Contact | Home | Archive | AHL  | ECHL | About Us | Duck Calls | Quick Shots | Audio | Europe | Web Radio

Huet? Get real.
by Charles Smith
Hockeytalk.biz

OCTOBER 10, 2009 -- The new season has begun in earnest, and Stanley Cup predictions abound.

Cristobal Huet

You have undoubtedly read, watched, or listened to every possible theory as to why or why not Dany Heatley will be "the answer" in San Jose, and whether or not the acquisition of Chris Pronger can finally propel the Philadelphia Flyers past the mighty Pittsburgh Penguins in the East.

The Pens have knocked Philly out of the playoffs in each of the last two seasons while en route to the Cup finals. Can the Pens repeat as finalists or as champs?

Will a full season under coach John Tortorella and the addition of Marian Gaborik finally bring long-needed discipline and resolve to the underachieving, overpaid New York Rangers?

Has that loathsome predator known as Father Time begun his final assault on Nick Lidstrom and the rest of the core players of the Detroit Red Wings' dynasty, or can Detroit make one last run?

How will the loss of Saku Koivu affect the Montreal Canadiens? Can the addition of three hardworking "Smurfs" Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta, and Mike Cammalleri (Gomez is listed generously at 5'11", and Cammalleri a questionable 5'9") really return that franchise to its glory days?

Speaking of Koivu, can he and fellow Finn Teemu Selanne make beautiful music in southern California and return the Anaheim Ducks to Western Conference supremacy?

How about a Calgary Flames blueline which now features both Dion Phaneuf and Jay Bouwmeester?

I need not even speculate on these issues, as they all pale in comparison to one major off season blunder by another (used to be) legitimate Cup Contender.

The Chicago Blackhawks lost the 2009-2010 Stanley Cup in the off season, and no one seemed to notice.

While the entire hockey world was busy waxing nostalgic over the team's return to glory and going ga-ga over Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Kris Versteeg, Brian Campbell, etc., then becoming absolutely giddy when the team won the Marian Hossa sweepstakes, Hawks management was quietly blowing it all.

No, I am not speaking of the questionable firing of GM Dale Tallon who was the architect responsible for building this team (his firing by the way, just wreaks of a classic railroad job by the Bowman Mob, but that is another story and just pure speculation of course). When the team let goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin leave via free agency, along with him went all its hopes and dreams. Without the Bulin Wall, the Hawks playoff hopes will ultimately ride on the unstable shoulders of goaltender Cristobal Huet.

Huet never has been a clutch goaltender, and as recently as last season was replaced by Khabibulin for the playoffs due to Huet's inability to thrive under pressure. It matters not how much scoring punch a team may have, because when it comes to playoff hockey, no amount of offensive punch can overcome bad goaltending. Come to think of it, the signing of Huet did occur on the watch of former GM Dale Tallon, so perhaps the Bowman clan viewed it as an unforgivable sin.

If the goal is winning the Stanley Cup (not just making the playoffs), then the Hawks can already consider the mission a failure. It is rather puzzling as to why the team signed a mediocre talent like Huet to a long term, big money deal in the first place, and ultimately it will cost them a shot at the Cup. The Huet contract (4 years, $22.5 million in summer 2008) led to the release of Khabibulin, and Huet is now untradeable because what team on the planet would agree to pay over $5 million per season for a documented playoff choker who has never made it past the first round? Don't rack your brain, as that was of course, a purely rhetorical question.

I am sure there will be many a night when this talented young team will be pure magic, but I am talking big picture here. The Hawks, who last season looked like the most logical successor to the Red Wings’ throne, will be extremely lucky to make it past the second round of the playoffs, barring the acquisition of a true stud goaltender at the trade deadline.

In assessing the career of Mr. Huet, whose regular season goals-against average of 2.45 is superior to the 2.67 career regular season GAA of Khabibulin, as well as the 2.54 lifetime regular season GAA of retired goaltending legend Patrick Roy, I am moved to mention a quote often credited to the late great Mark Twain; "There are three kinds of lies - Lies, damned lies, and statistics." Am I being harsh? No, I am just keepin' it real.