Why was Jarmo Myllys such a poor goaltender in the NHL, but great elsewhere?

[Required Fields]

In Finland, Jarmo Myllys is regarded as a legend of Finnish hockey.

However, in the NHL, he was very poor.

In 1988-89, he played six games for the Minnesota North Stars. One win, four losses, one non-decision, a 5.55 GAA, and an abysmal .841 save percentage.

In 1989-90, he played four games for the North Stars. Three losses, one non-decision, a 6.15 GAA, and an embarrassing .805 save percentage.

In 1990-91, he played two games for the North Stars, losing both, with a 6.12 GAA and a save percentage of .860.

Minnesota weren't a great team, true, but their other goalies put up much better stats. In 1988-89, Jon Casey had a .900 save percentage and a 3.06 GAA. Much better stats. In the minor league games Myllys played, he was much better than he was in the NHL.

In 1991-92, Myllys joined the expansion San Jose Sharks. He played 27 games, winning three, losing 18, tying one, and finishing with a miserable 5.02 GAA and a save percentage of .867. Playing for an expansion team may not have helped, but he won all five games he played in the IHL that year.

He went back to play in Europe after that, and he would win two bronze medals in the Winter Olympics. (He won a silver medal in the Winter Olympics before his NHL career began as well.)

Myllys finished his NHL career with a 4-27-1 record in 39 games, having a 5.23 GAA and a save percentage of .859.

Why did he play so poorly in the NHL, but so well elsewhere?

Click to read more...

 

[DitchMarner]

First of all, I admittedly have no idea who this guy is.

When you see such poor numbers and results across a handful of games, you do have to consider the possibility of a combination of bad luck and a small sample size. But considering he also put up dreadful results with the Sharks, I assume he struggled so much due to playing on bad teams and lacking confidence at the highest level; it's also possible he wasn't a good fit for the NHL stylistically and that the level of play was simply too high for him.

 

[Doctor No]

Expansion Sharks had a lot to do with it.

 

[Dingo]

ya, i would think the quality of shots on the Sharks would play a role

as well as a Euro goalie adjusting to the narrower rink. Someone here will know more, but i think they line themselves up by some markings and those markings are different actoss the ocean?

small sample size

probably not that good of a goalie in the first place, lol. Finland really wasnt Finland yet back then

annnnnnd, is an .859% TERRIBLE for that time period! or just normal bad?

 

[Albatros]

A fine but undersized goalie playing for a terrible team. Irbe wasn't any different and went on to have an excellent as one of the better starters in the league.

 

[Michael Farkas]

Good thread on him here: Jarmo Myllys, Worst Goalie in Recent Memory?

He does remind me of a less talented version of Irbe. Myllys could move, but he was a little guy that doesn't impress me with his low game. There's a concept that goalie coaches have called "sealing the ice"...essentially it means that when you drop to the butterfly or whatever you're doing on the floor that nothing gets "under" you. When you drop you don't just drop down like a body falling from above, you drive your knees into the ice and seal it. Some guys use the stick to aid in this, paddle down, as it's colloquially known (Martin Brodeur did this). I think his stick positioning and inability to seal the ice were the two things that stuck out to me.

I don't know enough about his career outside of the NHL and some tournaments to know his evolution and what not though.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

Simple answer, it's easier to play against lower level players

 

[Hobnobs]

Myllys simply was a second tier goalie. Very good at WC and SHL/Liiga. Terrible in best on best situations like NHL/CC.

And I wouldnt say he was great elsewhere. He was good but overrated. Played for some deep teams. Had that one peak season with Luleå when they won Elitserien where he played well.

 

[Dingo]

Myllys simply was a second tier goalie. Very good at WC and SHL/Liiga. Terrible in best on best situations like NHL/CC.

And I wouldnt say he was great elsewhere. He was good but overrated. Played for some deep teams. Had that one peak season with Luleå when they won Elitserien where he played well.

If he is a 'legend in Finland' as OP states - would you say it might be due to complete lack of talent, at that time, in Finland historically?

 

[Hobnobs]

If he is a 'legend in Finland' as OP states - would you say it might be due to complete lack of talent, at that time, in Finland historically?

No, it's because of his personality and being the goalie in the net when they won gold and vs sweden nonetheless. They had talent around when Myllys was coming up like Ketterer, Takko and Lindfors. Ketterer would be my choice as being the best goalie of all of them but he was in NA when they won gold so Myllys became the legend.

 

[Dingo]

No, it's because of his personality and being the goalie in the net when they won gold and vs sweden nonetheless. They had talent around when Myllys was coming up like Ketterer, Takko and Lindfors. Ketterer would be my choice as being the best goalie of all of them but he was in NA when they won gold so Myllys became the legend.

you had me at 'beating Sweden'!

 

[Albatros]

Myllys simply was a second tier goalie. Very good at WC and SHL/Liiga. Terrible in best on best situations like NHL/CC.

And I wouldnt say he was great elsewhere. He was good but overrated. Played for some deep teams. Had that one peak season with Luleå when they won Elitserien where he played well.

