In what order would you rank these goalies, and why?
Olaf Kolzig
Curtis Joseph
Mike Richter
John Vanbiesbrouck
Ron Hextall
Tom Barrasso
Mike Vernon
Olaf Kolzig
Curtis Joseph
Mike Richter
John Vanbiesbrouck
Ron Hextall
Tom Barrasso
Mike Vernon
7. Ron Hextall. His peak was as good as any goalie on this list. But he had a definite roller coaster career. He was marvellous in 1987. He was suspect in 1988. He was brilliant for the Flyers in Game 7 vs. Mario's Pens in 1989. He played his way out of Philly, Quebec and Long Island. He had stretches of sensational play in his second stint in Philly, but that tenure will be best remembered for the 1997 Cup final.
Let's get the easy one out of the way now. Mike Vernon is definitely No. 1 on this list. A two-time Cup champion, a two-time Cup finalist, a Conn Smythe winner, a multi-time Vezina nominee and a second team all-star. He was small in stature, but he was very quick and aggressive. He will make it in the HHOF.
Tom Barasso would be my pick for No. 2. One of the game's last true stand-up goalies. Not exactly the finest example of a human being, but an excellent goalie. Two Cups, could have won the Conn in 1992, a Vezina, several Vezina nominations and several all-star team selections. A very borderline HHOF case.
I'll give Vernon the edge for two intangible factors: character and consistency. Barasso had a knack for being really good or really bad. You generally knew what you were going to get from Vernon.
Another reason you couldn't always count on Barasso was health.
The rest are much harder to judge. None of them belong in the HHOF. Here's my best effort:
3. Curtis Joseph. I think this thread has been partially inspired by the Joseph for the HHOF thread in the NHL forum. I'll take Joseph, as he was the goalie most likely to put a team on his back. He almost single-handedly won four first round series by himself, and twice set the single-season saves record. His problem is he was a fader. If he gets in the HHOF, he'll be the first goalie since the introduction of the all-star teams in 1931 to make the HHOF without an all-star team birth or a Stanley Cup.
4. Mike Richter. Much of his legacy is built on two performances: the 1994 Stanley Cup playoffs and the 1996 World Cup. And those are two great performances to base your career on. But much of the rest of his career was dotted with inconsistency. Was a Vezina finalist in his rookie year in 1991, and was Vezina worthy in 1992. Then he imploded in the 1992 playoffs and was horrible in 1993. He was terrible again in 1995. While you can't blame him for the Rangers failures post 1997, he didn't exactly play to the potential he'd shown earlier in his career.
5. John Vanbiesbrouck. Plenty of success, but consistency wasn't always a strong suit, either. A first-team all-star and Vezina winner in 1986. A second-team all-star and Hart finalist in 1994. Vezina worthy in 1995 and 1996, too. You can never understimate his role for the Panthers in 1996. But from 1987 to 1993, it was a roller coaster. His best year, 1991-92, he was platooned with Richter, and like Richter, was a flop in the playoffs.
6. Olaf Kolzig. Along with Sean Burke and Martin Brodeur, a trail blazer for the big goalies that are now commonplace in the NHL. When Kolzig was drafted, Burke was the biggest goalie in the league. Few were over 6'0". He's had moments of frustration in his career, but he's generally been one of the top 5-10 goalies in the league for nearly a decade. After Vernon and Joseph, the most consistent goalie on this list. And he has a Vezina. He also has a trip to the Cup final, but he, like the Caps franchise, has had his share of playoff frustration.
7. Ron Hextall. His peak was as good as any goalie on this list. But he had a definite roller coaster career. He was marvellous in 1987. He was suspect in 1988. He was brilliant for the Flyers in Game 7 vs. Mario's Pens in 1989. He played his way out of Philly, Quebec and Long Island. He had stretches of sensational play in his second stint in Philly, but that tenure will be best remembered for the 1997 Cup final.
In what order would you rank these goalies, and why?
Olaf Kolzig
Curtis Joseph
Mike Richter
John Vanbiesbrouck
Ron Hextall
Tom Barrasso
Mike Vernon
1) Vernon- 2 rings and 2 finals losses. 4 trips to the final.
2) Barrasso- 2 rings and a few conferance final losses.
3) Hextall- no cups, conn smythe winner playing on losing team.
4) Richter- 1 cup.
