Brodeur followed up the loss and the subsequent criticisms of his play and attitude with a stellar performance in the Devils' 1-0 win over the Hurricanes. Don't be misled by the score, though -- this game had lots of offensive bite.
Earlier this season I, like many, I assume, was quite critical of the play of Dallas Stars goalie Marty Turco. Mainly because for the first two months of the season he was the hockey equivalent to Swiss cheese on skates.
I like to think I'm a reasonable person, willing to eat my share of crow when the opportunity presents itself, and Turco has offered up quite a dish. While the Stars fell to Chicago on Saturday, 3-1, Turco put forth another strong performance in net, turning aside 33-of-36 shots, including an incredible stop on Jonathan Toews in the second period. Video after the jump.
While the Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup this past June, it certainly hasn't been the best few months for re-retired goalie Dominik Hasek. Not only was the old crank demoted to being Chris Osgood's towel boy for the Cup Finals, but now his "Dominator" clothing line, which he started up in 1998, is losing money in a big way.
In an interview with The Prague Post, the former goalkeeper noted "The company was losing about 30,000 K? [$1,955] per day, and I've already put in some 90 million K? [over $5.8 million] over its 10-year presence on the market."
Mr Hasek's operation was far larger than those of his fellow Czech [Sporting Stars], operating both in Europe and the United States. Now, he has decided to close down the European wing, while keeping the US business afloat.
To understand why Hasek's business failed so badly in his homeland, one must remember that the purchasing power of the Czech Crown [Koruny] is far below the US dollar. The average Czech sports fan cannot easily afford to plunk down the equivalent of US$40 for a fancy "Dominator" t-shirt, or as much as $60 for a golf shirt. My Czech friends confirm that even the most basic "Dominator" shirts are twice as expensive as ye olde regular clothing.
This all makes me wonder if Hasek's comeback was purely financially motivated. Obviously, he needed to do something to boost sales, and what is better PR than playing with the Red Wings? If Hasek was losing money, then earning some sweet NHL bucks would be the best way to soften the pain, wouldn't it?
The problem with being a hockey goalie prospect is that there are so few job openings for your position. Each team carries 13 forwards and seven defensemen, but usually only two goalies. It's kind of hard to crack the big time when only 60+ positions are open at any time.
For the Wings' Jimmy Howard, it must have been a huge relief to see Dominik Hasek retire and open up a job within the NHL ranks. No prospect, no matter how good there are, is going to get a lot of playing time when Chris Osgood and Hasek are on the roster.
"I think Jimmy Howard is very close, if not there, to playing in the NHL," Holland said. "I'm guessing Ozzie can play 50 games, maybe more. The 20-30 games that Chris doesn't play in a parity league, those are key points. The hardest thing is, we're trying to continue to be a Cup contender. How do you move young people into your team at a key position?"
The Wings have always had the mentality of breaking in their kids slowly, giving the likes of Jiri Hudler and Nicklas Kronwall tidbits of ice time while the old guys got the bulk of the work.
In Howard's case, he certainly shouldn't count on the Wings' backup job being his, given that there are a few factors working against him.
Given that Hasek is a frickin' fossil with a shredded groin, and the fact he was relegated to back-up/cheerleader during most of the playoffs, we all knew it was time for "The Dominator" to ride into the sunset.
This time, it's for good.
Hasek, 43, made the announcement at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, five days after winning his second Stanley Cup as a member of the Red Wings. While he has announced his retirement before, the goaltender said this time, it's final.
"It's about motivation," said Hasek. "I'm glad I can make my decision. I'm not ready to compete [anymore] on the highest level."
Despite the fact that Hasek wasn't an NHL starter until the ripe age of 29, having been over in Europe winning Czechoslovakian league awards like they were going out of style, Hasek is a no-doubt inner-circle Hall of Famer who brought a unique style that dominated the game and intimated shooters like few ever could.
In terms of the all-time great goaltenders, Hasek definitely belongs with the ranks of Plante, Roy, Sawchuk, Dryden, and Durnan. Six Vezinas and Two Hart Trophies, and the best career save percentage (92.2%) among all goalies is quite impressive, indeed.
After what seems like forever, the NHL gets back on the ice tonight with the start of the Western Conference Finals tonight in Detroit as the Red Wings host the Dallas Stars. The Eastern Conference Final gets in gear tomorrow night for the battle of Pensylvania as the Penguins host the Flyers in Pittsburgh.
I'm not sure anyone is surprised that Detroit and Pittsburgh made it this far, though seeing Dallas and Philadelphia still alive this late in the game has to count as something of a shocker. As you'll see from our panel, while the discussion was nearly unanimous regarding predictions for both series, there were plenty of folks who were hedging their bets.
Every day from Monday to Saturday, The Ice Sheet will take a look at the biggest stories in the league that happened on the ice and elsewhere the night before.
