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The decade's 10 best goaltenders

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At home in Prince Edward Island, Canada, he's known as Lyle Richardson. But around these parts, he's known as Spector, FOXSports.com's Prince of Pucks. Check in with Spector's NHL Blog on Yardbarker.com for NHL rumors and analysis.

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Updated Nov 12, 2009 1:37 PM ET
     
 
The National Hockey League has witnessed some tremendous performances by superstar goaltenders and rising stars. Here's a look at the decade's top 10 NHL netminders: 1. Martin Brodeur: It's been said New Jersey Devils GM Lou Lamoriello sleeps well at night knowing Brodeur is his starting goaltender. He has good reason, as no goalie has dominated this decade like Brodeur has while backstopping the Devils to three Stanley Cup Finals and winning two championships. The four-time winner of the Vezina Trophy was also named to the NHL's first all-star team three times and the second team twice, set the record for career and single-season victories and is poised to break the career shutout record. The accolades and statistics speak for themselves: Brodeur was the decade's top goaltender. 2. Roberto Luongo: He's considered by many observers as the best goaltender not to win the Vezina Trophy in this decade, being runner-up in 2004 and 2007 to Brodeur. "Bobby Lou" had the misfortune of playing five seasons for a moribund Florida Panthers, where he nevertheless posted save percentages consistently over .914 despite being among the league leaders in shots faced. He still holds the NHL record for shots faced (2,475) and and saved (2,303) in a single season (2003-04). He's recorded 30 or more victories (including 47 in 2006-07) four times, posted save percentages over .920 four times and rolled up five or more shutouts in seven of the last eight seasons, including nine in 2008-09. 3. Miikka Kiprusoff: The Calgary Flames have consistently been a playoff team since mid-decade in large part due to Kiprusoff's goaltending. He's been a workhorse for the Flames, playing in 74 or more games in each of the last four seasons, winning 40 or more games in three of those seasons and 39 in the other. "Kipper" was also largely responsible for the Flames' march to the 2004 Stanley Cup Final. His best season was 2005-06, winning the Vezina Trophy and making the NHL's first all-star team. His 1.69 goals-against average in 2003-04 remains a modern-day NHL record for lowest in a season. 4. J.S. Giguere: He's been struggling through injury and personal issues since last season but for most of this decade Giguere has ranked among the NHL's top goaltenders. He's posted save percentages over. 920 three times and won 30 or more games four times. His best performances however have come in the playoffs. In 2003, "Jiggy" won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP for backstopping an overmatched Ducks team to the Stanley Cup Final, and in 2007 he went 13-4 with a 1.97 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage in helping the Ducks win their first Cup championship. 5. Patrick Roy: He retired at 37 following the 2003 playoffs and most of his best years were in the '90s but from 2000 to 2003 Roy still weaved plenty of the magic which would make him a Hall of Famer. He won 32 or more games three times, including a 40-win performance in 2000-01 and twice posted save percentages over .920. "St. Patrick" also established records for career games played (1,029), career playoff wins (151) and combined regular-season and playoff victories (702). His most notable performance was in the 2001 playoffs, carrying the Colorado Avalanche to their second Stanley Cup championship and winning the Conn Smythe Trophy for an unprecedented third time. 6. Dominik Hasek: Most of Hasek's best seasons were in the 1990s but "The Dominator" was still capable of performing at a high level throughout most of this decade. He won 37 or more games three times, including 41 in 2000-01, and had four seasons with save percentages of.914 or higher. He won the last of his six Vezina Trophies in 2001 with the Buffalo Sabres, but it would be with the Detroit Red Wings the following year where he would win his first Stanley Cup, with a 16-7 record, a 1.85 goals-against average, .929 save percentage and six shutouts. Hasek retired for the second time in 2008, leading all NHL goalies with the highest career save percentage (.922). 7. Evgeni Nabokov: Since winning the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year in 2001, Nabokov has not only established himself among the league's top netminders but is also a key reason the San Jose Sharks have been a dominant regular-season team in the second half of this decade. He's won 31 or more games five times, including 46 victories in 2007-08 and 41 in 2008-09. He's also posted six or more shutouts six times, including nine in 2003-04. Nabokov was runner-up to Martin Brodeur for the Vezina Trophy in 2008 and was named to the NHL's 2008 first all-star team. 8. Cam Ward: The 25-year-old Ward is currently in his fifth NHL season but he's accomplished a lot in such a short period of time. He established himself as Carolina's goalie during the 2006 playoffs, backstopping the Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup championship and earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. He's won 30 or more games three times and during the 2009 playoffs his play carried the underdog 'Canes to the Eastern Conference Final with upset victories over heavily favored New Jersey and Boston, outdueling the Devils' Martin Brodeur and the Bruins' Tim Thomas. 9. Marc-Andre Fleury: Selected first overall in the 2003 NHL entry draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins, Fleury struggled in his early NHL seasons but since 2006-07 has established himself among the league's best. He had a 40-win performance in 2006-07 and 35 in 2008-09 but it's been in the playoffs over the past two years where he's been at his best. In the 2008 playoffs he posted a 14-6 record with a 1.97 goals-against average and a sparkling .933 save percentage while helping the Penguins march to the Stanley Cup Final, and in 2009 backstopped the Cup championship squad. 10. Tim Thomas: "The Tank" spent the first half of this decade bouncing between the AHL and Europe but by the end of this decade the Boston Bruins had a late-blooming star in the 35-year-old Thomas. His performance between the pipes played a huge part in the Bruins' emergence as a playoff team over the past two years. His unorthodox style won him 30 games in 2006-07 and 36 in 2008-09. Thomas' performance last season — leading the league in goals-against average (2.10) and save percentage (.933) — earned him the Vezina Trophy. He was named to the first all-star team for 2009.
Tagged: Evgeni Nabokov, Miikka Kiprusoff, Flames, Canucks, Red Wings, Marc-Andre Fleury, Ducks, Hurricanes, Panthers, Dominik Hasek, Devils, Roberto Luongo, Cam Ward, Penguins, Tim Thomas, Martin Brodeur, Avalanche, Bruins, Sharks

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