Friday, May 1, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Columbus vs. Detroit Preview
From bluejackets.nhl.com,
DETROIT (AP) - Chris Osgood would rather just play, take off his gear, get stretched out, and enjoy some grub.
As the No. 1 goaltender for the Detroit Red Wings, doing anything quietly is not an option.
"Everybody makes too big of a deal out of me," Osgood said Thursday, sounding slightly exasperated. "I'm just part of the team."
Despite Osgood's attempts to deflect attention, his play will be pivotal in the Red Wings' quest to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.
Detroit's chances improve if Osgood plays like he did last year, showing this season was a fluke. He had a 2.09 goals-against average last season and a league-low 1.55 GAA in the 2008 playoffs.
This season, his GAA ballooned to a career-high 3.09 and there were doubts at times about whether he would start the playoffs in net.
Osgood's first shot to show he's still an elite goalie comes Thursday night at home in Game 1 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Does it bother him that some hockey analysts are giving the Blue Jackets the edge in net with rookie Steve Mason.
"Who are the people doing it?" Osgood asked.
Awkward pause.
"Go," Osgood said. "Next one."
Osgood's place in hockey history also brings out the testy side of his personality.
"I'll worry about it when I'm done playing," the 37-year-old Osgood said. "It's not easy to win in this league, otherwise everybody would be doing it. I don't know how many goalies have played here in the last 15 years that I've been here, but I'm still here and I'm still wanted.
"That's what matters most and accounts for more than anything else. I'm a winner. That's all I do."
His 389 career victories put him in a tie for 10th with Dominik Hasek, who retired last year after losing his job to Osgood, and trail only Martin Brodeur and Curtis Joseph among active goalies.
Osgood will likely pass Grant Fuhr and Glenn Hall next season on the all-time list, and he might have a shot at surpassing Tony Esposito, Jacques Plante and Terry Sawchuk before his current contract expires in two years.
He's won two Stanley Cups in Detroit as a starting goaltender in 1998 and 2008, and was a backup when the storied franchise won a championship in 1997.
He has franchise records in the playoffs with 52 wins and 12 shutouts and his 62 postseason victories overall trail Joseph by one and Hasek by three.
Osgood's accomplishments seem to make him a Hall of Fame-caliber goalie, but helping the Red Wings hoist the Cup last year didn't do much for naysayers who overlook him in conversations about the game's best between the pipes.
"There's two goalies I know that are playing hockey in the national league that have three Stanley Cups," Detroit coach Mike Babcock bristled. "One's named Brodeur and one is named Osgood. That's it."
Teammate Kirk Maltby chose to expound on the topic.
"His numbers are as good as anybody playing, other than Brodeur, but the hockey world doesn't give him the acknowledgment he deserves," Maltby said. "When he left here, he helped St. Louis and the New York Islanders get in the playoffs. Then, he came back and helped us win a Cup.
"Maybe it's just because Ozzie is just a shy guy, who doesn't really relish trying to be in the spotlight."
The glare on his game will only intensify if Osgood fails to help the second-seeded Red Wings get past the seventh-seeded Blue Jackets with a rookie in net.
Mason had an NHL-high 10 shutouts this season and his 2.29 goals-against average ranked second in the league, lifting Columbus to postseason play for the first time in the franchise's eight-season history.
"It's about time this team had some success," the 20-year-old Mason said. "The city has waited a long time for it.
"Everybody should be proud of what we accomplished, but nobody is going to be satisfied with just making the playoffs. We want to make it to the Stanley Cup final."
While some might scoff at Mason's bravado, his coach embraces it.
"I think our whole franchise is under the radar," Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock said. "Teams still think we're goalie only. We're more than that."
Blue Jackets star Rick Nash, though, isn't sure he would still be playing if Mason didn't emerge as a star after Pascal Leclaire had a season-ending injury.
"He's the backbone of our team right now," Nash said. "Pascal Leclaire was a great goalie as well, but he got injured and Steve took full advantage of his opportunity.
"He keeps everybody calm and looks like a veteran."
The only thing that seems to rattle Osgood is being surrounded by reporters and TV cameras, probing for answers.
"I just get sick of it," he said. "I just want to get my stuff off, get stretched out and feel half decent and go eat. If I don't eat now, I'm 37, I get mad.
"Some days I don't want to deal with it."
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Vote for Mason
Blue Jackets goalie Steve Mason is one of the ten finalists for the NHL Fan Fav award. You can register and vote for Mason here.
Welcome to the Playoffs Columbus!
The 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs start today and for most of the 16 teams this is nothing special. Another chance to prove themselves but little more. And then there's the Blue Jackets, the only remaining NHL team yet to make the post-season. Well not anymore because in a little more than 24 hours they will make franchise history on national tv (Verses) in Detroit. This coming one year affter the passing of club founder and majority owner Mr. Mac, who most likely gave an unseen emotional boost to the Jackets this season in the playoff push. And even though he is no longer here, you can bet that he'll be watching from his owners box in the clouds, a cigar in his mouth, and the biggest smile on his face. This is much more than just a playoff for columbus, it shows that you can take a city that isn't a traditional hockey market, and consistently fill up an arena full of fans for 8 long years without ever making the post-season. If thats not dedication to a team i don't know what is.
So here we are after season upon season of substandard performance finally a chance to prove ourselves to the whole league. Riding on the shoulders of Steve Mason and the best coach in the NHL in Ken Hitchcock, the Jackets will be ready, so now it is up to us to fill our arena for every game and carry the flag like never before.
LETS GO JACKETS!
Nationwide Arena
Cool shot of Nationwide before a game against the Stars. Hopefully we'll have a few more people for the playoffs.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
THE SILVER STAR
Welcome to The Silver Star, a Columbus Blue Jackets Blog. I started this as a place for Columbus fans to post their thoughts and ideas about the Jackets and hockey in general. With the Jackets in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, it seemed like the perfect time to start this. So get ready to Carry The Flag into the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs with The Silver Star!
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