How do y'all rate Kelly Hrudey

[The Panther]

Kelly Hrudey had a big rep as an NHL goalie back circa 1985 to 1991... He lost a little luster after that, but did backstop the Kings to the Finals in '93 (though he got pulled out of the net in the first round).

His 1985-86 (Isles) and 1990-91 (Kings) seasons really stand out. In 1985-86 (only his second full season), he had a sparkling .906 (2nd best) and an NHL-best 45.9 Goals-Saved-Above-Average, if you're into that stat.

Good season in 1987-88, too, though the Isles were falling into the crapper.

The Kings needed a goalie and picked him up late in 1988-89. In 1990-91 he went 26-13-6, with a .900 (5th best) and finished fourth in Vezina voting.

Actually, his stats are generally impressive with L.A., but the club was so bad defensively that it didn't seem like he was anything special. And we tend to remember his playoff collapses in '90, '91, and '92 vs. Edmonton....

How do you feel about the bandana netminder?

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[Stephen]

I remember him with the bandana and weird giant custom helmets. Also had that style that made you think of road hockey, tiny guy flopping around, doing the early version of the paddle down in the late 80s and early 90s, and of course outdueled Toronto and Felix Potvin in the 1993 conference finals only to lose to Patrick Roy and the Canadiens.

 

[Doctor No]

Hard not to be a fan.

There's evidence to suggest that the Islanders' goaltenders had inflated save percentages.

With that said, when I ranked goaltenders a few years back, I had Hrudey #63 (within range of Rask, Rollins, Normie Smith, Crozier, Osgood, and Moog).

 

[ted2019]

Had to fill Billy Smith's shoes and tbh, he failed.

 

[Staniowski]

Hrudey was a very good NHL goalie.

 

[The Panther]

Had to fill Billy Smith's shoes and tbh, he failed.

How do ya figure "he failed"?

 

[Doctor No]

How do ya figure "he failed"?

It seems to be an indictment of the Islanders not winning a Cup with Kelly as the starter, when frankly, he didn't have the horses that Billy had.

 

[hacksaw7]

His performance in Game 7 of 1987 vs Washington is still the greatest goalie performance I have ever seen. In that era, to win a 4 OT game on the road. 73 saves. A lot of high quality chances. That was an all time legendary night for him

Over the course of his career he always seemed like a guy who had some stretches of being a top 10 goalie in the NHL (and sometimes even a top 5 guy, but he could never carry that kind of play over consecutive seasons) but I usually looked at him as an above average netminder, just not elite

 

[Nerowoy nora tolad]

Like a lot of goalies of that generation his core attributes are good, he just fell behind the curve stylistically

Similar to Fuhr in Edmonton, I think his work with the late 80s/early 90s Kings is underrated based on the level of offensive slant of the team in front of him.

 

[tarheelhockey]

If you compare him to HOF'ers he falls short.

If you compare him to non-HOF'ers he suddenly looks pretty solid. Franchise goalie, no, but he was a guy you wouldn't mind having in net behind a good team.

The biggest thing is what @Nerowoy nora tolad said, he turned 30 in 1991 which basically means he started in one world and finished in another. That was bad news for almost every goalie of his generation.

 

[MadLuke]

he turned 30 in 1991 which basically means he started in one world and finished in another. That was bad news for almost every goalie of his generation.

Make you think if Andy Moog is not a bit underrated with how well he aged among those turning 30 around 1990 batch.

 

[hacksaw7]

Make you think if Andy Moog is not a bit underrated with how well he aged among those turning 30 around 1990 batch.

He is. Though the guy who's really underrated is Barrasso. He was absolutely elite in the thick of the super live puck era. He was also perhaps the biggest jerk in the game (likely due to mental health issues) he also wasn't a particularly flashy goalie, just very efficient and sound. If he were a better human being I think he'd be remembered as the goalie who somehow thrived while everyone else was under siege.

Reminds me a bit of Albert Belle in baseball.

 

[MS]

Hrudey is really interesting. In my head I've always perceived him as a very hit/miss inconsistent guy (based on some wonky playoff showings behind some bad defensive Kings teams), but when you look at his career it's actually sneaky impressive.

From when he entered the league in 83-84 through his final year in LA in 1995-96, his save % was above league average every year except for 1. 110 GSAA for his career, which is excellent. Between Andy Moog and Mike Richter.

3x top-5 in Vezina voting and as others have noted his longevity (like Moog's) is impressive considering that he bridged goaltending eras/styles.

 

[MS]

He is. Though the guy who's really underrated is Barrasso. He was absolutely elite in the thick of the super live puck era. He was also perhaps the biggest jerk in the game (likely due to mental health issues) he also wasn't a particularly flashy goalie, just very efficient and sound. If he were a better human being I think he'd be remembered as the goalie who somehow thrived while everyone else was under siege.

