Was Kiprusoff really as good as he was pegged?

Bjornar Moxnes

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Don't get me wrong, Miikka Kiprusoff was the best goalie Calgary had for who knows how long. Also being able to play so many 70+ seasons consecutively is no feat and it's understandable why one's stats would suffer from playing that many games. Still, many pegged him as an elite goaltender, yet when you factor quality of shots and all, Kiprusoff is a negative in every season since they started tracking them (2007-2008). He did have two elite seasons with the Flames in 2003-2004 and especially 2005-2006 (Starter's workload with excellent stats in a high scoring season). From 2007-2008 to the 2012-2013 (When Kipper officially retired), he had a GSAA of -54.91 5on5 and -76.44 in all situations. He played far below what was expected of him and none of his danger zone save percentages were good. In fact all below average. What was noticeable was his poor medium save percentage and high danger save percentage. It also wasn't like Kiprusoff was some elite puck handler who are known to suppress quality chances and chances in general more often. He was an excellent rebound controller though so that did help suppress chances. Still having a DSv% of -0.70 from 2007 to the year he retired is definitely nowhere near elite territory. Heck, I'd argue he was a below average starter during this period. Yes he did have to play with an insane workload, but he simply just wasn't good enough, not as good as a lot of Flames fans peg him as.

He faced 12.32 low danger shots per 60 5on5 during this time period.
He faced 11.84 medium danger shots per 60 5on5 during this time period.
He faced 4.07 high danger shots per 60 5on5 during this time period.

For comparison, Dubnyk who faced the least amount of high danger shots 5on5 per 60 of all starter goalies in 2017-2018 faced 3.97, so barely less than Kiprusoff.

Lundqvist during Kiprusoff's time period on a Rangers team that was pegged as elite defensively still faced 5.75 high danger shots per 60.

Even Rinne who played on a Trotz coached team with prime Weber and Suter barely faced less high danger shots than Kiprusoff. Rinne is arguably the best rebound controller since Brodeur along with excellent puck handling skills, so he suppresses chances better than Kiprusoff by far.
 
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ESH

Registered User
Jun 19, 2011
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He played behind some pretty tight defensive systems under Sutter when he first got to Calgary, which happens to be when his stats were best. He was pretty clearly Calgary’s MVP for a few seasons.

As a Flames fan, having Kiprusoff back would be a dream come true.
 

Foppberg

Registered User
Nov 20, 2016
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Yes.

The guy was the backbone of Calgary, even with all the big name defenders they had they were always bailed out by him night after night.
 

Rangediddy

The puck was in
Oct 28, 2011
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Was Kiprusoff actually a good goalie? That's what you're asking?

Yes. Yes he was. This is the silliest thread I've ever seen.
 
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koyvoo

Registered User
Nov 8, 2014
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I love numbers and stats. I think they’re an excellent tool in aiding with player valuations. But often, if looking at these numbers without the visuals to put them into context, they can be deceiving and even useless.

Kiprusoff undoubtedly was elite at his best.
 
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Rangediddy

The puck was in
Oct 28, 2011
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Using wins % to determine how great a player is, is even worse than using advanced stats to determine.
Dude... this isn't even a discussion. You will not find anyone on these boards to argue that Kiprusoff wasn't a good goalie. With no discussion, there's no need for it to be on a discussion board.

Close this garbage.
 

Bjornar Moxnes

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Oct 16, 2016
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Dude... this isn't even a discussion. You will not find anyone on these boards to argue that Kiprusoff wasn't a good goalie. With no discussion, there's no need for it to be on a discussion board.

Close this garbage.

I never said he wasn't a good goalie, I just said he isn't as good as people see him. Having a negative influence on the amount of goals saved no matter how many games you've played consecutively does not equate to being a great goalie.
 
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nickdawg95

scoutdawg
Jan 7, 2016
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why are you trying to argue with everyone ? every poster here has said "yes he was fantastic" and yet you come back with "he only had 2 good seasons" delete this thread you look so ignorant
 
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Bjornar Moxnes

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why are you trying to argue with everyone ? every poster here has said "yes he was fantastic" and yet you come back with "he only had 2 good seasons" delete this thread you look so ignorant

He had 2 elite seasons, 2 good ones, one above average, but then after that sub par to a horrible finish. WHen you factor the consistency he's a net negative on the goals saved above average and delta save percentage model.
 

McDLT

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Mar 1, 2016
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He carried the team for quite a few years. Take away Kiprusoff, and those mid to late 2000s Flames teams wouldn't have even made the playoffs.
 

Bjornar Moxnes

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He carried the team for quite a few years. Take away Kiprusoff, and those mid to late 2000s Flames teams wouldn't have even made the playoffs.

Honestly I would agree with you for 2003-2004, 2005-2006, and maybe 2006-2007. Otherwise nope. 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 clearly the Flames did not make the playoffs because of goaltending and in fact I think they would have defeated Chicago in 2008-2009 if not for Kiprusoff being far worse than Khabibulin.
 

koyvoo

Registered User
Nov 8, 2014
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It’s fair to say he fell off toward the end, but he still had a 5-6 year run as one of the very best. I don’t think anyone, not even one person at the time would claim he wasn’t at the very top tier of his craft.
 
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