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OT: Two best Leaf goalies since 1970?

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The popcorn kid Mike Palmateer & Flex "The Cat: Potvin


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Unless we want to go with Bernie Parent (who went on to win 2 X Stanley Cups with Philly and is in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

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I'm guessing Cujo is in tears over the fact you started this thread and didn't know how to react or what to do.
 
As some of you have already mentioned, IF your going to discuss the best goalie(s) who have played for the Maple Leafs since 1970, perhaps we should go right back to the 1970-71 season. According to records.nhl.com, Jacques Plante of the Toronto Maple Leafs has the highest save percentage in a single season (1970-71) for any NHL goaltender from 1955 to present.

His save percentage was .944. His goals-against average was 1.89

Remember too that when we were watching Jack Campbell set the consecutive wins record for a Maple Leaf goaltender (and of course he is now the NHL record-holder - great job Jack !), I know that a lot of us focused on his breaking of Felix Potvin's consecutive wins record of 9 in a row; however, he shared that same record with one Joseph Jacques Omer Plante - from December '70 to January '71.

Eat your heart out Carey Price, Tuukka Rask, Tim Thomas, Dominik Hasek, etc.....

Jacques Plante, Toronto Maple Leafs 1970-71:
Games Played: 40
Goals Against: 73
Saves: 1,224
Shots against: 1,297
Save percentage: .944 :yo:
Goals Against average: 1.89 :D

To me, Mike Palmateer, Felix Potvin, Curtis Joseph and Eddie Belfour were all great - and were all tied for 2nd :sarcasm: ........
 
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I think it was Jacques Lemaire in a Team Canada meeting with other coaches who said something in effect, that if asked to select a starter for the country in a head to head with the other (Canadian) options (ie I believe Roy, Brodeur, Joseph???) he would take Belfour. Of the goalies that's played for us (that I've watched) no other goalie inspired calm and confidence like Belfour did. He seemed like the most technically sound, intelligent goalie we've had (since Plante, Dr C rightly noted above) in living memory.

Belfour vs Potvin, Belfour vs Joseph, I'd take Belfour every time.

But man do I wish Jiri Crha and Jonas Gustavsson panned out.
 
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ITM said:
I think it was Jacques Lemaire in a Team Canada meeting with other coaches who said something in effect, that if asked to select a starter for the country in a head to head with the other (Canadian) options (ie I believe Roy, Brodeur, Joseph???) he would take Belfour. Of the goalies that's played for us (that I've watched) no other goalie inspired calm and confidence like Belfour did. He seemed like the most technically sound, intelligent goalie we've had (since Plante, Dr C rightly noted above) in living memory.

Belfour vs Potvin, Belfour vs Joseph, I'd take Belfour every time.

But man do I wish Jiri Crha and Jonas Gustavsson panned out.
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Nice...... I was only 7 years old when he played, so don't remember much about him, other than from my hockey cards and programs (and those player post cards) that my Dad would bring me home from his yearly hockey trip for work. For those who are a little older, how was he as a goaltender in the NHL? He was on a terrible team (as were most of the 80's for the Leafs). His numbers actually don't look that bad.
 
Dr C said:
As some of you have already mentioned, IF your going to discuss the best goalie(s) who have played for the Maple Leafs since 1970, perhaps we should go right back to the 1970-71 season. According to records.nhl.com, Jacques Plante of the Toronto Maple Leafs has the highest save percentage in a single season (1970-71) for any NHL goaltender from 1955 to present.

His save percentage was .944. His goals-against average was 1.89

Jacques Plante, Toronto Maple Leafs 1970-71:
Games Played: 40
Goals Against: 73
Saves: 1,224
Shots against: 1,297
Save percentage: .944 :yo:
Goals Against average: 1.89 :D
Click to expand...

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When was the last time Leafs had a goalie that made the NHL All-Star team?
 
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Suntouchable13 said:
Belfour was fantastic in 2002-2003 and 2003-2004.
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That’s the best goaltending I’ve ever seen in a Leafs uniform. Not the most spectacular, but we had a suspect defence, played a loose style and the guy just calmly stood on his head game after game. The most positionally sound tender you could imagine, older Ed was something to see.
 
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Like Mess said...I know we don’t think of him as a Leaf Goalie but in singular season stats it’s hard not to notice Jacques Plante 1970/71. Sv% .940 avg: 1.89 GSAA: 52.5 ... he was 42 yo

Palmateer’s 77/78 season was pretty damned good too.

Here are career GSAA Plante-Belfour -Cujo- Palmateer - Potvin (not all in a Leaf uniform obviously)

Body of work, I’d go with Eddie and Potvin though.
 
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Belfour and its not even close, basically single-handily won the 2004 series for Ottawa
 
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Cams said:
Nice...... I was only 7 years old when he played, so don't remember much about him, other than from my hockey cards and programs (and those player post cards) that my Dad would bring me home from his yearly hockey trip for work. For those who are a little older, how was he as a goaltender in the NHL? He was on a terrible team (as were most of the 80's for the Leafs). His numbers actually don't look that bad.
Click to expand...

I think we're of the same vintage. As a kid, I got to meet Crha at a Leafs Fan Club luncheon with others like Derlago, Hickey, Saganiuk, Vaive, Anderson and Paiment. And I gotta tell ya, I thought he was good, lol. I'm loling because I know the general recollection...but I don't have any memories of him being a bad goalie. Maybe some of the older cats here can pipe in.

All punchlines aside, what I do remember vividly was really liking him as Palmateer's replacement while Palmateer was still on the team and at that because Palmateer was a favourite goalie but no longer, lol. And no less vivid a memory, that he was just a really nice (quiet) man that I sat close to eating lunch with in a room full of Maple Leafs.

And as a side, I remember a really weird red visor on his mask but when I Googly-Googled to confirm the apparent figment, found nada.
 
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They had two hall of famers in Jacques Plante and Bernie Parent in the early '70s. And their numbers were pretty good for the time. Palmateer was a bit of a flopper and frantic type of goalie. There was no really notable goalie in the 1980's. Potvin really benefited from the disciplined veteran team with a rock solid defense in front of him. When Cliff was later forced to operate with a budget, the team dealt away many of its veterans and I think Potvin was exposed to be more of an average NHL starter than a star. Cujo was terrific here and Belfour carried it forward for a couple of seasons before age caught up with him. For his first three seasons, Andersen was better than anyone else since Belfour's first 2 seasons as a Leaf but will probably end his tenure with the Leafs without winning a playoff series.

My answer is Cujo and Belfour.
 
Jiri Crha would literally play so deep in goal with half of his body behind the goal line and do that drop the stick move like Dominic Hasek would later do as well. Completely unconventional but then again in those days goalie's style varied widely.
 
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i loved potvin but he wasnt near our best goalie in the past 50 years. he was a decent goalie but not much more imho. people romanticize him because he was the goalie for the 1st very successful leafs team the majority of todays fans got to experience.

edit: cujo and belfour for me...
i would put palmateer ahead of potvin if he qualifies.
 
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