Why Is Chris Osgood the Rodney Dangerfield of the NHL?

Rodney Dangerfield may have been more right than he knew.

The comedian who made his career lamenting, "I get no respect" still seems under-appreciated five years after his death.

Great comics like George Carlin and Richard Pryor were active at the same time Dangerfield was, and their deaths have made them even more popular.

I've seen several posthumous tributes and specials dedicated to Pryor and Carlin, but for Rodney (whose real name is Jacob Cohen in case you care, and you probably don't), not so much.

Rodney Dangerfield was a very funny man.

Chris Osgood is a very good goalie.

So why does he "get no respect?"

My wife has to be the worst cook. In my house, we pray after we eat!

How is it that a goalie who has NEVER missed the playoffs (with three teams), won three Stanley Cups, and is the leader in playoff wins for the most successful American hockey club in history is ALWAYS considered his team's weakest link?

As the hockey media starts to pump out their '09-'10 predictions, you'll be hard-pressed to find one Detroit preview that doesn't knock Chris Osgood or peg him as the most likely reason for any failures Detroit might have.

This is nothing new.

Since he assumed regular duties in the NHL in 1993, Osgood has had no shortage of doubters.

From being too young, too inexperienced, too small, and my favorite, "too young-looking," Osgood's critics have considered him too something for 16 years, but never too good.

Yet he ranks 15th overall in league history with 389 wins.

It's lonely at the top, when there's nobody on the bottom!

"Yes," they say, "but he's played for really, really good teams. They could have won with anybody."

Really?

So, to be a great goaltender, you must have to win while playing for crappy teams, right?

Ergo, goalies like Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur plays(ed) for crappy teams.

Well, no, not really.

Roy won his first two Cups in Montreal with guys like Bob Gainey, Larry Robinson, Guy Carbonneau, and Chris Chelios as teammates.

He then won two more Cups in Colorado playing with Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, and Ray Bourque.

Pretty crappy teams, huh?

I grew up in a rough neighborhood. Teachers would get notes asking to excuse Johnny for 5-10 years!

"Well," they continue, "goaltending is really about numbers. Osgood's numbers aren't that good."

Hmm.

Well, he has a career goals against of 2.47 in the regular season and 2.09 in the playoffs.

Roy's career GAA is 2.54 during the season and 2.30 in the playoffs.

Osgood's career save percentage is .906 during the season and .919 in the playoffs.

Roy's is .910 during the season and .921 in the playoffs.

Before any Osgood haters reading this start harrumphing uncontrollably, let me clarify a few things.

First, Roy is a better goalie than Chris Osgood. 

This pains me to say, as I still despise this man. But hey, fair is fair, and you have to give credit to the man who redefined how a position was played and dominated the game for as long as he did.

Second, the reason I'm comparing these two is because for large parts of both men's careers, they played for the two best teams in the league at the time.

Third, Roy is the antithesis of Osgood.

Roy is what most people want to see in a goalie.

Flamboyant and cocky on the ice, hot-tempered, superstitious, and always willing to talk trash, Roy was your prototypical keeper.

Alternatively, you have Chris Osgood: calm and reserved on the ice, stoic, rational, and almost reluctant to say anything, even if it is to defend himself against his critics.

I'm so ugly, when I was born, the doctor slapped my mother!

Roy and Osgood are opposite ends of the goalie spectrum.

But both have (had) done little else but win.

Osgood may not be a loudmouth, may not taunt opposing players on the ice, and may not make those "Statue of Liberty" saves everyone likes so much, but Osgood wins hockey games.

What's more, he's proven he can do it despite being set up to fail.

Like in 1998.

Osgood had taken over from departed veteran Mike Vernon, who led the Wings to the Cup the year before. 

All eyes (most of them doubtful) were on Osgood, as repeating as Cup champs with another goalie seemed to be an impossible task.

In the Western Finals, Game Five against Dallas in Detroit, Osgood gets beat by a 70-footer from Jamie Langenbrunner.

Game tied, OT, Dallas wins, Detroit loses, Osgood's the goat.

Detroit fans do everything short of burn Ozzie in effigy that night. He was too young, too shaky, just not good enough to win the Cup.

Game Six, in Dallas, the weight of the world on Ozzie's shoulders, the Stars brimming with confidence, the sign "Endsville" now visible on Detroit's road to the Cup.

Ozzie stones the Stars. Wings win 2-0. A few weeks later, Osgood raises Lord Stanley over his head.

Like in 2008.

Detroit's starter, Dominik Hasek, is pulled in Game Four of the quarterfinals against Nashville. 

After Hasek has let in several soft goals throughout the first four games, Detroit coach Mike Babcock puts Ozzie in net with the expectation (as he admitted later) he'd "be fishing in about a week."

Osgood never looks back and goes on to win eight straight games on his way to a third Stanley Cup.

And like just last year.

A bad "Cup hangover" sees Osgood turn in the worst performance of his career during the regular season; he couldn't stop a beach ball on most nights.

Mike Babcock wrestles with who to start in net for Game One of the quarterfinals against the Blue Jackets, the struggling Ozzie or an unproven Ty Conklin.

He goes with Osgood, and he gets peppered by the young Blue Jackets, who own the first 10 minutes of the game.

The only player who shows up on time for Detroit is Chris Osgood, who turns away everything the Blue Jackets throw at him those first 10 minutes.

He goes on to lead his team to victory and ultimately within one game of repeating as champions.

Had Detroit won the Cup last year, Osgood certainly would have been the Conn Smythe winner.

One year they wanted to make me the poster boy for birth control.

Look, I've been a Detroit Red Wings fan for over 15 years, and Ozzie has let in some backbreaking goals.

But he's also made some amazing saves he had no business making and won games I was positive the Wings were destined to lose.

Chris Osgood is a great goalie the way Rodney Dangerfield was a great comedian.

Why both don't get more respect, I have no idea.

In case you were wondering, the one-liners I've thrown in here are all from Rodney Dangerfield.

This last one, though, is from Ozzie, and at this point, you should realize he's no joke.

I have the most playoff wins in franchise history for a reason. It's not because I'm a bad goalie.

No Chris; no you're not.