Looking at the history of the Detroit Red Wings, it is easy to say that Terry Sawchuk was the best goaltender they’ve ever had.
Sawchuk won three Stanley Cups with Detroit, had a ton of shutouts and when it comes down to it, will always be remembered as one of the best goaltenders in NHL history.
The Red Wings franchise also had great goaltenders such as Mike Vernon, Dominik Hasek and Chris Osgood — who all won Cups with the club.
With the exception of Hasek however, none of these masked men were considered elite. Right now, it is clear that the Red Wings have an elite goaltender in Jimmy Howard.
The 29-year-old netminder may have lost in Game 7 to the Chicago Blackhawks, but Howard proved he is exactly the big-time goaltender that the Red Wings need going forward.
Howard is doing exactly what the organization needs him to do. He is showing that he can be consistent, play in big games and is proving that he can be a reliable No. 1 for Detroit.
When it comes to consistency, Howard was one of the game’s best in the regular season this year. He finished the season with 21 wins (seventh in the league), posted a 2.13 goals-against averaged (ninth in the league), had a save percentage of .923 (ninth in the league) and picked up five shutouts (first in the league).
Without the likes of Brian Rafalski, Nicklas Lidstrom, and Brad Stuart, Howard played behind a young defence this season and flourished. Time and time again, he bailed out his club and was the main reason the team won hockey games.
Secondly, Howard proved he can be a big-game goaltender for his hockey club. Going into the final week of the season, the Red Wings basically needed to win out in order to make the playoffs.
Howard went ahead and won four straight games, stopped 93-of-97 shots and had two shutouts.
The Red Wings goaltender kept up his big-game ability by winning a Game 7 against the Anaheim Ducks in the first round of the playoffs. In that final game of the series, Howard stopped 31-of-33 shots and was once again the reason why the Wings knocked off the Ducks.
The Red Wings may be in the process of re-tooling their hockey club but when it comes to what they have between the pipes, it is clear that Howard is everything and more that the Red Wings could have asked for.
