outscore the opposition in every game... 3 goals in seriously? and Wings offense put up over 40 shots? Caps had better goaltending then wings, so they won... simple as that

I know Ozzie hasn't been playing much, but as my friend said when i took to the wings isles disaster last week, these guys get paid way too much money not to show up or to be tired from being on the road trip and etc... the amount of money professional players get paid should be enough to get them in super training and readiness mode to handle all these things

Wings can' t afford poor goaltending in regular season this year as opposed to when they could simple outscore the other team... We miss franzen now more than ever...

That is very true. Franzen is going to be the best trade deadline acquisition possible. Theodore was pretty solid last night, but how many times this season have the Red Wings put up around 40 shots or more and lost the game? Especially since Pavel and Z aren't scoring goals like they can, losing the best finisher on the team stings even more.

[sliverck 3]

I don't bash Ozzie and I certainly didn't think he played bad against the Cap's but scapegoats become such for a reason. Yzerman was never a scapegoat or Lidstrom or Shanahan for one reason. Consistency. Ozzie has been in this organization for years are for just as many years he has been very good at times and very bad. His inconsistency is what marks him as a scapegoat.

Ozzie can be labeled a scapegoat for one reason, because he's a goalie. When a forward or defenseman has a bad game it's up to the other players to pickup the slack. But a goalie is on their own out there, much easier to label them. Howard could get you 5 great wins in a row, but as soon as he screws up or the team has a bad game it's under the bus for him. No goalie is going to go out there every game and be perfect all the time. So almost by definition the position of goaltender is inconsistent, that's just how it is. At least in Detroit.

[zettie85 106]

Ozzie can be labeled a scapegoat for one reason, because he's a goalie. When a forward or defenseman has a bad game it's up to the other players to pickup the slack. But a goalie is on their own out there, much easier to label them. Howard could get you 5 great wins in a row, but as soon as he screws up or the team has a bad game it's under the bus for him. No goalie is going to go out there every game and be perfect all the time. So almost by definition the position of goaltender is inconsistent, that's just how it is. At least in Detroit.

I remember Fedorov being labelled as a scapegoat quite a few years back.

It's not just goalies. Last year in the playoffs it was Hossa. For the Pens the year before it was Malkin in the finals. If you don't perform to your potential or what ppl have seen you do in the past then you get hit with the label. Inconsistency. Brodeur has never been pegged as a scapegoat in Jersey.

Edited January 20, 2010 by zettie85

[swedishconnection 36]

I don't bash Ozzie and I certainly didn't think he played bad against the Cap's but scapegoats become such for a reason. Yzerman was never a scapegoat or Lidstrom or Shanahan for one reason. Consistency. Ozzie has been in this organization for years and for just as many years he has been very good at times and very bad. His inconsistency is what marks him as a scapegoat.

What about the '02 playoffs for Shanahan. I recall him not scoring for a long stretch. He had times during the '06 season as well. Consistency over the long run, yes - but everyone had times when they are down in the dumps.

[zettie85 106]

What about the '02 playoffs for Shanahan. I recall him not scoring for a long stretch. He had times during the '06 season as well. Consistency over the long run, yes - but everyone had times when they are down in the dumps.

He still had good numbers and we won. That seems to erase everything.

06 he also had decent numbers and at the end of someones career you can't really blame them for their lack of production.

[hooon 1,089]

Dont have time to read every page but...

Osgood blaming Babcock for allowing those goals is just silly. The second and third goals were incredibly weak, routine saves for an NHL goaltender, even one who is not in his groove. I love Osgood, but its ridiculous for him to make excuses for those goals, and divert the blame.

While I agree that he should have been playing more this season, you don't whine about it in the media... you actually make the saves when you get the ice time. He didn't do that. He is electing to go to the media and claim that he knows better than coach, rather than actually showing up and making the saves. If he had made some saves, Babs would give him more starts. Its not that difficult. He is a veteran Stanley Cup winning NHL goaltender and should know this. At points in his career the role was reversed, where he took over for the struggling veteran, so this is nothing new.

There are so many other ways to for Osgood to handle this situation, going to the media is childish.

[swedishconnection 36]

He still had good numbers and we won. That seems to erase everything.

06 he also had decent numbers and at the end of someones career you can't really blame them for their lack of production.

The point was that even Shanahan and to the other poster's point Fedorov were scapegoats at one point or another.

If you look at Osgoods numbers over his career he has been a pretty consistent netminder, excluding some aberrations with the Isles and Blues.

What I am trying to say is that there are high tides and low tides- for every player. Ozzie is no different, and neither is Shanahan. It just seems to be the flavor of the month to pile on Oz.

[Nev 1,085]

And Here. We. Go.

