[DEBATE] Who is the greatest goaltender in NHL history?

[Miss Korea Bob.Loblaw]

1 minute ago, Elias Pettersson said:

It's the dog days of summer.  My next thread might be who has the biggest....

 

Oh nevermind...   

There was a study on the Canucks and how much "skin in the game" impacted the team and the league...

 

https://reddit.com/r/canucks/s/54XRTWt6hN

 

Puck drop cannot come sooner.  IG tells me Matt Irwin days til puck drop.  So... is that 28 or 52?

[c00kies]

I always though Hasek, especially since what he did with Buffalo was like what Luongo was doing in Vancouver in 06-07. However, he also had lots of sub 20 save performances with the Red Wings.

 

Dryden is a great choice for his stretch, and Roy was another choice.

 

For whatever reason, I've never seen Brodeur as the best, but it probably has to do with having the perfect system and strong defense around him.

 

 

[Hockey God]

I don't know, can't go past Sawchuk.  I would strongly recommend any book written about him, but the best one I ever read was The Legend of Terry Sawchuk.  Opens your eyes to what the guy went through, the demons he faced, in the Original Six era.  The guy was a train wreck of a human being at times, but somehow pulled it together on the ice.  No star goalie, as far as I know, ever dealt with depression, alcoholism, spousal abuse (on his part), gambling addictions, philandering ... you name it, he had it or did it, and he still performed.  Not an all-time best human by any stretch, but the best goalie for what he endured and did on the ice, by far.  

[-AJ-]

Roy. No goaltender has matched his playoff level. Hasek is a reasonably close 2nd IMO. I'd probably have Brodeur 3rd. Sawchuk I think still holds up 4th even after all these years.

[-AJ-]

1 hour ago, RUPERTKBD said:

Agreed on both points. Sawchuck is a close 3rd, IMO...

 

This always starts an argument, but I honestly believe that Dryden doesn't even belong on the list. I'd put Tony 0 or Bernie Parent in before KD...

Me as well, Dryden was/is overrated IMO. Both Esposito and Parent were better I think. Dryden was I think an extremely good goalie, but somewhat the byproduct of the best franchise in NHL history.

[nergish]

Dominik Hasek from '96-99 was as dominant a run as any player, at any position, possibly in any Sport. 

But I personally think it's a bit revisionist to put him at number 1, and has actually become a recent trend among hockey fans. While this isn't really a basis for greatness, I just found his style too unorthodox, and legions of young goalies were not able to glean from his game the way they were with Brodeur and Roy.

 

 

 

For me it's Marty. His Wins and Shutout totals will likely never be touched. 

He just represents everything that goaltending is for me.

 

Patrick Roy I consider the Jimi Hendrix of goaltending. The way he was using the butterfly while his contemporaries were either standing up straight or flailing...

It was like playing with a cheat code. I think if you ask me on my deathbed, I might swing Patrick.

 

1. Marty

2. Patrick

3. Dom

4. Sawchuk

 

5 is extremely difficult for me, with so many different eras and playing styles to pick from.

I also genuinely believe someone from the modern era will emerge in that spot - likely Vasilevskiy.

 

 

 

 

[Phil_314]

As much as I liked Marty and the Devils in that 2000's era, the stifling, low-scoring system they built around it just handed success to him.
I wasn't into watching whole games of hockey during Roy and Hasek's heydays so I don't feel qualified to elaborate an argument against them, but they didn't seem to be as much the beneficiary of a strong defense around them as Marty was.  Hasek in particular had to come up with some unorthodox saves to bail out his defense, so agree with others in saying it's between Roy and Hasek.  Just imagining if either of those guys was behind our defense before the upgrades made this past offseason, and I think they could easily get hot and singlehandedly steal games behind weaker defenses. 

[NewbieCanuckFan]

I'll give an honorable mention to somebody *NOBODY* will likely mention.  Mike Liut.

 

Not because I think he was the best but rather like Marcel Dionne, he suffered from being on VERY bad teams through his career.

 

Perhaps the most underrated NHL goalie.

[D-Money]

2 hours ago, Phil_314 said:

As much as I liked Marty and the Devils in that 2000's era, the stifling, low-scoring system they built around it just handed success to him.
I wasn't into watching whole games of hockey during Roy and Hasek's heydays so I don't feel qualified to elaborate an argument against them, but they didn't seem to be as much the beneficiary of a strong defense around them as Marty was.  Hasek in particular had to come up with some unorthodox saves to bail out his defense, so agree with others in saying it's between Roy and Hasek.  Just imagining if either of those guys was behind our defense before the upgrades made this past offseason, and I think they could easily get hot and singlehandedly steal games behind weaker defenses. 

This is how I feel too. For instance, put Marty Turco on those Devils teams instead of Brodeur, and I’m not sure they’re any worse for it.

