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Martin Brodeur has three Stanley Cup rings and the unofficial title of hockey's best goalie, but he'll watch the rest of the postseason from home. Patrick Roy and Mike Richter have retired, and Dominik Hasek seems unlikely to play again.
There's a changing of the guard between the pipes in these NHL playoffs.
With many of the most dominant goalies of recent years out of the way, the exclusive fraternity of championship-winning netminders is almost certain to get a new young member this spring.
``This might be the year when somebody really makes a name for himself and his team,'' said Chris Osgood, who got his name on the Stanley Cup after an exhausting playoff run with the Detroit Red Wings in 1998. ``That's the greatest feeling you can have as a goalie -- when everybody is looking to you and thanking you for what you did. There's a lot of young guys who have a chance this year.''
Of the eight remaining netminders, only Toronto's Ed Belfour was in net when his team won a Cup -- and from San Jose's Evgeni Nabokov and Colorado's David Aebischer to Philadelphia's Robert Esche and Montreal's Jose Theodore, there's a very good chance a new name will be added.
``People say you need a name goalie to win in the playoffs,'' said Sharks coach Ron Wilson, whose team is facing the Avalanche in the second round. ``You look at all the stud goalies that aren't playing now, and that becomes an overrated thing. It's being proven that you don't need a guy who everybody knows and fears. You just need an outstanding goalie.
``Somebody is going to win his first Cup. Who's it going to be? I just hope it's not Aebischer.''
Actually, Aebischer already has a ring: He was Roy's backup for Colorado's championship
in 2001, but this is his first season as the Avalanche's starter.
Players and coaches believe championships put the ultimate stamp of legitimacy on a goalie's reputation and career. From the endless overtimes to the grind of four consecutive best-of-seven series, it takes an incredible amount of stamina and consistency to win 16 NHL playoff games.
And in the Dead Puck Era, when league scoring averages are at historic lows, the goalie clearly is the most important player on the ice. The Calgary Flames discovered that truth this season, when Miikka Kiprusoff arrived in a trade from San Jose and immediately became a star.
Kiprusoff finished with an NHL-record 1.69 goals-against average, often carrying the young Flames to 24 victories and a playoff berth. He then backstopped the Flames to a grueling seven-game victory over Vancouver in the first round -- Calgary's first series victory since 1989.
``The playoffs are different, but you just have to approach it the same way you do with any game,'' Kiprusoff said. ``You can't think too far ahead, or start thinking about the playoffs.''
The Sharks would have been criticized for trading a budding superstar except for two factors: Kiprusoff struggled mightily when Nabokov was in a contract holdout before last season, eventually losing his backup job in San Jose -- and Nabokov is playing as well as he's ever performed in four full NHL seasons.
``I feel good, but I don't think about the playoffs from other seasons,'' said Nabokov, who's won just one playoff series. ``This is a new season, new team. I'm just glad my teammates are playing so well because most of us haven't won the championship. It's not just me.''
While Theodore won the Hart Trophy two seasons ago, he has yet to make a significant dent in postseason play, winning just one playoff series before this season. Nikolai Khabibulin, his counterpart in the seventh-seeded Canadiens' second-round series against Tampa Bay, also had just one series victory in his career.
AP - Apr 22, 10:33 am EDT
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Esche might be under more pressure than any remaining goalie. The Flyers' struggles
to find a consistent No. 1 goalie are legendary, with general manager Bobby
Clarke constantly choosing the wrong person. But Esche opened his first playoff
run by outplaying Brodeur in the first round, allowing just nine goals in five
games.
``Everybody thinks Esche is stepping up, but that's the way he plays,'' Flyers captain Keith Primeau said. ``We have total confidence in him in the net.''
Just two goalies over 31 remain in competition for the Cup. Belfour was magnificent in the Maple Leafs' first-round victory over Ottawa, allowing just 11 goals in seven games. He won the Cup with Dallas in 1999, and he has kept Toronto competitive after Curtis Joseph's defection to Detroit two seasons ago.
Joseph reached the conference finals with the Maple Leafs, but never played for the Cup -- and he has endured nothing but turmoil since moving to the Red Wings for a hefty contract and a better chance at postseason glory.
He was blamed by some for Detroit's first-round loss to Anaheim last season. After Hasek came out of retirement this season, Joseph was twice placed on waivers.
And even after Hasek got hurt and went home to the Czech Republic, Detroit went with Manny Legace as its playoff goalie when Joseph struggled with an ankle injury. But Joseph relieved Legace in Game 4 of the Wings' first-round victory over Nashville, and he seems secure in his position for the West's top seed.
Joseph will turn 37 on April 29, so he knows the importance of this postseason -- and he knows there's a new wave of goalies right behind him.
``That's why you
play this game, to get a chance at the Stanley Cup,'' Joseph said. ``This is
a great opportunity for any player.''