Rating all-time greats, regardless of the game, is a near-impossible process. Nearly each period is drastically totally different from the subsequent and the sport of hockey isn’t any totally different. With that in thoughts, we determined to interrupt down our have a look at the best goaltenders to have performed the sport by decade and see how every one fared in opposition to their contemporaries.

Listed here are the boys who have been thought-about to be the “better of one of the best” through the Nineteen Seventies.

#5 – Gerry Cheevers

Of all of the goaltenders who performed through the Nineteen Seventies, nobody had their total numbers affected extra by the WHA than Gerry Cheevers. After backstopping the Bruins to a pair of Stanley Cups over a three-year interval (1969-70 and 1971-72) the fan favorite determined to bolt to the Cleveland Crusaders, signing a seven-year pact for $1.4 million. Although he would solely play three and half of these years within the WHA earlier than returning to Boston, it roughly price him a 3rd of the last decade in counting stats.

Cheevers completed twenty third in video games performed amongst goaltenders through the seventies however nonetheless landed seventh on the wins checklist with 149. Regardless of by no means being named to a year-end All-Star crew or a critical contender for the Vezina, the person who was affectionately often called “Cheesey” was thought-about among the many finest at his place throughout a lot of his profession. Exterior of his 32-game unbeaten streak in 1972, a document that also stands to at the present time, there may be nothing on his resume that stands out.

But his potential to repeatedly make key saves when the Bruins wanted it most, led many to counsel he was among the many finest “massive recreation” goaltenders to have ever performed…a tag that has stayed with Cheevers to at the present time. Add the killer masks, his distinctive model of play and combativeness on the ice to the equation and it turns into subsequent to unimaginable to depart him off the checklist and his induction into the Hockey Corridor of Fame in 1985 solely additional solidifies that mind-set.

#4 – Tony Esposito

Regardless of the period, there are all the time these goaltenders who’re thought-about to be workhorses. In relation to the Nineteen Seventies that checklist included one identify. From 1970-71 to 1979-80 the Chicago Blackhawks had Tony Esposito participate in 635 of their 800 common season video games, enjoying almost 37,637 minutes. To place that into perspective, the one goaltender who has come near such a workload since was Martin Brodeur through the 2000s however even he fell quick on each fronts. Although the Hawks have been good through the first half the last decade, the identical couldn’t be stated during the last 5 years.

Esposito can be the one goalie to eclipse the 300-win plateau through the seventies, topping the 30-win mark on seven separate events, and likewise lead the league with 56 shutouts. His 2.70 GAA was adequate for fourth finest amongst netminders who appeared in not less than 115 video games, he made the year-end All-Star crew 4 instances and gained two Vezina Trophies for good measure (1971-72 and 1973-74).  Maybe probably the most telling factor of all was the actual fact his two first-team all-star nods got here a mere eight years aside (1971-72 and 1979-80).

Although by no means thought-about to be the premier goaltender within the recreation for any size of time, Esposito was all the time within the dialog. The place the Ontario native lagged behind the remainder of his counterparts, was when it got here to crew success. Exterior of Tretiak, who by no means performed a recreation within the NHL, each different identify on this checklist gained not less than one Stanley Cup through the decade however the Blackhawks No. 35 was stored off the board fully. Regardless of his lack of crew success, few have been extra entertaining to look at play the place and he was one of many true pioneers of the butterfly.

#3 – Vladislav Tretiak

For somebody who by no means performed a single recreation within the league thought-about to be one of the best of its form on the earth, it might appear virtually unimaginable for a participant to even be thought-about for an all-time nice checklist. Nonetheless, like most issues in life, there are all the time exceptions to any rule and in the case of Vladislav Tretiak all bets are off. The viewings could have been restricted for these of us in North America however there isn’t a query had the Russian legend had been given the chance to play within the NHL, he would have probably gone down as one of many highest to ever play the sport.

