Many will tell you that Chris Osgood is NOT an amazing goalkeeper; people will tell you that he only wins cups because he plays for the Red Wings. These points may be valid, but there is no way he is not one of the best goalkeepers in modern NHL history. He has won three Stanley Cups, two of them as the main goalkeeper during those playoffs. Seriously, how many other goalkeepers can say, “I punched the second best goalkeeper in the face”? Mike Vernon and nobody.

Osgood entered the league drafted by Detroit in the 1991 entry draft, and was finally called up to the NHL in the 1993-1994 season. He began his career with his back to Mike Vernon, who was a very successful goalie for the Detroit Red Wings; leading them to a Stanley Cup championship in 1996. That year, Osgood led the league in GAA and won (2.17 and 39, respectively). Osgood had almost no playing time that postseason, but he ended up with his name on the Cuup anyway. In addition, Osgood scored a goal as a goalkeeper, being the second goalkeeper to shoot the puck into the net. Ron Hextall also directly scored a goal as keeper of the net.

The following season, Vernon left and Osgood had all the starts he could handle, leading the Red Wings to the finals, which resulted in back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, sweeping the Washington Capitals for the second time in a row in the Finals of the Stanley Cup. That was the year in the playoffs when the Avalanche-Red Wings fought for the second straight playoff season. Osgood’s fight with Patrick Roy wasn’t as good as the fight with Vernon, but every time the goalkeepers throw punches, it’s good hockey.

After the Red Wings signed Dominik Hasek in 2001, Osgood became a free agent after the Wings tried to trade him multiple times. Osgood was signed by the New York Islanders, where his season numbers weren’t great by any stretch of the imagination. Critics of Osgood like to point out that he only got them into the playoffs and didn’t advance them to the second round. Of course, this is true, but the New York Islanders that season were a team with no serious stars or even top-tier hockey players. He split time with Garth Snow, then the following season he split time with Snow and Rick DiPietro before being traded to the St. Louis Blues.

He played even worse on the Blues team, but again he had very little help on that team. Chris Pronger was still a St. Louis Blue at the time, and they also had Keith Tkachuk, who scored over 20 goals. Outside of those two good players, there was no one in the Blues to protect Osgood or to score goals. It is completely unfair to look at Osgood’s numbers while he was in the Blues and say that he is not a high caliber goalkeeper. To say that Osgood only plays well with an excellent in front of him is ignorant and stupid. Goalkeepers can only do so much to help a team succeed in the regular season. The playoffs are an entirely different matter because a hot goalie can potentially be the only reason a team enters the postseason.

Osgood essentially played part-time in a season and a half with the Islanders, and still won most of the games he played. His GAA was higher than his career average, but the defense (and offense) on that Islanders team was mediocre at best. It is unfair to attribute so much blame or credit to the goalkeeper of a bad team when seven games go and they are out in the first round. When he played for the Blues, his GAA and victories increased compared to the previous season. The Blues had one of the longest streaks of back-to-back playoff appearances in professional sports history, but when a team like this lets its veterans and young stars go to other teams, the goalie can’t be expected to make up for it. for all that.

Osgood won his third Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings last season in 2008. Dominik Hasek was again the number one goalkeeper at the start of the postseason. Hasek played his first three games miserably against the Predators; so Wings coach Mike Babcock put Osgood in goal. The Wings, in turn, began to dominate the playoffs, winning nine straight games, including a four-game sweep of the Colorado Avalanche. He posted a 1.55 GAA and had three shutouts, two of which came in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was runner-up of the Conn Smythe Trophy (MVP of the playoffs) to his partner Henrik Zetterberg.

This season, the Detroit Red Wings are primed and ready to make another run in back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. The Wings are second in the West to the Sharks by four points. In all likelihood, the Wings will end up with the second seed and rival of the host division Nashville. The Wings can fight the Predators, and Ty Conklin can even see some playing time during the postseason if Osgood falters. This season with the Wings has been one of Osgood’s worst statistical seasons in recent years. His SV% is only .884 and his GAA is 3.18.

Regardless of these numbers, and regardless of the outcome of this postseason for Detroit, Chris Osgood is one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. I’m not saying he’s THE best, but his championship and his ability to anchor a solid postseason team are undeniable. If the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup again this season with Chris Osgood, he could even be considered one of the top 5 goalkeepers in NHL history. When it comes to goalkeeping, nearly every other goalkeeper in the league today (excluding Broduer) wanted their careers to be as successful as Chris Osgood’s.