The West and The East Have Their Men: Who's Your Money (goalie) On??

Your Crowd Coach is back again, to not only test out the new BleacherReport article format, but with a real pressing question that deserves a look: The tenders are here. But which one is deserving of their opportunity??

In Montreal, the Habs had a magical ride to the East final, and then rewarded the man who got them there by trading him away. Jaroslav Halak lands in St. Louis, with a few good years as a back-up followed by the strong playoff, and the year before, Halak also supplanted new incumbent Carey Price. Today, to put the minds of Canadiens fans at ease just a little, GM Pierre Gauthier finally signed his RFA Price to a two year deal. Some are still angry at him, some are just relieved to have a no. 1. Let's not forget, Price and Halak weren't the only goalies who were moved around the depth chart. Another prospect, Cedric Desjardins, was also sent packing in August. So, now the goalie situation is set. With the Habs not going through many changes aside from goaltending, optimistic fans are predicting Price to step up and lead the Habs like he should have done since being picked 5th overall in his draft year. Time and time again, Price has been given the reins, and not looked comfortable with them in hockey mad Montreal. This being his last chance in all likelihood, I'm inclined to agree. I'm not a fan of the Habs, and was laughing at the perceived stupidity earlier this summer when Halak was traded. The truth is, a great goalie can win it all for his team, all he needs is a good offence and a responsible defence in front of him. Does Montreal have this, or was this year just a case of the team wildly overacheiving?? Right now, I'd say the latter. Which means, it's up to Price to live up to his expectations TODAY, not tomorrow. Whether he steps up, or asked once again to step down (their current backup is journeyman Alex Auld) will go a long way to determining if it was a stroke of genius or insanity that led Gauthier to pick the cheaper option instead of the one who proved he deserved the raise that Montreal could not give to both of their goalies. In the northeast, this storyline, accompanied with others such as Boston's epic collapse and Buffalo's 40th anniversary make the new season look even more intriguing.

Two goalies will be scrutinized in the West, likely getting the chance to go head to head a few times this season. San Jose let Evgeni Nabokov go, but got lucky when cash-strapped Chicago were forced to do the same with playoff hero Antti Niemi. Or did they??

Looking at my title, some new fans may be confused by the "money goalie" thing. For those who are, the short definition is a goalie who has proven over multiple years to be a great pressure player in the playoffs. Nabokov may have had this distinction in the regular season, but so did Ed Belfour-until he finally did it in Dallas. Patrick Roy is arguably the greatest money goalie of our generation, having won four Cups and consistently found himself in the 2nd or 3rd round of the playoffs in years he couldn't take his team all the way. His numbers are impressive in both seasons, which is why it took no time at all to name him a Hall of Famer.

Now we look at two very different goaltenders, in terms of their careers and successes. Chicago's new number one is veteran Marty Turco. The Sharks now own young gun Niemi as their top puck-stopper. The two teams are in different divisions, but that won't stop them from meeting up at least a few times this year. The debate is, who really deserves the most attention when it comes to his team's fortunes in 2010-11?? Turco has been a member of the Dallas Stars for years, and while he has had some great regular season stats and saves, his playoff success has been so very limited...could it be the team in front of him or is it that he's not a money goalie when the real season begins?? The Hawks are hoping that his experience in the playoffs is what shines through as they begin the perilous climb to a second Cup championship. Some may forget that just a few short years ago, Turco only lasted one round against Vancouver-he stonewalled them expertly, but Dallas couldn't score enough. The Canucks survived, and moved on. Turco never lost his lead of the GAA and Save percentage throughout the entire playoff year. So, once again I have to ask, who was at fault, team or Turco??

Looking at San Jose, Antti Niemi is barely a sophomore, and really was in the right place at the right time in Chicago. The Hawks got experience last year and this year, dumped everyone when it mattered, including the San Jose Sharks-in fact, they swept them out of the West final. So, with the new piece of Niemi assuming Nabby's old role, would the same thing happen?? If I were to be put on the spot I'd say San Jose doesn't have the right pieces on their team to win a Stanley Cup. Of course, not many believed Niemi was the only piece Chicago needed on most nights. He proved them wrong, won a Cup...and now finds himself in a similar situation as Halak...a superb accounting of himself, only to be moved over money to a brand new team. Like Halak, he was given a chance, and the fire didn't burn him in the least. Like Halak, this season will be one where he must prove himself even more than he did the season prior.

So who gets the nod...the inexperience with a Stanley Cup or the experience with none??

The most important quality that defines a money goalie is having a championship with your name on it. But it takes years for most of these meant to prove they are MG's. Niemi could be the exception-or he could be the man who is comparable to Jim Carey in a decade. The fact that most of you will think I'm misspelling the name of the comedian should tell you it's something he doesn't want to be.

Oh, is 2010-11 ever shaping up to be an intriguing year for the man behind the mask.

Till next time,

this is your Crowd Coach, signing off.