1. Plante. He was the best combination of dominance and longevity, and regular season and playoff performance. He was the only goalie from his era (aside from Rollins) to win a Hart. He had consistency (six all-star selections in seven years) and longevity (still an all-star into his 40's). Most importantly, Plante improved in the playoffs, helped Montreal win five Cups, and he gave weak teams like the Blues and Leafs a chance to be competitive in the playoffs.
2. Hasek. Like many people said, he was probably the most dominant goaltender ever in his prime. He singlehandedly won a dozen or two games per year that Buffalo deserved to lose. Hasek is one of the few goalies who, in his prime, was unquestionably the best player (as opposed to being merely the best goalie) in the league. His playoff accomplishments are, if anything, underrated. He was the only reason Buffalo, otherwise a bottom-feeder, made the Cup finals in 1999, and almost singlehandedly won a gold medal for the Czechs in 1998. His longevity is underrated: he was a top five player from around '94 to '99 and has been a Vezina threat almost every year from 1994 to 2007.
3. Roy. Arguably the greatest playoff goalie ever. He won four Cups and (despite people underrating the ’86 and ’93 Habs) won two of them practically on his own. He’s the only player (let alone the only goalie) with three Conn Smythes. Still, I think people underrate his regular-season performance. From 1989 to 1994 he was extremely dominant and was easily the best goalie in the league during the stretch. He finished in the top five for the Hart trophy four times in those six years, won three Vezinas, and was runner-up for one more (not to mention earning Conn Smythe #3). Include his late-career resurgence as a Vezina candidate in 2001, 2002 and 2003 and Roy also has significant longevity.
4. Hall. Was named to the first all-star team (the equivalent of the Vezina prior to 1982) seven times, more than any goalie in history. Very consistent (he owns the goalie iron man streak) and was an all-star an incredible 11 times in 14 years. Hall’s playoff performances are probably underrated. The essay I wrote about the Hawks shows that Hall was a very strong playoff performer and shouldn’t take any blame for their inability to win more than one Cup. Plus, he’s one of the few goalies with a Conn Smythe and helped keep the Blues competitive after expansion.
5. Dryden. Incredible dominance in the playoffs, with 1 Conn Smythe and six Stanley Cups in eight years. His regular season dominance is incredible: he was named the league’s best goalie five teams in eight years and finished in the top five for the Hart trophy three times (including runner-up only to Orr in 1970). For those who say that Dryden was an average goalie reliant on a great team: consider 1974. That year, Dryden sat out due to a contract dispute. Montreal dropped to fourth in the NHL in the regular season standings (their worst performance in four years), fell to seventh in goals against (their worst performance in four years), and lost in the first round (tied for their worst performance in four years). In the four years immediately before and after Dryden sitting out (1972, 1973, 1975 and 1976), Montreal finished first in the regular season standings three times, led the league in goals against twice (and was in the top five each year), and won 2 Stanley Cups and lost in the Cup semi-finals another year. This proves that Dryden was a huge part of the team’s success.
6. Sawchuk. I know I rank Sawchuk lower than most people. I can’t get over his huge drop-off in play after he left Detroit for the first time. True, I’m only looking at numbers and award selections after the fact (I haven’t actually seen Sawchuk play) but the drop-off is still enormous. In the first six years of his 18-season career, he had five all-star selections, three Stanley Cups, a 67.1 win percentage, 57 shutouts (.17 per game) and more than half of his playoff wins and three-quarters of his playoff shutouts. In the rest of his career, he had only two all-star selections, 1 Stanley Cup, a 37.0% win percentage, 46 shutouts (0.07 per game) and under half his career playoff wins and shutouts. Basically, the first five years of his career were Hasek- or Dryden-esque, but two-thirds of his career were very average. I can’t rank him above Hall or Plante who were nearly as good, but maintained their level of play for so much longer.
7. Benedict. It appears that, in his prime, Benedict was as dominant as any goalie in history. He led the league in goals-against average six times in nine years (on two different teams). He helped Ottawa and Montreal win four Stanley Cups, and his GAA dropped significantly in the playoffs. It’s hard to say exactly how everyone in league perceived him, as they didn’t have the any all-stars teams then, and the Hart wasn’t around until the seventh year of his NHL career. Still, he was a finalist for the Hart in its second year of existence only losing to Burch and Morenz.
8. Durnan. The Dryden of his era, with a short, dominant career. Named the best goalie six times in his seven-year career; led the league in GAA six times in seven years. He won two Stanley Cups, led the playoffs in GAA three times and his GAA dropped significantly in the playoffs. He was a finalist for the Hart three times in seven years. Some criticize him for playing in the watered-down WWII years… but one Cup, all three of his Hart nominations and four of his first all-star selections came after the war.
9. Brodeur. A model of consistency that raised his game in the playoffs. In his best seasons (prior to 2007… this is probably his best yet) he was stuck behind Hasek. Since 1980, only Roy and Hasek have more Vezinas. Gets credits for excellent puckhandling. However, as of today, I can’t rank him any higher than third best of his generation. Roy tops Brodeur in playoff performance (Roy has more Cups, more playoff wins, more Conn Smythes and Brodeur has never had anything close to a performance like Roy in ’86 or ’93) and Roy’s regular season peak (’89 – ’94) is better than Brodeur’s. Hasek tops Brodeur because, when they were both in their prime, Hasek beat Brodeur for the Hart and Vezina every single year. Brodeur had better longevity but not enough, in my mind, to cancel out Hasek’s superiority in his best years. However, I will rank Brodeur high if (and only if) he gets additional Cups, Vezinas, or other strong seasons.
10. Bower. I think he gets underrated around here. He has a good mix of regular season and playoff performance. Bower won three Stanley Cups as a starter (plus one more as a backup) and led the playoffs in goals against and save percentage those three years. He led the league in save percentage (beating out Sawchuk, Hall and Plante) five times in his career; only Hasek has accomplished this more. Finished in the top seven for the Hart three times.
Honorable mentions go to (in no particular order) Brimsek, Broda, Esposito, Gardinder, Parent and Smith.