Chris Osgood not quite good enough for Wings

Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

Washington, D.C. -- If coach Mike Babcock was trying to light a fire under Chris Osgood, if he was trying sharpen his focus, stimulate him or in some kind of way challenge him, starting him against the most potent offense in the league would probably do the trick.

"Yeah, that's quite a coincidence," Osgood said. "Or maybe not."

Osgood, who hadn't started a game in goal for the Red Wings since Dec. 20 and had played just 31 minutes in the last 12 games, gave up three goals on 23 shots in a 3-2 loss to the Capitals on Tuesday.

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Not a bad performance, but to Babcock -- not good enough. Babcock said afterward that Jimmy Howard would start on Thursday at Minnesota.

"I haven't played in a month," Osgood said. "I think if I had played a little more -- I mean those were good goals -- but I still think I could have stopped them if I was in more of a groove. You take what you can get, I guess."

Osgood was told that part of Babcock's reasoning for starting Howard again Thursday was that the team needs points.

"I've gotten him a lot of points, you can write that," Osgood said. "I got him to the Stanley Cup Finals the last two years, you can write that, too."

Osgood, who has been supportive of Howard, has been frustrated with Babcock riding one goalie for long stretches.

"At the start of the year, Howie didn't play for a month and now I haven't played for a month," Osgood said. "To me, that's not a good way of doing things, to let one guy get stagnant. You've got to have both guys going, especially with the amount of games we're going to have."

Osgood's point is this: With the schedule being as condensed as it is -- the Wings will have played 21 games from Jan. 1 to the Olympic break and then 15 more in the month of March -- it would behoove the team to have two goalies fresh and ready.

"It's frustrating not to play for that length of time," he said. "I would have liked to play prior to (Tuesday's game)."

Osgood said he felt no pressure to reclaim his spot as the Wings' No. 1 goalie.

Though Howard has played well for the last month or more, Osgood fully expects to be the Wings' goalie down the stretch and in the playoffs.

"When I've played, I've played good," he said. "I hadn't played in 12 games. That's not my decision. I can't do anything about that. I don't even think too much about that stuff any more. I practice hard and I play when I play.

"Do I want to be sitting out for 12 games? No. That's way too long. But I am not worried. I will be ready for the playoffs."

Read more: http://detnews.com/article/20100120/SPORTS...s#ixzz0d8FvImwr

Sorry Ozzie, but you're really starting to piss me off now.

When I started this thread, I didn't really comment, waiting to see how the game turned out. But now, I got a simple 2-step solution to your problem Chris.

1) Shut the f*** up

2) Outplay Howard

[zettie85 106]

The point was that even Shanahan and to the other poster's point Fedorov were scapegoats at one point or another.

If you look at Osgoods numbers over his career he has been a pretty consistent netminder, excluding some aberrations with the Isles and Blues.

What I am trying to say is that there are high tides and low tides- for every player. Ozzie is no different, and neither is Shanahan. It just seems to be the flavor of the month to pile on Oz.

With all that being said yes you are right but you seem to brush off Ozzie's numbers from his Blue's and Islander's numbers. Save percentage may be trivial to some but but it is the most telling stat for a goaltender. It is efficiency. Over the last 10 years Ozzie has not been a very efficient goaltender. This isn't including playoffs where he has been by far the best playoff goaltender over the last 2 years. I want to see Ozzie do good but I would like to put the Wing's first and get them points becasue Ozzie won't get a chance to be his playoff self if they aren't even in the playoffs.

Ozzie puts the pressure on himself by going to the media with his comments. If he doesn't criticize Bab's we aren't talking about him right now. He made himself the flavour of the month.

As much as the decision to play Ozzie against the Cap's wasn't the most sympathetic by Bab's, he is still payed to play hockey. He practices with the team every game and is in game shape. Yan Danis and Curtis Mcelhinney are in game shape and need to step in and play when needed and they are not as good as Ozzie.

Bab's threw Ozzie in to a game that potentially could have been one sided but it wasn't and Ozzie should have taken advantage of it. I don't really buy that he was cold so we shouldn't be suprised at the result. It's not an excuse. He didn't play bad but Howard has played better and we need that.

[Zetts 236]

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/20...od_cites_r.html

Asked if the loss is tougher to take because the team is desperate for points, Osgood said, “I got him (Babcock) a lot of points. I got him to the (Stanley Cup) finals twice.''

Osgood is acting like an unprofessional child. I can't believe he's still going off of that previous success to justify his current play.

He's really starting to piss me off with these comments. I'm still grateful for what he's done in the past, but my respect for him is dwindling.

Can anyone here justify that comment that he made? I don't think even the staunchest Osgood supporters can.

