DustyMartellaughs
Flashing the leather.
Greg Millen was consistently brutal. That he got a job critiquing the goalies of today is laughable.
Like Kirk McLean, he was one of the last of the stand up goalies. By '95 there was simply no way a stand-up goalie could compete.
Greg Millen was consistently brutal. That he got a job critiquing the goalies of today is laughable.
Detroit was on the rise during Cheveldae's tenure there, but they were not an elite team yet. Lidstrom was a rookie in 91-92, and Fedorov was not yet elite either. Cheveldae was basically a back-up quality netminder that had a couple seasons as a passable starter. Far from the worst starting goaltender of his time.
Some real terrible choices being mentioned in this thread... Billington, Ranford, Millen, Bester, Cheveldae...
There are a few guys from the '80s who would qualify.
However, the guy who is unquestionably the worst starter of the modern era (worse than Ing) is :
Gary Laskoski.
Laskoski was LA's starter in 1982-83.
In 1981-82, Laskoski was the backup for St. Lawrence University in the NCAA. Appeared in 15 games, went 7-7 for a team that was 12-4-1 with the other goalie in net.
Undrafted, he only signed a pro contract with the Kings on October 22/82 (a month into the 1982-83 season) having never played a game in the minors.
Somehow, he stepped into a vacuum in the LA net (after the career of Mario Lessard had gone into a tailspin), and appeared in 46 games in 1982-83, posting a miserable 4.56 GAA and .857 save %.
In 1983-84, Laskoski quickly lost his job in LA after posting a 4.96 GAA and .829 save % in 13 appearances.
Sent to the minors, Laskoski posted a 4.94 GAA and .857 save % in the AHL over 27 games for the rest of the season. He went 7-12 on not a bad AHL team that was well over .500 with Markus Mattson/Mike Blake/Darren Eliot in net.
Following that season, he retired and never played another game of pro hockey.
So in the stretch from 1982-84, Laskoski went from an undrafted college backup with few hopes of an NHL career to an NHL starter to an AHL sieve to retried.
Worst ever, easily.
http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/l/laskoga01.html
What? How the hell does this even happen? I mean even for back in the 80s this is beyond terrible. I think we have a winner here.
Detroit was on the rise during Cheveldae's tenure there, but they were not an elite team yet. Lidstrom was a rookie in 91-92, and Fedorov was not yet elite either. Cheveldae was basically a back-up quality netminder that had a couple seasons as a passable starter. Far from the worst starting goaltender of his time.
Post 1967 expansion goalies, Cesare Maniago, Gary Smith, Roy Edwards, Les Binkley, Jim Rutherford to name a few.
http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/m/maniace01.html
http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/r/rutheji01.html
http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/s/smithga01.html
http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/b/binklle01.html
http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/e/edwarro01.html
Came to play every night. Given an opportunity when the NHL went from six goaltender openings to 32 in app. a decade.
Post 1967 expansion goalies, Cesare Maniago, Gary Smith, Roy Edwards, Les Binkley, Jim Rutherford to name a few.
http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/m/maniace01.html
http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/r/rutheji01.html
http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/s/smithga01.html
http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/b/binklle01.html
http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/e/edwarro01.html
Came to play every night. Given an opportunity when the NHL went from six goaltender openings to 32 in app. a decade.
Bruins' Hall of Fame radio broadcaster Bob Wilson always said the greatest goaltending display he ever saw was Les Binkley's 1-0, 52 save shutout of the Bruins when he was with the Penguins.
World War II decimated the New York Rangers' lineup?probably more than any other NHL team. But it seemed that goaltending was the area hardest hit. In 1942-43, the New York Rangers employed four goaltenders: Steve Buzinski (nine games, two wins and 55 goals against), Lionel Bouvrette (one game, a loss and six goals against), Jimmy Franks (23 games, five wins and 103 goals against) and Bill Beveridge (17 games, four wins and 89 goals against). The Rangers thought they had found their solution for 1943-44 when Ken McAuley was summoned to join the Blueshirts after serving a year in the military.
Prior to his war duties, McAuley had played senior hockey in Regina. He wound up playing in all 50 games for New York that season, but had little help in his own end and the Rangers won but six games all season. McAuley allowed 310 goals, the most goals ever scored against one NHL team. He finished with a goals-against average of 6.24. In one unforgettable game, on January 23 on the road in Detroit, the Red Wings found that New York's goaltender leaked like a sieve. The final score was 15-0, and a sixteenth goal was scored (but not counted) just as the final buzzer was sounded. The Rangers only managed nine shots on the Red Wings goaltender, Connie Dion.
But the Rangers found they had no options, and McAuley was signed again for the 1944-45 season too. His record was more dignified, but still left the Rangers in last place for a second straight season. In 46 games, he won eleven times, lost 25, and tied ten games. He allowed 227 goals and had a goals-against average of 4.93. McAuley recorded a shutout, too?his only one in NHL play. With the war over, the Rangers thanked Ken McAuley and used a tandem of Charlie Rayner and Jim Henry in 1945-46. McAuley returned to Edmonton and played senior hockey once again.
McAuley allowed 310 goals, the most goals ever scored against one NHL team.
That's a great bit of trivia. The goals-against record set in only 50 games.
Ron Tugnutt with Quebec had an incredible OT tie against the Bruins, facing over 70 shots.
Claude Pronovost as an injury replacement for Terry Sawchuk / Bruins during the 1955-56 season shutout the Canadiens at the Forum in his first NHL game.
Any goaltender who played an NHL game was very competent. Even the non-elite goalies were very capable of great moments.