Magnificent Masked Men - Top 10 Greatest Goalies of All Time

The Stanley Cup Finals have come to an end and the Boston Bruins are officially perched atop the National Hockey League.  The summer is in full swing now and draft day is quickly approaching as 29 other teams look to find their diamond in the rough that will lead them to hockey glory.  In the wake of this years Cup, however, I thought it fitting to take a look back at arguably the most fundamental and important position in hockey: the goalie.  Tim Thomas and  Roberto Luongo gave fans an up close and personal look into the importance of the position this playoff season with Thomas becoming just the second tender to take home the Vezina, Conn Smythe and win the Stanley Cup in the same season.  Luongo, on the other hand, has been saddled with the dubious distinction of being one of the biggest choke artists in recent memory (whether it is warranted or not).  Teams live and die by their masked men, so I wanted to dive into the history of goaltending and put a list together honouring the 10 best of all time.  The list isn't concrete and there were several deserving tenders that were left off, but here's one guy's opinion on the 10 greatest players to strap on the pads and put their team on their backs in the name of victory.

10. Bernie Parent  1965 - 1979 (Boston, Philadelphia, Toronto)

Number ten on my list was a member of the great 'Broadstreet Bullies' in the '70's.  Bernie Parent was taken from Boston by Philadelphia in the expansion draft and would go on to lead the Flyers to 2 Stanley Cups, claiming the Conn Smythe in both of them.  During those two Cup runs Parent also locked up the Vezina Trophy in both seasons.  He became a cult hero in Philly along with most of the team as their hard nosed and physical style mesmerized fans.  Parent's 54 shutouts rank him 19th all time and he ended his career with a solid 2.55 GAA.

9. Bill Durnan 1943 - 1950 (Montreal)

The ninth goalie to make the list is one of several Montreal Canadien greats.  Bill Durnan's career may not have been lengthy, but he made the years he played count.  In just seven seasons with the Habs Durnan racked up 6 Vezina trophy's, 6 first team all star nominations and won 2 Stanley Cups.  His 2.36 GAA rank him 16th all time and he held the record for longest shutout streak at 309 min and 21 sec until Brian Boucher broke the record in 2004.  Durnan isn't a household name for many hockey fans because of his short career, but the numbers don't lie, he was one of the best to ever guard the twine.

8. Glenn Hall  1952 - 1971 (Detroit, Chicago, St Louis)

Glenn Hall, affectionately referred to as 'Mr Goalie', is one of the great iron man tenders on the list.  Hall holds the record for the most consecutive completed games by a goaltender at 502.  He was best known for inventing the butterfly style of goaltending which has become the dominant style at the position today.  Hall's 84 shutouts rank him 4th all time and 407 wins put him in 8th, while he also has 2 Stanley Cups and a Conn Smythe.  He is the first person on the list to win the Calder Trophy in his rookie season and brought home 3 Vezina's and a whopping 7 first team all star nominations.  Glenn Hall paved the way for today's goaltender and is truly one of the greats at this position.

7. George Hainsworth  1926 - 1937 (Montreal, Toronto)

We are reaching way back into our bag of tricks for the 7th man on our list today as George Hainsworth is officially the oldest tender on the list.  Hainsworth made his mark with the Habs in the early '30's winning 2 Stanley Cups and 3 Vezina Trophy's.  He ranks third all time in shutouts with 94 and holds the record for the most shutouts in a single season with 22.  Moreover, the most impressive stat for Hainsworth is his career 1.93 GAA.  He is one of only two goalies to have a career goals against average under 2.00 and even posted a 0.93 GAA in 44 games played in the '28 - '29 season.  Hainsworth played in a much different era than many of the people on the list, but stopping pucks at this rate makes him a deserving member of the 10 greatest of all time.

6. Jacques Plante  1953 - 1973 (Montreal, New York Rangers, St. Louis, Toronto, Boston)

Number six on the list is truly one of the great names in hockey history.  Jacques Plante will best be remembered as the man who first wore a mask while playing net.  His 6 Stanley Cups have him tied for the most all time by a goalie and the 7 Vezina's he owns is the record for most by any tender.  Plante ranks 5th all time with 82 shutouts, 6th all time with 437 wins and is one of only 6 goalies to ever win the Hart Trophy.  The Hart is a particularly special accomplishment as only seven times in history has a goalie won this award.  Every true hockey household knows the name Jacques Plante and most have the famous picture of his busted up face and that tiny mask he first started wearing.  Plante is truly a special person in hockey history and mush deserving of being on this list.

