The Worst Starting Goalie in the History of Every NHL Franchise

Joel Auerbach/Getty Images

The goaltender is the last line of defense in the game of hockey.  If they are good, your team will reap the rewards of it.  If they are terrible, make sure you don't wear that jersey to work the next day after a humiliating loss.

It is the one position that needs the right person, and it is one of those things that can make the difference between lifting a Stanley Cup and having the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft.

Names like Roy, Brodeur, Sawchuk and most recently, Thomas, have been some of the best goaltenders in the league, but we are not here to talk about them.

Here are the worst goalies in every NHL team's history.

Note: All stats in article provided by hockeydb.com

Philadelphia Flyers

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Antero Nittymaki

Years with Team: Five
Worst Season: (2006-07): 52 GP, 9-29-9, 3.38 GAA

He was a curse in net for the Flyers.  His inconsistency saw the Flyers go from reaching the playoffs for 11 consecutive years to missing it with only 22 wins all season long.  It cost Ken Hitchcock his job and it proved that Nittymaki wasn’t a fit in Philly. 

In a weird way, this helped the Flyers get over the hump.  With shaky goaltending from Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher, the Flyers advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, a year after Nittymaki left.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Denis Herron

Years with Team: 10 (Three Stints)
Worst Season: (1984-85): 42 GP, 10-22-3, 4.65 GAA

When you have the firepower of a young Mario Lemieux in the lineup, it should be easy to backstop a team to the playoffs, but for Denis Herron it was anything but easy. 

In fact, in the year listed above, the Penguins made a change behind the bench with Bob Berry taking over, and it was time to nut up or shut up.  Roberto Romano was a formidable goalie to share the time with, but Herron just couldn’t get the job done.  So after three times playing for the Penguins, he decided that enough was enough, and the 1981 Vezina Trophy winner (with Montreal) hung up the skates.  The Penguins only made the playoffs once between 1983 and 1990 before winning the Stanley Cup in 1991.

NY Rangers

Ken McAuley

Years with Team: Two
Worst Season: (1943-44): 50 GP, 6-39-5, 6.24 GAA

From 1942 to 1955, the Rangers made the playoffs twice.  It was in the 1943-44 season that Ken McAuley had his shot to get the Rangers back in the postseason.  With stats like this, do you think he got them there?  He didn’t, and he played one more season with the Rangers before leaving for the WCSHL (Western Canada Senior Hockey League).

NY Islanders

Tommy Salo

Years with Team: Five
Worst Season: (1996-97): 58 GP, 20-27-8, 2.82 GAA

Before he was taking pucks to the head and having the most overplayed highlight in Swedish Olympic hockey history (until the Gold Medal in 2006), Tommy Salo was struggling in Long Island. 

No matter what, the records stayed the same year after year while his GAA just stayed respectable enough for him to keep his job. Salo was traded away in March 1999 and Islanders fans rejoiced a year later when Rick DiPietro was chosen first overall in the 2000 NHL draft...then the injuries came. But that’s another story.

New Jersey Devils

Credit: goaliesarchive.com

Alain Chevrier

Years with Team: Three
Worst Season: (1986-87): 58 GP, 24-26-2, 4.32 GAA

The pre-Martin Brodeur era of the New Jersey Devils wasn't the greatest.  They missed the playoffs in six out of their first seven years since moving from Colorado in 1982.  Alain Chevrier was one of those goalie experiments that failed.  He had a good record, but he just couldn’t keep the puck out of the net. In fact, to add to the stat above, he recorded no shutouts that year and his save percentage was 0.873!

As a starter, Chevrier was the worst goalie the Devils ever had.  Now, imagine if the Devils didn’t select Martin Brodeur.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Vesa Toskala

Years with Team: Three
Worst Season: (2008-09): 53 GP, 22-17-11, 3.26 GAA

Never before has Toronto been in the playoff slump they are in now, and Vesa Toskala’s play has a big part in it.  Sure, you might blame the team constructed in front of him by the always-criticized GM John Ferguson Jr., but the fact that Toskala couldn’t bring the Leafs into the postseason makes him the worst goaltender in Leafs history.

You may go after J.S. Giguere on this one, but he was brought in with less promise than Toskala in terms of bringing the Leafs over the hump.  Giguere was brought in to play the bulk of games and to guide the young goalies into starting roles. Look no further than James Reimer and you can say mission accomplished.  If you are going to spring the Toskala vs. Giguere debate, consider this: Who is still playing in the NHL at this point?