 

Edited August 21 by D-Money

[-Vintage Canuck-]

Went with Patrick Roy, but it's extremely close.

[I.Am.Ironman]

A case could be made for any of the 3 imo.

 

I see the 'Devil's D' argument being used a lot against Brodeur which I don't think is totally fair. Brodeur was certainly a benefactor of playing behind a good defense but let's not pretend Roy didn't experience the same in Colorado. The 2001 team that beat the devils was STACKED. Forwards aside, their d corps had Ray Bourque, Rob Blake and Adam Foote.

 

Brodeur was also unique in the sense that he was actively involved in his teams defensive system and is firmly the best puck handler of all time which lead to the trapezoid. Hasek was certainly the most electric of the 3. Brodeur has an Olympic Gold as well.

[Devron]

Hasek for sure. That save% is just unreal, unheard of back then. Worst gear though and wasn’t a fan of the flopping. I love stack pad saves but Hasek was next level that way haha. 

Brodeur was the funnest to watch. His style and puck handling 

[Kevin Biestra]

It's really easy to sleep on Sawchuk, Plante (especially Plante since he is getting little fanfare in here), Glenn Hall, Johnny Bower, Tony Esposito etc.

 

Guys like Georges Vezina and George Hainsworth are unfortunately stuck in the Joe Malone / Howie Morenz era and will never really get a fair comparison.

[CBH1926]

Roy, Hasek and Sawchuck.

[Zfetch]

The correct answer is George Hainsworth but most people on these sites nowadays were too young to see him play.

 

I believe there was also a goalie named Sean Carson who played for the Fort McMurray Oil Barons in the 80s and was putting up unseen numbers (think he went 15-0?) in the few games he managed to get bit succumbed to a career ending anterior knee tear.

[Elias Pettersson]

1 hour ago, Zfetch said:

The correct answer is George Hainsworth but most people on these sites nowadays were too young to see him play.

 

I believe there was also a goalie named Sean Carson who played for the Fort McMurray Oil Barons in the 80s and was putting up unseen numbers (think he went 15-0?) in the few games he managed to get bit succumbed to a career ending anterior knee tear.

George Hainsworth retired in 1936.  So, you would need to be over 100 years old to have seen him play.  Only 316,000 people out of $7.8 billion in this world are currently over 100 years old, so more than likely none of those 316,000 people are currently members of CDC...

[IBatch]

1 hour ago, Elias Pettersson said:

George Hainsworth retired in 1936.  So, you would need to be over 100 years old to have seen him play.  Only 316,000 people out of $7.8 billion in this world are currently over 100 years old, so more than likely none of those 316,000 people are currently members of CDC...

This is why the THN list/ranking circa 1999, was so important.   Old timers were around not just for Richard, but Eddie Shore, Hainsworth,  Morenz, Cleghorn etc.   And if they felt Shore was better than anyone not named Orr or Harvey, maybe we should listen to them and appreciate that.     Borque's career was almost done then...Potvins long done. 

Edited August 21 by IBatch

[Kevin Biestra]

4 hours ago, Zfetch said:

The correct answer is George Hainsworth but most people on these sites nowadays were too young to see him play.

 

I believe there was also a goalie named Sean Carson who played for the Fort McMurray Oil Barons in the 80s and was putting up unseen numbers (think he went 15-0?) in the few games he managed to get bit succumbed to a career ending anterior knee tear.

 

I obviously never saw him play but I'm glad to see anyone on here trying to keep the names of those old legends in circulation.  Already even a Hall of Famer from the 70s like Ed Giacomin...people don't know who he is now.  Same with Rogie Vachon.  And just plain really good goalies from that era like Gilles Meloche and the Canucks' own Charlie Hodge are completely forgotten.

 

My pet project for the Hall of Fame from the Hainsworth days is a guy called John Ross Roach.  Guy was as small as Darren Pang (5'5") but won a Stanley Cup, was a 1st team All Star, a finalist for the Hart Trophy, led the league in wins twice, played every game of the season nine times, had 9 and 10 and 13 shutouts in a season.  Nobody even knows who this guy was.

[Barnstorm]

3 hours ago, Elias Pettersson said:

George Hainsworth retired in 1936.  So, you would need to be over 100 years old to have seen him play.  Only 316,000 people out of $7.8 billion in this world are currently over 100 years old, so more than likely none of those 316,000 people are currently members of CDC...

[smithers joe]

17 hours ago, Jester13 said:

Marty, and I can't believe anyone would consider someone else.

 

GP, wins, GAA, SO, goals, points...

i don't know how terry sawchuck would fare in today's game but he excelled back in a time before plante created face masks.

i wonder how the modern goaltenders would fare without face masks.