Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Nabokov Near the Top on All His Stats

Evgeni Nabokov the goaltender for the San Jose Sharks has been right near the top this whole season on all of his stats. He's played 46 games with 30 wins which is 2nd in the whole league. He has posted up a 0.928 SV% which is 3rd in the league while having a 2.17GAA which is 4th in the league. He has also posted 2 shutouts this season.

Even his teammates are very pleased with his play. "We talk about it all the time. He gives us a chance to win every night and that's exactly what he did," forward Manny Malhotra said. "

This is a good sign for team Russia because Nabokov is said to be the starting goalie at the 2010 winter Olympics in Vancouver. In 2006 Nabokov was signed to a 4 year $21.5 million dollar contract and I think San Jose is getting every penny worth from him.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Jean-Sebastian Giguere Wanting the Starting Position

The Anaheim Ducks have always relied on goalie Jean-Sebastian Giguere for the starting job in net up until last year in playoffs. It seems like Giguere has been in a slump ever since then and Jonas Hiller has become their new number one goalie.

Giguere has been playing for the Ducks since the 2000-2001 season and has always been the number one man. He has quite a history with the team like winning the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2003 while leading his team to the Stanley Cup Finals and then latter on in 2007 winning the cup. He was also selected to the All-Star team in 2009. With all those accomplishments I can tell how he wouldn't want to be the backup goalie.

"You've got to be a team guy and you've got to accept your role, and this is the role I've been given right now," he said. "But it doesn't mean that I'm going to accept it in a way. I'm going to push for more. I'm going to strive for more. I'm not going to give up on wanting to be a No. 1 goalie. This is why I play this game. It's to play. So I'm not going to give up on that.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Curtis Joseph Retires

NHL goaltender Curtis Joseph announced his retirement on Tuesday at a press conference at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

He played for many teams such as the Saitn Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Detroit Red Wings, Phoenix Coyotes, Calgary Flames, and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

He was the 4th winningest goalie in the NHL with 454 wins. He was only behind: Martin Brodeur(585), Patrick Roy(551), and Ed Belfour(484).

He said he had a "great career" and "didn't leave anything on the table." He spoke at a news conference in Toronto, where he ended his career with the Maple Leafs.


Marc-Andre Fleury Out With Minor Injury

Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury did not practice Friday in Vancouver and is day-to-day with a fractured left ring finger.

The injury occurred in the Penguins' 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. Fleury remained in the game and made 33 saves on 35 shots to pick up the victory.

Fleury, 24, has appeared in 41 games this season for the Penguins, posting a 25-14-1 record to go with a 2.60 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage. His 25 wins rank fourth in the National Hockey League through Friday.

Retrieved from: http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=513776#&navid=nhl-search

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Jonas Hiller Making a Difference for the Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks have been right near the bottom of the standing for pretty much this whole season. Their goaltender Jonas Hiller is trying to make a difference and its starting to work. Hiller has been playing at the top of his game this year giving the Ducks a chance to win every night.

Most recently he was the NHL's second star of the week after posting a 4-0-0 record with only 1.50GAA and a 0.954SV% over the past week. But the glory doesn't end there. He was also recently named to the 2010 Men's Olympic Switzerland Team where he will be sharing the net with Martin Gerber and Tobias Stephan.

The stats that Hiller has been putting up this year have been amazing considering he's on a loosing team. He has posted up a GAA of 2.72 and a SV% of 0.918 with one shutout. He also has 16 wins in his 31 games played this season.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Mathieu Garon Trying to Take Over Starting Job

Still fairly new to the Columbus Blue Jackets is Mathieu Garon who signed with them on July 1st 2009 for a 2 year, $2.4 million dollar contract. He seems to be making a great impression on them by being named third star for the week. He went 3-0-0 and had a steller 1.46 GAA, a 0.940 SV%, and one shutout. Having already played 21 games this season, he has picked up 7 wins. He has posted a 2.55 GAA, .909 SV%, and two shutouts. The last game he played was against the Dallas Stars where he face 26 shots and had a shutout.

His stats have been looking pretty good compared to his goalie partner Steve Mason. Steve Mason has a not so impressive 3.31 GAA and 0.890 SV%, but he does have just as many shutouts but in an extra 12 games.


Saturday, January 9, 2010

Tuukka Rask Showing Consistency

Tuukka Rask, goalie of the Boston Bruins has been showing incredible performances day in and day out. All thought he is only 22 years old and its his first year in the NHL, he is right near the top of the leader board in almost everything. Usually it takes a little while to get used to a new league, not for Rask.

He is 2nd in the NHL with a GAA of 1.92 and an amazing save percentage of 0.933. He also has 2 shutouts to back it up. He has 10 wins and only 4 losses this season. Tuukka Rask was drafted in 2005, 21st overall in the first round by the Toronto Maple Leafs but then traded later on to the Bruins for Andrew Raycroft. I bet the leafs could take that one back now.


Thursday, January 7, 2010

Team Canada 2010 Olympic Goalies

The top 5 Canadian goalies got a tryout for this years 2010 men's Olympic hockey team. They were: Martin Brodeur, Cam Ward, Steve Mason, Marc-Andre Fleury, and Roberto Luongo. On Wednesday they had to make their final choice and narrow it down to the top 3 netminders. They decided to go with Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo, and Marc-Andre Fleury.

They all put on a great show at camp but those three goalies have been a little better this year than the others.

Martin Brodeur: 27 Wins, 2.14 GAA, 0.922 SV%, 5 Shutouts

Roberto Luongo: 22 Wins, 2.27 GAA, 0.920 SV%, 2 Shutouts

Marc-Andre Fleury: 22 Wins, 2.58 GAA, 0.905 SV%, 0 Shutouts

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Goalies for the 2010 Olympic U.S.A. Mens Hockey Team

The battle for the top spot for the U.S.A. men's Olympic hockey team was a tough choice with so many contenders playing at the top of their game. They picked 3 goalies and 1 alternate goalie just in case someone gets injured.

These goalies are 35 year old Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins, 29 year old Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres, and 24 year old Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings. Their alternate goalie is Craig Anderson of the Colorado Avalanche.

Tim Thomas: 12 wins, 2.31 GAA, 0.921 SV%, 4 Shutouts

Ryan Miller: 23 wins, 2.02 GAA, 0.934 SV%, 5 Shutouts

Jonathan Quick: 23 wins, 2.56 GAA, 0.907 SV%, 0 Shutouts