(Andrew Bogusch will contribute a regular column every week to FTS. Any comments can be sent to FromTheSlot@gmail.com)
Martin Brodeur’s elbow surgery might not end the Devils’ playoff chances, but it has ended (for now) a major injustice to the goaltenders of yesteryear.
The new season began with Brodeur within stick’s length of Patrick Roy’s career mark for wins and Terry Sawchuk’s shutout record. Brodeur’s injured distal bicep will keep him seven W’s shy of the Canadiens legend and five goose-eggs behind the long-time Red Wing well into the New Year. But he will eventually pass both, and few will mention the late push Brodeur received from the shootout. Without the possibility of a tie, a goalie’s win-loss record is a different animal than it was when Roy, Sawchuk and even a young Brodeur played. Since the shootout was installed coming out of the lockout, Brodeur has earned 19 wins that would have previously been ties. Yes, subtracting those 19 wins from his overall total still keeps him on Roy’s heels; and yes, the bulk of Brodeur’s 544 wins came pre-shootout, but we cannot predict how many more wins Roy would have accumulated with the benefit of a game-deciding skills competition.
None of this came up two seasons ago when Brodeur and Roberto Luongo attacked Bernie Parent’s single-season record for wins. Brodeur’s 48, which was one more than Parent in 1973-74, included 10 shootout wins. The shootout effect is far less pronounced when it comes to shutouts, but it still exists. As always, goalies receive a shutout for going scoreless through overtime. But now, one of those goalies eventually gets a loss, too. You should not lose AND get an SO.
All this being said, there is no way to fairly recalibrate win-loss records or shutout totals to account for shootouts. Brodeur will eventually surpass Roy and Sawchuk, and should be celebrated for that. What the league can do is create two separate sets of goalie records moving forward – pre-shootout and post-shootout. That will allow our current netminders to make their own marks and protect the résumés of those that played before them.
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We defended Doug Weight’s open-ice hit on Hurricanes rookie center Brandon Sutter in this space a few weeks ago. At that time, we asked what else Weight could have done in that instance. Well, we’re asking that same question of Tom Kostopoulos and Mike Van Ryn after the Canadien checked the Maple Leaf into the boards from behind over the weekend.
Van Ryn suffered a concussion, broken nose, a broken bone in his hand, and a cut to his forehead on the play. He’s expected to miss a month, while Kostopoulos has been suspended without pay for three games. Some observers will call for a longer banishment, but three games are enough for Kostopoulos. Could he have let up completely and played the puck? Yes, but this is hockey, a physical, sometimes nasty, game. Kostopoulos made the choice to play the body, and when Van Ryn showed his numbers to reverse the puck, Kostopoulos (and Van Ryn) was screwed.
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There is just something petty about the Rangers petitioning for a compensatory pick in the wake of Alexei Cherepanov’s death in Russia. The CBA bylaws allow for compensation when a team is unable to sign a first round draft pick, but not in this type of situation. The only thing the Blueshirts should do at this point is work with the NHL and the IIHF to make the KHL improve its emergency precautions and procedures, so that this does not happen to another young man.
As salaries rise and personal seat licenses become more prominent, we’re constantly reminded sports are a business these days. And while that is true, it does not remove tact and respect from the equation. The Rangers’ request is inappropriate and selfish, and hopefully Gary Bettman does not honor it.
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The Shootout...Sixty-eight goaltenders have stepped into a crease as of Monday night. The Thrashers, Oilers, Devils and Islanders have already gone to a third netminder, while the Blues and Blue Jackets have already played in front of four men. While Roberto Luongo continues to horde shutouts, while Martin Brodeur rehabs his elbow, while Marty Turco finds his way in Dallas, let’s not overlook the current exploits of Steve Mason in Columbus and Brent Johnson in Washington.
Johnson has outplayed free agent pickup Jose Theodore to date. He has started the Caps last three games, winning 2 of them. Mason, the rookie left-hander, won the first three starts of his career last week, allowing 8 total goals...
Jay Bouwmeester trade rumors are heating up sooner than we thought. The assumption at the start of the year was that Florida would hold onto its blue-chip blueliner until the Trade Deadline. But with the Panthers scuffling, Bouwmeester may be packing up sooner rather than later. Brandon Dubinsky’s name has been floated around here in NYC as part of a package for Bouwmeester. If they are willing to move Dubinsky, the Rangers would be better served to check in with Minnesota (Marian Gaborik) or Chicago (Martin Havlat) first.
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