How Hasek and Vernon Taught Me to Relax

Chris Osgood’s career seems like it was precision-calibrated to drive debate.

Fifteenth all-time in regular season wins, ninth all-time in playoff wins. A frequent platoon goaltender who nonetheless has three Stanley Cup Rings, two as a starter. A goalie who benefited from being on some of the greatest modern teams ever assembled in Detroit, but whose teammates benefitted from his relentless drive to learn and improve.

The Chris Osgood Hall-of-Fame debate is a topic for another time. But by any measure, his 744 NHL games were extraordinarily successful. What stood out in this interview from Episode 40 of the InGoal Radio Podcast in 2019 was how often the word “fortunate” came up in connection with the goalies and coaches who shaped his journey. Think about your coaches and goalie partners. If a goalie of Osgood’s calibre can learn from the people around him, so can you.