Who Remembers Mike Richter?

[The Panther]

He didn't even have a better career than contemporaries like John Vanbiesbrouck or Tom Barrasso. He'd rank below Jonathan Quick. He's closer to the level of someone like Ryan Miller.

Wow, this forum is tough on Richter!

I'd have him above Vanbiesbrouck, anyway. Vanbiesbrouck didn't win the Cup and didn't win anything internationally, to my knowledge (also, the Rangers chose Richter over him). Beezer 28-38 in the playoffs; Richter 41-33.

Those other guys you mention... well, okay you're right.

 

[Doctor No]

I'd have him above Vanbiesbrouck, anyway. Vanbiesbrouck didn't win the Cup and didn't win anything internationally, to my knowledge (also, the Rangers chose Richter over him). Beezer 28-38 in the playoffs; Richter 41-33.

Vanbiesbrouck didn't have the horses that Richter had.

And he *was* three years younger when the Rangers chose him (amazingly enough, he's still three years younger to this day).

 

[Doctor No]

My most recent list only counting NHL activities (and applying some "what if" for careers that are in progress):

#9 Brimsek
#35 Barrasso
#36 Thomas (@MikeFarkas)
#38 Vanbiesbrouck
#50 Miller
#51 Quick
#56 Richter
#68 Craig Anderson
#71 Karakas
#101 Hebert
#110 Bishop

(I may have missed one or two since I was quickly scanning my full list for Americans.)

 

[Michael Farkas]

Quick is below Miller and Thomas...?


That's a paddlin'...

 

[billybudd]

curious question then, do the Rangers still win in 94 if they kept Beezer instead?

If Beezer plays like he did for the Cats in '96, probably.

 

[Michael Farkas]

If Beezer plays like he did for the Cats in '94, probably as well. Beezer was a better goalie and had a better career.

 

[FerrisRox]

The Rangers chose Richter over him.

So?

Also, showing their playoff records seems a bit misleading. I mean, Richter spent his career on a team with an endless budget always trying to "go for it" and Vanbiesbrouck spent his best seasons playing for an Expansion club and still backstopped them to the Cup final.

I'll take '96 Beezer's playoff performance over '94 Richter, even if the better final result goes to Richter - and I'm not taking anything away from what Richter did in New York that spring.

 

[The Panther]

So?

So, an NHL club had a choice between Richter and Beezer and they took Richter. They may or may not have been right, and the latter guy was a bit older, but I thought it was worth pointing out.

Also, showing their playoff records seems a bit misleading. I mean, Richter spent his career on a team with an endless budget always trying to "go for it" and Vanbiesbrouck spent his best seasons playing for an Expansion club and still backstopped them to the Cup final.

I'll take '96 Beezer's playoff performance over '94 Richter, even if the better final result goes to Richter - and I'm not taking anything away from what Richter did in New York that spring.

That's fine, and I'll take Richter at his best over Beezer. But both were good.

I'm just surprised so many are attached to Vanbiesbrouck. In sum we've got:
- Stanley Cup: Richter yes, Beezer no
- Canada/World Cup: Richter yes, Beezer no
- Vezina: Beezer yes, Richter no

Vanbiesbrouck had the longer career and had at least a few great seasons after age 30, which Richter didn't. Certainly I'd give Vanbiesbrouck the greater career value. But peak to peak in comparison, I would go with Richter. And "Vanbiesbrouck" is really hard to spell.

 

[Michael Farkas]

The Penguins kept Murray over Fleury because Murray was the better asset, not because he is the better goalie right now...

 

[Johnny Engine]

Vanbiesbrouck had the longer career and had at least a few great seasons after age 30, which Richter didn't. Certainly I'd give Vanbiesbrouck the greater career value. But peak to peak in comparison, I would go with Richter. And "Vanbiesbrouck" is really hard to spell.

Also, why is the last word in his name not just "Biesbrouck"?
I say this as a half-Dutch guy whose mom has a whole bunch of separate words in her name, some of which she used to ditch out of convenience.

 

[sr edler]

Also, why is the last word in his name not just "Biesbrouck"?
I say this as a half-Dutch guy whose mom has a whole bunch of separate words in her name, some of which she used to ditch out of convenience.

Trevor Linden's name is Dutch and originally → van der Linden.

 

[Doctor No]

That's fine, and I'll take Richter at his best over Beezer.

Just because Richter's team won in 1994, and Vanbiesbrouck's team lost in 1996, that doesn't mean that Richter was better (necessarily) in the 1994 run than Vanbiesbrouck was in the 1996 run.

Hopefully you know that.

 

[jghockey]

He definitely deserves to be in the HHOF. Too bad he played for a poor Rangers team after the 1996-1997 season.

I would have loved to have seen Mike Richter play for the Flyers.

 

[Michael Farkas]

Why are we yelling untruths at this hour of the morning again...?

 

[Lexus]

Nice sequence of saves here, though the quality could've been much better.

 

[NyQuil]

As a Rangers fan back in the day, I rated Richter over Vanbiesbrouck as far as peak play.

I think the Beezer had the better career.

 

[jghockey]

Wasn't there a time when Mike Richter signed a contract with the Florida Panthers? It was during the late 1990s.

 

[jghockey]

As a Rangers fan back in the day, I rated Richter over Vanbiesbrouck as far as peak play.

I think the Beezer had the better career.

How so?

 

[Michael Farkas]

He was relevant for more than two and a half seasons, for starters...

 

[jghockey]

Wasn't there a time when Mike Richter signed a contract with the Florida Panthers? It was during the late 1990s.

 

[Brodeur]

Off the top of my head, I don't recall Richter with the Panthers. Nashville drafted Richter in the 1998 Expansion Draft, but with the idea that they'd "lose" him as a free agent and get a compensatory draft pick in return. Richter re-signed with the Rangers; And then in 2002 the Rangers traded Richter's rights to Edmonton but re-signed him a few days later (NHL teams figured that they could use a loophole and artificially create compensatory picks).

Off hand, I would have thought Richter would be too expensive for the Panthers who had lost John Vanbiesbrouck to Philadelphia. Curtis Joseph was the other big UFA goalie that offseason and I seem to recall that he wanted to sign with Philly, but they went with the cheaper option in Beezer.

 

[mrhockey193195]

Nice sequence of saves here, though the quality could've been much better.

Sigh. Back when goaltending was entertaining. And Mike was as entertaining as they come. Unbelievably agile and quick.