Chris Osgood
Chris Osgood
Main page
2108848

Chris Osgood

logo
Community Hub0 subscribers
What are your thoughts?
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Chris Osgood

Christopher John Osgood (born November 26, 1972) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently a Detroit Red Wings studio analyst and part-time color commentator for FanDuel Sports Network Detroit. He won three Stanley Cup championships in his career, all with the Red Wings, with his first as the backup goaltender in 1997, and his other two as the starting goaltender in 1998 and 2008. All together, he appeared in five Stanley Cup Finals during his career, again all with the Red Wings. Between the four Stanley Cups the Red Wings won between 1997 and 2008, Osgood only missed the 2002 Stanley Cup championship. He is currently ranked 13th in wins in NHL regular season history with 401.

Osgood spent the first part of his 17-year NHL career with the Red Wings, then the Islanders, and afterwards the St. Louis Blues before returning to Detroit in 2005 after the NHL lockout. Osgood was known in Detroit by his nicknames "Ozzy," chanted by the crowd after a big save, and "The Wizard of Oz."

He was the last NHL goalie to wear a traditional player's helmet/cage combo instead of the newer one piece goalie mask until Rick DiPietro briefly wore one of Osgood's in 2011, after he was injured in a fight with Brent Johnson. He is also one of only 17 goaltenders in NHL history to have scored a goal, and one of only nine to have scored by shooting the puck directly into the opponent's net (not an "own goal"), on March 6, 1996 versus the Hartford Whalers.

Chris Osgood was drafted 54th overall by the Red Wings in the third round of the 1991 NHL entry draft and made his debut during the 1993–94 season.

Osgood became the fourth goaltender to man the crease for Detroit that season alongside Tim Cheveldae, Vincent Riendeau, and Peter Ing. Cheveldae, the team's primary starter, and a former All-Star, along with Dallas Drake, was traded to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for veteran goaltender Bob Essensa and defenceman Sergei Bautin. Essensa did not have a strong showing in a 13-game stint at the end of the regular season, and Osgood was named the primary goaltender for the playoffs. The San Jose Sharks defeated the heavily favored Red Wings in seven games. The most memorable scene of the series occurred in the deciding game. With the game tied 2–2 late in the third period, Osgood went to clear a puck around the boards, but it landed on Sharks forward Jamie Baker's stick, who then scored the winning goal. Overtaken by remorse at his mistake, the young goaltender wept at his stall following the game.

Following the season, Detroit management felt the team needed a strong veteran goaltender with Stanley Cup playoff experience. In the summer of 1994, the Red Wings traded defenceman Steve Chiasson to the Calgary Flames for goaltender Mike Vernon, who had previously helped the Flames to the Stanley Cup title in 1989.

While the 1994–95 season started late due to a lockout, Osgood served as a backup goaltender for Mike Vernon for the season. The Wings reached the 1995 Stanley Cup Final that season, where they were swept in four games by the underdog New Jersey Devils. Osgood received significantly more playing time for the 1995–96 season, and he led the NHL with a 2.17 GAA and 39 wins. He also finished third in shutouts (5) and was a Vezina Trophy runner-up to Jim Carey. He was the Red Wings starting goaltender for the 1996 Stanley Cup playoffs, losing in game six of the Western Conference Final to the Colorado Avalanche. Osgood and Vernon shared the William M. Jennings Trophy as the goaltenders, allowing the fewest goals in the league. For his efforts, Osgood was selected for the NHL All-Star Game and was also named for the post-season NHL All-Star second team.

That season, he scored against the Hartford Whalers, becoming the second goaltender in NHL history to score a goal after Ron Hextall. Former Islanders goaltender Billy Smith was also credited with a goal as the player last touching the puck, but only Osgood and Hextall directly shot the puck in.

See all
User Avatar
No comments yet.