PAY 'EM AND PLAY 'EM
by BookieKiller.com's NHL Guru, Rink Rat
In the NHL 'tis a rule of thumb,
the starter is a hero,
the back-up is a bum
A quick glimpse of the Rink Rat's legendary poetic prowess. Today we're talking about goaltending in the National Hockey League and more specifically the circumstances in Montreal. People who follow the Canadiens have their poutine in a knot these days because the Habs have two front-line goaltenders.
Conventional wisdom holds that each NHL team should have a starter who carries the load, a gold plated guy so shiny with skill and virtue he glows in the dark. His back-up should be a mutt. A check of NHL team rosters confirms the con-wis. Most teams have a number one goalkeeper who gets the minutes and a back-up who gets the pine.
Exceptions do exist - Phoenix has two number one goaltenders - Sean Burke and Brian Boucher. The St. Louis Blues have four or five starters. The difficulty with the Blues is all that talent is hanging out in the trainer's room every day. The Canadiens have two legitimate starters - Jose Theodore and Jeff Hackett. Theodore is thought by many on Rue St. Catherine to be all-world. Jeff Hackett might be the best goalkeeper on the Montreal roster. Canadiens management has been hammered for not trading Hackett. Get something for him, can't keep two quality goaltenders happy, a cash-strapped team is spending too much on one position - the usual drill. The Rat thinks Montreal should keep both of them.
Consider: what passes for an NHL level defense in Montreal offers the opposition free target practice every night - to the tune of 33.6 shots/game. That is tied for the worst performance in the league. New Jersey is the tightest with 22.7 shots/game allowed. If the 11- shot/game difference is applied over the 82-game schedule, then factoring in Montreal's .911 save percentage, the Canadiens will allow a further 80 goals more then the Devils. The resulting awful goals against average can by itself blow the Canadiens out of the play-offs. Montreal's lousy defense demands intrepid goaltending every night, which means two competent goalkeepers. That Theodore and Hackett have combined for an above-average save percentage is indicative of their fortitude. Whether or not one of those two is unhappy is immaterial - at five million or three and a half million smackeroos per year they'd better be happy.
Even in the realm of salary, Montreal isn't off base. They are paying Jose and Jeff 8.6 million dollars this season. The Colorado goaltending duo is paid 9 million ( that's Patrick Roy plus a woof-woof), Detroit's pair is paid 9 also, and New Jersey's tandem is a modest 7.4 million dollars. None of them are that bad when considering other positions. Philly pays 15 million to cover off the centre ice position. St. Louis pays their left wingers a whopping 17.5 million, and the Rangers pony up 15.5 million to their right wingers. Detroit's top four defensemen knock down a staggering 18.75 million dollars.
Montreal is in an unusual position but not a ridiculous one. They are paying a fair amount of money for their goaltending but well within prices set by the marketplace. Trading Jeff Hackett is an option but one not without risks. Obtaining a skater who could score, or holy moly! check would be good, but would the benefit out-weigh the costs if Jose Theodore was hurt? Running a helpless bow-wow out there would lead to carnage in the Canadiens net.
Keep 'em both, Montreal's going to need 'em.
Rink Rat can be reached via email @ rsbookiekiller@hotmail.com
by BookieKiller.com's NHL Guru, Rink Rat
In the NHL 'tis a rule of thumb,
the starter is a hero,
the back-up is a bum
A quick glimpse of the Rink Rat's legendary poetic prowess. Today we're talking about goaltending in the National Hockey League and more specifically the circumstances in Montreal. People who follow the Canadiens have their poutine in a knot these days because the Habs have two front-line goaltenders.
Conventional wisdom holds that each NHL team should have a starter who carries the load, a gold plated guy so shiny with skill and virtue he glows in the dark. His back-up should be a mutt. A check of NHL team rosters confirms the con-wis. Most teams have a number one goalkeeper who gets the minutes and a back-up who gets the pine.
Exceptions do exist - Phoenix has two number one goaltenders - Sean Burke and Brian Boucher. The St. Louis Blues have four or five starters. The difficulty with the Blues is all that talent is hanging out in the trainer's room every day. The Canadiens have two legitimate starters - Jose Theodore and Jeff Hackett. Theodore is thought by many on Rue St. Catherine to be all-world. Jeff Hackett might be the best goalkeeper on the Montreal roster. Canadiens management has been hammered for not trading Hackett. Get something for him, can't keep two quality goaltenders happy, a cash-strapped team is spending too much on one position - the usual drill. The Rat thinks Montreal should keep both of them.
Consider: what passes for an NHL level defense in Montreal offers the opposition free target practice every night - to the tune of 33.6 shots/game. That is tied for the worst performance in the league. New Jersey is the tightest with 22.7 shots/game allowed. If the 11- shot/game difference is applied over the 82-game schedule, then factoring in Montreal's .911 save percentage, the Canadiens will allow a further 80 goals more then the Devils. The resulting awful goals against average can by itself blow the Canadiens out of the play-offs. Montreal's lousy defense demands intrepid goaltending every night, which means two competent goalkeepers. That Theodore and Hackett have combined for an above-average save percentage is indicative of their fortitude. Whether or not one of those two is unhappy is immaterial - at five million or three and a half million smackeroos per year they'd better be happy.
Even in the realm of salary, Montreal isn't off base. They are paying Jose and Jeff 8.6 million dollars this season. The Colorado goaltending duo is paid 9 million ( that's Patrick Roy plus a woof-woof), Detroit's pair is paid 9 also, and New Jersey's tandem is a modest 7.4 million dollars. None of them are that bad when considering other positions. Philly pays 15 million to cover off the centre ice position. St. Louis pays their left wingers a whopping 17.5 million, and the Rangers pony up 15.5 million to their right wingers. Detroit's top four defensemen knock down a staggering 18.75 million dollars.
Montreal is in an unusual position but not a ridiculous one. They are paying a fair amount of money for their goaltending but well within prices set by the marketplace. Trading Jeff Hackett is an option but one not without risks. Obtaining a skater who could score, or holy moly! check would be good, but would the benefit out-weigh the costs if Jose Theodore was hurt? Running a helpless bow-wow out there would lead to carnage in the Canadiens net.
Keep 'em both, Montreal's going to need 'em.
Rink Rat can be reached via email @ rsbookiekiller@hotmail.com
