Page 44 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 154

44 Issue #154 November 2025 www.sportsenergynews.com

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Stories And More About The People In Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry
With the recent passings of Ken Dryden and Bernie Parent we lost two of the dominant goaltenders
of the seventies. In your opinion, who was the greatest goaltender to ever play in the NHL?
Jake Lapierre -Conditioning Coach - Who was the greatest goaltender to ever play in the NHL is a great question and a
question that I had to give a lot of thought as to how to base my answer. As a youngster, growing up in the ‘60s, ‘70s, & ‘80s,
hockey players were heroes, and the biggest heroes were the goalies. Of all the players on the ice during any given Hockey Night
in Canada telecast, TV cameras were fixed on goaltenders more than any other player on the ice. Goaltenders were superheroes
in the minds of young hockey fans across the country. Goalies I remember watching and idolizing include Glenn Hall of the
St Louis Blues, Terry Sawchuk of the Detroit Red Wings, Johnny Bower in Toronto, Gump Worsley, and Jacques Plante of the
Montreal Canadians.
Through the ‘70s and ‘80s era, goalie heroes included Ken Dryden, Tony Esposito, Gerry Cheevers, Bernie Parent, Billy Smith,
Ron Hextall, and Rogie Vachon. In the mind of a young hockey fan growing up in a small town in eastern Ontario and spending
countless winter evenings and nights at the local outdoor rink, these goalies WERE the greatest.

Jim Riddell - Seaway Karate Club There have been so many great NHL goaltenders over the years that a legitimate case
could be made for well over a dozen of them as to which one was actually the best. The equipment that they wore and the
era that they played in need to be taken into consideration when making this decision. In the six team era, goalie pads were
leather, bulky, and stuffed with animal hair. They also gathered moisture, getting heavier each period, especially with poor ice
conditions. Chest protectors were felt or leather and offered limited protection against hard shots. Blockers were smaller and
had less protection, and the catching gloves had shallower pockets and less padding. Skates were heavier and the old design
wasn’t great for mobility. There were no goalie coaches in those days and unless a goaltender was fortunate enough to have a
coach that had been a goalie himself, he was pretty much on his own to find ways to improve his game.
The NHL played a 70 game schedule through much of the six team era, and teams carried only one goalie. Goaltenders were
expected to play through minor injuries in those days. Over a six season period beginning in 1950, Terry Sawchuk played 406
out of 420 regular season games. His first twelve seasons in the NHL were played without a mask and the estimated number of
stitches to his face ranged anywhere from four to six hundred. Terry Sawchuk played a total of 971 NHL games, winning four
Vezina trophies as the league’s top goaltender, along with four Stanley Cups. His 103 shutout was a record that stood for almost
40 years.

Peter Collins - Sports Enthusiast - Choosing the greatest goaltender of all time is not an easy task, mainly because of how
the game has changed so much over the past seventy-five years. Harder shots, better equipment, and a faster game are some
of the components that have evolved during that time. Goalies in any era relied on their fearlessness, cat-like reflexes, and
outstanding positioning to keep the puck out of the net.
Favourites from yesteryear, like Glenn Hall, Jacques Plante, Terry Sawchuck, and Johnny Bower were the stalwarts of their
time, dominating the game and playing unheard of minutes. In the seventies Dryden, Esposito, and Parent had the shutouts
and the wins, putting their teams in contention on a regular basis with their standout play. Today’s goalies like Bobrovsky
and Vasilevskiy have brought goaltending to the next level, leading the Panthers and Lightning to multiple Stanley Cup wins.
However, my top three goalies must include netminders from a few years ago, most of their careers covered the 1990’s and
early 2000’s. Two of them, Patrick Roy, and the “Dominator” Dominik Hasek, changed the game with their stylish goaltending.
Roy invented the “hybrid butterfly” style that teams struggled to penetrate. Hasek was unorthodox, relying on his super tuned
reflexes to frustrate opponents. My choice for number one is Martin Brodeur. He has the Stanley Cups, the low goals against
average, the great save percentage, and the longevity to have been a star in any era. The true value of Brodeur’s time in New
Jersey is that without him they most likely wouldn’t have won three Stanley Cups.