Saturday Faceoff: Is Osgood a Hall of Famer?

Earlier this season, Chris Osgood claimed his 400th victory of his lengthy NHL career. Questions immediately arose about whether 'Ozzie' was a legitimate Hall of Famer or not. Patrick and Brian discuss the topic...

Osgood is a lock

By Patrick Hoffman

Over the course of his long NHL career, many things have been said about Detroit Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood:

- He allows soft goals at the wrong times
- If he wasn’t a goaltender with the Red Wings, his career numbers would not be as good
- He’s the product of a terrific system in Detroit

The list could go on and on but when all is said and done, all Osgood does is win and win big. Sure, the team in front of him does a great job of putting the puck in the net and getting back defensively but at the end of the day, Osgood is the last line of defense and more often than not, he’s ended up on the winning side by providing the goaltending that is needed to win hockey games whether it is in the regular season or Stanley Cup Playoffs.

His career numbers certainly say a lot about the type of goaltender Osgood is:
- 401 career wins
- 2.49 goals against average
- .905 save percentage
- 50 shutouts
- Two Stanley Cups as the starter for the Detroit Red Wings (1998 and 2008)
- Scored a goal against the Hartford Whalers back in 1996
- A couple of NHL All-Star game appearances

He’s got more than a terrific resume and yet, because of soft goals he has allowed in the past and the team he plays for, he never gets the credit he deserves. If I had a vote in the Hockey Hall of Fame election process, Osgood would be on my ballot. What about you?

---

Osgood falls a bit short
By Brian Huddle

While Osgood has made his way onto the all-time wins list with his 400th win this season, he is far from worthy of the Hall of Fame. When you think of the game's best goaltenders, the names Patrick Roy, Dominik Hasek, and Terry Sawchuk come to mind. Even some of the game's 'average ducks' have made the wings list.

Outside of four seasons spent in St. Louis and New York (on the Island), Osgood has spent his entire career with Detroit, the team that drafted him. And his time outside of the Motor City, showcasing save percentages below the .905 career average he's held over his 17 seasons.

Detroit has built itself a system friendly for goaltenders, with some of the best defensemen the game has seen -- Chris Chelios, Niklas Lidstrom, and Brian Rafalski to name a few -- which Osgood benfitted from. I don't want to take away from the career Osgood has achieved, however I feel like a Hall of Fame bid would be more of a team nomination.

Photo credit: Getty Images