from Scott Burnside of ESPN,
When you take a look at the other nine netminders who have hit the 400-win mark, six are already in the Hockey Hall of Fame (Patrick Roy, Terry Sawchuk, Jacques Plante, Tony Esposito, Glenn Hall and Grant Fuhr). Martin Brodeur, the winningest goaltender of all time, is a lock, while Ed Belfour is considered a good Hall bet next year in his first year of eligibility. Curtis Joseph is fourth all-time with 454 wins, but never won a Cup.
That leaves Osgood, who has 400 wins and owns three Stanley Cup rings. In the spring of 2009, he was also one win away from a fourth when the Pittsburgh Penguins edged the Wings 2-1 in Game 7 in Detroit.
He has never been as flashy or flamboyant as many of those in the 400 club, but how does not smashing up television sets in coaches’ offices, etc., stand as a mark against a person?
Does Osgood think about the Hall of Fame, his place in the game?
“Of course I do,” he said. “You’ve kind of proven that you belong there and you want to get there. It’s right there in front of me.”
added 11:44am, from Rob Otto of Mlive,
That is where Osgood falls short. The eyeball test. If you’ve seen him play, it is hard to say he is one of the best ever.
How often was he considered one of the best players among his contemporaries in the NHL? How often was he even considered one of the best players on his team? Heck, how often was it a 100-percent lock that he was even the best goalie on his team?
added 11:51am, from Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy,
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