Goaltending is arguably the most difficult position to play in hockey, as a major key to a team's success rests on the goalie's ability to make the saves when it counts. Doing a thankless job that offers blame when things go bad, and not enough praise when they go right, goalies are a special group. Here are the three most deserving netminders to take home this year's award for the league's best goalie.
Tim Thomas - Boston Bruins
After losing the starting job to back-up Tukka Rask last season, Thomas rebounded strong this year, earning back his role as the number one guy in Beantown. Thomas leads the league in both save percentage (.938) and goals against average (2.02) while helping his team to a Northeast Division title. Thomas's record is a remarkable 33-11-9 and 9 shut-outs with a few games still remaining.
Pekka Rinne - Nashville Predators
Year after year, the Nashville Predators are one of the most consistent teams in the league. Without a bonafide superstar goal scorer on their team, the Predators have qualified for the playoffs in five of the past six seasons, and are in line to be there again this season. Much of the Preds' success is due to the man between the pipes. Pekka Rinne is second in the NHL in save percentage and goals against average with nine shut-outs. The Predators leading point getter is Martin Erat, whose 17 goals and 49 points are good for 90th in the league. Nashville also boasts just one 20 goal scorer, Sergei Kostitsyn, yet sit in 6th place in the tough Western Conference.
Carey Price - Montreal Canadiens
When the Canadiens traded goalie Jaroslav Halak to the St. Louis Blues last summer, many wrote them off, citing that there was no way Carey Price could carry the load in net. After a disastrous pre-season, Price's detractors were ready to say "I told you so". But the 23 year old wasted little time proving that he was fully capable of being the starter in a tough hockey market like Montreal. Price has started a whopping 68 games this year, posting a record of 36-28-6 with 8 shut-outs. The Canadiens' top goal scorers have struggled this season, none of them have hit the 30-goal mark yet, and the Habs have had to endure numerous injuries to their defense corp. But with three games left in the season, Montreal is in a playoff spot, and have Carey Price to thank. He stood on his head many times this year, bailing out his team and keeping them competitive.
Most deserving winner: Carey Price
Marcia Di Michele - In addition to Suite101, Marcy is also a writer for TheHockeyWriters.com and blogs for Sports Illustrated's Fannation page. Marcy has been ...
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