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Is Notion of "Stanley Cup Goalie" Outdated? |
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One of Martin Jones or rookie Matt Murray is going to win the Stanley Cup this season. In recent years, the likes of Corey Crawford (twice) and Antti Niemi have won Cups. In fact, if you look back over the last quarter century, there's been only a couple of times that the Vezina Trophy winner in a particular regular season has gone on to win the Stanley Cup come playoff time.
So the question, is the notion that a team needs a superstar in net -- the "Cup-caliber" goalies we all grew up hearing about and coveting if they didn't play for the team you rooted for-- now an outdated idea? Today's game is so structured defensively, puck-possession oriented and there are 20 or more really good goalies around the NHL, and more on the way.
So I tend to think that there are now a LOT of goalies who are capable of winning a Stanley Cup with the right team around them. That doesn't mean they don't have to deliver in the playoffs, of course. It just means there's a lot of talent at the position around the sport.