Ladies and gentleman, here on center ice is the three-ring circus.
Sigh. Who am I kidding? That's just the trio of Detroit Red Wings goaltenders - Dominik Hasek, Curtis Joseph and Manny Legace.
It's been the story since July 8, 2003, when Hasek officially unretired, checking Joseph out of the No. 1 job much like he did in an inline hockey incident two months prior.
Joseph, the $8 million man the Wings pried away from Toronto, his hometown team, was disregarded like the Spam my mom used to make.
Sorry, Cujo. Rejection sucks. The Wings didn't want you anymore.
Maybe none of the players or management said it in public, but the Wings were the defending champions before you came to town, and with you in net, Detroit got swept by a team from Anaheim (that's California! Hockey in southern Cal?!) The Detroit fans sure did blame him, though, but they always do since they're brutal - always looking to place blame on someone. Goaltenders and quarterbacks don't get much love here.
So, general manager Ken Holland worked to trade the 35-year-old. Training camp came and went; the trade deadline passed, and due to Hasek's unfortunate "injuries" throughout the season, Joseph is still here as the playoffs begin Wednesday.
But neither is expected to start, since Hasek has been out since Dec. 8 (groin) - and isn't coming back - and Joseph's been out since March 23, after spraining the right ankle he had surgery on before the season.
Still following me here? The Wings, therefore, have to rely on Legace on Wednesday.
Despite a 4-1 loss to Columbus on Saturday, Legace's record this season is 23-10-5, including back-to-back wins against conference rivals Colorado. So, the confidence from players and fans is there.
This poses a problem, however, since Joseph is close to returning. Legace hasn't started a playoff game in his career, but how can you throw in a goalie who's coming off an injury in the middle of the playoffs? You can't, no matter how much he says he's ready.
On the other hand, I'm not fully confident in Legace, either, and if he sputters, Joseph has to go in. No team in recent memory has won it all by starting two goalies in the playoffs - Nikolai Khabibulin and John Grahame for Tampa Bay in 2003, Arturs Irbe and Kevin Weekes for Carolina in 2002, Chris Osgood and Bill Ranford for Detroit in 2000, Ron Hextall and Garth Snow for Philadelphia in 1997.
So, either go with Legace all the way or put Joseph in the instant he's ready and hope he isn't rusty.
What a headache and what a luxury this has been for Detroit. You can't really blame management for resigning Hasek - an Olympic gold medalist, a two-time league MVP and a five-time winner of the Vezina as the league's top goalie. Letting him sign with another team could've come back to haunt them.
So, the merry-go-round of these netminders continues as teams prepare for their last hurrah, especially for clubs such as Detroit, Philadelphia, Colorado and Toronto - big-spending teams that might be hurt if a salary cap is set.
This should be an interesting playoff run, as it is every year.
Vancouver stumbled in light of Todd Bertuzzi's suspension, but since has captured the Northwest Division title, but how will the Canucks fare in the playoffs where a power forward such as Bertuzzi is an asset? Will Colorado still be dominant without future Hall of Fame goalie Patrick Roy? Can Boston finally win a first-round series? Is Calgary for real?
The ideal Stanley Cup matchup for us would be Detroit and Tampa. There'd be so many storylines if they met up - Mike Ilitch vs. Bill Davidson, Olympia Entertainment vs. Palace Sports & Entertainment, and essentially, Wings vs. Pistons. Much like in 2002, when Peter Karmanos' Compuware faced Mike Illitch's Little Caesars.
But whichever way the scenario turns out, expect Detroit's goaltending saga to be up at the top. Goaltenders don't have it easy in Detroit.
Esther Gim is a State News sports reporter. She's still sad she missed the parade in 2002. Reach her at gimesthe@msu.edu.