That’s right, Giguere, and you know why?  It is because he isn’t a starter at this point in his career, he is a mentor and can still play a good chunk of games when called upon (if his groin holds up), and with his experience he is worth more overall than Toskala.

For those wondering, Toskala hasn’t seen any NHL playing time since the season he was traded to Anaheim and then to Calgary within a week.

Montreal Canadiens

Andy Marlin/Getty Images

Jose Theodore

Years with Team: 10
Worst Season: (2005-06): 38 GP, 17-15-5, 3.46 GAA*

He was the most loved and hated goalie in recent Canadiens history.  Jose Theodore had a stellar season in 2001-02, where he captured the Hart and Vezina Trophy and received as much hype as Patrick Roy when he was in Montreal. 

Perhaps it was too much for the Laval native, as he showed no signs of returning to that form as he years went on.  It was clear that Theodore needed a fresh start, so he was traded to Colorado.  In his time in Montreal, Theodore was an average goaltender, but for a team with as much history as Montreal, it’s hard to say that Theodore was the worst, considering how many goalies have started for the Habs. However, it was in the past that Montreal had all their success, so you can’t fault me for saying Theodore was the worst. 

He was average, but inconsistent when he needed to be sharp, so Theodore, not Carey Price, will go down in my book as the worst goalie in the Habs' 100-plus year history.

* - lists Montreal totals; traded to Colorado in March 2006

Boston Bruins

Eddie Johnston

Years with Team: 11
Worst Season: (1962-63): 50 GP, 11-27-10, 4.02 GAA

Eddie Johnston was the goaltender during a tough time in Boston.  They missed the playoffs from 1960 to 1967, and Johnston was on hand for five of those years before he slowly guided Boston with improved play in net as well as having Bobby Orr in front of him, helping Boston to two Stanley Cups in 1970 and 1972.  The fact that Johnston made it that far without getting canned is a testament to the faith the Bruins had in him.  Slowly, his GAA dropped under 3.00 and he became beloved in Beantown.

For this slideshow, however, a few of the years that he struggled brought Boston down to becoming a laughing stock, while teams like Montreal and Toronto were building dynasties.  Johnston was the worst goalie in Boston’s storied history.

Ottawa Senators

J.D. Cuban/Getty Images

Craig Billington

Years with Team: Two
Worst Season: (1993-94): 63 GP, 11-41-4, 4.59 GAA

The early days of the Ottawa Senators weren’t all great.  They had the likes of a young Alexei Yashin and Alexandre Daigle, but in net they had a goalie in Craig Billington.  He was a goalie who just started playing in the NHL two years earlier and all of a sudden he was supposed to be the ace in the hole for Ottawa to help get them out of the rut they were in. 

That didn’t happen. 

Instead, Billington played his only starting season in Ottawa in 1993-94 and as the stat indicates above, he was plain terrible.  He was traded to Boston for future considerations a year later.  He was never a starter in the NHL ever again, reduced to being the backup for Patrick Roy in Colorado for three years, and Olaf Kolzig’s backup for four years before retiring in 2003.

Buffalo Sabres

Tom Barrasso

Years with Team: Five
Worst Season: (1986-87): 46 GP, 17-23-2, 3.65 GAA

Although his other seasons in Buffalo were met with resounding success in the wins column, Tom Barrasso could never build on the success that he had in his rookie year after being drafted fifth overall in the 1983 NHL draft.  His GAA only went under 3.00 a couple of times, but when it went over, it went over. 

It got so bad that he was traded in November 1988, following a 2-7-0 start with a shocking 4.95 GAA.  Luckily, Barrasso shined in Pittsburgh, winning two Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992.  Still, when compared to the likes of Dominik Hasek and Ryan Miller, it’s tough, but Tom Barrasso was the worst out of them all.

Washington Capitals

Ron Low

Years with Team: Three
Worst Season: (1975-76): 43 GP, 6-31-2, 5.45 GAA

The Washington Capitals were the laughing stock of the league when they emerged in the 1974-75 season, posting a league-low eight wins in an 80-game season.  Ron Low played many a minutes in the first three years, and his GAA was over 5.00 for two seasons.  He was the starter when the Capitals were at the lowest of their lows, so this one almost seems too easy. 