Was quite a bit more to it than just that one peak season with Luleå where he played well. If there was one goalie defining the era in Sweden it was without any question Myllys.

 

[JianYang]

I heard of the name before, but not much else.

All I can say is that Jeff Hackett had a 5.28 GAA in 36 games with the 92-93 Sharks, and he was a pretty effective goalie afterwards in chicago/Montreal.

Circumstance does matter.

 

[Hobnobs]

Was quite a bit more to it than just that one peak season with Luleå where he played well. If there was one goalie defining the era in Sweden it was without any question Myllys.

In another thread on Myllys I called him Elitseriens Hextall. Loved by his hometeam but overrated. But yeah, peak season is dishonest of me. He had parts of three seasons of good to great play in a what I would call a weak era.

 

[Moose Head]

A lot of good to great goalies had horrible numbers on 90’s Shark teams. Hayward, Irbe, Hackett, Belfour all had career worst numbers in SJ during that era.

 

[Hobnobs]

A lot of good to great goalies had horrible numbers on 90’s Shark teams. Hayward, Irbe, Hackett, Belfour all had career worst numbers in SJ during that era.

However Myllys had horrible numbers vs the best every time. Inlcuding during Canada Cup. Best example is during the lockout. Myllys was a sieve when the pros played in Sweden. In his defense the last part could be a coincidence as it wasnt like the league were crawling with pro duing the 94-95 lockout but still.

 

[Michael Farkas]

This is sort of the inverse of the "good stats on a defensive team" situation. Yes, he was bad for the Sharks...but he would have been bad on every team. He just wasn't a skills match for the NHL really.

I mean, come on...

 

[The Panther]

This is sort of the inverse of the "good stats on a defensive team" situation. Yes, he was bad for the Sharks...but he would have been bad on every team. He just wasn't a skills match for the NHL really.

I mean, come on...

Only 8 goals against in one period.... Could be worse! Oh, wait... No, it couldn't be.

I mean, he looks God-awful on three of them -- the Errey goal, the 2nd Stevens goal, and the 2nd Errey goal when Myllys appears to give up and then skates to the bench hoping for mercy. But 5 of the goals he allowed seem sort of not-bad for the era. Meanwhile, the Penguins are skating unobstructed to the net like the whole game is 5 skaters against 2.

Hayward came in in the third period and stopped 9 of 9 shots, but maybe the Pens were in 'Lock it down' mode by then...? Look, I'm trying to make excuses for this guy...

 

[Yozhik v tumane]

In another thread on Myllys I called him Elitseriens Hextall. Loved by his hometeam but overrated. But yeah, peak season is dishonest of me. He had parts of three seasons of good to great play in a what I would call a weak era.

Gtfo

Greatest goalie greatest era.

This is sort of the inverse of the "good stats on a defensive team" situation. Yes, he was bad for the Sharks...but he would have been bad on every team. He just wasn't a skills match for the NHL really.

I mean, come on...

Those are the dynasty Pens, he did great behind the worst team ever. Roy would have allowed ten there.

I’ve said it before…

Finland rested Myllys in the 1994 Olympic semifinals, they lost to a Canadian junior team. They wouldn’t have needed to wait another 28 years for their first Olympic gold medal.

Mark my words, after his miraculous gold winning performances in 1994, 1995 and 1996, he’d get another shot at the NHL. Scotty would have brought him to the Red Wings, and with back-to-back Stanley Cups, you’d all be endlessly discussing Hasek vs. Myllys.

 

[Dingo]

Gtfo

Greatest goalie greatest era.



Those are the dynasty Pens, he did great behind the worst team ever. Roy would have allowed ten there.

I’ve said it before…

Finland rested Myllys in the 1994 Olympic semifinals, they lost to a Canadian junior team. They wouldn’t have needed to wait another 28 years for their first Olympic gold medal.

Mark my words, after his miraculous gold winning performances in 1994, 1995 and 1996, he’d get another shot at the NHL. Scotty would have brought him to the Red Wings, and with back-to-back Stanley Cups, you’d all be endlessly discussing Hasek vs. Myllys.

wow, you really went all in on this

 

[Yozhik v tumane]

wow, you really went all in on this

It’s Jarmo Myllys, dammit.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

It’s Jarmo Myllys, dammit.

Most wins per vowel in the history of the NHL.

(Yes, I know - and sometimes Y…)

 

[Albatros]

However Myllys had horrible numbers vs the best every time. Inlcuding during Canada Cup.

...in which he played all of 20 minutes, allowing one goal out of eight shots against. That was actually the only period Finland won all tournament. What a strange thing to hold against him.

 

[The Panther]

Those are the dynasty Pens,

The Penguins have never had a dynasty.

 

[Hobnobs]

People like to forget that he played for North Stars as well. And was even worse.

...in which he played all of 20 minutes, allowing one goal out of eight shots against. That was actually the only period Finland won all tournament. What a strange thing to hold against him.

Should have written World Cup not CC, can add the first olympics with pros as well.