i literally sat for a minute trying to decide how to vote.  Osgood has been the model of “team first"-unselfish play.  and come on, can you imagine having an inmate as the competitor/friend for your job?  but Ken gave Hasek the money for the PLAYOFFS.  i don’t know how much he still intimidates teams with his “San Fran homeless man” rants to himself but his name strikes a little fear.  Chris Osgood, not so much.

however, they’ve both won cups (Hasek with a better team) and it would really hurt seeing one lose when the other could have been used.  but honestly, whatever choice is made will be the right one if we win and the wrong one if we lose.  that’s the beauty of us “being on the team:” we’d all make the right decision retroactively.

if both of them play well (as Bruce says “quality starts"), we’ll win as long as we’re healthy.

Posted by Alex from San Francisco on 01/03/08 at 11:31 AM ET

Hang on a sec there, Chief. Are you asking who we think will start, or who do we think should start?

And where the hell is Howard on that list?  As a red blooded American, I demand options, third parties, recounts, chads, etc.

Posted by Gabriel from San Diego, CA on 01/03/08 at 11:33 AM ET

The answer that first comes to mind is Ozzy, with his incredible numbers.  But then again, I’m not quite so sure about putting the limelight on him.  At the moment, it clearly appears he is incredibly happy “knowing” he isn’t carrying all the water; ala Manny. 

My opinion, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Screw conventional wisdom, play them both.

Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Hockey Netherworld on 01/03/08 at 11:34 AM ET

agreed Okie, that’s what i voted for.  even though it’s insane.  which it is.  so maybe Hasek?

Posted by Alex from San Francisco on 01/03/08 at 11:39 AM ET

I think from the git-go it was Hasek, Osgood has been playing the best in his career.  Hasek has been and expected to be the number 1.  Osgood knows this and I think it’s Hasek unless something happens between now and then.  I say Hasek…

Posted by Tony from Mid-Michigan on 01/03/08 at 11:39 AM ET

Feels a bit early to answer this question, only beacuse I hope the organI would go with whoever’s playing best at playoff time. 

Let me throw another cynical snowball out there:  Does the contract situation play into this at all?  If Ozzie isn’t extended and is clear on testing UFA come tournament time, is Detroit more likely to go with #39?

Posted by BDH on 01/03/08 at 11:51 AM ET

there’s no way Ozzie is testing free agency.  he said he’s happy, doesn’t want to make more money on a shitty team.  plus, if Detroit wins the Cup this year there is NO WAY Hasek doesn’t retire.  he’ll be 43 and go out on top.

so Ozzie would be the starter next year and Howard would back him up.

sorry to change the subject but does it bother anyone else that they continue to compare this team to the ‘96 team?  that team LOST in the Conference Finals and barely beat the Blues in the Semis.

Posted by Alex from San Francisco on 01/03/08 at 12:00 PM ET

Osgood had a great comment about that - something like sure, you could take a chance and go to a team that was a little lower in the standings, poorer defensively, and get shelled for a couple years, which might be interesting, but he doesn’t see a need to go in that direction.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 01/03/08 at 12:44 PM ET

I can’t see Ozzie leaving Detroit. My guess is he stays here regardless of money, retires here, and hangs around the city and organization for a while.

I’m going to do my best to respect the situation at hand, all the while trying really hard not to sound like our pal Dwayne, but if anyone else lives in Plymouth, you probably know what I’m talking about…

Let’s just say you don’t put that much work and personalization into a house that you don’t want to live in for a long time.

Posted by Nathan on 01/03/08 at 01:09 PM ET

It’s all well and good to rotate them now, when the games aren’t so important. The team can easily justify it to Hasek at this point. But when the playoffs come? Somehow I don’t see Dom being okay with a rotation or with watching Osgood out there every night. At that point, it would become a locker room issue and we all know the negative effect Hasek can have there.

As much as I love Ozzie’s resurgence, the Wings may be better served is his play tapers off and Hasek’s picks up. If both are playing too well at the end of the regular season, there may be some trouble. Osgood has already shown he won’t be a problem, but Dom’s history counts against him here.

Posted by Matt Saler from Grand Rapids, MI on 01/03/08 at 01:34 PM ET

I went with Hasek...provided he stays injury-free.  Otherwise, we’ll actually have a goaltending conundrum come playoff time.

We may have the best tandem in net right now but as the February trade deadline approaches, if one of them gets injured badly enough, whom will the Wings pickup at the deadline?

Posted by SYF from Las Vegas, NV on 01/03/08 at 01:53 PM ET

I’ve always believed that:

A.) The Dominik Hasek that has played for the Red Wings off and on since 2001-02 is nowhere near the “slinky for a spine” guy once immortalized in a credit card commercial

B.) Chris Osgood would have won the Stanley Cup in 2002 if he hadn’t been pushed aside for Hasek.

