Chris Osgood - Future Hall of Famer
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The Detroit Red Wings have made an excellent start to the season. They are 11-2-1 so far this season, and individuals have played excellently.
Henrik Zetterberg has enjoyed being back on the ZDH line, which as been one of the top scoring lines in the NHL. Zetterberg is the League Leader in goals and points, and is on a streak of 14 consecutive games with a point, one away from breaking the franchise record.
Another factor of the start for the Red Wings has been the surprising form of Chris Osgood. Whilst Dominik Hasek is considered #1, Osgood has won all 7 games he has started this season. Osgood hasn't lost a game in his last 19 appearances for the Wings. He has a GAA this season of less than 1.4.
Against the Calgary Flames, the Wings were 1-0 down, but a brace from Zetterberg enabled the Wings to win 4-1. Another key factor was the form of Osgood, who made four or five excellent saves that Martin Brodeur would have been proud of.
Osgood has been excellent for the Wings over the last 15 years. He is famous for the Brawl in Hockeytown game in 1998 against the Colorado Avalanche, in which he fought with Patrick Roy. Osgood briefly joined the St. Louis Blues, but came back to the Wings as backup in 2005. He was challenging Manny Legace for #1, but Legace left and Hasek was his replacement. After a year behind Hasek (who had a GAA of 1.98 last season), Osgood appears to hold the #1 job at the moment.
Osgood is a serious Hall of Fame contender. He has almost 350 wins and half as many losses. He has 43 career shutouts, a career GAA of 2.44, and 2 Stanley Cups. He is 35 later this month, so Osgood could be up at over 400 career wins by the time he retires. Off the ice, he is a fan favourite. He has played a big role in the history of the NHL, featuring in big games such as Stanley Cups, and the battles of the late 90s against Colorado.
Osgood is never mentioned in the potential future Hall of Famers, but his numbers are good, and he has spent most of his career with the Wings. Osgood should be in the Hall of Fame in my opinion when he retires, but will anybody outside Hockeytown consider him worthy?