5) Kolzig- career Cap, very dependable.
6) Beezer- great career
7) Joseph- Great regular season, playoff choke artist and choked in Olympics. Joseph for the hall of fame? Yeah right, while we're at it, lets put Felix Potvin there too.
Wow that is all I have to say. Can you tell me how he choked with the ONLY team he was really favored to win with - the Wings. Oh yes I forgot that it was his fault Luc began celabrating in game on against the Ducks before the made sure the puck was in the net. I also forgot that it was his fault that Detroit's famed offense no showed when it mattered, I mean he had GAAs of 1.39 and 2.08 and SPs of .939 and .917 but it was his fault that the Dead Wings only scored what 2 goals a game (and that is being very generous). Added to that it must have been his fault since the Wings were able to do so much better the following year without him right.
In what order would you rank these goalies, and why?
Olaf Kolzig
Curtis Joseph
Mike Richter
John Vanbiesbrouck
Ron Hextall
Tom Barrasso
Mike Vernon
He wasn't just favored to win with the Wings, remember he also played in Toronto and always found a way to choke with the series on the line. He found a way to choke when he played in St. Louis when they had one of the best teams in the league and he choked in Edmonton. Then he's given the #1 starting job for Team Canada at the 02 Olympics and he gets bombed for 5 goals in his first and only game. It was his fault, because the Wings won the cup the next year with Hasek in net with basically the same team Joseph had. Joseph is a bum, great regular season goalie, if all you care about is making the playoffs.. get Joseph, you want to win the cup, get rid of him.
Wow keep grasping for straws, Do you know what you are talking about ? seriously can you tell me how in gods green earth did he choke in Edmonton and tell me how was St Louis EVER considered a cup contender when he was there (and unlike you I actually watched both teams) Finally How many years were the Leafs supose to win the cup - NONE, they always had the same knock on them - NO DEFENSE, umm seems to me that if you have such a MAJOR KNOCK on you like that you are in NO WAY shape or form even considerd to be a good team let alone a contender. As for the wings maybe you should get it through your skull that he did his job, unlike the rest of his team (In 2002 they averaged 3.35 GF per game while in the two years with Joseph scored an earth shattering 1.75 GF per game). Added to that in Joseph's seasons with the Wings he has better numbers in the playoffs than Hasek did, But yes i forgot it was his fault.
1) Vernon- 2 rings and 2 finals losses. 4 trips to the final.
2) Barrasso- 2 rings and a few conferance final losses.
3) Hextall- no cups, conn smythe winner playing on losing team.
4) Richter- 1 cup.
5) Kolzig- career Cap, very dependable.
6) Beezer- great career
7) Joseph- Great regular season, playoff choke artist and choked in Olympics. Joseph for the hall of fame? Yeah right, while we're at it, lets put Felix Potvin there too.
Just to start...No one said anything about "supose to win" Thats not what being a Cup contender means. and the Blues were Stanley Cup contenders in 1990-91 when they finished with over 100 points in the standings. They were a Cup contender in the middle of the decade as well. The maple Leafs were contenders in the late 90's due to their two 100 point seasons. Joseph played on atleast 2 Stanley Cup contending teams in the early and mid 90's and then 2 or 3 more Cup contending teams in the late 90's. The Oilers are the only team that no one ever called a contender. The Wings were a Cup contending team. Make all the excuses you want for him. He chokes in big games and thats a fact. He couldnt get a good Leafs team into the final, he couldnt get a good Blues team into the final, he couldnt get a good Wings team past the 1st round. He did good in Edmonton, I give him that. I'm not a fan of Edmonton, Toronto, Detroit or St. Louis. I have no bone to pick with him, I just call it the way I see it. I was also very happy to see him bomb in the first game of the 2002 Olympics against Sweden(5 goals allowed) that just forced Pat Quinn to put the real deal in the net. Why Curtis Joseph was given the #1 job over Marty Brouder is beyound me to begin with. Out of all 7 of the goalies that guy listed, 6 of them have carried their team on their back into the Stanley Cup final. Joseph hasnt and he never will. Sorry. Just my opinion, you should just get over Cuja because your hero is just an everage goalie.
In what order would you rank these goalies, and why?
Olaf Kolzig
Curtis Joseph
Mike Richter
John Vanbiesbrouck
Ron Hextall
Tom Barrasso
Mike Vernon