It would provide some major league poetic justice if Ozzie was chosen as the starter over Hasek and won the Cup. Heck, it would be the stuff that legends are made of. (The movie could star Owen Wilson as Ozzie and John Turturro as Dom!)

That being said, logic still tells me that Hasek will get the nod come playoff time...unless, of course, he’s injured or just coming off an injury.

Posted by YzermanZetterberg on 01/03/08 at 02:09 PM ET

Well, I voted with what I would like to see, not what I think will happen.  The way Osgood is playing this year, his confidence, his positioning, I give him the nod.  I am not comfortable with the Insane Czech and his wandering away from the net make me age instantly.  If Hasek’s healthy, he gets the start and stays in net for the duration is my guess.

Posted by hockeychic from Denver, CO on 01/03/08 at 02:22 PM ET

You have to go with the Insane Czech Bastard out of the gates.  Ozzy knows he’ll be here for the remainder of his career and will be the man, undoubtedly after this season is history. 

One advantage of having two shit-hot ‘tenders is the mind games you can play with the oppositions heads.  I’d even have them wear each others sweaters.  No. They could both wear the same sweater. Ozzies one night then Doms the next.  Or just to make a statement to the refs, they need to come out with the grey (no contact) practice jerseys on.

Seriously though, Ozzy will be the one in net when the Wings win the cup. This year.  And not for the other team, either!

Posted by cementslinger from Midland MI on 01/03/08 at 02:27 PM ET

Dom’s gotta start, only because I believe he still holds that psychological edge over opponents. I don’t think opposing teams will feel the same about Ozzy in goal. I was tempted to have them alternate, but I don’t think that would serve a good purpose and could create some unneeded tension come playoff time.

It is encouraging to know though that no matter who starts, the other goaltender is just as capable to get the job done.

Posted by Jeremy from Oregon, OH on 01/03/08 at 03:23 PM ET

Ya dance with the girl that brought ya....and rotate as needed. 

The Czech Miracle of Insanity gets the start and it’s his to lose.  Osgood is fine with that. 

If you start Osgood and bench the insane one...well, he’s insane, so guess what his reaction will be?  Not good for da team.

Posted by Rumbear from Sandy Eggo on 01/03/08 at 03:26 PM ET

Ozzie wants to be a bullpen catcher for Detroit Tigers when he retires.

Posted by MawMaw from WestMI on 01/03/08 at 03:33 PM ET

Ya dance with the girl that brought ya....and rotate as needed.

Hah, awesome!  A friend once contemplated bringing his girlfriend with him on spring break (high school) to which another replied, “why you gonna bring a sandwich to a buffet?” Classic.

I wish we could do a rotation but here is the logic behind starting Hasek:

Psych-out advantage for opponents: Hasek. Yes, Ozzie will continue to be the top goaltender in stats by the time the playoffs roll around, but he doesn’t have the sociopath history Dom does. No one on a breakaway will ever have his head down again!!

Psych-advantage for players: N/A . I can’t really tell who they feel better playing in front of. Babs has done an excellent job keeping them accountable so they’re essentially playing in front of him and not either tender.

Psych-advantage on bench: Ozzie. Others have already said this, but it bears repeating. Ozzie will handle bench duty much much better than Dom. Also, I’ve never seen Dom with pen and paper like I’ve seen Ozzie. Usually the sitter keeps track of various things for the coach, but I’ve never seen Dom do that.

Conclusion: The Imbalanced One.

If anyone would like that in excel sheet format, my office is your local men’s bathroom.

Reminder: Official goat and rooster sacrifices will be held at IWO’s house every Saturday until the playoffs. Duck and dog sacrifices begin a week before the first round.

Posted by srt on 01/03/08 at 05:03 PM ET

i’m hoping this is the last 2 cents you get on this question Duke, so here goes…

You’ve got the question backwards, it should be who do you want as back-up going into the playoffs?

Which is most capable of stepping in and saving the game or the series?

You rephrase the question like that and it becomes a no-brainer.  We go in with Ozzie charting faceoffs and hoping we never need him, confident that if you need a backup, you started the right netminder.  I doubt whether the Dom could ever play that backup savior role.
-----------------------------------------------
Our crazy creaking Czech did not turn around his slow start becaues he disliked the back-up role.

He came around because someone from the front office walked up behind him and whispered in his ear.  “you know Dom, Curt Joseph is still available”.

Posted by HockeyTownTodd from upset when blogs don’t live up to my expectations on 01/03/08 at 05:40 PM ET

And Curtis Joseph played very well for Canada in winning the Spengler Cup, too. 

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 01/03/08 at 06:09 PM ET