(no subject)

[lithera]

Hasek is retiring. Again.

Well, I got to see him play. I didn't expect him to stick around after winning the Cup. I had hopes, but I didn't think he would.

I must think as to who is my favorite goalie now. Likely Brodeur. Maybe Cujo, though. He's really good. Jose Theodore is pretty smooth as well. There is a chance we'll get Cujo as a free agent. Legace is good, but he's not a starting goalie yet.

Comments

[devilwind.livejournal.com]

I'm interested to see how the West shapes up next year. The Avs have everyone under wraps, and with Hasek and Bowman gone (along with probably Robitaille), the Wings won't nearly be the powerhouse they once were. It'll be a competitive season, that's for sure.

[bubbledragonnet.livejournal.com]

At least the aging steel giant of Detroit is finally getting some rest. I still don't like the Red Wings / Rangers philosophy of building a team. But thats my own problem. :)

Hasek gone... I can't say I'll shed too many tears. He's a fantastic goaltender, but he relies on way too many wussy tactics. (Diving, intimidating officials, etc). I'm glad they cracked down on him some in the playoffs, but still, no tolerance for that stuff. If Detroit replaces him with Belfour, then they instantly move to Hated Team #1. :D More then likely Richter, supposedly Joseph's asking too much for the Wings.

The West'll be fun, as per usual. Hopefully Dallas will stay tanked. Once again, it'll be a Detroit, Colorado, San Jose dogfight. But Vancouver should make noise once more, always gotta like Edmonton, hopefully Calgary can rebound. Yay Western Canadian teams! Boo Eastern Canadian teams.

Re:

[lithera.livejournal.com]

Ugh. Richter? *twitches* Neh. neh.

I'd love Cujo, though.

[devilwind.livejournal.com]

Richter's the likely bet. And not a bad one either. Keep in mind a few things.

1) He's won a stanley cup. Cujo hasn't.
2) He performed amazingly in the Olympics.

I'm not a big Richter fan. He's inconsistent. But it seems when motivated and when he's got a good team in front of him (ie not the Rangers since 94) he's a money goaltender.

Cujo's a good regular season goaltender, but he's not a money goaltender. With hasek gone, the only money goaltenders left are Brodeur and Roy. maybe belfour, but the past 3 years have been real rough on him. Brodeur and Roy are the only sure bets and they're not going anywhere in the distant future, if ever.

Smart bet is on Richter. He'll cost less money than Cujo, and in the playoffs he's proven himself. Belfour's prolly better than either on a good day, but god only knows whether or not game 7 against Colorado is going to be a good day.

JD

Re:

[lithera.livejournal.com]

He's really inconsistant. Cujo did amazingly in the Olympics as well. I've just never been a big fan of Richter. His performance under pressure has never really impressed me except for that Stanley Cup.

Well, the Stars didn't keep Belfour and he's really flaky. He freaks out and ... you're right. His good days are typically random at best.

We'll see how Theodore does this season because he could easily become a money goaltender. He had an outstanding run with the Habs this year. He kept them in the running for the playoffs until Koivu came back.

I just don't like Richter, though with him in net, there are more chances of Leglace getting more ice time and he has the potential to be a really good goalie.

[devilwind.livejournal.com]

Like I said, I disagree with Richter. WHen he's had a solid team in front of him ('94 Rangers, US Olympic Team) he's been good.

Keep in mind he's been on the Rangers for the past billion years. The Rangers idea of defense is... Mike Richter. Even Hasek would be hard pressed to play well if he didn't get any defensive support.

Richter would also cost a lot less than Cujo. Not as big a deal in the NHL without a cap, but it's still an issue.

Be interesting to see what happens come July 1.

JD

Re:

[lithera.livejournal.com]

True. We'll see what happens.

[moesmith88.livejournal.com]

I saw haske play when the Wings were in Vancouver - granted, they lost 3-0, thanks to a Bertuzzi hat-trick and outstanding goaltending by Cloutier...the Force was with young Dan that night; I remember one save he made where he had a crowd in front of him, so he just stuck his glove out and caught the puck...

I'd rather see the Wings get Richter than Cujo...they can afford Cujo, (especially with the money they'd save on not paying Hasek's salary next season) but Cujo doesn't deal with the pressure of the playoffs as well as someone like Richter does. Granted, Cujo surprised me this year; in past years, Cujo tends to fold like a cheap card table when the going gets tough. This year, he actually managed to keep the Leafs in a few games. But, if Richter is healthy enough, he'd be a better fit in the Wings system. As for Belfour? He's a little too unstable these days...the Wings wouldn't take a chance on him...

Re:

[lithera.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Hasek was just amazing. It was good to see him play.

Richter much better than Belfour. If we get Belfour... I might end up having to taunt our own goalie. That wouldn't be good.

Well, then, it looks like Richter is the best choice.