EHM The Blue Line

Here's the latest in the series in which we discuss who sucks. I figured I should make this an 'overrated' thing because if we're talking about the 'worst' goalie or defensmen or center in the NHL it'll get boring as people mention no-name clowns in their farm system that nobody wants to talk about. So this way we get to criticize the stars of the game who make more money that (probably) all of us combined! What a great way to get the resentment out, don't you think?

Anyways, my nod for most overrated goalie is Roberto Luongo. I spend a lot of time bashing this guy so I won't get too in depth, but here are a few of the reasons.

1) His numbers really aren't that good. Last season he was firmly in the middle of the pack for save % and GAA. On a team with as porous a defense as Florida, GAA isn't necessarily the best way to judge a goalie's performance (which has been pointed out frequently by Luongo apoligists--Luongolists I call them). If a guy sees 40 shots a night he's bound to let a few in, right? Fair enough, but his save % has ventured above .920 only once in his career in 03-04, the year he was nominated for the Vezina. The numbers tend to be good enough for 10-15th in ranking, but people talk about this guy like he's one of the top three goaltenders in the league. Consistently showing middle-high to middle save % numbers means to me that he's a middle-high to middle goalie (again, GAA is eliminated for consideration out of fairness, even though his numbers include such stellar peaks as 2.77 in 01-02, 2.71 in 02-03, and 2.97 last season).

2) He doesn't win. Great goaltenders win games for their teams. Consistently. The Flames are a playoff team because of Kiprusoff and that's it. Without him they're a .500 club. Look at the fall and rise of the Devils last season--Brodeur sucked, their record sucked. Brodeur picked it up, they won 15 straight at the end of the year. Luongo's had ONE season in his career in which he posted an above-.500 record (35-30-0 last season). If he was as great as everyone thinks I promise the Panthers would've had more than one winning season with him in net.

Runners up: J.S. Giguere, Marty Gerber

I have no numbers or anything to back this up, but I have to say Robert Esche.

He's a really cool guy off-ice, who's willing to play around and go along with practical jokes...... but on-ice... he scares the hell out of me - "Will he have one of his dominating nights?... or will he allow weak blue-line wristshots passed him all night long?... "

There was a time when I would've said Chris Osgood, because he had that fabulous "Cup-winning goalie" tag. I suppose by now you'll have to look real hard to find people who wouldn't agree when I said that he's a below-average NHL starter who just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

BTW, that 'below-average NHL starter' probably means that at his best, he was among the best 30 goalies on the planet. Don't let anyone tell you that goaltending isn't a tough job.

Marty Turco deserves a mention, because it is downright scary how much he has sucked in the playoffs so far!.
Gerber is pretty obvious atm, but alot of one season wonders among goaltenders it seems in generel.
Interesting to see Roloson/ward etc how they manage in this years playoffs, assuming both make it that is.
The 3 games I have seen Luongo this year he sucked plain and simple, but so did the rest of the canuck team, but ppl seem to think very highly of his play in generel.

I still say that the most overrated goaltender of all time has to be Dominik Hasek especially due to the amount of irrational and mainly baseless deification he gets in many circles.

Jose Theodore has to be on my list as well.

Jose Theodore.

He had one good season in 01-02 and was treated like a god until last year.

'nuff said.

I agree - Theodore is so overrated. After 2001-02, he dropped off the face of the earth. Montreal made a great move getting rid of him and his albattross of a contract

well, I'd say Theodore but I'll try to be a lil' bit more creative and say Khabibulin, I think he done a good job at TB, but he's not the kind of GK you want in your team for too long.

I am obsessed with the Sharks and can be quite biased, but I think Nabokov is over rated, he hasn't really been the same since they changed the rules etc.
Wish we would trade him whilst he is still worth something.

Change the "he hasn't been the same since the rule changes" to " He has not been the same since the Sharks began paying him $5 million per year", and you got it right!!!

BTW--Thundercleese--Awfully quiet since Luongo and the Nucks did the 3 straight game damage to the Flames...Where are you?

Sorry for the up... but "dominik hasek" overrated?? He got better stats then both Patrick Roy AND Martin Brodeur.. my god

Dominik Hasek; GAA: 2.20 SV%: .922
Martin Brodeur; GAA: 2.21 SV%: .914

I dont know about you guys but uhm.. dominik hasek is probably the best goalie who ever has played in the NHL so far.

