MXD
Original #4
- Oct 27, 2005
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Kirk McLean?
I think it would be Sean Burke, actually.
Kirk McLean?
I think it would be Sean Burke, actually.
Brodeur's durability is impressive, but starting goaltenders were regularly starting 65+ games a season by 1993-94. Brodeur is probably surprisingly "unimportant" for a goalie with such an impressive career, as few goaltenders have imitated his playing style. His main impact was the trapezoid rule.
Whether Patrick Roy personally invented the butterfly style or not, his success with it certainly helped to popularize it.
Clint Benedict caused the NHL to allow goalies to drop to their knees to make a save.
Burke definitely used a lot of butterfly mixed in with stand-up. Without checking stats, wouldn't Bill Ranford have been the last true stand-up in the game? Can't recall if he retired prior to or after McLean.
Important could be taken many ways. Roy was important to his TEAMS as much as anyone. But he also was an important influence to many, many goalies after him (mostly French Canadian) who copied his style.
So if we're looking at impact that doesn't include what they acheived on the ice but rather new things they were credited with being innovators with then I'd say:
Benedict - first to wear a mask
Plante - first to wander from the net, first to popularize the mask
Tretiak - first grat Soviet goalie comparable to Canadians
Roy - popularized a new style copied by everyone
Hextall - first goalie to be a policeman on his team and popularized the full length shot
Irbe - first goalie to do his own sewing