Manny Legace has been the Red Wings trusted back-up goaltender for 5 seasons. He has often been labeled the “best back-up in the league”. In 2003-2004, Legace ran into adversity. He was faced with the prospect of playing 3rd fiddle to Dominic Hasek and Curtis Joseph. This logjam of goaltending talent left Legace expecting to spend most of the season in Grand Rapids with the Griffins, the Wings’ minor league affiliate. There was even considerable trade talk at the time. What happened was a strange twist of fate. Cujo and Hasek were both plagued with injuries. Legace played in a career high 41 games. He started the first four playoff games, and was replaced by Cujo for the remainder of the playoffs, by then Head Coach Dave Lewis. During the lockout, Legace hired a personal trainer, and is now in the best shape of his career, stating that he has lost close to 30 pounds. The lockout also brought back Chris Osgood, who won a cup with Detroit earlier in his career. Osgood and Legace are close friends, and were preparing to face the season as a steady tandem. New Coach Mike Babcock however, prefers to stick with one goalie, and use the second only to rest his primary goaltender. A groin injury to Osgood, found him rehabbing with the Wings’ AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, and Legace as the number one goaltender. Osgood is now back with the team, however Legace has looked sharp, logging a 9-1 record (as of 10/27/05) with two shutouts, and Babcock considers him the #1. An interesting side note: Legace has the best record of any goalie in the league right now, and one more win in October would set a new record for wins by any netminder in that month.
