When Ben Bishop took the net for the Kings against the Calgary Flames on February 28th, he became LA's fifth goalie used this season.
Trotting out that many keepers in a year usually isn't a good sign -- it suggests instability between the pipes, often because of injuries, poor netminding, or both.
This season, as we know, has been a bit of both for Los Angeles. It's also the ninth time in the franchise's 50 years that they've been forced to play so many goaltenders. Here they are, listed in order of appearance:
1980-81: Mario Lessard, Ron Grahame, Doug Keans, Paul Pageau, Jim Rutherford
1982-83: Gary Laskoski, Mike Blake, Mario Lessard, Doug Keans, Markus Mattsson
1983-84: Mike Blake, Mario Lessard, Gary Laskoski, Marco Baron, Markus Mattsson
1988-89: Rollie Melanson, Glenn Healy, Mark Fitzpatrick, Bob Janecyk, Kelly Hrudey
1994-95: Kelly Hrudey, Robb Stauber, Jamie Storr, Pauli Jaks, Grant Fuhr
2000-01: Jamie Storr, Steve Passmore, Travis Scott, Stephane Fiset, Felix Potvin
2006-07: Dan Cloutier, Mathieu Garon, Barry Brust, Yutaka Fukufuji, Sean Burke
2007-08: Jonathan Bernier, Jason LaBarbera, Jean-Sebastien Aubin, Jonathan Quick, Dan Cloutier, Erik Ersberg, Daniel Taylor
2016-17: Jonathan Quick, Jeff Zatkoff, Peter Budaj, Jack Campbell, Ben Bishop
Probably not so coincidentally, the Kings missed the playoffs in five of these previous eight instances (1982-83, 1983-84, 1994-95, 2006-07, 2007-08).
Each of these teeming with 'tenders seasons is fascinating in their own way.
1980-81 was Lessard's All-Star campaign and one of team's better regular seasons, but they had trouble finding stability at the back-up position.
1982-83 and 1983-84 were troubled years in the crease, as Coach Don Perry had lost confidence in Lessard. Unfortunately, nobody else seemed to inspire much confidence, especially in 1983-84, when Blake led all goalies with just 29 appearances.
1988-89 was Wayne Gretzky's Hollywood debut. Second in the Smythe Division at the time, Los Angeles gunned for their first Cup by acquiring star Kelly Hrudey at the Trade Deadline.
1994-95 saw "goalie of the future" Storr backstopping LA for the first time. Los Angeles
also made a disastrous trade for future Hall of Famer Fuhr. And of course, Pauli Jaks became the first Swiss-trained player to appear in the NHL. All this was just noise for Hrudey, however, as he led the team within a point of the postseason.
2000-01 was a year clouded by trade rumors swirling around captain Rob Blake, as Storr failed to establish himself as a number-one in the injured Fiset's stead. Five points out and falling out of the playoff race, GM Dave Taylor tossed a Hail Mary at the Deadline, in the form of the up-and-down Potvin. Memorably, "The Cat" ran with the ball -- his team-record 36 straight starts carried the Kings within one win of the Conference Finals.
2006-07 was GM Dean Lombardi's opening Tinseltown campaign. A prospective Garon-Cloutier platoon was undermined by injuries to both, while Fukufuji became the first Japanese-trained player to appear in the NHL.
2007-08 offered a team-record seven goalies used. Projected "goalie of the future" Bernier made a successful NHL debut in London, while actual "goalie of the future" Quick also won his first NHL game in less-exotic Buffalo.
This brings us to 2016-17, which saw Quick seriously injured in the first period of the first game of the year, AHL cast-off Budaj keep the Kings in the playoff hunt, and two-time Vezina finalist Bishop brought in at the Deadline.
Snatching up a netminder of Bishop's caliber -- with Quick back and healthy -- reminds me most of 1994-95, when GM Sam McMaster rolled the dice on Fuhr, even though Hrudey was still on top of his game.
Hopefully, this should-be short-lived Quick-Bishop power couple has a happier end!
++++I AM CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR ADVERTISERS! If you, or anyone you know would be interested in placing an ad here at HockeyBuzz, then send me a PM!++++
Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»