Reminds me a bit of Albert Belle in baseball.

Barrasso is freaking weird.

He had 5 absolutely elite Vezina-calibre/contending type seasons where he was very clearly one of the best goalies on earth. 83-84, 84-85, 87-88, 92-93, 97-98. And strong performances on two Cup winners.

But he played for 20 years. And outside of those 5 years, he was mostly injured or crap for the other 15 years. He's probably the most erratic player in NHL history when you consider the heights of his best seasons relative to the majority of years surrounding those.

It makes him really hard to rate. His peak value is definitely HHOF-calibre. But if Tom Barrasso was your starting goalie, you had an ineffective/injured player far more seasons than you had the elite version.

 

[Albatros]

If I was to get a completely random season from any goalie of his era, Patrick Roy would be the only name I take before Hrudey. On par with John Vanbiesbrouck.

 

[MS]

Make you think if Andy Moog is not a bit underrated with how well he aged among those turning 30 around 1990 batch.

For the record, I think Andy Moog was a better goalie than Grant Fuhr for pretty much the entirety of their overlapping careers. I know most will disagree.

 

[c9777666]

He should have been an All-Star and a Vezina finalist in 1991.

How on Earth did he finish 4th behind Richter?

 

[Big Phil]

A good goalie. A capable goalie.

People forget he was the 3rd stringer on Team Canada 1987 Canada Cup. Didn't see any ice time, but still. Fuhr and Hextall were the other two. And to be honest, it isn't as if there weren't other goalies that could have been picked. Roy, Liut, Vernon, Peeters, Lemelin, etc. But he had that memorable Easter Epic game.

 

[The Panther]

Barrasso is freaking weird.

He had 5 absolutely elite Vezina-calibre/contending type seasons where he was very clearly one of the best goalies on earth. 83-84, 84-85, 87-88, 92-93, 97-98. And strong performances on two Cup winners.

But he played for 20 years. And outside of those 5 years, he was mostly injured or crap for the other 15 years. He's probably the most erratic player in NHL history when you consider the heights of his best seasons relative to the majority of years surrounding those.

It makes him really hard to rate. His peak value is definitely HHOF-calibre. But if Tom Barrasso was your starting goalie, you had an ineffective/injured player far more seasons than you had the elite version.

That's kind of how I feel about Barrasso, too. Maybe not 15 years of "injured or crap" as you put it, but something like 5-ish elite season, 5-ish okay seasons, and 10 mediocre ones. I do prefer to see more consistency, which is why I think he falls a tad short of a Hall of Famer.

 

[hacksaw7]

A good goalie. A capable goalie.

People forget he was the 3rd stringer on Team Canada 1987 Canada Cup. Didn't see any ice time, but still. Fuhr and Hextall were the other two. And to be honest, it isn't as if there weren't other goalies that could have been picked. Roy, Liut, Vernon, Peeters, Lemelin, etc. But he had that memorable Easter Epic game.

Mike Liut would not have been allowed anywhere near the 87 Canada Cup team and we all know why.

 

[moog35]

Make you think if Andy Moog is not a bit underrated with how well he aged among those turning 30 around 1990 batch.

Moog is for sure underrated

 

[MadLuke]

Moog is for sure underrated

And once we consider how Belfour was clearly superior, I am not sure where that does lead us in term of shaking mental ranking of goaltender from late 70s to early 2000s.

 

[Nerowoy nora tolad]

For the record, I think Andy Moog was a better goalie than Grant Fuhr for pretty much the entirety of their overlapping careers. I know most will disagree.

Im definitely one of those most

I find Moogs style to be very stuck in the late-70s early-80s and it becomes a progressively bigger problem the longer he plays.

In addition to the glove hand mentioned, Fuhrs tracking is so good I think hed hold up in any era

 

[The Panther]

Mike Liut would not have been allowed anywhere near the 87 Canada Cup team and we all know why.

I've never understood that. Much as Canucks' fans cathartically blame Mark Messier for their organization's failures after the mid-1990s, so Canadian fans blamed Mike Liut for two so-so periods, with no team support, against one of the most talented teams ever.

 

[hacksaw7]

I've never understood that. Much as Canucks' fans cathartically blame Mark Messier for their organization's failures after the mid-1990s, so Canadian fans blamed Mike Liut for two so-so periods, with no team support, against one of the most talented teams ever.

You're not wrong, but as it often happens when the score is 8-1 it's so easy to blame the one guy in net and not the collective of forwards, defenseman, and coaches who also came up small. Still, Liut was abysmal and going through a poor stretch of play at that time