Emery hasn't won us any game... really, all he did was not lose us the games early in the season.
I hate "on pace"... make your "on pace" since the start of 2012...
Our backup is average at best and not good enough for a Cup winner - like our #1
Teams don't win in the playoffs because of their backup. Backups sit on the bench and one guy carries the load. I don't care if Emery stick around, he's good enough to snag some W's and not so terrible that any game he starts can be written off. He is probably right around average as far as NHL Backups go. The problem is the Hawks need a starter upgrade over Crawford, at least the way he's been playing this year (I will say he's been good the last two games though, I hope he keeps it up).
Emery hasn't won us any game... really, all he did was not lose us the games early in the season.
I hate "on pace"... make your "on pace" since the start of 2012...
Our backup is average at best and not good enough for a Cup winner - like our #1
He doesn't need to win us games, he needs to win games period. Which he has done enough of as a backup goalie.
On pace since 2012? Why? The Hawks are a lottery team since 2012 began because of our 'starting goalie' and ****** defense.
Our problem is not our back up goalie, our problem is our starting goalie not playing like a starting goalie (until recently) and thus, moving Emery into a position where he shouldn't be.
Maybe you forget that back-ups normally don't have any kind of role in the playoffs if you have cup aspirations. The anomaly being Cam Ward. Back ups play 20-25 games in the regular season to keep the starter fresh. Then they sit on the bench the entire playoffs. Emery is fine for that role.
I hope we sign him again next year if Crawford turns this around.
Since when it is a back-ups job to win the team games? It's there job to, when called upon, go in there and give the team a chance to win. Emery's done that, for most of the season.
For the millionth time, this is NOT 1992. Both goalies are very important and the position has evolved a lot.
The Hawks had a pretty special backup in 1992... some might say he's the greatest ever.
And he and his .893 got himself traded for next to nothing in a time where he was a capable backup. He would have been Steve Mason with that today. Proves my point perfectly, Hasek.
Stone age philosophy IMO, either you pull your weight or the team pulls you.
Emery does exactly what you'd expect a backup goaltender to do. Keeps the team in games, makes the saves he is supposed to without doing anything too spectacular. Gives the team a solid chance to win anytime he's called on to start.
Take a look around the league. There's not all these high quality game-stealing backup goalies out there. If they were they'd be starters (or will be in a short time)
Emery against teams currently outside a PO Spot
9-1-3
Emery against teams currently in a PO Spot
2-1-4
Sounds like he's done his job, and given the team a chance to win. If we had a starter that wasn't terrible, outside of these last 3 games, he wouldn't have played in many of those 7 there.
Would rather have a backup that wins games with his great play once in a while like a lot of the good teams have.
Find me one of these backups with great play that's not on an RFA contract.
I can think of two, Biron and Halak/Elliott. And the level of play both Biron and Elliott are at this season is way beyond what anyone expected of them.
Teams don't aim to have backups with great play. They luck into them either with young RFAs that they brought up to the big leagues, or guys performing way above what they've shown before.
Would rather have a backup that wins games with his great play once in a while like a lot of the good teams have.
Then enjoy giving up several solid assets en route to getting that backup.
Backup doesn't even play in the playoffs. If Emery has a solid winning % in the regular season, you literally can't ask for anything more. Not a thing.
There are more than Elliott/Biron, that's why this was such a disaster.
Mike Smith, G PHX .925
Evgeni Nabokov, G NYI .925
Jean-Sebastien Giguere, G COL .923
Josh Harding, G MIN .920
Once you add in those RFAs, you're up to at least 10 teams with very good backups. No excuses, this is Chicago.
Harding is the only one of those 4 that isn't currently his team's starting goaltender. And I'd steer clear of him, anyway. I'd rather have goalies who avoid injuries.
There are more than Elliott/Biron, that's why this was such a disaster.
Mike Smith, G PHX .925
Evgeni Nabokov, G NYI .925
Jean-Sebastien Giguere, G COL .923
Josh Harding, G MIN .920
Once you add in those RFAs, you're up to at least 10 teams with very good backups. No excuses, this is Chicago.
Smith and Giguere were both garbage for the past two years. They just help show that teams luck into great backups, because both of them looked done. Smith this year is a product of Tippett's system anyway. Hell, he even was demoted to the AHL for a bit last year.
Nabokov couldn't even be signed over the summer. The Islanders held his NHL rights and made it clear he wasn't going anywhere.
Harding had too many injury concerns, and I wouldnt be surprised if the Wild were the only ones who offered him a reasonable contract.
Find me one of these backups with great play that's not on an RFA contract.
I can think of two, Biron and Halak/Elliott. And the level of play both Biron and Elliott are at this season is way beyond what anyone expected of them.
Teams don't aim to have backups with great play. They luck into them either with young RFAs that they brought up to the big leagues, or guys performing way above what they've shown before.
Harding
Montoya
Giggy
Hedberg
the 2 you mentioned
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Hansen
So we have a backup that consistently wins against lower-tier teams and gives the team a solid chance against upper-tier ones.
What exactly is WRONG with that?
Nothing wrong if our starter would be Kipper or Lundqvist. With inconsistant Crawford, we need a guy that can play against the PO Teams too...
Nothing wrong if our starter would be Kipper or Lundqvist. With inconsistant Crawford, we need a guy that can play against the PO Teams too...
Eh, I'm one of the few people that believed Crawford would get out of his slump in time for the playoffs. The recent three games are promising, and we'll see if I was right once the Hawks play some more games.
Crawford, in my eyes, was always going to end up being fine, and I put my opinion out there more than a few times. He will be a good pressure-situation netminder for this team.
look, I have nothing against CC, but he shouldn't be our undisputed #1 Goalie. We really should add a goalie that pushes him or that is clearly better than him - which would make him useless for us
I'm wondering when someone would bring up Joey MacDonald as an alternative to Emery.
We probably couldn't have gotten him to leave Detroit but if so, yeah, I've had threads on the main board about how underrated this guy is. Smith, probably have 50 posts over the years about how talented and ready to bust out this guy is. I could pull up all the posts and threads I've made about these guys over the years but I don't have to, they are there. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure these things out. All the teams that signed them had the right decision makers in charge to figure it out.
