Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Will Goaltending Be Team Canada's Weak Link?

08/26/2013 at 6:50pm EDT

from Cam Cole of the Vancouver Sun,

There is no tactful way to ask why Canadian goaltending, at this particular juncture in history, is so mediocre. But it is.

Marty Brodeur is the past, and of those we thought were the future, Marc-Andre Fleury has fallen off the edge of the Earth, Cam Ward is stuck on a loss machine in Carolina and Price has been a human roller-coaster.

It didn’t used to be this way. For generations, we rolled blithely from one star to another to fill our international needs: from Ken Dryden and Tony Esposito to Grant Fuhr to Patrick Roy to Brodeur, with brief detours to Eddie Belfour or Curtis Joseph or Bill Ranford, and it was never an issue.

Now? If the cold-eyed sizer-uppers in the peanut gallery are correct, it could be a big issue for Canada in Sochi, not quite six months from now.

"Obviously the last couple of years have been hard on Roberto but I think our goaltending is as good as anybody else's,” said defenceman Dan Boyle. “The difference between the top goalies on other (international) teams is so minimal.

"I think the media's talking about this because we've been so used to having Brodeur for all those years and Patrick before that and all of a sudden we don't have one of those Hall of Fame stud guys."

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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