5. Ken Dryden  1970 - 1979 (Montreal)

Breaking into our top five goalies of all time we see one of the best, and biggest, goalies to ever play.  Measuring in at around 6'4, Dryden was a daunting figure in the Canadiens net for almost a decade.  Despite his short playing career, Dryden is tied with the aforementioned Plante for the most Cup wins by a goalie all time with 6.  He claimed 5 Vezina's, 5 first team all star nominations, a Conn Smythe Trophy and a Calder Trophy as well.  Dryden's 2.24 GAA rank him 9th all time and his 46 shutouts have him in at 26th.  It's a shame he wasn't able to have a longer career because Habs fans will always remember Dryden as one of the best to ever lace em up.

4. Terry Sawchuk  1949 - 1970 (Detroit, Boston, Toronto, Los Angeles, New York Rangers)

The Detroit Red Wing great Terry Sawchuk comes in on the list at number four being best known for his shutout record.  Sawchuk racked up 103 shutouts over the course of his 21 seasons and that record stood tall until Martin Brodeur just recently surpassed it.  Sawchuk brought home 4 Cups and 4 Vezina's over the span of his illustrious career as well as winning the Calder Trophy in his rookie season.  His 447 wins put him 5th all time and he had 3 first team all star nominations to his credit.  Sawchuk is arguably the greatest goalie in Red Wings franchise history and deserves to be considered as one of the greatest at the position in general all time.

3. Dominik Hasek  1990 - 2008 (Chicago, Buffalo, Detroit, Ottawa)

Coming into the top three on our list of greatest goaltenders of all time is one of the most awkward looking yet affective goalies ever.  Hasek, nicknamed 'The Dominator', was one of the best players in the NHL period during his career.  Even though Hasek is the only man on the list without multiple Cups, he only won 1, his 6 Vezina's and 6 first team all star nominations speak for themselves.  The Dominator ranks 7th all time with a 2.20 career GAA, is tied for 6th with 81 shutouts and is 11th with 389 career wins.  He also bested Patrick Roy and team Canada in the 1998 Olympics in Nagano and claimed the Gold Medal against the Russians that same year.  However, maybe his greatest accomplishment is the back-to-back Hart Trophy's that Hasek won in the '96 - '97 season and '97 - '98 season.  He is the only goalie to ever win multiple Hart Trophy's as it has only happened 7 times in history that a tender has won the award.  The Dominator was truly just that for almost two decades and his individual accomplishments speak much louder than his lack of Stanley Cups.

2. Patrick Roy  1985 - 2003 (Montreal, Colorado)

Possibly a bit of a surprise at number 2 as most analysts and fans alike have Roy as the greatest of all time, but as we see the numbers feelings may begin to change.  However, giving Patrick Roy his due he was arguably the greatest goaltender of all time.  The Canadien legend won 2 of his 4 Stanley Cups in a Habs uniform before departing for Colorado after a tiff with management.  His 551 wins rank him second all time to go along with his 3 Vezina Trophy's and 3 Conn Smythe's.  Roy is tied with Martin Brodeur for the most consecutive 30 plus win seasons at 13 and the most playoff shutouts at 23.  He owns the record for the most playoff victories with 151 yet also has the dubious distinction of having the most playoff losses all time.  There is no doubt that Roy needs to be in the conversation for greatest goaltender of all time and is probably interchangeable at the top of this list with the number 1, however, when looking at the facts I think you will find the decision to put the great Patrick Roy at 2 was the right one. 

1. Martin Brodeur  1993 - Present (New Jersey)

The greatest goaltender all time in this guy's opinion has to be, hands down, Martin Brodeur.  If you don't believe me just take a look at what comes next:

• 2 time Olympic Gold Medalist (1 as a starter)
• 8th all time with a 2.21 GAA
• 1st all time with 116 shutouts
• 1st all time with 625 wins
• 3 Stanley Cups
• 4 first team all star nominations
• Calder Trophy
• 4 Vezina Trophy's
• Most wins in a single season (48)
• Most minutes and games played in a career
• Most consecutive 30 plus win seasons (12)
• Most consecutive 35 plus win seasons (11)
• Most 40 plus win seasons (8)
• Most consecutive 40 plus win seasons (3) tied with Evgeni Nabokov
• Most playoff shutouts (23) tied with Roy
• Youngest Goalie too 300, 400, 500 & 600 wins
• Most shutouts in 1 playoff run (7)

Oh and by the way, this guy is still playing and playing at a high level.  I don't think there is much more one can say other than Brodeur is the greatest goaltender that has ever graced this game and when he retires it till be a truly sad day for hockey.


