I think that is hogwash. A goalie can win a lot of games for you. A forward really only produces like that every second or third night.

If there is one position that can take a poor team to the Cup Finals, it is goaltender.

Until the Wings figure that out, they are going to continue coming up short.

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Momma was queen of the mambo, Poppa was king of the congo, deep down in the jungle, I start banging my first bongo
Every monkey like to be, in my place instead of me, cause I'm the king of bongo baby, I'm the king of bongo bong
-Manu Chao

Well Roscoe, the Wings have figured that out.

Remember when they got Mike Vernon (a proven cup winning goalie) and won their 1st cup in the modern era?

And then let his promising back-up Osgood lead them to the 2nd of back to backs?

Then, a few years later, they got Hasek the legend and won another one?

Then they tried it with CuJo (a very respected goaltender), and fell short?

Then they tried it with Cujo, Hasek, and Legace (the best back-up in the league), and fell short?

Then they used Legace (who was the better of the 3 the previous year, and had their hands tied by a salary cap imposed by teams that couldn't manage their own finances) and he was among the leaders in GAA in the regular season, and fell short?

So I honestly don't think that bringing in another unproven goaltender is going to do much good. And by unproven I mean the guy has never played in an NHL playoff game in his life.

Also, the other news about Luongo is that he has only won 115 games in 5 seasons in the league. 115 for 341. And you could say he was on a bad team, but remember "If there is one position that can take a poor team to the cup finals, it's goaltender."

I don't know what started all of this hype about Luongo in the first place, but people need to chill the heck out.

And secondly, there are a lot of good goalies that are UFA's this offseason, so why should we be forced to pay some unproven goalie his "pre-salary cap" value?

And not to mention, Vancouver the team that likes to come in 2nd place. just made a whopper of a trade to get him:

From the Freep:

The Panthers got forward Todd Bertuzzi, defenseman Bryan Allen and goaltender Alexander Auld from the Canucks for Luongo and defenseman Lukas Krajicek.

In my opinion, Vancouver paid way too much. More than I would have been happy seeing the Wings give up. I'm not saying we don't need to sign a decent goalie, but what I am saying is that all of the hype around Luongo was kind of, well, puzzling. He may turn out to have a solid career, but I don't think he's worth giving up a "franchise" type player for.

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IF Vancouver sails by us in the playoffs, I will respectfully NOT reference this thread.

Those Florida teams Loungo played for were absolutely HORRIBLE. SUB POOR.

Oh well, maybe we'll get Belfour.

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Momma was queen of the mambo, Poppa was king of the congo, deep down in the jungle, I start banging my first bongo
Every monkey like to be, in my place instead of me, cause I'm the king of bongo baby, I'm the king of bongo bong
-Manu Chao

Oh My God!

Don't even say that.

Belfour?

The guy has a summer home in the next town over from me, and from what I've heard, he's a complete jerk. Not to mention that he's been overrated his entire career.

Here is the list of other guys they could trade for (from the DetNews).

Jean-Sebastien Giguere of Anaheim, Marc Denis of Columbus, Martin Biron of Buffalo and Andrew Raycroft of Boston are available and would demand less in return than Luongo. They also would be less of a financial burden.

And the list of free agents (as of July 1st).

Martin Gerber, Cristobel Huet and Ed Belfour will become unrestricted free agents July 1.

I personally like Giguere, Denis, and Gerber.

Relax Roscoe, the sky isn't falling. The Wings will do something. And look on the bright side, maybe they will have so much money tied up in goaltending that they won't be able to resign Shanny (and then I can continue watching them play).

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We'll see. There is a reason why Luongo went so high, and the Red Wings are stupid accumulating skilled forwards with no one to backstop them.

Who is the #1? Howard? Osgood?

Now they will have to spend money anyways on someone who may or may not be a clear upgrade over Legace.

I know you like Dats, but I would even give up Zetts for a bonafide goaltender. They are a more rare commodity than forwards. Let's face it, there are no future Gretzky's on this squad right now.

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Momma was queen of the mambo, Poppa was king of the congo, deep down in the jungle, I start banging my first bongo
Every monkey like to be, in my place instead of me, cause I'm the king of bongo baby, I'm the king of bongo bong
-Manu Chao

The Wings have stated since the playofss ended that they need to sign a veteran goaltender. That is one of their top priorities.

And if you read the article, I don't think Zetts would have been enough. Did you see what Vancouver gave up to get him?

And I have said myself that we need to bring in a new goalie. No one is saying the Wings don't need a verteran goaltender. But what I was saying that I don't know why so many teams we trying to win the services of a completely unproven goaltender.

Remember when Hasek got the Sabres into the playoffs year after year, even though the team sucked? Was this the first time they made the playoffs since he left?

How'd Montreal do without Roy?

How's Jersey gonna do when Brodour leaves?

I agree that you can't win a cup on the forwards alone, but this team is built that way. Get a solid (not incredible) goalie, and a decent defense, and some flashy forwards and... POOF!... Stanley Cup. I mean, 3 times in 9 or 10 years? It's not exactly like they've been struggling for ever.

And I'm kind of glad there is not another Gretzky anywhere in the league, I'd be throwing up in my mouth everytime I heard his name.

Hey, go easy Star. Its only been 11 years, it still hurts.

Talk about hitting a guy while he's down!

Raycroft was just traded to Toronto, so he's out.

Belfour is about 100 years old and has a bad back... so, seeing as the WINGS are the reason Roy demanded a trade out of Montreal, I hope you get him!

Luongo is for real. That guy has faced more shots than any other goalie since he's entered the league, yet he still has excellent numbers. He's the kind of goalie that can steal games for you.

The Canucks did give up a lot, but you can't lose if you don't give up any goals. Bert hasn't been the same since his suspension and they still have an excellent offence. The canucks have been searching for an elite goalie for years, now they have him. I love this move for Vancouver.

Me too. For the regular season, you can build at center ice, but if you want playoff success, it all starts in the net and at the blueline.

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Momma was queen of the mambo, Poppa was king of the congo, deep down in the jungle, I start banging my first bongo
Every monkey like to be, in my place instead of me, cause I'm the king of bongo baby, I'm the king of bongo bong
-Manu Chao