seventieslord
Student Of The Game
G Mike Palmateer
- Memorial Cup (1975)
- 5th in Hart Voting (1979)
- Top-9 in Goalie All-Star voting 4 times (3rd-1979, 7th-1978, 8th-1977, 9th-1983)
- 3rd in NHL wins (1978, 1979)
- 2nd in NHL shutouts (1978, 1979)
- 149-138-52 (.516) in regular season
- 12-17 (.414) in the playoffs
- career playoff sv% of .908 - the league average was .890 in Palmateer's five playoffs. This is an error rate 16% lower than the norm!
- Memorial Cup (1975)
- 5th in Hart Voting (1979)
- Top-9 in Goalie All-Star voting 4 times (3rd-1979, 7th-1978, 8th-1977, 9th-1983)
- 3rd in NHL wins (1978, 1979)
- 2nd in NHL shutouts (1978, 1979)
- 149-138-52 (.516) in regular season
- 12-17 (.414) in the playoffs
- career playoff sv% of .908 - the league average was .890 in Palmateer's five playoffs. This is an error rate 16% lower than the norm!
Joe Pelletier said:...The following year he was Palmateer's best season. He played a career high 63 games played, 34 wins and 5 shutouts. Most importantly, he was a key figure in the club’s drive to the Stanley Cup semifinals. He recorded 2 more shutouts in the playoffs. It was the first time since 1967 that the Leafs had become serious contenders for the Stanley Cup.
In those 1978 playoffs Palmateer was at his best during the Leaf's quarter final upset of the New York Islanders.
Mike was an acrobatic goalie, always flopping around on the ice like a fish out of water. He was exciting to watch but every shot seemed like an adventure. He could make an ordinary save look spectacular, but at the same time he often looked bad as an easy shot got past him.
"Palmateer doesn't play text-book goal," said then-Toronto GM Mike Nykoluk. "But he is awfully quick and has great hands and a wonderful sense of anticipation. The idea is to stop the puck, and that's what he does."
Palmateer was extremely confident in his abilities.
"That's my style, and I think that scrambling and challenging the shooter is best for me. I can play with any goalkeeper in the NHL. No one is better than me, and I'm better than most."
Despite the excitement surrounding the Leafs, turmoil ruined that team. Owner Harold Ballard decided to get rid of most of the young budding superstars - Darryl Sittler, Tiger Williams, Lanny McDonald and yes Mike Palmateer. All four of these players had terrible relations with GM Punch Imlach, especially at contract time.
Palmateer recorded 17 shutouts and a goals-against average of 3.53 over an impressive eight-year NHL career. His career totals - 149 wins, 138 losses and 52 ties.
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