That concludes the list of the top 10 greatest goalies of all time.  I want too reiterate that this list is opinion and not fact and there are several choices that were omitted but could have been there just as easily.  Three honourable mentions I'd like to put in are Blackhawks great Tony Esposito, Leafs legend Johnny Bower and Eddie 'the Eagle' Belfour.  These three could most definitely have made the list if we just had some more space.  Leave a comment let me know what you agree or disagree with!

In Pursuit of the Cup - The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Here we sit, mere hours away from watching Lord Stanley's illustrious Mug being awarded to the best team in the National Hockey League.  The question on the tip of everyone's tongue is: who is that team?  After 88 playoff games we have yet to determine which team is worthy enough to carry the Stanley Cup.  Tonight will be true seventh heaven as it is the 7th game 7 of these 2011 playoffs and will ultimately decide the NHL's finest.  The Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins have one chance to embed themselves into hockey history and have their names written on the greatest Cup in sports.  So why exactly am I writing this before we bear witness to the game 7 to end all game 7's?  Well, this Cup Final has been chalked full of storylines and I am truly afraid that once tonight's game is finished, we may forget a couple of them in the wake of our new Stanley Cup Champions.  So in honour of the first 6 games, here is the good, the bad and the ugly of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals thus far.

The Good

Forgive me if I keep this section somewhat brief but there really hasn't been as much to write home about in these Finals as one would think and the bad and ugly are making me salivate thinking about them.  But to be fair, there has been some good storylines coming from this series.  Without a doubt the 37 year old goalie wearing black and yellow must be front and centre in this discussion.  Tim Thomas has been absolutely marvellous these entire playoffs and the Cup have been no different.  Thomas will most likely earn the Conn Smythe tonight with or without a Bruins victory and could be the sixth player in history to win the award without hoisting the Stanley Cup.  In 6 games the unorthodox Thomas has allowed a miniscule 8 goals and with his first save in game 7 will break the record for the most saves by a goaltender in a playoff season.  He has been the backbone of the Boston Bruins all season and is the chief reason why they are one win away from hockey glory.

Secondly, I feel the need to throw this into the good section only because he will be berated through the next two.  Roberto Luongo has been stellar at home in these Finals.  Yes, I'm putting Bobby Lou into the good section, sue me.  You cannot argue with his numbers however, as Luongo has a stunning 0.67 GAA and .979 save % to go alongside 2 shutouts in 3 games at home.  Say what you will about the big netminder, but he has been a steady rock while playing at Rogers Arena (a place where he won the Olympic Gold Medal nonetheless). 

Finally, a true feel good story coming out of Vancouver would be the return of Manny Malholtra in game 2.  After almost getting his eye taken out in a game against Colorado in March, Malholtra was more worried about seeing with two eyes again rather than playing in the Stanley Cup.  However, after a shocking recovery Malholtra found his way back into the lineup and now has a chance to hoist the Cup from the ice rather than the press box.  There has clearly been good happenstances throughout the Finals but these three underlying stories seem to top them and like I said before, I'm more excited for the next two sections. 

The Bad

Oh boy oh boy where do I start?  Oh ya that's right, I start in Vancouver's net and work my way out from there.  So, remember how I just told you about Luongo's masterful play in Vancouver, don't jump on the bandwagon just yet.  In three games in Boston Luongo has managed to be pulled twice, post an 8.05 GAA, .773 save % and embarrass himself mightily.  This could in fact be the single worst performance of any goaltender in NHL history on the road in a Stanley Cup Final.  Luongo has looked lost in all three games which was epitomized by his being pulled just 9 minutes into game 6 after giving up 4 goals.  Read that sentence over again and let it sink in, 4 goals, 9 minutes, game 6.  My God what happened Roberto?  You are a high class world renowned NHL goaltender and you literally couldn't stop a beach ball.  Ok, enough on Lou because we will come back to him next section once again.

