Martin Brodeur vs. Patrick Roy

With only 9 wins seperating Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur as the NHL’s winningest goalie, the debate about which tender is the greatest is sure to rage on. So… Let it rage.

Roy currently holds the record with 551 wins, is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, has won many NHL awards including the Conn Smythe 3 of the 4 times he has won the Cup. He also has his number retired by the Colorado Avalanche and is due to have his number 33 retired by the Montreal Canadiens on November 22nd. His 551 wins came in 1029 games for a winning percentage of 0.535 while posting a GAA 2.53 with a SV% of 0.910. His post-season total of 151 wins in 247 games for a percentage of 0.611 with a  GAA 2.30 and a SV% of 0.900, proof that his game elevated during the Spring Season.

Brodeur is fast approching Roy’s record with 542 wins, he is a lock for the Hall, also winning many NHL awards, not including the Conn Smythe however. He will for surely have his number retired by the New Jersey Devils upon his retirement from the game. His 542 wins have come in 973 games for a percentage 0.557, posting a 2.19 GAA and a SV% of 0.914.  His post-season totals of 95 wins in 169 games for a percentage of 0.562 and a GAA of 1.96 with a SV% of 0.922, indicating he would also elevate his play for the play-offs.

So I’ll be honest I hate Roy, and if this was completely open to opinion I would say that Brodeur is a better goalie just because I hate Roy. However, this debate isn’t just based on opinion. Marty has posted better stats in his career, both in play-offs and regular season, but one has to keep in mind that these guys did playing a portion of their careers in slightly different eras. Roy broke in during the high flying 80s, while Marty didn’t break in until the Clutch-and-Grab 90s. The other glaring difference that one has to consider, is the fact that Roy has won three Conn Smythes. This, I think, is because he had to stand on his head much more than Brodeur ever had to. Brodeur did what was expected of him, which was still a lot, but everyone is always so used to him being the best player on the ice, that I think his performances didn’t seem as stellar.

While this is a tough call, I pick Brodeur because I hate Roy. And to top it all off, just because I hate Roy so much, I hope Brodeur breaks his record before Roy’s retirement party, just so that they can’t retire his number whilst calling him, “The Winningest Goalie of All-Time.” Oh, and by the way… Brodeur, barring any injuries has more than enough games to play to do it too.

NHL Award Predictions

With nothing really going on in the NHL until tomorrow I thought I would make my predictions at who is going to win some hardware this season.

• William M. Jennings Trophy – Goalie(s) With the Fewest Goals Scored Against: Dominek Hasek/Chris Osgood (Detroit Red Wings). Ok, not much of a prediction, more so a little research. Detriot allowed 184 Goals beating out Anaheim (191) and San Jose (193).

• Vezina Trophy – Top Goalie in the NHL: This being a little tougher to predict because the winner is chosen by votes, and the votes are made by NHL GMs. If I were voting my vote would go to Evgeni Nabokov (San Jose). Nabokov carried the Sharks, posting 46 wins, 1 behind Brodeur’s NHL record. He also posted a 2.14 GAA and a .910 SV% while appearing in 77 games.

• Maurice Richard Trophy – Top Goal Scorer in the NHL: Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals). OV ran away with this one, potting 65 goals, cruising past Ilya Kovalchuk (52) and Jarome Iginla (50).

• Lester B. Pearson Award – Most Outstanding Player as Selected by the NHLPA: Congratulations Mr. Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals), hope that while you spent all the time learning English, you also learned to build a nice, massive trophy case, you’ll need it.

• Lady Byng Memorial Award – Player who Displays Gentlemanly Conduct: Ahh, the trophy every player strives for in the NHL. Mike York (Phoenix Coyotes). This guy racked up 4 PIM while appearing in 63 games. In today’s NHL that is impressive, you would think some would step on your stick more than twice a season.

• King Clancy Memorial Award – Leadership and Humanitarian Contribution: Alright, I really have no idea who should get this, but personally I think it should go to Mats Sundin (Toronto Maple Leafs). This guy has been one of the best, if not the best, captain of the storied franchise, and it is possible that he has worn the Blue and White for the last night, and it may be possible that he will be retiring at season’s end.

• James Norris Memorial Trophy – Top Defenseman in the NHL: It always seems like this one is between two or three players, and that hasn’t changed. Zdeno Chara (Boston Bruins), after having a terrible -21 last season, he rebounded nicely posting a +14, 17 Goals, 34 Assists, and 114 PIM.
  

• Jack Adams Award – Coach of the Year: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Guy Carbonneau (Montreal Canadiens). The Canadiens were not expected to even make play-offs, yet he led to the top of the Eastern Conference.

• Hart Memorial Trophy – NHL Most Valuable Player: I’ll gladly eat my words and say that Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) does deserve the MVP. He single-handedly carried the Caps into the post-season, riding an impressive winning record down the stretch.

• Frank J. Selke Trophy – Top Defensive Forward in the NHL: Again, this is another that I can’t honestly say that there is a run away favourite, but I am going to go with little known David Perron (St. Louis Blues) Perron in his first season is a late bloomer that has shown up almost out of nowhere. While playing most of the season on the Blues’ low lines, he has posted a +16, 14 Goals and 27 Points in his rookie season on an underachieving team.

• Calder Memorial Trophy – Rookie of the Year: While it seemed as though Patrick Kane was going to run away with this award, I believe that with a good play-off run, Carey Price (Montreal Canadiens) is should run away with this award. The Habs should go deep into the play-offs and it will be entirely because of this kid.

• Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy – Qualities of Perseverance and Sportsmanship: Jason Blake (Toronto Maple Leafs) played the entire season even after being diagnosed with a rare leukemia and he tried to never complain about it, even though it was brought up time and time again.

• Art Ross Memorial Trophy – Top Point Scorer in the NHL: Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) runs away with it again 112 Points surpassing Malkin (106) and Iginla (98).

So there you have it, the others will slowly work themselves out, other than the President, which the Wings already locked up with the conclusion of the season.

More Quick Updates (03-27-08)

Luongo Has Left The Building

Much to the dismay of Vancouver fans… very selfish Vancouver fans, Luongo has skipped town to go be with his wife. It is uncertain if he will be ready to return in time to play Minnesota, but most fans are hopeful. Luongo’s wife has been stuck in a wheel-chair for the last couple of months due to complications, she left Vancouver in order to be with her family in case something happened while Luongo was on the road. My best wishes to Roberto and his wife.

Big Names Return To Lineup

Sid the Kid will return to the Penguins roster tonight to face the New York Islanders. Crosby has been sidelined since his ankle did not respond well to playing after he initially returned from a high ankle sprain. Crosby should add a huge boost to the Penguins, however their stats have been better without him, regardless, the Penguins and their fans should be glad to have him back heading into play-offs.

It may be too little too late for the Maple Leafs (read: its too late), but Sundin has returned to the lineup to face the Bruins. With a victory tonight, the Bruins could knock the Leafs completely out of the playoffs, and perhaps the Leafs could finally start to lose in hopes of landing in the lottery. They are currently sitting in 23rd in the league, and could easily find themselves into the bottom 4-5 teams and have a shot at a decent franchise player.

Marc Savard Breaks His Back

Seriously, the guy has a broken back but it is unknown how long he will miss. The Bruins’ leading scorer suffered the injury when he was cross-checked on the weekend. Apparently it isn’t that bad of an injury, because he hopes to only miss tonight’s game in addition with the game he missed on Tuesday. He was not missed that much however, as the Bruins manhandled the Leafs that night.