Very well put. This thread, and the 100 other ones just like it that were posted as a complete overreaction to a poorly played Game 3, show why coaches/GMs at the highest levels are different from us fans. They have the ability to see the forest through the trees and can seperate the emotions of 1 game from the bigger picture. For some to openly hope that the Game 3 abomination was the last time we ever saw Brodeur in a Devils uniform is disgraceful and shows how little appreciation our fans have for anything, let alone what #30 has meant to this franchise. Fact of the matter is, most of you don't remember the bad years 1982-1986 (or weren't even born yet), and haven't known anything other than Brodeur in goal for this team. Brodeur is not what he used to be, but (for this year's playoffs) I'd still take him over any of the goalies in Washington, Ottawa, Philly, Pitt, Florida, Vancouver, Detroit, Chicago, and San Jose. Just glad he got the win (and shutout to boot) last night to make some of the people on this board eat some crow this morning.
This is also very well put. I don't think people really understand how stable goaltending has been for this organization the last 20 years. Yeah, Marty's had bad years, but very few and far between. I mean, I remember not long ago people hoping we could snag Varlamov from Washington. Colorado gave up a first for him and he hardly outplayed Giguere, who himself is still living off of one real good playoff run.
Miller, Luongo, and Lunqvist are all guys we've heard about as being among the best the last few years but they are all in their early 30's, have almost no NHL hardware between them, and have all had bad years at different times. My point is a lot of guys can have a good year, or a good 3 or 4 years. But we had a guy give us solid-to-great years nearly every season for about 16 seasons. That people want to take all of that, all the millions he passed on to stay here, and say 'yeah thanks, but screw off because we have Johan Hedberg now' really sucks.
Why? Because he hasn't been a great playoff performer the last few years? Who on this team has been? Or because he's arrogant? Most of the great goalies are. It's the kind of attitude you need to be a goalie. You need an over confidence. It's the same as Clemmensen saying he's glad to be in the league in one sentence and then say he can beat anyone on any given night the next. Like I said before, Glenn Hall was the only real great goalie I can think of off the top of my head who was truly humble, and he had to puke before every game to get the nerves out.
I don't know how people would prefer to be hunting for a new goalie every 2 years and hoping to strike oil. I have all the hope in the world that one of Wedgewood or Kinkaid can be a solid starter for years to come but if either of them are, they are still a few years off. We're gonna have an interesting training camp in 2013 or 2014.