Working my way out, I need to discuss the upper echelon Vancouver Canuck forwards as a whole.  The Sedin's, taking their second vacation to Sweden in these playoffs it seems, have once again been non-existent as they were for the last half of the Chicago series.  Henrik has posted a magnificent 1 goal in this series and Daniel stunningly has a goal and 3 assists, pretty gaudy numbers if I do say so myself.  Not only have they been offensively absent, but they've been absent in general.  The magic people in Vancouver have come to expect from the twins seems to come and go like Brett Favre from football, whenever it so pleases.  This series should not have gone seven games and the twins are a big reason it has, for Boston that is.  Along the same lines would be Ryan Kesler.  Kesler has singlehandedly played his way out of Conn Smythe contention along with the red headed twins with his 1 point in 6 games routine in the Finals.  These three were cornerstones of this franchise outside of Luongo and have all pulled disappearing acts for 6 games now.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks as an entire team needs to be put into the bad section.  This is the Presidents Trophy winning Canucks who led the league offensively and defensively while posting the best road record in the NHL.  They are currently facing a do-or-die game 7 and have been outscored 19 - 8 in the first 6 games.  They've been outright embarrassed in Boston three times and have needed late game heroics to sneak out of their own building with victories.  This team is the best team on paper and I've maintained that point throughout the playoffs, but again there is a reason we don't simulate the NHL playoffs like a video game.  Players need to show up and bring the grit and tenacity required to earn the Stanley Cup.  So far the Canucks have relied on luck, skill and hope to get them this far, it won't work tonight if they don't bring their A game.

The Ugly

This series has unfortunately been tainted slightly with two severe and career threatening injuries.  Aaron Rome's open-ice hit on Nathan Horton in game 3 may have sparked the Bruins, but it blew out the spark in Horton's head.  The game 7 magic man for Boston was said to have a severe concussion and was carted off the ice and ruled out of the rest of the series.  Now, Rome's hit was not malicious and there certainly did not look like there was intent to injure, but it was late and Horton was in a vulnerable position which adds up to a 4 game suspension (the longest in Stanley Cup history) and Rome missing the rest of the Cup. 

Furthering the point on hits and injuries, in game 6 Johnny Boychuk appeared to run Mason Raymond into the side boards and shove him awkwardly when the puck was nowhere near.  Raymond broke a vertebrae in his back and is now out for 4 to 6 months.  The hit at first looked fairly harmless but on further review the shove was definitely late and resulted in a monumental injury.  However, Boychuk did not receive any disciplinary action and Raymond is left to watch game 7 from a wheelchair.  It's not how you want to see any player or teams season end, but it is part of the game.  These two hits and resulting injuries will put a blemish on this series forever and provide the loser a 'what if' scenario for years to come.

Finally, I come back to my good friend Roberto Luongo.  Hits and injuries aside, this may be the ugliest thing I've seen in a Stanley Cup ever.  After essentially calling out Tim Thomas and pointing out his unorthodox style, Luongo was quoted as saying:

"I've been pumping his tires ever since the series started, and I haven't heard one nice thing he had to say about me, so that's the way it is."

Has anyone explained to Luongo that this is the Stanley Cup Final and that bearded man wearing a mask on the opposite end of the ice is his enemy and counterpart?  What the hell was he expecting the two of them to go for beers after each game and high five all night?  As an avid Luongo supporter I was at a loss when I heard this interview.  It made no sense, plain and simple.  Luongo needs to grow a pair, man up and stop some pucks tonight or there will be some serious repercussion for him in Vancouver. 

Well there you have it, the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the first 6 games of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals.  It's been two months of non-stop playoff hockey and tonight will be the culmination of a phenomenal playoff season.  Win or lose both these teams deserve a lot of respect and admiration for the work they have put in, but ultimately only one will be remembered for greatness.  I picked the Canucks from the beginning so I'm sticking true to my choice, but game 7 should be a lot of fun watch!  Get the beer fridge stocked, put the kids to bed early and let's have one last blast of playoff hockey before the summer sets in!

Veteran Mavs Darlings of the NBA in 2011

Dirk Nowitzki is soft.  He is not a true leader and he doesn't play the type of game that fits his physical stature.  The big German Power Forward is nothing more than a glorified jump shooting artist who is unable to dominate enough to win on the biggest stage in basketball.  These previous statements seem about as logical and true as when they told us Shaq was only 300 lbs when he went to the Heat in '06.  The fact of the matter is Dirk Nowitzki just gave every critic that he has ever had a great big screw you sandwich.  Possibly one of the greatest shooters of all-time and a sure fire hall of famer, Dirk iced his legacy by leading the Dallas Mavericks to an improbable NBA title on Monday night against the mighty three-headed monster from Miami. 

