Choose Your Jersey: The Netminders (Part 2)

A great goaltender in ice hockey is a tremendous plus for stronger teams. Aside from a bevy of talented forwards and defensemen, the goaltender is perhaps the most important piece for any team. Good goaltending often leads to victory. Bad goaltending, especially when the offense scores in a hurry, occasionally leads to not only replacing the affected goaltender in favor of his backup, but also leads to a humiliating defeat as well. The number on the goaltender's back has been a tradition, carrying over from one generation to another. 

#33

Patrick Roy as a Canadien (left) and as an
Avalanche (right)

No goalie in NHL history will ever rival the success of one Patrick Roy. Four Stanley Cups (1986, 1993, 1996, 2001), three Vezinas (1989, 1990, 1992), five Jennings trophies (1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 2002), three Conn Smythes (1986, 1993, 2001), an 11-time All-Star, four-time First Team and two-time Second Team, first goalie to play 1000 games, and most playoff games, shutouts and wins. Unmatched legacy for the greatest goalie of all-time. However, only a few goalies have ever suited up wearing No. 33, due to the fact that it has become associated with team captaincy in the NHL (see Henrik Sedin and Zdeno Chara).


#34

Miikka Kiprusoff (left) and James Reimer (right)

Miikka Kiprusoff of the Calgary Flames and James Reimer of the Toronto Maple Leafs currently hold the bragging rights to No. 34. Kiprusoff had become a legend in Calgary since arriving in 2003, earning an NHL record for lowest GAA with 1.69 that season, then followed up with a Vezina and Jennings trophies in the 2005-06 season. He is the Flames' all-time shutout leader, passing Dan Bouchard in 2007. Reimer is in his second season with the Leafs, and is considered their key piece to the team's future.

John Vanbiesbrouck

Perhaps the most famous goalie to wear No. 34 was John Vanbiesbrouck. 'Beezer' started with the New York Rangers, and was their starting goalie before the emergence of Mike Richter late in his tenure made him expendable. In 1993, he was drafted by the expansion Florida Panthers, and in only the franchise's third season, they reached the Stanley Cup Finals. However, despite his stellar goaltending, he couldn't overcome Patrick Roy and the Avalanche in a four-game sweep. After six more years with the Panthers, Flyers, Islanders and Devils, he retired from the game at 38. 


#35

From left: Tony Esposito, Mike Richter, and Tom Barrasso

Tony Esposito, Mike Richter and Tom Barrasso wore No. 35 for a majority of their careers. Esposito, the younger brother of Boston's Phil, started his career a champion with the 1969 Canadiens before embarking on a long career with the Blackhawks. He and Phil were both enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Richter played his entire career with the New York Rangers, winning the Stanley Cup in 1994, and was later enshrined in the US Hockey Hall of Fame. Barrasso spent a majority of his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, winning the Stanley Cup twice from 1991-92, and was also enshrined in the US Hockey Hall of Fame. 

Jean-Sebastien Giguere (left) and Pekka Rinne (right)

The number has been worn by a majority of goalies today, including Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators and Jean-Sebastien Giguere of the Colorado Avalanche. Other notables include the Detroit Red Wings' Jimmy Howard and Vancouver Canucks backup goalie Cory Schneider. As of this writing, Giguere, Howard and Schneider are among the top 10 goalies in GAA this season, which underscores the importance of wearing No. 35.


#39

Dominik Hasek

He is Europe's answer to Patrick Roy, and there is no doubt that Dominik Hasek is the greatest goalie from the other side of the Atlantic. Hasek began wearing his iconic No. 39 when he first suited up for the Buffalo Sabres, and has kept that number on two other stops with the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators. 'The Dominator' is a six-time All-Star, six-time All-NHL, a six-time Vezina winner, two-time Hart winner, three-time Jennings winner, and two-time Stanley Cup champion. Hasek's all-around flexibility, focus and footwork has made him one of the greatest goalies of all-time, and undoubtedly will be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame once his playing days are done.

Rick DiPietro

The same couldn't be said of the New York Islanders' Rick DiPietro, whose misadventures and bad luck has been well-documented. The first overall pick of the 2000 NHL draft wore No. 1 from his rookie year to the 2003 season, after which he started wearing the No. 39. DiPietro did reach his peak from the 2003-04 until the 2007-08 season, when he played at least 55 games and was named an All-Star in 2008. After that injuries would take its toll on this once-prodigious talent, and as of 2012, he is sidelined indefinitely with a groin injury. 


Two other goalies are wearing No. 39 this season: Anders Lindback of the Nashville Predators and Brad Thiessen of the Pittsburgh Penguins, both backups. 


For now, the search for the next Dominik Hasek continues on. And how much more does Rick DiPietro have left?


#40

Clockwise from left: Patrick Lalime, Frank Pietrangelo, and
Tuukka Rask

The number of choice by current Detroit Red Wings defenseman Henrik Zetterberg, it has also be donned by backup goalies such as Patrick Lalime, Frank Pietrangelo, and Tuukka Rask. Lalime was the starting goalie during his time with the Ottawa Senators, and also backed up Tom Barrasso in Pittsburgh, and Ryan Miller in Buffalo. Pietrangelo also backed up Barrasso during the Penguins' 1991 Stanley Cup title season, and also played for the Hartford Whalers after being traded in the middle of another Penguins' championship season in 1992. Rask has become an able backup for incumbent starting goalie Tim Thomas and became the second Finnish netminder after Antti Niemi to win the Stanley Cup, after the Boston Bruins won it all in 2011. 


Two other backups, Devan Dubnyk of the Edmonton Oilers, and Robin Lehner of the Ottawa Senators, also wear No. 40.


#41

Mike Smith (left) and Jaroslav Halak (right)

The No. 41 is currently worn by starting goalie Mike Smith of the Phoenix Coyotes, and backup goalie Jaroslav Halak of the St. Louis Blues. Halak has been a superb backup for Brian Elliott, and their success as a pair has lifted the Blues to playoff contention under the coaching of Ken Hitchcock. Smith was given a chance in Phoenix after backing up Dwayne Roloson in Tampa Bay, and has led the Coyotes to playoff contention as well. Same credit goes to Brian Anderson of the Ottawa Senators who has led them to contention this year. 


Other notable numbers include New York Islanders' Evgeni Nabokov's No. 20, New York Rangers' Martin Biron's No. 43, and Florida Panthers' Jose Theodore's No. 60. 


Now, which number you want to wear if you're an aspiring goalie?