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Guest Crymson

Chris Osgood announces retirement

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Just watched them debate whether Osgood deserves to be in the HoF on TSN. The debate pissed me off of course, there was nothing but the tired defense of the good team issue.

Best quote I read elsewhere said, I find it odd that every single player in the HoF played for awful teams.

I digress.

What pissed me off the most is they argued whether Cujo or Ozzie belonged in the hall, and the Pro Cujo guy was like, he was a great goaltender on average teams... he didn't get to play in Detroit with such a great team...

:blink: :blink: :blink:

Ummmmm... How the hell did you get on TV moron. He did play in Detroit, for a team with tons of HoF players. He got bounced early. Why do you ignore this?

If you keep watching this stuff and reading it you're going to be very angry. We know he belongs in the HoF and I believe he'll get there someday. Until then, feel sorry for them that they don't see what we do. :)

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Guest echos myron

Prime Cujo was better than Osgood. He had the misfortune of signing with the Wings in a transition period. Neither belong in the hall.

Edited by echos myron

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Chris Osgood's retirement is a glum day for those who like to laugh.

Osgood decamps with 401 NHL victories and an immeasurable amount of funny things said. This is the guy who referred to former Red Wings teammate Brian Rafalski as "Higgins," the bald character from "Magnum, P.I." The guy who accused another former teammate, Chris Chelios, of using too much self-tanner. Where other players simply noted Drew Miller's prematurely gray hair, Osgood observed that "his hair feels like straw when I run my fingers through it." Last season, Osgood went on about how handsome he found Mike Modano.

"Chris definitely has got that great sense of humor," Kirk Maltby said. Maltby would know, having been a teammate since the mid-90s through his own retirement last season. To almost everyone in the locker room Maltby was "Malts," but Osgood had a different moniker.

"He called me 'Falcon,' from 'The Maltese Falcon' -- you know, Malts, Maltese," Maltby said. "I don't think any of the younger guys had any idea what that was about.

"With Ozzie, you were never worried about picking up a hair dryer and turning it on to blow-dry your hair and finding baby powder blowing out. He was just the type that if he found out anything you'd done or something, he'd get a nickname out of it, usually having something to do with a 1980s TV series or actor."

Osgood is a soft talker, with a voice that sometimes barely breaks a decibel. But it's worth it to ask if he really just said something about nachos -- as he did last September, when Osgood suggested Todd Bertuzzi would do well as the star of the movie, "Nacho Libre."

When Bertuzzi found out, he dressed as the character for the team's Halloween party.

"He's irreplaceable," Bertuzzi said. "It's a sad, sad day. I'm going to miss those times when things weren't going well and we'd be having late-night talks in hotel rooms, going over life, family, hockey. I'd always come out of those talks laughing, and come out of my slumps at the same time."

Osgood didn't start out as a chatty guy. Kris Draper sat next to him during the 1993-94 season and remembers a guy who didn't say a word.

"Now he controls the dressing room," Draper said. "He's funny, witty, has great nicknames for everybody, and those are the kinds of guys you love to have as your teammate. He was one of the most popular guys in the dressing room because of the way he acts and the way he treats people."

Where everybody else called Draper "Chuck Norris" for his likeness to the actor, Osgood went one step further. "He started calling me 'Braddock,' and the first time, I didn't pick up on it," Draper said. "Ozzie just started laughing and said it's one of Chuck Norris' characters."

Draper got a call right after Osgood made his retirement official: "He talked for 10 minutes straight. You know when he starts going, you can't interrupt him. He's too much fun when he's on a roll."

As much as Osgood takes pride in what he's done on the ice, it's the off-ice camaraderie that made work so pleasurable.

"As I was making my decision about retiring or not, I knew that what I'd miss was playing first and the camaraderie second," Osgood said. "I mean, half of it has been the playing, but half of it was being with the guys, winning series with them but also hanging out, just joking around. I always liked making up nicknames, ever since I was a kid, I did it with my brother and my friends.