I think both Henrik Lundqvist and Ryan Miller could challange these two giants on the goalie side tough.. we'll see

Lundqvist got a .918 SV% so far and Ryan miller has .914 SV%

again, sorry for the up on this thread

Most of the users in this thread don't even come to the website now and it's been 4 years since this.

Stinson does and batdad may drop by every now and then. Not lately though.

danzoeee wrote:Sorry for the up... but "dominik hasek" overrated?? He got better stats then both Patrick Roy AND Martin Brodeur.. my god

Dominik Hasek; GAA: 2.20 SV%: .922
Martin Brodeur; GAA: 2.21 SV%: .914

I dont know about you guys but uhm.. dominik hasek is probably the best goalie who ever has played in the NHL so far.

I think both Henrik Lundqvist and Ryan Miller could challange these two giants on the goalie side tough.. we'll see

Lundqvist got a .918 SV% so far and Ryan miller has .914 SV%

again, sorry for the up on this thread

You can't just look at stats
Miller/Lundqvist can't compare with the big three

Patrick Roy 3 Vezinas 3 Conn Smythe
Martin Brodeur 3 Vezinas 3 Stanley Cups 2 Olympic Gold 1 World Cup Gold
Dominik Hasek 6 Vezinas 2 Hart 2 Pearson 2 Stanley Cups 1 Olympic Gold

Ryan Miller 1 Vezina
Henrik Lundqvist 0

Wow...most overrated goalie chat. Cool....I nominate Thundercleese. OH wait, he was the most overrated poster. No..wait...noone liked him so I guess he could not be over rated. I miss making fun of him.

Most overrated NHL goalie? Wow...

How about Reimer? Certainly it cannot be Lebongo now.

Manimal wrote:
Patrick Roy 3 Vezinas 3 Conn Smythe
Martin Brodeur 3 Vezinas 3 Stanley Cups 2 Olympic Gold 1 World Cup Gold
Dominik Hasek 6 Vezinas 2 Hart 2 Pearson 2 Stanley Cups 1 Olympic Gold

Ryan Miller 1 Vezina
Henrik Lundqvist 0

Don't forget Lundqvist's Olympic Gold

Most Overrated...hmmm, Marc-Andre Fleury has my vote.

Probably Jimmy Howard .. even they can win cups with Osgood behind the pipes so many times, hes really just a filler.. He got the extension but we'll see

Jimmy Howard? But you really don't hear anything about him. A little more then 2 mil for a couple years isn't that much. He did have a great year last year and it struggling this year but you i'd hardly qualify him being overrated...he isn't even proven, yet.

If we're talking most overrated in terms of money that one is easy: JS Gigure. 7 million and .898 SP and a 1/2 stringer. I do like him though and hope he can regain his old form. Injuries have hurt him alot.

batdad wrote:Wow...most overrated goalie chat. Cool....I nominate Thundercleese. OH wait, he was the most overrated poster. No..wait...noone liked him so I guess he could not be over rated. I miss making fun of him.

Most overrated NHL goalie? Wow...

How about Reimer? Certainly it cannot be Lebongo now.

How is Reimer overrated? He is only 22 and has played far beyond anybodies expectations. Oh, and he is also making $9.5 mil less than Roberto Luongo this season

danzoeee wrote:Sorry for the up... but "dominik hasek" overrated?? He got better stats then both Patrick Roy AND Martin Brodeur.. my god

Dominik Hasek; GAA: 2.20 SV%: .922
Martin Brodeur; GAA: 2.21 SV%: .914

I dont know about you guys but uhm.. dominik hasek is probably the best goalie who ever has played in the NHL so far.

I think both Henrik Lundqvist and Ryan Miller could challange these two giants on the goalie side tough.. we'll see

Lundqvist got a .918 SV% so far and Ryan miller has .914 SV%

again, sorry for the up on this thread

I would have to disagree with Hasek............ I believe he was overrated because many compare his numbers head to head with Roy and without comparing the effect of the "Dead Puck ERA" that Hasek played in and look at the difference in equipment from Roy's hay days in the 80's-early 90's of Roy to Hasek in late 90's and early 2000's.

The other huge fact in my mind is comparing the amount of Conn Smythes, or the ability to "bring it" during the playoffs.

It's impossible say who's overrated, but most overpayed is J-S Giguere. He is still a very good goalie, but his price is too big compared his injuries. But that will happen with almost every butterfly-goalie. Giguere would still be a very good backup.