Best Glove Hand Ever

[DisgruntledGoat*]

I'm going to throw out three names that come to mind:

Patrick Roy
Curtis Joseph
Bill Ranford

Interested in hearing some other opinions on this.

Click to read more...

 

[GummoMarx]

Certainly not the best ever, but Mike Vernon during his prime Calgary days, falls as an honourable mention. The split save breakaway vs the Canucks in '89.

 

[Padan]

Grant Fuhr deserves mention.

 

[nabby12]

Evgeni Nabokov...that save on richards..need i say more?

 

[JackFr]

Brodeur and Roy are up there.

MAF is one of the best right now.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

i've read that tony esposito had one of the best. i wonder whether this has anything to do with the fact that he caught right (like fuhr). i.e., shooters often go high blocker side because it's harder to save than high glove side, and maybe players just instinctively shot at the top right hand corner against espo and fuhr?

 

[BraveCanadian]

Fuhr, Roy, Vernon, Joseph already mentioned..

I think Felix Potvin also had a very good glove hand.

 

[Cornwall OHL]

Definitely Felix "The Cat" Potvin. I remember watching all those segments about his glove on Rock 'em Sock 'em.

 

[overpass]

Posted in the stickied Intangibles thread, from a 1994 NHL coaches poll in the St Louis Post-Dispatch:

Best Goalie Glove Hand
1. Curtis Joseph (17) 2. Patrick Roy (3) 3. Bill Ranford (2).
Others: (1) Grant Fuhr, Andy Moog, Felix Potvin, Mike Vernon.

 

[mrhockey193195]

Richter and Hasek need shout-outs

 

[yukoner88]

While Roloson may not have one of the best ever, hes got a sharp hand and has had a few dandies over the last 5yrs

 

[DJ Man]

Gerry DesJardins had a reputation for a quick catching hand

 

[Wpg Jets Fan]

Allan bester?

 

[Big Phil]

While Roloson may not have one of the best ever, hes got a sharp hand and has had a few dandies over the last 5yrs

Like the double overtime save on Jonathan Cheechoo in 2006? If the Sharks score there the series is 3-0 and probably over.

The first man I thought of after reading this thread was Fuhr. Potvin was good for a short string, but Fuhr always had that glove hand his whole career.

I agree with another poster that Fleury has the best one in the NHL today

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Rogie Vachon.

 

[dennilfloss]

Rogie Vachon.

That's the first name I thought of.

 

[EagleBelfour]

Frankie Brimsek of the 1940's Boston Bruins was renown to have the best glovehand in the league at that time.

 

[Killion]

Id' be going with Fuhr on this one as well. Then theres the ambidextrous Bill Durnan.

 

[CHGoalie27]

I'm goin Felix the Cat

 

[Up the Irons]

FUHR-SIE!! FUHR-SIE! FUHR-SIE!! FUHR-SIE! FUHR-SIE!! FUHR-SIE! FUHR-SIE!! FUHR-SIE! FUHR-SIE!! FUHR-SIE! FUHR-SIE!! FUHR-SIE!

Did I mention Grant Fuhr? no, ok.

FUHR-SIE!! FUHR-SIE! FUHR-SIE!! FUHR-SIE! FUHR-SIE!! FUHR-SIE! FUHR-SIE!! FUHR-SIE! FUHR-SIE!! FUHR-SIE! FUHR-SIE!! FUHR-SIE!

 

[TrickyRicky]

I wont say best glove hand or anything, but I think best glove save Ive ever seen was Ken Wregget against Geno Cavallini (mightve been Paul, was a while ago) in the playoffs in the mid 80's. Ah the good old Norris Division.

 

[Scott1980]

Durnan. He must have made more glove saves than anyone!

 

[Killion]

...the ambidextrous Bill Durnan.

Durnan. He must have made more glove saves than anyone!

Anyone have a picture of the palm side of his gloves?. Ive been trying to figure out how he caught the puck without seriously painful repercussions. The fronts appear to be the old style armored but flexible mitt style blockers. Did he just redirect the puck with the front side of the blocker which would normally be a catcher?. The catching gloves of that era admittedly had a pretty small & shallow pocket of course, but still, surely he didnt just grab incoming pucks with what was basically about 1mm of leather & all five fingers?. Even with a heavily padded "mitt" or "glove" youve got no basket to absorb the impact & your giving added daylight to the shooter; a blocker cumbersome & not exactly aero-dynamic where speed is critical.. This is pre-slapshot, but a good hard wrist shot even from a straight blade?. Broken fingers, a numb hand for the rest of the game & likely for days. The guy mustve played in a World of Hurt.

 

[Canadiens1958]

Shooting Angles.

Anyone have a picture of the palm side of his gloves?. Ive been trying to figure out how he caught the puck without seriously painful repercussions. The fronts appear to be the old style armored but flexible mitt style blockers. Did he just redirect the puck with the front side of the blocker which would normally be a catcher?. The catching gloves of that era admittedly had a pretty small & shallow pocket of course, but still, surely he didnt just grab incoming pucks with what was basically about 1mm of leather & all five fingers?. Even with a heavily padded "mitt" or "glove" youve got no basket to absorb the impact & your giving added daylight to the shooter; a blocker cumbersome & not exactly aero-dynamic where speed is critical.. This is pre-slapshot, but a good hard wrist shot even from a straight blade?. Broken fingers, a numb hand for the rest of the game & likely for days. The guy mustve played in a World of Hurt.

My understanding was that he didn't have to catch the shot. Durnan would switch the stick from side to side to gain advantages at times on wingers coming off each wing, playing the percentages RHS/LHS.

Also made for interesting posed photos.

 

[Killion]

Also made for interesting posed photos.

Ok. So he basically just played the angles L/R shooter & deflected it with whatever he could get on the puck, preferably into the corners, straight down so he could pounce on it, or heck; over the caging & into the stands so long as it didnt wind up in the net huh?.