"I think Higgins was my best one. That was one of my favorites. I don't think Rafi liked it too much, but he had to accept it in the end. Things like that, they just add to the fun."

The Freep

Even in locker room filled with experienced players, tense moments occurred. When they did, few defused them better than Osgood.

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Prime Cujo was better than Osgood. He had the misfortune of signing with the Wings in a transition period. Neither belong in the hall.

Cujo had 454 wins.

Osgood had 401 wins, and 2 Cups as starter and was a game away from a 3rd.

Both were strong in the postseason.

During the past 25 years, the top 6 goalies in the league have been Roy, Hasek, Brodeur, Belfour, Osgood, and Joseph. Two are in the Hall. Two more are active and considered locks. So what is your argument against the remaining two?

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Thanks for all the great years Chris! I still remember feeling so excited when Hasek came here and yet so sad that Ozzie was leaving. I also remember how glad I was to be right when I said he'd be back. Cheers to a great career!

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He's got a portrait of Dorian Gray in his attic.

Right?! My exact thoughts earlier today were 1) I can't believe he's retiring, and 2) I can't believe he's OLD enough TO retire...judging by his looks, surely he's got another 10 years in him!

I will miss that guy immensely. I know I've criticized him in the past, but you know I appreciate every achievement he's helped us reach. Been moody and listening to Skynyrd's Tuesday's Gone and Freebird (my official "now it's time to say goodbye" songs, for some reason) all day yesterday and today. Fly on, Freebird.

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I love Osgood and recognize what he's done as a goaltender, but I don't know that #30 makes it up there. Not because he isn't deserving, but because the Wings very rarely raise numbers to the rafters.

Everyone seemed to skip over my comment about this.

I think the only way he gets his number retired is if he makes the HoF. Then he gets his number retired for sure.

I doubt anyone will use the number, at least during his tenure on the team office staff.

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Everyone seemed to skip over my comment about this.

I think the only way he gets his number retired is if he makes the HoF. Then he gets his number retired for sure.

I doubt anyone will use the number, at least during his tenure on the team office staff.

I don't think he needs to make the Hall to qualify for his number being retired. It would be strange seeing someone else in Detroit wear #30, and I think the front office would agree.

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What Oz has done for this franchise and the others he's played for has been remarkable. His numbers and accolades speak for themselves, but as much as it will piss off some...I don't see him making up in the rafter, HOF'er or not.

You look at how many guys have played for the Winged wheel yet only 6 guys currently have their number retired. Detroit is beyond stingy with the players they decide to have their numbers retired (which I completely agree with) and I truly believe #5 will be the next rather than #30. It's no knock on Ozzie, IMHO guys like Fedorov don't deserve to be up there as well and guys like Z and Dats have a hell of a long way to go to even be in the discussion as well. I'm ultra picky about who gets up there because the more players they retire, the less of an honor it becomes....and in Detroit, that's what it deserves to be.

That being said, I can't imagine he wouldn't make the Hall. He's most certainly worthy of it and deserve to be there.

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What Oz has done for this franchise and the others he's played for has been remarkable. His numbers and accolades speak for themselves, but as much as it will piss off some...I don't see him making up in the rafter, HOF'er or not.

You look at how many guys have played for the Winged wheel yet only 6 guys currently have their number retired. Detroit is beyond stingy with the players they decide to have their numbers retired (which I completely agree with) and I truly believe #5 will be the next rather than #30. It's no knock on Ozzie, IMHO guys like Fedorov don't deserve to be up there as well and guys like Z and Dats have a hell of a long way to go to even be in the discussion as well. I'm ultra picky about who gets up there because the more players they retire, the less of an honor it becomes....and in Detroit, that's what it deserves to be.

That being said, I can't imagine he wouldn't make the Hall. He's most certainly worthy of it and deserve to be there.

What he said.

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What he said.

Double what he said.

Maybe it's because I've been a Wings fan since the early 80s and seen a lot of players come and go, but just because a guy is a heart and soul Red Wings doesn't mean he deserves to have his numbers hung from the rafters. As others have mentioned, then dozens of numbers could be retired.

