Chris Osgood

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Chris Osgood bigraphy, stories - Canadian ice hockey player

Chris Osgood : biography

26 November 1972 –

Christopher John Osgood (born November 26, 1972) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. He’s currently ranked tenth in wins in NHL regular season history with 401 career wins. He spent the first part of his 17-year NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings, then the New York Islanders and the St. Louis Blues before returning to Detroit in 2005. He won three Stanley Cup championships in his career, all with the Red Wings, with two of them coming while he was starting goaltender. He was known in Detroit by his nicknames "Ozzie," chanted by the crowd after a big save, and "The Wizard of Oz."http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2007/12/osgoods_helmets_a_chip_off_the.html

He was the last NHL goalie to wear a traditional player’s helmet/cage combo instead of the newer one piece goalie mask as he was grandfathered by the NHL,http://ingoalmag.com/interviews/ask-a-pro-with-chris-osgood/http://msn.foxsports.com/nhl/story/9467692/Seasoned-goalies-get-better-of-young-counterparts until Rick DiPietro briefly wore one in 2011 with a cage that Osgood actually used to wear, after DiPietro was injured in a fight with Brent Johnson.http://ingoalmag.com/news/islanders-dipietro-dons-osgoods-old-mask-to-protect-shattered-face He is also one of only ten goaltenders in NHL history to have scored a goal, and one of only five to have scored by shooting the puck directly into the opponent’s net (not an "own goal"), on March 6, 1996 vs. the Hartford Whalers.

Awards and achievements

  • Member of the Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings – 1997, 1998, 2008 (starting goaltender in 1998 and 2008)
  • 2 time winner of the William M. Jennings Trophy (shared with Mike Vernon – 1996), (shared with Dominik Hasek – 2008)
  • Is currently 10th all-time in wins by an NHL goaltender
  • Played in
    • 1996 NHL All-Star Game
    • 2008 NHL All-Star Game (Named starter by Red Wings and Western Conference head coach Mike Babcock)
  • Named to the 1997 NHL All-Star Game but was unable to attend because of an injury.
  • Named to NHL Second All-Star Team after 1995–96 season
  • Named to WHL East Second All-Star Team after 1990–91 season
  • Led NHL in GAA in 2008 (regular season 2.09 & playoffs 1.55)
  • Led NHL in Wins in 1996
  • Scored a goal vs. Hartford Whalers, March 6, 1996.
  • First goaltender since Terry Sawchuk to win Stanley Cups ten years or more apart as a starter (Sawchuk in 1955 and 1967)
  • Became only the 10th goaltender in NHL history to achieve 400 wins on Dec 27th 2010 in a 4–3 overtime win against the Colorado Avalanche
  • 4th all time NHL leader in win percentage (53.9%)
  • 7th best Goals Against Average (career) of all time (2.49)

Pregame rituals

Before each Red Wings game broadcast on FS Detroit, Osgood would do some stretches behind play by play announcer Ken Daniels, as Daniels was doing either pregame commentary or player interviews for the Red Wings Live pregame.

Notes

Playing career

Chris Osgood was drafted 54th overall by the Red Wings in the 3rd round of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft and made his debut during the 1993–1994 season.

Rookie year

Osgood became the fourth goaltender to man the crease for Detroit that season alongside Tim Cheveldae, Vincent Riendeau, and Peter Ing. Cheveldae, the team’s primary starter and a former All-Star, along with Dallas Drake, was traded to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for veteran goaltender Bob Essensa and defenceman Sergei Bautin. Essensa did not have a strong showing in a 13-game stint at the end of the regular season, and Osgood was named the primary goaltender for the playoffs. The heavily favored Red Wings were defeated in seven games by the San Jose Sharks. The most memorable scene of the series occurred in the deciding game. With the game tied 3–3 late in the third period, Osgood went to clear a puck around the boards, but it landed on Sharks forward Jamie Baker’s stick who then scored the winning goal. Overtaken by remorse at his untimely mistake, the young goaltender wept at his stall following the game.