None of those 3 have really been elite for 5 years straight except Lundy.
You know, one other thing that I find funny is Quick being lumped in with Thomas and Lundy. He's been good for the past 2 years, but it wasn't until this year that he was really ever "elite".
I was going to post that. Did anyone regard Quick as "elite" before this season? If people dog Smith as a one year wonder, until Quick proves otherwise he's one too.
I was going to post that. Did anyone regard Quick as "elite" before this season? If people dog Smith as a one year wonder, until Quick proves otherwise he's one too.
The big difference is that Quick has been in the league for 4 years now, and has been pretty good for the most part. The whole "elite" label, as I said earlier, comes by putting consistent numbers as a goalie. So yeah, you could say this is Quick's "first" season as elite.
Meanwhile, Smith, while being older, has had a very up and down start of his career. It doesn't mean he's bad. It doesn't mean it's too late at all. But it's harder to tag him as an elite goalie.
Looking at Quick, you could say he's just a young guy coming into his own and becoming better year after year. You can't say the same for Smith, it's easier to regard him as a one-year wonder. Which he very well might not be.
I was going to post that. Did anyone regard Quick as "elite" before this season? If people dog Smith as a one year wonder, until Quick proves otherwise he's one too.
Quick is 26 and has been in the league for 4 years and has been on a steady upward progression in that time. Smith is 30 and had never had more than 14 wins in 6 NHL seasons before this and has meandered back-and-forth between solid back-up and lousy starter.
Quick is more ascending to elite status, as his career projectory has had him pointing for a while now. Smith just blew up all-of-a-sudden after being a mediocre back-up/awful starter throughout his career. Hell, even in the minors and juniors Smith never won more than 25 games in a year...Quick has topped 35 in each of the past 3 seasons.
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“The most terrifying fact about the universe is not that it is hostile, but that it is indifferent. If we can come to terms with this indifference and accept the challenges of life within the boundaries of death, our existence as a species can have genuine meaning and fulfillment. However vast the darkness, we must supply our own light.” - Stanley Kubrick
Smith isn't close to elite. Let's wait until he can do this for a few more seasons.
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"Trust me I'm an expert, I watched 13 rangers games on NHL center Ice this year through streaming." -Starburst
"I don't even understand what the point of all this arguing is. Are you guys hoping that the other side is going to have an epiphany and go 'Oh, OH! You're right, we ARE going to lose this series!'" -Crease
Mike Smith is an elite goalie because he plays for Dave Tippett. Remember when Bryzgalov was an elite goalie? Same goes for a lot of goalies in the NHL.
The truth is somewhere in between. The defense takes good care of him and lets him see a lot of "safe" shots. On the other hand he makes a lot of excellent, very athletic saves and really does have the talent (and always has), but hasn't been in the right situation for a long, long time.
I generally disregard anything Jamie McLennan says
Seriously, the guy is relegated to TH2N with Kouleas... Rarely gets any primetime coverage. He's a nice guy, a fellow Edmontonian, but the bottom line is he's a horrible analyst. I concur with your comment.
The truth is somewhere in between. The defense takes good care of him and lets him see a lot of "safe" shots. On the other hand he makes a lot of excellent, very athletic saves and really does have the talent (and always has), but hasn't been in the right situation for a long, long time.
Smith was a scrub not too long ago. Wasn't Thomas too until his late 30's though? As a goalie, Smith has plenty of time to establish himself as an elite. It will take more than one good season however.
He's had a lot of setbacks with concussions and other injuries in the past. Playing behind one of the worst teams in the league for most of his time in Tampa didn't help either. And even last season Tampa wasn't exactly stellar defensively.
But he always had talent and skill. He showed it in last year's playoffs or in his 2nd year in Tampa. He's a very smart player, very athletic, he's big and great with the puck. Phoenix plays very good defense and makes his job a lot easier and he has stated a couple of times now that Coyotes goalie coach Sean Burke has helped him a lot.
He's finally healthy and on a team that is well coached and great defensively that fits his playing style.
Based on this season he is, but overall he is not.
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Exhibit A as to how hockey doesn't matter on ESPN:
Last night an ESPN program was discussing how the Detroit Pistons needed a hero citing the heroes on the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions and no mention of the Detroit Red Wings. All this despite the Red Wings probably being the most succesful team in Detroit right now.
I've always been a big Mike Smith fan since Dallas, I like his style and athleticism so it's really nice to see him doing well. Once he starts stringing together good seasons then he will be talked about more, it's just something you can't do after 1 season.