Edited January 20, 2010 by Zetts

[crabcakes'n'redwings 4]

im sorry Ozzy but Sit Down and Shut Up...

yes you've been a great goalie for us for a long time

but this year is different, its not about keeping both goalie's fresh for a deep playoff run, it's about going with the hot hand to get INTO the playoffs.

and you've been a redwing for a long time...you should know that whining and moaning to the press isn't how we do things around here...

[Pucks 66]

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/20...od_cites_r.html

Osgood is acting like an unprofessional child. I can't believe he's still going off of that previous success to justify his current play.

He's really starting to piss me off with these comments. I'm still grateful for what he's done in the past, but my respect for him is dwindling.

Can anyone here justify that comment that he made? I don't think even the staunchest Osgood supporters can.

The part that really concerns me is the whole "I did this" or "I did that". Gee Chris, I thought this was a team sport of which you play a role? The Detroit Red Wings along with the coaching staff did those things not "you" alone. That's part of the problem, along with not being able to admit to yourself when your not playing well. I understand he thinks it's because he's not getting the playing time, but early in the year it was the same thing, despite getting most of the starts.

[CopenhagenWing 38]

Waive his ass if he's going to act like a baby.

[CopenhagenWing 38]

Yeah....that Osgood guy is a real prick. Real cancer, that guy....

Osgood's biggest save.....

After the Carolina win, Howard was unlacing his skates while trying to explain the importance of the bounce-back game. How was an inexperienced NHL goalie able to shake off a rough start so easily?

He stopped messing with the skates and pointed to the veteran to his right who was peeling off mostly dry hockey gear.

There was the answer: Chris Osgood. The reason Howard is succeeding is because of Osgood.

When Howard's season debut was a flop in Europe, Osgood was one of his loudest defenders in a sea of critics. And let's not forget, there were plenty.

"You have to figure it out, sometimes it's tough," Osgood said. "I've definitely wrestled with it a lot … I've come to the conclusion that you can't push it one way or the other. You have to let things happen. That's how you finish the right way."

It's a balancing act. But if Osgood is going to lean one way, it's going to be toward the side of helping a young teammate.

"I don't think if you're a bad guy, things ever turn out the right way," Osgood said

Yeah. Real "problem", that ******* Osgood.

As always......

The Wings are LUCKY to have him. Read it and weep, haters. And for the record, Chris Osgood is not the one who "sucks". Take a look in the mirror.

Wow, the veteran goaltender showing the newcomer the ropes!

A previously unheard-of concept.

I know you love Osgood but I do wish you'd stop whining when people call for him to play the way we all know he's capable of playing.

Consistency has always been Osgood's problem.

When he's on, he is brilliant. When he's cold, he can be flat out horrible. You learn to take the bad with the good.

[Guest Howard He Do It?!]

Ozzie still hasn't learned his lesson about running his mouth to the press. I don't care how many Cups you have won or how many points you have gotten the team, it's all about what you are doing now. Guess what Ozzie, you are being outplayed by a rookie backup and it's pissing you off. If you want the job Ozzie then earn it between the pipes. Keep your damn mouth closed and your 5-hole along with it.

[interminded 1]

wow, a lot of saints on this board.. free of sin, eh ?

Ozzie said something he probably shouldn't have. Not smart.

Yes, he is frustrated.

And each and every one of us would be as well, being in that same situation.

But how on earth does this little mishap turn into the resurrection of Claude Lemieux, disguised as Christoper Osgood ?

Keep your damn mouth closed and your 5-hole along with it

1) Shut the f*** up

2) Outplay Howard

He's really starting to piss me off with these comments.

im sorry Ozzy but Sit Down and Shut Up...

Waive his ass if he's going to act like a baby.

Osgood has some nerve, after playing like garbage all year he publicly disgraces his coach. Then puts up a horrid save % and weak performance. RETIRE OSGOOD, PLEASE.

Glue his ******* pads together or something, christ.

What's wrong with everybody ?

We turn on one of the most likeable guys in the NHL, because he said something stupid ?

One of our own, nonetheless ???

You gotta be kidding me with this.

Edited January 20, 2010 by interminded

[Grim 5]

Potent offenses rarely are the difference when it matters. Defense and goaltending are the biggest factors in the playoffs.

I share the sentiment *exactly*!

which means trading our backup *Ozzie* in a package for a decent defenseman at the deadline.

we fans can harp all we want. all that matters is whether Babs will start him.

[servo 15]

The team doesn't need this kind of distraction. If you win games you play. If you compete you play. I'm not so sure why Osgood thinks he can ride on laurels.

