One Osgood, Three Cups: The Hall Can't Ignore Chris Osgood's Playoff Resume Forever

With 401 wins, three Stanley Cups and postseason numbers that stack up with Hall of Fame goaltenders, Osgood's case for induction is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

Detroit Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Remember the scene in the 1983 comedy Trading Places when Dan Aykroyd is standing outside the fancy restaurant in the rain while he's watching Eddie Murphy laughing it up with members of Aykroyd's previous employer?

That's been Chris Osgood, who has been eligible for the Hall of Fame since 2014. Yet the goalie with 401 career wins and three Stanley Cups is still on the outside looking in when it comes to induction. Osgood was good, but the Detroit Red Wings were great. What if the numbers, when the games mattered most, tell a different story?

The Resume

744 regular season games, 401 wins, 50 shutouts, a 2.49 GAA, a .905 save percentage, and oh, did I mention three Stanley Cups? As impressive as Osgood's regular season resume is, his strongest argument for Toronto was built after the regular season ended.

In the postseason, Osgood played in 129 games, won 74 and lost 49, posted a 2.09 GAA, a .916 SV%, and 15 shutouts. In other words, Osgood's numbers got better when the stakes got higher.

"But Look Who He Played Behind"

Detroit Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It didn't hurt that Osgood played behind Lidstrom, Yzerman, Fedorov, Shanahan, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, the Russian Five, etc. About the only Red Wings superstar he didn't play behind was Gordie Howe.

Those Detroit teams were more loaded than a downtown office elevator at lunchtime. Throughout history, great teams have almost always surrounded championship goaltenders.

But playing for a dynasty doesn't automatically make someone a Hall of Famer, nor should it disqualify him. The Red Wings didn't simply carry Osgood to three rings. He was the primary playoff starter for two championship teams, a decade apart.

Put Him Next to the Immortals

If Osgood was merely an average goalie fortunate enough to play for Detroit, why do his postseason numbers fit so comfortably alongside elite Hall of Famers? Patrick Roy has four Cups, Martin Brodeur has three, Dominik Hasek has two, and Ed Belfour has one. All of the aforementioned are in the Hall of Fame.

Goalie	GP	Wins	GAA	SV%	SO
Chris Osgood	129	74	2.09	.916	15
Patrick Roy	247	151	2.30	.918	23
Martin Brodeur	205	113	2.02	.919	24
Dominik Hasek	119	65	2.02	.925	14
Ed Belfour	161	88	2.17	.920	14

Let's take a look at another level of goaltenders in the Hall whose playoff numbers are comparable and not as strong as, Osgood's. Grant Fuhr won four Cups, while Tom Barrasso and Mike Vernon won two each.

Goalie	GP	Wins	GAA	SV%	SO
Chris Osgood	129	74	2.09	.916	15
Grant Fuhr	150	92	2.94	.898	6
Tom Barrasso	119	61	3.01	.902	6
Mike Vernon	138	77	2.68	.896	6

Osgood went 16-6 with a .918 save percentage and a 2.12 GAA during Detroit's 1998 championship run. That was his first Cup as a primary starter. He was the backup to Vernon the year before, when the Wings defeated the Philadelphia Flyers for their first Cup in 42 years.

A decade later, he did it again. The Red Wings entered 2008 with Dominik Hasek at the helm. Hasek had already won a Cup of his own in 2002 when he had his first stint with the Red Wings. When he faltered, Osgood took over and led the Wings to another Cup. His postseason numbers were ridiculous. 19 games played, a 14-4 record, a 1.55 GAA, a .930 SV%, and three shutouts. And he was 35. Ten years later, a completely different Wings team turned to Osgood and got the same result.

A year later, Detroit was in the Stanley Cup Final again; only this time, they succumbed to the very same Pittsburgh Penguins, whom they had defeated the season before. Osgood was once again at his very best in the 2009 postseason, as he played 23 games, went 15-8 with a 2.01 GAA, a .926 SV% and two shutouts. In the Cup Final, he posted a 1.87 GAA and a .930 SV%.

He didn't win a Vezina Trophy. There is no Conn Smythe Trophy in his display case. So what. The Hall of Fame isn't limited to players who won individual hardware and were once the undisputed best at their position. Former Wing Curtis Joseph is another Hall of Fame candidate who can attest to that. If that were the standard, the Hall would be just that. A hall. And a very small one.

There are plenty of ways to explain away a goaltender's success. Great defense. Great teammates. Puck luck. But shutting out playoff opponents 15 times is harder to dismiss. He wasn't Roy. He wasn't Hasek. He wasn't Brodeur. But after all these years, perhaps that's been the wrong standard.

Chris Osgood will never be among the names that are brought up when you talk about elite goaltenders. But his numbers suggest he should be in the same Hall of Fame where the elite reside. He's waited long enough. It's time to induct Osgood and his three Cups.