I didn't realize the Kevin Hodson dynamic was in play here......wow....did Hodson acquit himself well during some starts in the 96-97 regular season? Did Hodson become a "Bowman" guy or was he a "Holland" guy?
Hodson was definitely more of Holland's guy. Once Hodson finally got the back up job to himself, Bowman started to kind of sour on him halfway through the 97/98 season and the team tabbed Maracle as the back up before they even got to training camp in Fall 1998.
Good point. I bet most people don't even know who the backup of the '98 team was! The following year he lost the backup job to Norm Maracle, then for 1999-2000 he was TB backup, spent two years out of hockey, then did the 02-03 season again as TB backup. Then a year in Europe, retiring in 2004. You would hope he wasn't a factor in pushing Vernon out.
He definitely was a factor. Ken Holland had this to say after making the trade:
It's the same situation this year. We have two young goaltenders who we, as an organization, believe in. It's a tremendously difficult situation to even consider trading Mike Vernon, who is a Conn Smythe winner. But we have to remember that up until Christmas of last year, Chris Osgood was the goalie playing the most. We feel Chris can carry a bulk of the load. We also believe in Kevin Hodson. This is not an easy decision to make.
Yet for all the promise he supposedly had, Hodson seemed to always end up in situations where he was a 3rd wheel or being offered up to the expansion clubs of that era:
1996-97: First year he's no longer waiver exempt. Wings think he's too valuable to risk losing on waivers, so the carry him as a #3 goalie behind Osgood and Vernon. Outside of a couple of conditioning loans to the IHL and a month or so around Nov and Dec where he overtakes Vernon to be the #2 guy, he doesn't play much.
1997-98: Gets the back up job behind Osgood. Starts the year getting around 20-25% of the starts, but after a couple of stinkers in December, Bowman starts to decrease his use. In March, both Osgood and Hodson go down with injuries, which allows the team to get a look at the next in line, Norm Maracle, who plays well.
1998 Offseason: Now viewing him as expendable, the Wings try to make a deal with Nashville where the Preds would take Hodson or Maracle instead of one of their unprotected veteran forwards. Poile declines and ends up selecting Doug Brown
Later in the 98 Offseason: Even before getting into camp, the Wings declare that they intend to give the backup job to Norm Maracle and are likely to trade Hodson before the waiver draft. However, Holland states he won't take less than a 3rd rounder and is fine hanging onto 3 goalies until he gets that price.
1998 Camp/Preseason: The Wings reportedly come close to dealing Hodson to Florida and Carolina, but Florida opts to wait to see what the Leafs do with Felix Potvin now that they have CuJo, and Carolina ends up going with Arturs Irbe who impresses on a PTO and signs for super cheap. Maracle then ends up getting hurt and misses the entire pre-season.
Start of 1998-99: The Wings ultimately decide not to trade and opt to start the season with Hodson as back up as they send Maracle to the AHL on a conditioning loan. It's still reported Hodson will be traded when Maracle is back in the NHL and Holland gets the price he wants.
Mid 1998-99: By January, it's already being reported that as GM of the Thrashers, former Wings AGM Don Waddell is likely to claim Norm Maracle in the upcoming expansion draft. Around this time it's reported that the Lightning inquire about Hodson, but the Wings decline as they can retain him as backup after they inevitably lose Maracle to Atlanta. (Side note: I also wonder if around this time the Wings FO/locker room sour on Maracle a bit. Around late January/early February, Maracle gets arrested for a DUI, which I can't imagine went over well on a team that months earlier celebrated winning a Cup with a wheelchair bound Vladimir Konstantinov and still had the guys stall set up in the LR...)
1999 trade deadline: With the Wings hovering around .500 and badly needing some depth due to injuries (they were icing a 4th line of Petr Klima-Stacy Roest-Darryl Laplante for like 2 minutes a night), they circle back with the Lightning and send them Hodson as part of a deal that brings in Wendel Clark. IIRC, another factor in the deal was to keep Clark from going to the Stars.
Rest of 98/99 with the Lightning: The Lightning opt to finish the season platooning young goalies Hodson and Corey Schwab, making Bill Ranford expendable. Ranford goes to Detroit in a separate later deal where the Lightning eat a whole bunch of his remaining contract. Hodson makes his Lightning debut relieving Schwab in a game against the Red Wings at JLA. Hodson faces his old team still wearing his red and white pads and gloves. After 4 starts in 2 weeks, Hodson gets injured and misses the rest of the season.
1999 Offseason: Despite the limited action, the Lightning choose to protect Hodson in the expansion draft and lose Schwab to Atlanta. Less than a week later, the Lightning make a big trade with the Rangers acquiring Dan Cloutier in a package for the 4th overall pick. With Daren Puppa expected to be healthy for the start of 99/00, Hodson is once again relegated to a 3rd wheel spot. The Lightning also make a change at coach replacing Jacques Demers with Steve Ludzik.
1999-00 Season: Puppa only lasts for the 1st month of the season, making Hodson Cloutier's back up. However, Hodson has a contentious relationship with Ludzik and while the Lightning are mired in a slump where they win 2 games in the span of about 2 months, Hodson gets waived. After clearing waivers, Hodson goes back to Detroit, albeit with the Vipers of the IHL.
2000 Offseason: Once again, Hodson finds himself being offered up to an expansion team. The Canadiens were in a pickle wanting to protect Jeff Hackett and Jose Theodore, which left them with only 3 spots to protect D men. They were trying to make a deal with Columbus to select an unprotected goalie from them so they wouldn't lose a dman later in the Expansion draft. They acquired Hodson from the Lightning to give the Jackets another option in hopes they'd select Hodson or Eric Fichaud. The Jackets ultimately opt to take journeyman farmhand Frederic Chabot, which nets them a 2nd rounder from the Habs. A few days after the expansion draft, the Habs waive Hodson and buy out the rest of his contract.
2000-2002: Hodson retires and returns to the Soo, where he ends up on the Greyhounds coaching staff under Craig Hartsburg in 01-02 before his NHL comeback attempt for 02-03 with the Lightning.