Dear Ozzie:
Just because we all knew this day would come as we watched Malts hang 'em up and worried while you fought off groin injury after groin injury, doesn’t make the announcement of your retirement any easier for true Detroit Red Wing Fans.
When I heard the news, the first thing I thought of was one of your first Stanley Cup speeches, where you simply and humbly thanked all of us, the 1,000,000 fans crammed into Hart Plaza, the fans across the state, country, all of Metro Detroit.
Thanked us.
As if we had given you even a modicum of what you gave us or the Red Wing Organization. Its absurd really, when we have so much to thank you for, so much we need to tell the greatest goaltender to wear the Winged Wheel and a mask, one of the greatest goaltenders to stop a puck (that’s you, FYI). yea I said it. See, I can concede that Terry Sawchuk was also the greatest goaltender to wear the Winged Wheel- the greatest goaltender to wear the Winged Wheel without a mask. But this isn't about TS, let it go.
Oz, Detroit Red Wings fans everywhere owe you endless and overwhelming thanks for your 14+ years of unwavering loyalty, amazing talent, monstrous heart, never ending hard work, Stanley Cup gifts, clutch wins, reinventing your game, your wicked sense of humor, endless generosity, boundless grace, love and respect for the Detroit Red Wings organization and for us, the people of Metro Detroit, the Wings fans.
We will never forget or stop adoring the “rook” who wanted so badly to help the Detroit Red Wings and her fans bring a Cup back to Detroit after 35+ years, that he took his youthful mistake painfully to heart ; or the calm, steely yet humble record holding veteran who flawlessly executed in Red Wing Goal when so many others labeled “great” could not; or for bringing the Red Wing family its 9th, 10th and 11th Stanley Cups; or the sassy, generous, wizened mentor and (now) goaltending coach the Detroit Red Wing Organization knows it has been impossibly lucky to have within the fold, because Chris Osgood gives the Wings, and her fans everything.
The class and poise you have exhibited just by virtue of being the most absurdly and erroneously maligned goaltender in all of hockey makes you a bit of a saint, but having survived, achieved greatness and excellence for 14+ years as a Detroit Red Wing Goaltender makes you a legend and a superstar.
And all that time, you have humbly, continually and heart-fully expressed your overwhelming thanks to and appreciation for Red Wing Fans. Laughable, because the only people who should be bestowing thanks are Red Wing fans. We owe you a lifetime of gratitude and praise.
And so does all of hockey. For the record, there are gads of stellar stats and achievements tucked under your fight strap. Here is a list of some of your NHL goaltending achievements.
3 Stanley Cups (Only 6 goaltenders in history have more: Sawchuk, Plante, Dryden, Smith, Worsley and “Wah”).
401 Wins ranking you the 10th goalie to ever win that many games in the history of the league.
4th Best Win Percentage of all-time with a career WP of 53.9%, (Only Brodeur, Dryden, “Wah” and Plante have a better W%).
7th Best GAA of all-time with a career GAA 2.49 (amongst goalies playing more than 500 games, since statistic was first tracked)
4th Most playoff shutouts of all time with 15 (Only Brody, Cujo and “Wah” have more).
8th Winning-est playoff goaltender of all time with 74 playoff victories.
16st Best SV% of all-time at .905 (Amongst goalies playing more than 500 games, since statistic was tracked).
24th Most Shutouts of all-time with 50.
3 time All-Star.
2 time Jennings Winner.
One of only 8 NHL Goalies to score a goal, 1 of only 5 NHL Goalies to put the puck in the opposing team’s net.
Most Wins of Any Detroit Red Wing Goaltender (401). Only the Great Terry Sawchuk has more wins, played more games or has more shutouts wearing a winged wheel.
32 single season victories in 2000-2001 still ties the NYI franchise record.
15 years playing in net for a franchise that is historically known to be brutal on goaltenders (well, we did run Cujo out…).
Only the 4th Detroit Red Wing of the Wiley Kenotye Holland GM Era to be given the post UFA deadline opportunity to come back if he wanted. (Stevie Y, Sergei, Shanny being the others.)
Osgood? No. OsGREAT.
The heart of a lion made you impossible to beat in the net when it counted most. A strong left hook meant Patrick Roy would twice be called out as the sissy we knew him to be. The character, class and grace of a champion and the insight of an elder statesman make you one of the all time greats to ever wear a Winged Wheel. Heartbreakingly, a long battle with a recurring groin injury ultimately ends one of the most storied, least appreciated goaltending careers in all of hockey.
No, I take that back. You are appreciated. Your talent, contributions and generosity have been greater than almost any. You embody what it means to be a Detroit Red Wing as surly as Stevie Y., Nic Lids, Pavel, Igor, Hank, B-Raf, Malts, and Draper always will: Greatness, Excellence, Loyalty, Heart, Selflessness, Strength of Character, Leadership, Modesty and Drive.
So thank you, Chris Osgood for all you have given Detroit Red Wing Fans everywhere. We adore and appreciate you more than you can possibly know.
Sincerely,
Juice
Nobody Beats the Wiz
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