"No Respect For "Number One" Goalie

[vladdy16 2,154]

Next time we want to have The Great Goalie Debate, maybe this will encourage people to stop and think first: I don't get no respect!

[number9 3,297]

Wings are too smart for this. Theres a reason Howie was the only #1 goal tender last season not to be pulled.

Edit: "not to be pulled" -din758

Edited August 1, 2011 by number9

[Guest Crymson]

Amateur writer has bad grammar.

[Guest echos myron]

Wings are too smart for this. Theres a reason Howie was the only #1 goal tender last season to not be pulled.

couldn't be any more wrong

[Din758 371]

Wings are too smart for this. Theres a reason Howie was the only #1 goal tender last season to not be pulled.

not to be pulled?

[sputman 1,268]

couldn't be any more wrong

say why and you won't get so many negatives. unless that's what you like..

[Guest echos myron]

uh oh, negatives!

howard was pulled multiple times last year

[wings_fanatic 677]

Howard was pulled MANY times last year... way more than most starting goalies are pulled. In fact, from the beginning of December to about Februrary, Howard was terrible- letting in usually 3 or 4 goals a game, and a lot of those goals being bad ones to give up. One could argue that if it were not for this couple months of bad play by Howard, that the Wings would not have lost their point cushion during the season to the Sharks, which would have given the Wings home ice advantage in the 2nd round, and then we would very likely have won the 2nd round.

With that said, Howard turned it on after he signed the new contract and he played great all playoffs, but the fact remains that it was largely he who caused the wings to lose the point race to the Sharks. But, half of us, myself included, hated Howard in the regular season when he gave up weak goals and costed us games. We were all calling for Nabovok, Ozzie to play when healthy and so on. But the second Howard actually started to play good, there was not one person, myself included, who said anything bad about Howard. Goalie is a difficult position to play because if you let in bad goals, or even sometimes if you just lose the game, fans jump all over you- - people did it to Ozzie his entire career. On the other hand, if you win the game everyone loves you. Goalies get love, and they get hate- - that is simply something that will never change.

[Z Winged Dangler 2,082]

howard played good last year, but he had some really s***ty games often during the season which explains his crap GAA last year. if conklin plays really good this year and steals the "#1" spot, so be it. if howard stays on his feet when he needs to...setoguchi's goal in game 7, and starts controlling rebounds properly, he will have no problem remaining as the #1 guy.

ps...luongo is a choke artist and even nucks fans concede this fact now. go bruins!

Edited August 3, 2011 by Z Winged Dangler

[cprice12 117]

howard played good last year, but he had some really s***ty games often during the season which explains his crap GAA last year.

Ummm...

First you said Howard played good last year.

and...

Then you said he often had s***ty games.

and...

Then you said he had a crap GAA.

That doesn't make any sense.

[eva unit zero 271]

Ummm...

First you said Howard played good last year.

and...

Then you said he often had s***ty games.

and...

Then you said he had a crap GAA.

That doesn't make any sense.

Maybe it does. Maybe he's saying "Howard was awesome all year, except for a few games which he stunk serious butt in. And because he was so bad in those games, it skewed his GAA upwards by a goal and a half."

[Jesusberg 1,256]

Howard's regular season was questionable to say the least. He seemed to struggle mentally, and Nabokov almost coming to the team seemed to really shake him too. Once he got past all that, he was a new man in the post-season. He was poised and he seemed to be truly focused. The guy's a work horse and when he's on his game he's more than worth his contract. I expect him to bounce back next season.

And no, I'm not a Howard slappy. In fact, I was one of his biggest doubters when he was transitioning from the AHL. He's always seemed to have consistency issues, but if he's a guy who has mediocre regular seasons and strong playoffs, that's good in my books.