Richter / Vanbiesbrouck

[ck26]

Both were great keepers with the New York Rangers before the expansion draft. What if the Rangers keep Beezer and Richter ends up in Florida?

Do the Rangers still win the Cup with John? Do the Panthers still make their run with Mike? Does Bure score that goal?

Discuss.

Click to read more...

 

[Sonny Lamateena]

Both were great keepers with the New York Rangers before the expansion draft. What if the Rangers keep Beezer and Richter ends up in Florida?

Do the Rangers still win the Cup with John? Do the Panthers still make their run with Mike? Does Bure score that goal?

Discuss.

Florida still makes their run and probably win a couple games in the finals but still lose to the Avs. Rangers don't win the cup, Beezer doesn't stop Bure because the Rangers aren't in the finals, they would of been beaten by the Devils in the semi finals. It would be tougher for Bure to get the penalty shot because he wouldn't get a breakaway, but if he did he would score on Brodeur.

 

[The Thomas J.*]

We won with Richter, I think Beezer would have gotten us really close, but may have fallen short.

 

[Phousse]

Everything would be exactly the same.

 

[Coconuts]

I'm fairly sure that John Vanbiesbrouck was traded to and then subsequently claimed from the Vancouver Canucks with Florida's first pick in the expansion draft. Kirk McLean had finished second in Vezina Trophy voting just a year earlier, and the Canucks chose to protect him instead of Vanbiesbrouck. The Rangers received former Canucks captain Doug Lidster in the trade.

I don't know why the Canucks made this deal; maybe someone can clarify the situation.

Edit: not that it changes the discussion at all...

 

[Big Phil]

Beezer didnt have a strong rep as a playoff goalie. He had that one run in '96 but other than that its pretty poor. Richter in my mind is no Hall of Famer but could come up hot at the right time sometimes. His streaky play could steal a game sometimes. Beezer wouldnt have gotten them that far IMO. Just not a playoff goalie

 

[Psycho Papa Joe]

Both were great goalies during that time and IMO there really isn't that big a difference between the two. History might have been different, but it really depends on whether one or the other got on one of their hot streaks. Either goalie was certainly capable of accomplishing what the other guy did. Maybe the Cup trip for the Rangers is easier for them with Beezer, but maybe they don't even make the final. Really depends whether either guy has his A+, A, B or C game going.

 

[John Flyers Fan]

Beezer didnt have a strong rep as a playoff goalie. He had that one run in '96 but other than that its pretty poor. Richter in my mind is no Hall of Famer but could come up hot at the right time sometimes. His streaky play could steal a game sometimes. Beezer wouldnt have gotten them that far IMO. Just not a playoff goalie

Both had two good playoff runs.

Beezer - 86 & 96

Richter - 94 & 97

I think Beezer was more consistant, Richter had the higher top end game.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

I don't know why the Canucks made this deal; maybe someone can clarify the situation.

Each team could only lose one goaltender in the expansion draft, and the Canucks were pretty thin if they had lost Kay Whitmore (who was still regarded as a decent prospect).

So they picked up Vanbiesbrouck, knowing that they would then have both McLean and one of the others.

 

[EventHorizon]

What I really want to know is this:

What if Florida doesn't claim Vanbiesbrouck from Vancouver? Does Vancouver make it to the finals? And if they do, can you imagine Richter vs. Beezer in the Stanley Cup Finals?

 

[Bear of Bad News]

What if Florida doesn't claim Vanbiesbrouck from Vancouver? Does Vancouver make it to the finals? And if they do, can you imagine Richter vs. Beezer in the Stanley Cup Finals?

McLean was more highly regarded than Vanbiesbrouck at the time, particularly by Quinn and the Canucks' brass.

On the other hand, McLean always played his best when he was the clear number one, and struggled when Troy Gamble and Corey Hirsch pressed him for playing time. It's possible that things wouldn't have turned out well for anyone (except possibly the #9-seed Anaheim team).

 

[Bear of Bad News]

What if Florida doesn't claim Vanbiesbrouck from Vancouver?

It's also possible that the Panthers and Canucks had a gentlemen's agreement that the team was going to take Vanbiesbrouck. I don't have any sources that can speak to that, but it was done quite a bit in those expansion drafts.

 

[The Thomas J.*]

Both had two good playoff runs.

Beezer - 86 & 96

Richter - 94 & 97

I think Beezer was more consistant, Richter had the higher top end game.

When you think about it, that really is the truth. Outside of one steller regular season in Philly, bezzer did nothing in the playoffs, & was just better than average the rest of his time there.

If it wasn't for Richter The Rangers would not have won 20 games a season after '97

 

[The Thomas J.*]

What I really want to know is this:

What if Florida doesn't claim Vanbiesbrouck from Vancouver? Does Vancouver make it to the finals? And if they do, can you imagine Richter vs. Beezer in the Stanley Cup Finals?

That would have been SICK! I don't remember Lidster being Captain of the Canucks.

 

[MS]

Each team could only lose one goaltender in the expansion draft, and the Canucks were pretty thin if they had lost Kay Whitmore (who was still regarded as a decent prospect).

So they picked up Vanbiesbrouck, knowing that they would then have both McLean and one of the others.

Whitmore had been outstanding the previous season and was considered one of the best backups in the league at the time.

What's most amazing about that transaction was how little Vanbiesbrouck moved for and that he was allowed to go to an expansion team. There were some *terrible* #1 goalies around the league at that time and good teams with major goaltending problems. Cheveldae in Detroit, Beaupre in Washington, Soderstrom in Philly, Essensa in Winnipeg, Healey in NYI.

Vanbiesbrouck was 30 and dead in the middle of his prime, a former Vezina winner, and still considered a top-10 or so goalie in the league although his 1992-93 season wasn't great. And yet he was dealt for an aging #5 defender in Doug Lidster - useful player, but a pitiful return considering his talent. How on earth did some of these other teams not come up with some sort of better offer than that?

Imagine how many Cups Detroit wins if they have Vanbiesbrouck (a Detroit-born guy on top of everything else) in net instead of wasting the next 4 seasons experimenting with Cheveldae, Essensa, and a young Osgood as their #1 guys. Boggles the mind what their management was thinking.

 

[Big Phil]

Both had two good playoff runs.

Beezer - 86 & 96

Richter - 94 & 97

I think Beezer was more consistant, Richter had the higher top end game.

'86 was average really when it came down to crunch time Beezer blew it. In his career he's a 28-38 playoff goalie. Where as Richter is a more respectable 41-33. Neither are Hall of Famers though IMO. Despite the Cup in '94 nothing else stands out for Richter other than the '96 World Cup. Beezer has 374 wins but almost as many losses. Richter was too streaky but when he was good was better than Beezer ever was.

 

[Blades of Glory]

What I really want to know is this:

What if Florida doesn't claim Vanbiesbrouck from Vancouver? Does Vancouver make it to the finals? And if they do, can you imagine Richter vs. Beezer in the Stanley Cup Finals?

It's laughable to claim Vancouver even comes close to the Stanley Cup Finals with anyone but Kirk McLean in net. That was the single best playoff run by a goaltender I have ever seen. The team was Bure and McLean, and they came within 2 goals of winning the Stanley Cup.

 

[tony d]

I don't think the Rangers would have won the Cup had they kept Beezer, Richter was the better goalie and the Rangers made the right choice in keeping him.

 

[KreiMeARiver*]

I don't think the Rangers would have won the Cup had they kept Beezer, Richter was the better goalie and the Rangers made the right choice in keeping him.

exactly