But if the standard is Yzerman and soon to be Lidstrom, Ozzy just isn't in that elite class.

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Double what he said.

Maybe it's because I've been a Wings fan since the early 80s and seen a lot of players come and go, but just because a guy is a heart and soul Red Wings doesn't mean he deserves to have his numbers hung from the rafters. As others have mentioned, then dozens of numbers could be retired.

But if the standard is Yzerman and soon to be Lidstrom, Ozzy just isn't in that elite class.

If you put the standard as Yzerman and Lidstrom and applied it to other teams, you'd have to tear down a lot of numbers. If you put the standard as Osgood for goalies, you'd have to tear down some numbers.

What is significant?

You have to go back to 1973-74 season to find a player other than Yzerman, Lidstrom, or Sergei Fedorov who has played more than a decade in Detroit, started his career in Detroit, and was a key player and top player for as long as Osgood was. The player in 1973-74? Alex Delvecchio. Before that, it's 1971 and Gordie Howe.

Norm Ullman in 1968 is deserving, and should have a banner - especially since his number is already retired anyway. But that probably won't happen.

Osgood is definitely a Hall of Fame goalie. A 400-game winner with six 30-win seasons, two Cups, three finals appearances, one of the best winning percentages of all-time, and his only losing season was his second-to-last year, when he was fighting injuries the whole season on a team with the second-most man-games lost to injury that season.

There is a major difference between the unofficial retirements of Fischer, Aurie, and Konstantinov's numbers. Fischer and Konstantinov only played here a few years. Konstantinov may have deserved retirement had he not had his accident. Fischer likely not, although he was very good and on the verge of becoming an elite defenseman. Aurie's number was retired by the club, but no banner was ever hung and it now is not considered retired; it is simply not available for use. Osgood's contributions to the team were greater than any of those three.

At which point, naturally, comes the Shanahan argument. Why shouldn't Shanahan's number be retired? Shanahan wasn't as important as Yzerman or Fedorov, for one. He also didn't begin his career as a Red Wing, which does seem to have an effect on consideration. Finally, would you consider the third-best forward or the starting goaltender more important to a team, whether that team be good or bad? I vote goalie. Very few dominant teams in history, if any, have been so with a bunch of star forwards, one or two good defensemen, and a mediocre goalie. Edmonton is the closest example I can think of, and both Fuhr and Moog were among the better goalies in the league. The team was so stacked they could have kept Gretzky, and started trading some of the less important assets around him for cash, picks, and inferior players. Why not trade Messier and Fuhr instead of Gretzky?

Retire #30.

Edited by eva unit zero

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What Oz has done for this franchise and the others he's played for has been remarkable. His numbers and accolades speak for themselves, but as much as it will piss off some...I don't see him making up in the rafter, HOF'er or not.

You look at how many guys have played for the Winged wheel yet only 6 guys currently have their number retired. Detroit is beyond stingy with the players they decide to have their numbers retired (which I completely agree with) and I truly believe #5 will be the next rather than #30. It's no knock on Ozzie, IMHO guys like Fedorov don't deserve to be up there as well and guys like Z and Dats have a hell of a long way to go to even be in the discussion as well. I'm ultra picky about who gets up there because the more players they retire, the less of an honor it becomes....and in Detroit, that's what it deserves to be.

That being said, I can't imagine he wouldn't make the Hall. He's most certainly worthy of it and deserve to be there.

Very few players have played as long for the Wings as Osgood has. Even fewer have been top players for the Wings as many years as Osgood was. So the "so many guys, so few numbers" argument is invalid. With that argument, you could have two teams that are both twenty years old, both have won two Cups in that time and have had similar success. One has constantly changed its roster, six or seven new guys per year, while the other typically sticks to the sme roster, maybe one or two tweaks at most. Which team is more likely to retire a player's number?

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Very few players have played as long for the Wings as Osgood has. Even fewer have been top players for the Wings as many years as Osgood was. So the "so many guys, so few numbers" argument is invalid. With that argument, you could have two teams that are both twenty years old, both have won two Cups in that time and have had similar success. One has constantly changed its roster, six or seven new guys per year, while the other typically sticks to the sme roster, maybe one or two tweaks at most. Which team is more likely to retire a player's number?