Within the minds of many, Tretiak is already on stated checklist and it’s awfully troublesome to argue in opposition to his inclusion. Although his numbers with CSKA Moscow (aka Purple Military) and nationwide crew converse for themselves, it was the extent he appeared to routinely attain in opposition to NHL opposition that was much more spectacular. Did he profit from having a heck of a crew in entrance of him? After all however it was no totally different than Dryden and people nice Montreal groups of the mid-to-late seventies. Nonetheless, what was so particular about No. 20 was his model.

Tretiak used a hybrid stand-up – butterfly model like nobody we had ever seen earlier than and the quickness with which he moved his toes was second to none. Time and time once more, he would frustrate one NHL nice after one other and did it with such ease, it will need to have felt like a misplaced trigger to guys who normally noticed these pucks routinely hit the again of the online in opposition to virtually another goalie. To no nice shock, it was a model we began to see many younger NHL up-and-comers undertake and far of it may be attributed to the three-time Olympic gold medalist.

#2 – Bernie Father or mother

If nothing else, the Nineteen Seventies have been an attention-grabbing time for one Bernie Father or mother. Two separate stints with the Philadelphia Flyers, one season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, a quick keep within the WHA with the Philadelphia Blazers, back-to-back Conn Smythe profitable performances and a neck damage that took away any risk of persistently being the dominant goaltender he as soon as was. Nonetheless, what he was capable of accomplish was nonetheless loads adequate to place second on the checklist of the highest performers within the decade.

After being bombarded on a nightly foundation throughout his 63 appearances with the Blazers, what Father or mother managed to do in his return to the NHL has arguably by no means been duplicated. His second tour of responsibility with the Flyers noticed the Quebec native put collectively back-to-back seasons during which he performed 141 video games, posting a 91-27-22 document with a 1.96 GAA and 24 shutouts. As absurd as these numbers look, he was arguably even higher when it mattered most, 22-10 with a 1.96 GAA and 6 shutouts, in serving to Philadelphia to Stanley Cup Championships in 1974 and 1975.

Sadly for each the Flyers and Father or mother, there can be no run at a three-peat as their star goalie was restricted to simply eleven video games in 1975-76. Although he would go on to play three extra seasons, one during which he partially turned again the clock, he was by no means the identical however his physique of labor speaks for itself. Father or mother completed the last decade second in GAA (2.34), third in shutouts (45), fourth in wins (210) and performed in simply 393 video games…4 fewer than Ken Dryden.

#1 – Ken Dryden

His profession could not have lasted lengthy however one can be hard-pressed to seek out a person who did extra in such quick time period than Ken Dryden. Throughout his seven-plus seasons within the league, the Cornell grad helped lead the Montreal Canadiens to six Stanley Cup championships and gained 5 Vezina Trophies over stated time period. He was additionally awarded the Calder Trophy because the NHL’s prime rookie following his spectacular 1971-72 marketing campaign and got here on the heels of his Conn Smythe Trophy-winning efficiency as playoff MVP through the Habs’ shocking run to the 1971 crown.

For these of you unfamiliar together with his story, Dryden carried the Canadiens to the hockey’s grand prize with a grand whole of six profession video games below his heading into the post-season and adopted it up with a ridiculous displaying throughout his “official” rookie season. After taking the hockey world by storm over the primary two-plus years of his profession, the Hamilton native proceeded to sit down out the 1973-74 marketing campaign as a consequence of a contract dispute and used his 12 months away from the sport to get his legislation diploma from McGill College.

Not precisely the normal method to go about getting issues accomplished however there was nothing conventional about what Dryden was capable of accomplish throughout his temporary stint within the NHL. His 2.24 GAA was tops amongst all goalies through the decade and regardless of enjoying solely 397 video games, his 258 wins and 46 shutouts trailed solely Esposito (304 and 56) however the latter put these numbers collectively over the course of 635 appearances. At 6-foot-4, he was fairly actually an enormous in comparison with his fellow netminder of that period however it was the power to cease pucks that made him each totally different and so particular.

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