HabsCast Hockey Blog

Disclaimer: I love the trap, so if you expect me to rag on it, read something else. I’m sure one of the major US sports networks is right this very moment complaining about how boring hockey is.

For anyone that has played any sport, but I think this holds particularly true in hockey, you should already know this truism: Goalies are crazy. If you are willing to have huge men shoot vulcanized rubber at your face at high speeds, i feel comfortable classifying you as crazy. Every goalie I have ever played in front of, the really phenomenal ones and the terrible ones have all been crazy. Now I also strongly believe there is a thin line between insanity and genius. Someone like Hasek is a great goalie because he was crazy and shooters had no idea where he was going to go, how he was going to make a save. Hasek gave them nothing. Genius, more Vezinas than fingers on a hand. Able to change a game. Genius. (see footnote 1)

Goalies, are the only players that are on the ice the whole game, and have more of an ability to be game-changers/game-breakers.

The fact that goalies are crazy but CAN dominate a game more single handedly than any other position, in turn, makes people crazy for goalies. Exhibit A - I still own a Habs Theodore Jersey. Now as to the Devils.

The Devils have one of the top five best goaltenders of all time. Martin Brodeur has a serious chance of besting most, if not all, of St. Patrick’s goaltending records. The Devils have won a bunch of cups riding this workhorse goaltender through a lot of playoff runs, when guys like John Madden had to be the leading goal-scorers (read as: not a lot of goals). What the Devils have done that I consider to be egrigious is that they made everyone fall in love with the idea of having one goalie that can play 82 games plus another 16 in the playoffs. THIS IDEA IS CRAZY, for two major inter-related reasons: ( 1 ) Having two guys helps the team in a variety of ways and ( 2 ) depending on one guy = Injury Risk.

A single “playable” goalie on the team is a huge risk. Even Brodeur needs rest. Patrick, I believe, was able to be so good for so long because he did not play every single night. Brodeur has played more than 70 games a season since 1997-98. That’s 10 years of 70+ games a season. Look at The Wild, the Ducks, the Sharks all perennially good teams over the past 7 years. All of these teams had essentially two number one goalies, and they have been consistently good. In the era of Fernandez and Roloson, the Wild had the luxury of throwing out the hot hand, the hungrier guy, the healthier guy. This gives the other goalie an opportunity to rest and not have the constant pressure on him. Last playoff run, the Ducks were able to give Giguere time off DURING THE PLAYOFFS to go be with his infant son as he underwent an operation. That speaks fantastically high of the character of the franchise. That also shows the players that the organization is willing to support them as people, not just as players. This goes a long way for team morale. In San Jose with Toskala (San Jose Version. Not his NEW and underperforming Toronto Version) and Nabakov, they had the luxury of allowing a guy that was getting lit up to relax take a couple of nights off and refocus, without having to panic that the team was going to lose 10 straight while he rehabbed or got his head back on straight.

The second reason, we’ll call the Huet factor. As the Habscast guys have pointed out Huet should not be playing 70 games. His body will not be able to take it. While this is a very good idea specifically for the Habs, because they get to develop Halak and Price, it is a good idea for the rest of the league. If Brodeur hurts his knee on a stupid play, New Jersey can forfeit the season, same goes for Vancouver, Florida, and a couple of other teams. Is an entire season worth risking on a single guy? Arguably Sidney Crosby is that guy, but Crosby could put up 200 points and his team could still not make the playoffs (See Early Lemieux). Although, One goalie with a phenomenal season CAN lead your team to the playoffs. Hedge your bets, get a guy that can play 20 games, give you a chance to win, and rest your horse for the grueling two-three month deathmatch for The Cup.

Some could argue that early Atlanta and the whole Hackett/Theodore situation serves as an argument against my 45-50 and 25-35 game goalie split. Yes, sometimes two goalies cannot handle being 1A/1B, sometimes two guys just do not get along. However, there is a difference in the earl Atlanta with having a 2A/2B goalie duo and having Bryzgalov and Giguere stopping pucks.

Because the Devils made everyone fall in love with having one dude who stops 75 games a year, they are part of Darth Betmann’s plan to kill hockey.

Footnote 1:
Hasek is great, but not the best goalie ever (even during his prime) but at a Habs site, I feel I don’t need to point out who I favour. (Hint: Ends with an “oy”)

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