Longevity ≠ Greatness

Posted by PRC. on 02/13/09 at 01:01 PM ET

Tough, tough question. It’ll be interesting because Joseph and Chris Osgood could very well be up for the HOF in some of the same years. Joseph was the guy that had a number of seasons where he carried mediocre teams past the point they probably deserved to be at. He made spectacular saves, didn’t give up too many easy ones, and generally was one of the best keepers through the last half of the ‘90’s into the early ‘00’s. But he never won anything significant. Not even a conference championship and a trip to the finals. Obviously not a Cup.

Chris Osgood was a guy that has never carried a mediocre team to a new level. He’s stabilized good and great teams in his time in Detroit, which is just what he was needed to do. At his best in 1998 and 2008, he didn’t make many fantastic saves, but also rarely gave up a softy. At his best, his game was about simple positioning and top-notch rebound control as a way to keep possession in his team’s favor, and away from the opponent. The other side of the coin shows that he’s had some down moments where he has let in questionable goals at all too important moments. In the “new NHL”, he has been abused at times in one-on-one situations with his generally average glove and blocker skills. But where Joseph made those fantastic saves, Osgood simply won two Cups as a starter, a third in a regular season platoon, and playoff backup role, and reached the finals another time, in a year he played fairly well in, but his teammates were stymied by a superior defensive team and scheme.

It’s odd that all the reasons you think Joseph deserves to be in the hall are the reasons you think Ozzie should be out. And vice versa. Makes you think that perhaps neither player is quite hall worthy. Granted, neither is done playing yet. Ozzie still has a legitimate shot, despite his poor form, to play deep into the spring and summer this year in order to cement borderline HOF credentials. And who knows—perhaps Joseph finds one more year next season, with a better organization, and makes a stunning run.

As it stands today, I’m thinking both players are just barely on the outside looking in. Going forward, I think Joseph is unfortunately in a position where he won’t find the necessary boost to make it. Osgood has an okay shot if he pulls this season together, has at least another moderately successful playoff, and is able to get to Sawchuk’s win record before he retires.

Posted by Nathan from Jonny Ericsson's ice cream truck on 02/13/09 at 01:26 PM ET

I think he should be in.  You want a statistic?
A 30 win-season under 5 different teams (Blues, Oilers, Leafs, Red Wings, Coyotes).

I don’t care who the teams are, that’s really impressive to me.

Posted by Ryan on 02/13/09 at 05:00 PM ET