A great goaltender retires.
Chris Osgood announced his retirement last week, sparking another brief round of whether or not he's deserving of the Hall of Fame. The consensus seems to be that he'll get in, just not on the first ballot.
Chris Osgood is loved in Detroit. Playing one of the positions of greatest scrutiny in the city, he thrived under the pressure and had the guts to bounce back from some horrible moments (an overtime goal from center ice, in the playoffs, for example). No matter what Chris Osgood got thrown at him, he always bounced back.
The preconception was that in the late '90s, it didn't take anything to backstop the Red Wings - you just sit in net, block a couple shots, and the super-talented team in front of you won games. It was a no-win situation for the goalie, from a PR perspective - if you were playing well, it barely counted, because the team was so good; if you played bad, then you must have been really bad, since the team was so good. There wasn't a lot of room to stand out above and beyond the team.
The misconception of Chris Osgood's skill was also the result of when he came into the picture. Taking over as the primary netminder after Mike Vernon backstopped a Stanley Cup win (and won a Conn Smythe), Chris Osgood's success made it seem like it didn't matter who the goaltender was. The team was stacked, he was just along for the ride. It didn't help that the Red Wings pursued Dominik Hasek in 2001, resulting in Osgood's departure to the New York Islanders. After Hasek retired, the Red Wings acquired Curtis Joseph. Hasek returned in 2005, after the lockout, and the Red Wings re-acquired Osgood - but as a backup, further reinforcing the notion that he somehow wasn't quite "good enough." When Hasek struggled in the '07-'08 playoffs, Osgood was put in net and did what he did best - played incredible clutch playoff hockey, backstopping the Wings to another Stanley Cup.
I thought the 2008-09 season was definitive for Osgood - it was one of his best years and he was absolutely lights out in the playoffs, often keeping the Red Wings in games that their sometimes lackluster performance would have otherwise let slip away. The Wings lost the Stanley Cup that year in seven games to the Pittsburgh Penguins, but no one argues this - had they won, Chris Osgood would have a Conn Smythe trophy alongside his fourth Stanley Cup win. But alas, they lost, and this is fact is forgotten by many.
But what's always impressed me most about Chris Osgood was simply how he got up from his knocks. He accepted being a backup and worked hard to improve. When Jimmy Howard took over after 2008-09, he accepted that and served as an important mentor to Howard - a role he'll continue to hold. Chris Osgood stepped up when he had to and was one of the best goalies in Detroit's history. I hope to see his number retired one day and I expect to see him accepted to the Hall of Fame, in time.
His stats back a Hall of Fame claim - it's only that he was shipped out and served time as a backup that creates the misconception that he is not worthy.
Regular season - 401 wins (10th all-time), 2.49 GAA, .905 SV%, 50 shutouts.
Postseason - 74 wins (8th all-time), 2.09 GAA, .916 SV%, 6 shutouts.
Around the MLB -
Chi. Cubs 5, Houston 1 - Randy Wells pitched six innings, allowing only one run, picking up his first win since April.
Oakland 4, NY Yankees 3 - Rich Harden's solid start and homers by Josh Willingham and Hideki Matsui powered the A's to end their 11-game losing streak.
Cincinnati 11, Atlanta 2 - Allowing two runs in the second, Homer Bailey clamped down the rest of the way and the bullpen held tight to allow no more.
Minnesota 4, Detroit 1 - Bolstered by a magnificent start in his return, Scott Baker held the Tigers bats silent as the Twins peppered Brad Penny for four runs.
Philadelphia 8, San Diego 6 - Cameron Maybin had another solid day, with 3 RBIs, but it wasn't enough as the Phillies savaged Chad Qualls for five runs in the seventh to rally.
Baltimore 3, LA Angels 2 - Up 2-0 after the first, the Angels let the win slip away after Adam Jones pushed the Orioles with RBIs in the fourth and fifth that made the difference.
St. Louis 9, Pittsburgh 1 - After allowing a run in the second, Jaime Garcia went the rest of the way holding the Pirates tight, allowing no more until his exit in the eighth, when the bullpen finished the job.
Florida 8, NY Mets 5 - Both starters were solid for four innings until the scoring started in earnest in the sixth, when Gaby Sanchez and Logan Morrison blasted HRs for the Marlins.
Boston 3, Seattle 1 - All scoring came in the seventh, when Blake Beaven let three earned runs in, giving Josh Beckett the win in this pitchers' duel and sinking the Mariners again.
Kansas City 5, Tampa Bay 4 - Alex Gordon forced extra innings in the ninth, but rookie Eric Hosmer was the game's hero with a walk-off RBI double in the tenth.
Texas 5, Toronto 4 - Credit a blown save to Jon Rauch, who gave up two in the ninth, including Michael Young's walk-off RBI single.
Arizona 12, Colorado 3 - Justin Upton and Miguel Montero caught fire for a game, providing 11 RBIs for the Diamondbacks in their rout of the Rockies.
San Francisco 4, Milwaukee 2 - After Ryan Vogelsong's two-run, five-inning start, the Giants bullpen took charge, holding the Brewers to nil the rest of the way.
LA Dodgers 7, Washington 6 - Coming back after a 6-2 deficit in the middle of the 3rd, the Dodgers tied the game in the seventh and won it on Rafael Furcal's walk-off RBI double in the ninth.
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