Now all the talks and discussion in the last 24 hours has centered on Lebron James and his lack of production throughout these finals.  It's beginning to feel as though people feel the Heat lost the finals rather than the Mavs won it.  If these are people's sentiments, they would be dead wrong.  So for that reason, I am only going to focus on the Mavs accomplishments and leave the Heat's shortcoming for another time. 

Back to Dirk.  His play on the court speaks for itself and needs no embellishment.  The cornerstone of the Mavs franchise averaged almost 28 points throughout the playoffs and just over 8 rebounds a game.  His clutch shooting down the stretch of games was magical to watch and was epitomized in the series clinching game against Miami.  With allegations coming from the Heat players that Dirk's 'sickness' in game 5 may have been somewhat embellished, Nowitzki shot a miserable 1 for 12 from the field in the first half of game 6 yet the Mavs still found themselves up 2 at half.  Then the real Dirk showed up.  Nowitzki went 8 for 15 in the second half of game 6 and finished with 21 points and 11 boards which, along with Jason Terry's 27 points, clinched the Larry O' Brien trophy for Dallas.

Coming as no surprise to anyone, Nowitzki was awarded the Bill Russell Award as the NBA Finals MVP.  The win was even sweeter coming against the aforementioned Miami Heat because of the crushing defeat the Mavs took in 2006 blowing a 2 - 0 series lead in the NBA Finals and losing 4 straight to fall in 6 games to the Heat.  You saw the elation in the face of Nowitzki as, unable to control his emotions, Dirk left the court for the locker room immediately after the final horn in order to collect himself.  Nowitzki would return shortly after to collect his prize and celebrate the first NBA Championship in Dallas Mavericks history.

This Mavericks team began this season, at least on paper, as an aged group with many critics not giving them much of a chance for a deep playoff run.  With the mighty Heat in the East and the Kobe Bryant led Lakers in the West it seemed inevitable that the Black Mamba and King James would meet in the Finals.  However, after disposing of the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round, one in which many experts (including this one) called the Blazers to upset, the Mavs were pitted against the two-time defending champion Lakers.  This is where Dirk and company began to make true believers out of NBA fans and analysts alike.  The Mavs embarrassed the Lakers and swept them right out of the playoffs while shooting at a torrid pace.  It wasn't the fact that they had won, but how they had won.  The 122 - 86 game 4 victory which ultimately sent Kobe and the boys packing turned just about every head in the NBA.  These Mavs were for real.

The veteran laden Mavs, with or without the backing of anyone else, believed in themselves and each other.  Nothing says this more than Jason Terry's tattoo on his bicep of the Larry O' Brien trophy.  The Mavs backup guard got inked up in October at a team building party at teammate DeShawn Stevenson's house.  Call it pretentious, pompous, conceited or just downright stupid, but Terry looks like a genius now.  He let his play do the talking as well as Terry, coming off the bench for the Mavs, averaged 17.5 points in the playoffs and usually provided the necessary offense when Dirk was resting.  His precision shooting and veteran presence were crucial for the Mavs especially in game 6 against the Heat when Dirk was struggling in the first half.  Terry took over the first two quarters and dropped 19 points on the Heat to keep the Mavs afloat until Dirk found his groove. 

Finally, hats off to one of the greatest point guards to ever play the game.  Jason Kidd, whenever he so chooses because Lord knows I am not rushing him, will undoubtedly be a first ballot hall of famer.  The Mavs smooth passing floor general won his first championship after tasting defeat twice while with the New Jersey Nets.  Kidd showed he is still able to control a game and compete at a high level as he averaged over 7 assists per game and over 9 points.  But, maybe even more of a contribution, is the development of JJ Barea that Kidd has no doubt been an integral part of.  Barea showed glimpses of being a real impact guard when he was given the minutes as watching Kidd from the bench and learning from one of the greats must be rubbing off. 

So, the Dallas Mavericks are NBA Champions.  Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd finally have their rings.  Jason Terry doesn't need any ink removal. Owner Mark Cuban has officially had his gag order lifted.  All I can really say is congratulations to this group.  Not quite the underdog story that will go down in basketball history, but a great mish mash that all add up to one of the better feel good stories in NBA history.  The mighty Heat will have their day, but that day is not today.  Today belongs to that sweet shooting German, the bald floor general, the pretentious and inked up backup guard and the loudmouth owner.  Congratulations once again Dallas Mavericks, enjoy the party!