If I was attempting to be as trite as possible, I would follow that title with more of Mick Jagger's words: "I'm a man of wealth and taste." This would be misleading because I am certainly not a man of wealth and most people that know me would argue that I'm a man of questionable tastes (you know the idiot that plays Kid Rock at the bar every Friday? That's me). I am, however, new to the NHL FanHouse and this is my first Ice Sheet, so let this serve as my real introduction to you.
Similarly (WARNING! TENUOUS METAPHOR AHEAD!) eight NHL teams have introduced themselves to us during the first round of these playoffs. That means that after a quick rundown of last night's frenetic Game 7 action, we're going to take an even quicker look at all eight teams that have advanced and what they've done to introduce themselves to us during the first round. Groan. I think that metaphor's all used up and I promise you won't find it again after the jump.
While the Detroit Red Wings steamrolled to the best record in the NHL this past season, everyone outside of Detroit knew that the Wings had one big weakness: Goaltending.
Tied 2-2 in this best-of-seven series there's a sure sign that it's playoff time in this so-called Hockeytown.
As they do each spring, the faithful have aimed the fickle finger of fate directly at the guy in the Detroit net.
This time, they might even have a point.
Dominik Hasek wasn't very good in either loss at Nashville which brought this series to its current slate. Pucks are leaking through him. Long shots are eluding him.
The fact that Hasek hasn't done very well should not be a shock to anyone. Yes, Detroit's airtight system helped Osgood and Hasek put up some amazingly low GAA's, but great defense can only go so far.
If I were Mike Babcock, I'd put Osgood in as the #1 until he absolutely bombs. Despite my own personal lack of faith in Osgood's netminding, he's been far better and far more dependable this season than Hasek.
Hasek: 41GP 90.2SV% and a pukey 88.8 SV% in these playoffs Osgood: 43GP 91.4SV%
While Wings fans will claim that they have two solid goalies, I'd have to disagree. Hasek has been struggling for most of the season, and hardly looks like he has the mentality and physical ability to 'bring it' when the Wings needed most. At the very least, the Wings have won a cup with Osgood as their netminder, and The Wizard of Oz seems rather unflappable under intense pressure.
Apart from a bad stretch in February, the Detroit Red Wings have been dominating the entire NHL this season. With the world's best defenseman (Nick Lidstrom), a tight defensive system, and two of the league's brightest offensive stars, the Red Wings are truly a team that outclasses the competition. The Wings sports the best goals against average and the league's third best offence. It's no secret how and why they set a record with their eighth straight 100-point campaign.
With all of that said, the Wings have often been favored to win it all many times before, but generally come up short. In contrast to teams like Anaheim and San Jose, the Wings prefer to win on skill and finesse, rather than toughness and a blue-collar work ethic.
Today's roundtable deals with the Red Wings, who current sit in first overall with a 47-18-6 record. Is this the year the Wings return to the winner's circle, or are they primed for another disappointing exit?
In a perfect world, tonight's game between the Eastern Conference leading Ottawa Senators and the Western Conference leading (and the closest thing the NHL has to a juggernaut this season) Detroit Red Wings would have been hockey's answer to Patriots/Cowboys. Yet the NHL hasn't exactly solid it as such, with the barrage of promotion and interview opportunities it gave to, say, one of those early Crosby/Ovechkin games. Maybe post-Winter Classic event fatigue, All-Star Game announcements and Ovechkin's contract signing have sucked the air out of the room. Maybe if the game was on a more widely available American television platform than HDNET, it would have cranked up the hype machine more. Maybe if Ottawa was relocated to Las Vegas before the game.
Whatever the case ... never fear, FanHouse is here. We've plucked the brains of several prominent Red Wings and Senators bloggers for previews, predictions and snappy answers to stupid questions about the Ottawa/Detroit inter-conference smack down.
A lot was understandably made of Martin Brodeur's reaction after losing Game 4 to the Hurricanes on a last-nanosecond goal, but he looked a lot happier in his post-game on-ice interview with MSG TV on Thursday night. Shutting out the opposition to put them on the brink of elimination will do that for your demeanor.
Earlier this season I, like many, I assume, was quite critical of the play of Dallas Stars goalie 
While the Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup this past June, it certainly hasn't been the best few months for re-retired goalie Dominik Hasek. Not only was the old crank demoted to being Chris Osgood's towel boy for the Cup Finals, 
The problem with being a hockey goalie prospect is that there are so few job openings for your position. Each team carries 13 forwards and seven defensemen, but usually only two goalies. It's kind of hard to crack the big time when only 60+ positions are open at any time.
Apart from a bad stretch in February, the Detroit Red Wings have been dominating the entire NHL this season. With the world's best defenseman (Nick Lidstrom), a tight defensive system, and two of the league's brightest offensive stars, the Red Wings are truly a team that outclasses the competition. The Wings sports the best goals against average and the league's third best offence. 
