"In hockey, goaltending is 75 per cent of the game. Unless it's bad goaltending. Then it's 100 per cent of the game, because you're going to lose."
So how big a part of the game will these NHL goaltenders be in 2003-04?
Jose Theodore, Montreal Canadiens:
Age: 27. NHL seasons: 6.
2002-03 Stats: 57-20-31-6, 2.90 GAA, .908 SV PCT, 2 SO.
Brilliant 2001-02 season was rewarded with fat contract, followed by dismal 2002-03 season, dovetailing nicely into a tabloid summer during which dad was arrested as part of an alleged loan shark ring and grainy photos surfaced showing Jose yukking it up with the lads from Hell's Angels. Now it's back to a Canadiens' team that is no better than it was last year. This is the life every Canadian kid dreams of, right?
Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose Sharks
Age: 28. NHL seasons: 4.
2002-03 Stats: 55-19-28-8, 2.71 GAA, .906 SV PCT.
One year ago, he was the ultra-reliable Kazakh, improving every season and ready to lead the Sharks on a run for the Stanley Cup. Then came the contract holdout, followed by an unspeakably grim season. No one mentions Nabokov among the elite goaltenders these days. Rebuilding from the ruins of last year will be a long and difficult process in San Jose. Nabokov, after his first major setback, must lead the way or get out of the way.
Martin Biron, Buffalo Sabres
Age: 26. NHL Seasons: 4
2002-03 Stats: 54-17-28-6, 2.56 GAA, .908 SV PCT, 4 SO.
Since the trade of Dominik Hasek, Biron has had a couple of years to plant his stake as The Man in Buffalo. But he can’t shake the competition. The Sabres have a couple of goaltending prodigies (Ryan Miller, aged 23, and Mika Noronen, 24) so they keep tinkering and dithering. They might commit to Biron if he forced the issue with a great season.
Tommy Salo, Edmonton Oilers
Age: 31. NHL Seasons: 8
2002-03 Stats: 65-29-27-8, 2.71 GAA, .899 SV PCT, 4 SO.
Two years ago, Salo was one of the NHL's better starting goaltenders, but the Oilers missed the playoffs. Last season, his numbers were mediocre, but his teammates scored a lot and Edmonton squeezed into the final playoff spot. Imagine what this team might do if everyone put their game together in the same year.
Roman Turek, Calgary Flames
Age: 33. NHL Seasons: 6
2002-03 Stats: 65-27-29-9, 2.54 GAA, .892 SV PCT, 4 SO.
Like his Edmonton counterpart, Turek endures unrelenting pressure because he consumes so much payroll. Fans also know that Turek, more than any other Flame, can lift or deflate the team’s playoff aspirations. In this town, the goalie is either an MVP candidate or a bum. Last year, Turek was a bum.
Chris Osgood, St. Louis Blues
Age: 30. NHL Seasons: 10
2002-03 Stats: 46-21-17-6, 2.95 GAA, .892 SV PCT, 4 SO.
Everyone loves a winner, and Osgood was the goaltender for Detroit's Stanley Cup drive in 1998. But since then he hasn't looked so great, and the championship lustre is wearing thin. Either he exerts a firm, unrelenting grip on the job in St. Louis, or he spends the rest of his career as a back-up.
Dan Cloutier, Vancouver Canucks
Age: 27. NHL Seasons: 6
2002-03 Stats: 57-33-16-7, 2.42 GAA, .908 SV PCT, 2 SO.
Cloutier saves his occasional lapses for the worst possible times, like when the Canucks are ahead in a playoff series. The team has been patient and steadfast in its support as he grows into the job. But with the arrival of Johan Hedberg from Pittsburgh, Cloutier now has an established veteran looking over his shoulder. Growing into the job is no longer an option.