[Jesusberg 1,256]

It just pisses me off that he yaps and yaps to the press and then doesn't turn in a great performance. Obviously it's on a much larger scale, but when Messier guaranteed his team would win, he backed it up with great play. What do people want? For Osgood to be given the starting role back and then drive the team into the ground? I'm all for liking our players, but a team isn't about one person. Doing what's best for the team is most important, in my opinion.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

wow, a lot of saints on this board.. free of sin, eh ?

Ozzie said something he probably shouldn't have. Not smart.

Yes, he is frustrated.

And each and every one of us would be as well, being in that same situation.

But how on earth does this little mishap turn into the resurrection of Claude Lemieux, disguised as Christoper Osgood ?

What's wrong with everybody ?

We turn on one of the most likeable guys in the NHL, because he said something stupid ?

One of our own, nonetheless ???

You gotta be kidding me with this.

I know you're a big Osgood fan, and I certainly don't get too worked up if people yammer in the press, but they were still controversial comments nonethless and Osgood hasn't justified himself playing full-time or getting the majority of the starts, albeit not playing all that badly.

Him not winning last night and letting in 2 goals under a minute, whether they were his fault or not, doesn't help his cause after he yammered his mouth just hours before.

And with fans turning on players of their favorite teams if they aren't quite playing up to stuff, you could see this coming from a thousand miles away. You could see it from a million miles away when it's about a goaltender for the Detroit Red Wings given how Red Wings goaltending in here makes people that much more stupid.

I'd love it if everybody was peachy king like yourself towards your favorite athletes. Completely unrealistic expectation though.

Edited January 20, 2010 by SouthernWingsFan

[Zetts 236]

wow, a lot of saints on this board.. free of sin, eh ?

Ozzie said something he probably shouldn't have. Not smart.

Yes, he is frustrated.

And each and every one of us would be as well, being in that same situation.

But how on earth does this little mishap turn into the resurrection of Claude Lemieux, disguised as Christoper Osgood ?

What's wrong with everybody ?

We turn on one of the most likeable guys in the NHL, because he said something stupid ?

One of our own, nonetheless ???

You gotta be kidding me with this.

So what you're saying is that we should be happy about the comments? Or just that Osgood, because he's "likeable" should get a free pass from not playing up to par AND acting like an unprofessional joke?

As far as "one of our own," it seems that it is Osgood that is turning this into an "us vs him" type of thing with these comments. If he'd shut up, things wouldn't be nearly as bad. Now this is going beyond just a slump, to him making very poor and unprofessional choices. Repeatedly.

To clarify, I personally am not one of the people advocating trading him or waiving him. But it's perfectly fair to call him out.

I'm interested in your opinion as one of the big Osgood supporters here. How do you justify this:

Asked if the loss is tougher to take because the team is desperate for points, Osgood said, “I got him (Babcock) a lot of points. I got him to the (Stanley Cup) finals twice.''

[clutchngrab 12]

Oz has at least 2 holes he needs to shut. The one he puts pie into and the one between his legs that pucks go through.

Edited January 20, 2010 by clutchngrab

[Broken 16 381]

I'll echo what I'm sure a lot of people already said. Ozzy needs to shut the f*** up and worry about his gaping 5-hole. How about not letting in 3 goals on 23 shots and then whining to the press.

Asked if the loss is tougher to take because the team is desperate for points, Osgood said, “I got him (Babcock) a lot of points. I got him to the (Stanley Cup) finals twice.''

Wow... Osgood did it all. I had no idea.

What a moron.

Edited January 20, 2010 by Broken 16

[interminded 1]

I know you're a big Osgood fan, and I certainly don't get too worked up if people yammer in the press, but they were still controversial comments nonethless and Osgood hasn't justified himself playing full-time or getting the majority of the starts, albeit not playing all that badly.

Him not winning last night and letting in 2 goals under a minute, whether they were his fault or not, doesn't help his cause after he yammered his mouth just hours before.

And with fans turning on players of their favorite teams if they aren't quite playing up to stuff, you could see this coming from a thousand miles away. You could see it from a million miles away when it's about a goaltender for the Detroit Red Wings given how Red Wings goaltending in here makes people that much more stupid.

I'd love it if everybody was peachy king like yourself towards your favorite athletes. Completely unrealistic expectation though.

I just don't see it as a big deal. Or controversial for that matter.

I think the sole reason why it draws this much attention is the fact that it was Chris Osgood who said it. We didn't expect him to say stuff like that.

But I'm cool with his remarks.

Not because it's Chris Osgood, but because it's a human response. A stupid one, but we've all made that mistake, right ??

Some people wouldn't have said anything in this situation, some would have said something, others would have made the biggest stink in the world.

Edited January 20, 2010 by interminded