Actually that doesn't invalidate that argument, you just disagree with it.

Because Ozzy played for the Wings for a long time and racked up an impressive resume does not some how erase the significance that in their entire history, the Wings have officially retired six numbers. The point still holds that the Wings use an extremely high standard for retiring numbers.

Edited by haroldsnepsts

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If we had won in 09, and Ozzie had won the Conn Smythe I have no doubts he'd be a first ballot HOFer and have his number retired. But because of that cocksucker Max Talbot now I doubt his number is retired, and it'll be interesting to see if he gets into the HOF. 401 wins and 3 cups should speak for itself, we'll see.

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If you put the standard as Yzerman and Lidstrom and applied it to other teams, you'd have to tear down a lot of numbers. If you put the standard as Osgood for goalies, you'd have to tear down some numbers.

What is significant?

You have to go back to 1973-74 season to find a player other than Yzerman, Lidstrom, or Sergei Fedorov who has played more than a decade in Detroit, started his career in Detroit, and was a key player and top player for as long as Osgood was. The player in 1973-74? Alex Delvecchio. Before that, it's 1971 and Gordie Howe.

Norm Ullman in 1968 is deserving, and should have a banner - especially since his number is already retired anyway. But that probably won't happen.

Osgood is definitely a Hall of Fame goalie. A 400-game winner with six 30-win seasons, two Cups, three finals appearances, one of the best winning percentages of all-time, and his only losing season was his second-to-last year, when he was fighting injuries the whole season on a team with the second-most man-games lost to injury that season.

There is a major difference between the unofficial retirements of Fischer, Aurie, and Konstantinov's numbers. Fischer and Konstantinov only played here a few years. Konstantinov may have deserved retirement had he not had his accident. Fischer likely not, although he was very good and on the verge of becoming an elite defenseman. Aurie's number was retired by the club, but no banner was ever hung and it now is not considered retired; it is simply not available for use. Osgood's contributions to the team were greater than any of those three.

At which point, naturally, comes the Shanahan argument. Why shouldn't Shanahan's number be retired? Shanahan wasn't as important as Yzerman or Fedorov, for one. He also didn't begin his career as a Red Wing, which does seem to have an effect on consideration. Finally, would you consider the third-best forward or the starting goaltender more important to a team, whether that team be good or bad? I vote goalie. Very few dominant teams in history, if any, have been so with a bunch of star forwards, one or two good defensemen, and a mediocre goalie. Edmonton is the closest example I can think of, and both Fuhr and Moog were among the better goalies in the league. The team was so stacked they could have kept Gretzky, and started trading some of the less important assets around him for cash, picks, and inferior players. Why not trade Messier and Fuhr instead of Gretzky?

Retire #30.

Osgood's personal achievements are light. That's the knock against him in the HHOF and retiring his number. He has an impressive resume, but he was never really a star in this league. He was never really considered among the top of his position.

I really don't get your line of reasoning. It's as if you're trying to prove Ozzy's number should be retired by naming people who shouldn't have theirs retired. And what does trading Messier or Fuhr have to do with anything??

You're also putting way too much weight on being a Wing for a long time. Yes that's a factor, because you want to retire a number of a player who is associated first and foremost with that team and considered synonymous with the organization (unlike the Avs retiring Bourque's number), but it requires a lot more than that.

And to be clear, I like Ozzy. I've been a fan over the years and defended him here countless times. But I still don't think he warrants having his number retired.

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If we had won in 09, and Ozzie had won the Conn Smythe I have no doubts he'd be a first ballot HOFer and have his number retired. But because of that cocksucker Max Talbot now I doubt his number is retired, and it'll be interesting to see if he gets into the HOF. 401 wins and 3 cups should speak for itself, we'll see.

Then a single goal keeps him out of the HoF?

That is weak, especially considering all the bogus calls that lead to goals in the series...

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