wildone26*
Guest
Who do you guys think will be DiPietro's backup goalie, meaning the #2 guy, for the U.S team in future World Cups and Olympics?
wildone26 said:Miller did not even make the team as a #3 this year, I know he had an injury and had returned just after the selection date, however everybody knew he was going to return well before the Olympics started and he still was not picked ever over Grahame for the #3 spot to go over there and sit on the bench doing nothing.
If he makes the team as DiPietro's backup in 2010 he will have already greatly upgraded the opinions U.S hockey seem to have off him now.
hooty mcboobs said:The past is the past and the future is now. Since Miller had never proven himself in the past and was coming off an injury, why would Team USA officials even consider him to play the 3rd string role? I'm certain Miller's play has already elevated him near the top, if not the top of the Team USA goaltender heap.
hotwheels said:Out of the 4 goalies mentioned..i'd have it like this.
1. Miller
2. Esche
3. DiPietro
4. Grahame.
By the way, already mentioned, DiPietro would be 3rd string, he would be Esche's back up, and Esche is Miller's back up.
Rabid Ranger said:For the time being I see it as:
1) DiPietro
2) Miller
3) Esche
4) Grahame
Pretty soon Esche and Grahame will be phased out and a younger goaltender like Jimmy Howard, Cory Schneider, or Jason Bacashihua will be the third stringer.
wildone26 said:Yeah Miller definitely wont ever be over DiPietro, the best he can hope to be is the backup to the U.Ss #1 goalie. Still going from a #4 who didnt make the team to DiPietro's backup would be a great accomplishment, but there are other young goalies like Schneider coming up to challenge him for that too.
FLYLine88 said:Hate to break it to you, but Miller is already better then DiPietro and if it they had the Olympics next year i'd be shocked if Miller wasnt the starting goalie.
wildone26 said:Yeah Miller definitely wont ever be over DiPietro, the best he can hope to be is the backup to the U.Ss #1 goalie. Still going from a #4 who didnt make the team to DiPietro's backup would be a great accomplishment, but there are other young goalies like Schneider coming up to challenge him for that too.
Le Golie said:For what it's worth, Don Waddell was interviewed on March 25th and he said that if he could go back, he would have chosen the exact same goaltenders as he did. He also said he was extremely pleased with what Dipietro contributed to the US team and that Dipietro's play in the NHL following the Olympic break was among the best in the league. He said that he was very confident in Dipietro being the backstop for Team USA in the future.
That being said, Miller and Dipietro are the clear top two guys right now, whichever order you have them in.
Le Golie said:For what it's worth, Don Waddell was interviewed on March 25th and he said that if he could go back, he would have chosen the exact same goaltenders as he did. He also said he was extremely pleased with what Dipietro contributed to the US team and that Dipietro's play in the NHL following the Olympic break was among the best in the league. He said that he was very confident in Dipietro being the backstop for Team USA in the future.
That being said, Miller and Dipietro are the clear top two guys right now, whichever order you have them in.
Titan124 said:I'd like to make sure this isn't another Lalime or Boucher situation with Miller before saying he'll start for team usa. The guy has a Stanley Cup team (well, we'll see) playing in front of him that is consistent night after night. DiPietro had at least 8 rookies in front of him on any given night after the trade deadline, and before he had defensemen like Niinimaa, Led feet Lukowich, and Sopel (to his credit, he starting getting in front of shots shortly before the deadline).
Despite this, DiPietro was able to have a .900 save percentage, won 30 games, a GAA of 3.02 (rounds down to 3<<I know this is bending the stats a little, but it's just to put in perspective if it had to be a whole number), and had a 30-24-5 record on a team that was 36-40-6. Ryan Miller (who is also a very good goalie, please don't get me wrong!) had a .914 save percentage, also won 30 games, had a GAA of 2.60 (rounds up to 3), and had a record of 30-14-3.
I mean no offense to Ryan Miller, who at this point seems the surefire backup at next olympics assuming he plays as good, but he is also 2 years older than DiPietro, and less experienced. The argument of stats doesn't matter can easily be used for both sides, because DiPietro's motivation was crushed for a decently long streak during the season, and not including that streak his record would be phenomenal. In addition, both goalies have made spectacular saves that stats don't count. Though I'm a little bias, I chalk up the clutch, impossible saves to DiPietro, and that's not including the ones that were his fault from puck handling. Rick DiPietro is one piece away from being a star, which is that his puck handling is still shaky and he needs to learn to control his emotions a little better. I just think when you put in perspective, the team that Miller is playing on has given him more publicity, though in reality DiPietro is younger, was as good this year, and is more highly touted by the USA hockey officials.