Ron Low is the worst goalie in the history of the Washington Capitals.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Mike Smith

Years with Team: Four
Worst Season: (2009-10): 42 GP, 13-18-7, 3.09 GAA

Since losing Nikolai Khabibulin after the lockout, the Lightning were in a goaltending slump.  They went through multiple goalies while building up horrible seasons that were met with the drafting of Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman.  It was the 2007-08 season that burned the most as Tampa believed finally got their man from Dallas.

In the trade, Tampa gave up superstar Brad Richards, but their hopes were high on Smith. He posted some awful numbers after a promising end to the 2008 season, where he posted a respectable 2.79 GAA while on a team that wasn’t really known for winning.

He only got one year as starter in 2008-09, but his 14-18-9 record wasn’t good enough to get Tampa where they wanted to be: back in the Stanley Cup chase. Antero Nittymaki was brought in the following year as another goalie of the future.

The likes of Dwayne Roloson and Dan Ellis showed up later on and Mike Smith was sent to the AHL to make room on the roster.  Just an experiment gone wrong, and although his lackluster performance got Tampa the draft picks they needed to rebuild and get into the Eastern Conference Finals this past season, Smith will still go down as the worst goalie in Tampa Bay history.

Florida Panthers

Dave Sandford/Getty Images

Trevor Kidd

Years with Team: Three
Worst Season: (2000-01): 42 GP, 10-23-6, 3.31 GAA

Trevor Kidd wasn’t exactly your ideal selection for a starting goaltender, but he had to be when Mike Vernon left for Calgary after the 1999-2000 season. 

In the two years he was starter, Kidd posted a combined 14-39-7 record, and his GAA never dropped below 3.00.  As a backup, he still posted the same numbers but since leaving Carolina, his career was never the same.  Sorry Kidd, you don’t compare to the numbers that Tomas Vokoun or Roberto Luongo posted in equally abysmal Florida Panthers seasons.

Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes

Al Bello/Getty Images

Sean Burke

Years with Team: Six
Worst Season: (1992-93): 50 GP, 16-27-3, 4.16 GAA

Sean Burke came over from New Jersey in 1992 after he became expendable due to the emergence of Martin Brodeur.  His time in Hartford wasn’t all that special as his first season was the bust you saw in the above stat. 

He stayed the starter through the Whalers’ move to Carolina and got traded in the middle of their first season.  You really couldn’t win as a Hurricanes fan, either, as he would either post an even record like he did in the 1996 and 1997 seasons, or he would post a 2.68 GAA and still have a poor record to show for it.  It wasn’t for a lack of trying. Burke played a ton of time in net, but when we look back, he was the worst.

Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets

Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images

Kari Lehtonen

Years with Team: Five
Worst Season: (2008-09): 46 GP, 19-22-3, 3.06 GAA

Before he was a star in Dallas, Kari Lehtonen was the goaltender of the future for the Atlanta Thrashers organization...or so we thought.

Lehtonen’s only good season was the 2006-07 campaign, in which the Thrashers made their only playoff berth where they were swept by the New York Rangers.  His inconsistency and his high GAA led to the February 2010 trade that sent him to the Dallas Stars.

It’s hard to pinpoint who the worst goalie in franchise history was, considering how much they failed and how often, but Lehtonen was bad, and he did it while still having hope that one day he could blossom into a respectable starter.  He did, just not in Atlanta...sorry...Winnipeg.

Detroit Red Wings

Tim Cheveldae

Years with Team: Six
Worst Season: (1990-91): 65 GP, 30-26-5, 3.55 GAA

The powerful Detroit squad had an Achilles heel in the early '90s and that was goaltending, so don’t let the above record fool you.  When you have a high-powered offense that consists of Steve Yzerman, Dino Ciccarelli and Sergei Federov, you will be getting the win on a regular basis without having to do much.

In this case, however, the goaltending was key in why Detroit couldn’t get into Cup contention.  If Tim Cheveldae could have shut down the opponents' offense and get his GAA down to under 3.00, we might have seen a Cup earlier, but alas, we didn’t, and we spent a while wondering if Yzerman was the problem (he wasn’t) and whether or not a trade would come forth.  It didn’t, and Mike Vernon and Chris Osgood took over the net and just like that, we saw a changing of the guard in Detroit, which led to the consecutive Stanley Cup Championships in 1997 and 1998.

