Quote:
Originally Posted by German Way of War
Come on man, just stop. Do I really need to explain this to you?
1) Saying playoff accomplishments mean nothing in a goalie debate is pure garbage. It's only said by fans of goalies who haven't done jack in the postseason. Goalies like Roy, Hasek and Broduer built their reputations on postseason success. Roy won the Conn Smythe as a friggin rookie.
2) Winning Harts and Vezinas trumps simply getting nominated.
3) There's a huge difference between All Star Game selections and Postseason All Star Team selections. Being fan voted or fantasy drafted into a mid-season exhibition game is nice and fun (I'm sure), but being selected by an over 300-person media for overall season excellence is what the educated hockey community uses as a barometer for greatness.
4) GM's vote for Vezinas. The Media votes Hart, Pearson, Conn Smythe and 1st/2nd all star teams. Until he wins a Vezina or gets nominated to a postseason all star team, he can't be considered the best of his generation.
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I guess you do, because some of those arguments are seriously flawed.
1. No, it doesn't mean "nothing," but it certainly isn't an accurate barometer of goalie greatness. Hasek was an absolute beast with Buffalo and MUCH more dominant than he was when he finally won the Cup with the Wings. Friggin' Antti Niemi is a SC winning goaltender -- does that put him on par with Roy and Hasek? And do you really think Hank wouldn't have won at least one cup by now if he were playing for Pittsburgh, Detroit, Vancouver or even San Jose? Moral of the story -- you can't judge playoff achievements in a vacuum.
2. Absolutely agree. My point is that Hank is only now entering his prime and finally has a good team in front of him. Expecting him to compete for (and win) 3-5 Vezinas over the next decade is not unrealistic.
3. Too lazy to look up head-to-head comparisons on this, but it hardly seems significant to this discussion.
4. Absolutely true. Hank's accomplishments to date are very impressive but nowhere near those of Roy or Hasek, and to a lesser extent Brodeur. My point is that, looking at his body of work thus far, it's entirely possible that he WILL have similar success.