Between 1990 and 2003, 32 of the 99 goaltenders selected in the first three rounds of the NHL Entry Draft were Quebecers. We immediately can think of: Jean-Sebastien Giguère, Martin Brodeur, Marc-Andre Fleury, Roberto Luongo, and Jose Theodore. Before the National League's masked stars hailed from Europe, such as: Vasilevsky, Ullmark, Shesterkin, Sorokin and Bobrovsky, Quebec was a first-class school for Bettman's circuit goaltenders.
Little by little, the Quebec goalkeepers named above retired – like Patrick Roy who perfected the butterfly style that is now adopted by the vast majority of goalkeepers. Gradually, European goalkeepers began to gain attention.
Today, only one worthy descendant remains from that line of goaltenders who rewrote the National League's record books:
Marc-Andre Fleury
This season with the Minnesota Wild, he posted a record of 24 wins and 16 losses, with a 2.85 goals-against-average and a .908 save percentage. His consistency, his determination, his motivation and his energy – which are praised by both his teammates and his general manager, Bill Guerin – are even more impressive when we realize that at the age of 38, he continues to rack up victories and points in the standings.
It's not that old?
Let me give you a little stat that illustrates perfectly of the achievement he is repeating on a regular basis. This season, the average age of all active players across the Bettman Circuit is 27 years old. He is among the oldest players in the League after: Craig Anderson of the Buffalo Sabres (41), Mike Smith of the Edmonton Oilers (40) and Mark Giordano of the Toronto Maple Leafs (39).
However, what is even more astonishing than the success he still enjoys year after year is that he is approaching with dizzying speed an impressive record close to the number of victories obtained by the great Patrick Roy.
During his long career, Roy, or Casseau as he called himself, achieved 551 victories. Marc-André Fleury currently has 544.
And the counter is still ticking...
You know who holds the all-time record for the number of wins achieved by a goalkeeper? Another goaltender from Quebec, Canada: Martin Brodeur, who amassed 691 wins. Patrick Roy is in second place with 551. Marc-Andre Fleury is in third with 544. Do you know who is in fourth? Yet another goalkeeper from Quebec: Roberto Luongo, with 489.
Not so long ago, just a few years ago, the greatest goalkeepers in this sport came from the province of Quebec. Now, prodigies are coming from everywhere, and they are all in search of victories and breaking records. Will the records written by the heirs of a long dynasty of goalkeepers be broken? It's like asking if Alex Ovechkin will beat the goalscoring record belonging for more than twenty years to the great Wayne Gretzky...
I don't know, but I can't wait to see what happens next. How about you? - David Leboeuf
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