Worst #1 goalie ever?

[DustyMartellaughs]

Greg Millen was consistently brutal. That he got a job critiquing the goalies of today is laughable.

 

[GKJ]

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.

Excellent point here. If you watch the goals scored on the greatest goalies before the advent of butterfly goalies, we'd have multiple threads every night on how terrible they would fair today.

 

[MS]

Greg Millen was consistently brutal. That he got a job critiquing the goalies of today is laughable.

Millen wasn't brutal at all.

Again, this is another guy who had dreadful numbers for the first half of his career because he played on dreadful teams - first the Pittsburgh Penguins and then the Stinky Whale.

Millen ran a series of fine seasons together once he got to a respectable team in St. Louis in 1985. Led the league in shutouts in 1988-89, had a consistently above-average save % for that 5-year stretch. And some nice results in the playoffs.

Millen didn't play the 2nd-most games of any goalie in the 1980s (nearly 100 more than the 3rd-place guy) by accident. He was a good goalie who rarely got to play for good teams.

Hell, he was 3rd in post-season All-Star voting '89 behind Roy and Vernon. How on earth does he belong in this discussion?

 

[seventieslord]

Some real terrible choices being mentioned in this thread... Billington, Ranford, Millen, Bester, Cheveldae...

 

[Zam Boni]

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.

Cheveldae broke into the league just as I started following the league and during this first seasons he was held in pretty high regard around the league and pretty much named the goalie of the future for the Wings. What did him in was his lack of mobility and as that got exposed, while the game was getting faster, Chevys game detoriorated pretty quickly.

But he wasnt a slouch by any means on a Wings team trying to find its ways. Detroit had some far worse goalies in the late 80:s in my opinion.

 

[Zam Boni]

Some real terrible choices being mentioned in this thread... Billington, Ranford, Millen, Bester, Cheveldae...

Yes, all of them may have had brutal seasons at one point of their career but, especially Ranford, worst #1 ever?

# Winner, Conn Smythe Trophy, 1989-90.
# Member of Stanley Cup Champion Edmonton Oilers, 1989-90.
# Played in National Hockey League All-Star game, 1991.
# Winner, (Edmonton Oilers) Molson Cup, 1990-91.
# Named Most Valuable Player, Canada Cup, 1991.
# Rated #9 in Hockey Stars Presents "The Top 50 Netminders in Pro Hockey", November 1993.
# Named sixth-best goaltender, The Sporting News 1994-95 Hockey Yearbook.
# Named best glove hand, The Sporting News 1994-95 Hockey Yearbook.
# Rated #2 in Hockey Stars Presents "The Top 50 Netminders in Pro Hockey", November 1994.
# Rated #4 in Hockey Stars Presents "The Top 50 Netminders in Pro Hockey", November 1995.
# Finished tenth in voting for Vezina Trophy, 1995-96.
# Finished eighth in voting for National Hockey League All-Star team, 1995-96.

From hockeygoalies.org

 

[DaveG]

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.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Don Cherry and Rockie fans will hardy Astrom

 

[Kyle McMahon]

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.

Yes, it's almost as though the guy's dad was a scout or manager or something with the Kings for this to occur.

 

[I am Canadian]

This thread shouts for some Vesa Toskala.

 

[MXD]

That Laskoski guy makes Alain Chevrier's career look great.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

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.

just to add to this: cheveldae was considered a promising young goalie in the early 90s. the year the wings got lidstrom and konstantinov and made that big jump, cheveldae fifth in both vezina and AST voting, and even received a third place hart vote.

like tugnutt and essensa, he was a highly regarded young goalie who kind of got lost in the minors when all the tall guys from the QMJHL took over the league. unlike them, he never found his way back into the big leagues.

 

[Axxellien]

Ballooned Average to 4.20

Bruce Gamble, Boston Bruins, 1960-61, 1961-62..A full goal per game more than Don Simmons, whom he replaced...Just awful!! Don Head was even worse...Dreadful...

 

[Canadiens1958]

Post Expansion Lunchpail Crew

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.

 

[MXD]

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.

It seems to me that the first two guys were certainly decent NHL netminders for a while.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

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.

 

[Canadiens1958]

Ron Tugnutt

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.

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.

 

[iamjs]

Ken McCauley played every game in the 1943-44 NHL season with the New York Rangers.

50 GP, 6-39-5, 6.24 GAA

His backup, a 17 year old Harry Lumley, saw 20 minutes of ice time that season.

The following season, his numbers slightly improved.
46 GP, 11-25-10 with a 4.94 GAA. He even managed three shutouts that season.

from Legends Of Hockey

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.

 

[tarheelhockey]

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.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

That's a great bit of trivia. The goals-against record set in only 50 games.

To clarify, that was the record up to that point in history. The 74-75 Capitals surrendered 446 goals, which I believe is the all time record.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

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.

This is true.

But there were those who lacked consistency but could really get in that "zone" on occasions that made them appear unbeatable. Gilles Meloche was one of those. Too bad he didn't play on more decent teams in his 18 NHL seasons. He actually had a winning record in playoffs (21-19).