Chicago Blackhawks

Harry Lumley

Years with Team: Two
Worst Season: (1950-51): 64 GP, 12-41-10, 3.90 GAA

When looking at the career of Harry Lumley, it’s easy to spot the speed bump that was his two years in Chicago.  While posting above .500 numbers in Detroit for the last five years, it was easy for Chicago fans to think that this might be the goalie to change their fortune and get another Stanley Cup. 

That was not meant to be as Lumley posted less wins in his two years than his final year with Detroit.  Here’s the kicker: Lumley left for Toronto and was back in his old rhythm, even winning the Vezina Trophy in 1954, a mere two seasons after his disastrous stay in the Windy City.

St. Louis Blues

Phil Myre

Years with Team: Two
Worst Season: (1978-79): 39 GP, 9-22-8, 4.33 GAA

It was the worst season in the history of the St. Louis Blues. 

Only 18 games won during the entire season, all of which were won by Phil Myre and Ed Staniowski.  Myre had a horrible two years with the Blues. Blame it on just not being a perfect match because he had a better record with Philadelphia in his following two seasons, but either way, the Blues need someone to blame for the worst record in franchise history. It may as well be the goalies, and Myre took the most heat in his entire stay, so it is his why he was the worst goalie in St. Louis Blues history.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Dave Sandford/Getty Images

Marc Denis

Years with Team: Five
Worst Season: (2005-06): 49 GP, 21-25-1, 3.25 GAA

Another case of an expansion team and a lack of chemistry.  Marc Denis played quite well as Patrick Roy’s backup in Colorado in 1999-2000, but when he was given the chance to be a starter, Denis didn’t really shine at all. 

He posted a 3.10 GAA or higher in four out of five seasons with the Blue Jackets, and that was including the years Rick Nash was beginning to light up the lamp on a daily basis.  It was simply not enough for Columbus as they failed to make the playoffs in each of those years, while they witnessed their expansion brethren Minnesota Wild advance to the Western Conference Finals in 2002-03.

Nashville Predators

Donald Miralle/Getty Images

Mike Dunham

Years with Team: Five
Worst Season: (1998-99): 44 GP, 16-23-3, 3.08 GAA

It may have been the first season in franchise history, but Mike Dunham couldn’t shut it down with the game on the line more often than not.  He split time with eventual starter Tomas Vokoun, but Dunham was supposed to prove that all those years with the Albany River Rats were worth something. 

He played a few more years with the Preds, with sub-par results, only managing to reach a .500 record in the 2000-01 season (21-21-4).  Again, not much to choose from, considering the lack of history, but when narrowing it down, Dunham has to bite the bullet on this one.

San Jose Sharks

Al Bello/Getty Images

Arturs Irbe

Years with Team: Five
Worst Season: (1992-93): 36 GP, 7-26-0, 4.11 GAA

It’s hard to call “The Wall” the worst goalie in franchise history, but the fact is, there isn’t much history to be told for the San Jose Sharks.  Irbe had his triumphs in the Shark Tank, but it is safe to say that the big year the Sharks enjoyed in 1993-94 will overshadow anything else Irbe did in that city.  Of course, I’m not like other people, so pointing out the flaws that were every other season Irbe was in San Jose and there you have it, the worst goalie in San Jose franchise history.

Anaheim Ducks

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Guy Hebert

Years with Team: Eight
Worst Season: (2000-01): 41 GP, 12-23-4, 3.12 GAA*

Hebert was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was taken second overall in the expansion draft for the new Anaheim and Ottawa franchises.  He played valiantly for a number of years, but he couldn’t backstop the Ducks to anything more than a playoff quarter-final series win in 1997.  His job was taken by J.S. Giguere, and the Ducks haven’t really had a goaltending issue since then.

* - lists Anaheim totals; was put on waivers and claimed by NY Rangers mid-season

Los Angeles Kings

Gary Laskoski

Years with Team: Two
Worst Season: (1982-83): 46 GP, 15-20-4, 4.56 GAA

If any starting goalie is caught with this high of a GAA, it’s back to the AHL or some serious benching.  Gary Laskoski had his chance to be an NHL starter and he blew it.  There really is no other way to describe how unacceptable this kind of stat is to an NHL franchise.  He would retire after a stint in the AHL and 13 more games with the Kings in 1984, where he posted a 4.96 GAA and a 4-7-1 record.

Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes

Bob Essensa

Years with Team: Six
Worst Season: (1993-94): 56 GP, 19-30-6, 3.85 GAA*

Bob Essensa struggled throughout his years in the Manitoba capital.  Quite simply, he wasn’t able to make up for the hype he had coming in after some great years with Michigan State.  His lowest GAA while with the Jets was 2.88, and that was in 1991-92.  He has passed on his knowledge well, becoming the goalie coach for the 2011 Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins, but that doesn’t take away the fact that his playing career wasn’t all that spectacular.

* - lists Winnipeg totals; was traded to Detroit on March 8, 1994

Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars

Don Beaupre

Years with Team: Nine
Worst Season: (1987-88): 43 GP, 10-22-3, 4.22 GAA

Don Beaupre wasn’t always terrible.  After all, he did get to the Stanley Cup Final in his first season with the club.  However, it was all downhill from there.  There wasn’t much for him to cheer about until he was traded to the Washington Capitals in 1989. 

His numbers while he was a North Star were terrible when you look back on them, and he would go on to post some more respectable numbers while in Washington. However, that won’t change the fact that Don Beaupre was the worst goalie in North Star history, as Dallas has had some solid goaltending since the team moved to Texas.

Atlanta Flames/Calgary Flames

Barry Gossage/Getty Images

Roman Turek

Years with Team: Three
Worst Season: (2002-03): 65 GP, 27-29-9, 2.57 GAA

That isn’t too bad of a stat for the worst goalie in franchise history, but when you consider what Miikka Kiprusoff has done with a similar team, it showed just how awful Roman Turek was for the team.  He became the backup for Kipper in 2004 and then signed in the Czech Republic to finish out his career.  It just goes to show that a tweak between the pipes could have been the difference between another abysmal first-round playoff loss and one win away from a Stanley Cup.

Edmonton Oilers

Nikolai Khabibulin

Years with Team: Two
Worst Season: (2010-11): 47 GP, 10-32-4, 3.40 GAA

Say no more than the video and the impending consecutive first overall drat selections and you can make a huge case for Khabibulin to be the worst goalie in the history of the Edmonton Oilers.  Don’t expect him to be starting the 2011-12 season as Devan Dubnyk looks to solidify his claim to the starting role.

Vancouver Canucks

Cesare Maniago

Years with Team: Two
Worst Year: (1977-78): 46 GP, 10-24-8, 4.02 GAA

Cesare Maniago had a good career with the Minnesota North Stars, but when he decided to finish his career in Vancouver, it spelled trouble. 

He wasn’t exactly stellar for the Canucks as they were coming off of their second playoff berth the season before.  What made it worse was the fact that they missed the playoffs in both the years that Maniago played for them.  The nail in the coffin was that once he left, the Canucks didn’t miss the playoffs until the 1984-85 season, and that included a berth in the Stanley Cup Final in 1982.  Maniago played just as well as he did in Minnesota, unfortunately, that wasn’t good enough to keep him off this list.

Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche

Ron Tugnutt

Years with Team: Five
Worst Season: (1990-91): 56 GP, 12-29-10, 4.05 GAA

It was merely a stint that proved Ron Tugnutt’s worth to the rest of the league, but when the team plays that bad in front of you and your GAA is that high, you are no different.  The goalie is supposed to be the last line of defense but here, Tugnutt gets my nod for worst goaltender in the history of the Quebec/Colorado franchise. This is based on how 1990-91 still counts as a season that Tugnutt was the leader in net, and the rule at the beginning is, “the worst starting goalie” that held the role for at least a season.

Minnesota Wild

Tim Smith/Getty Images

Manny Fernandez

Years with Team: Six
Worst Season: (2001-02): 44 GP, 12-24-5, 3.05 GAA

You can’t fault Manny Fernandez here. He had a new expansion team in front of him for the first couple of years, and the Wild haven’t really looked shaky since their run to the Western Conference Finals in 2003.
Fernandez was a good starter between the pipes for the Wild, but unfortunately, in a statistical duel with the other starters, Fernandez loses.

What do you think?

 

Mark Pare is Featured Columnist. You can follow him on   Twitter and don't forget to check out his sportswriter page.