March Madness bracket: Who’s the greatest NHL goalie of all time?

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 27: NHL Top 100 players Scott Niedermayer, Scott Stevens, Brian Leetch, Martin Brodeur, Dominik Hasek, Patrik Roy and Chris Chelios pose for a portrait at the Microsoft Theater as part of the 2017 NHL All-Star Weekend on January 27, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images) /

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MONTREAL, CANADA- CIRCA 1966: Terry Sawchuk #30 of the Toronto Maple Leafs follows the action Circa 1966 at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Denis Brodeur/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Toskala Champion vs. Red Light Champion

Two absolute legends start off the Final Four. It’s hard to judge goalies across eras, but goals allowed adjusted is a good start. Much like wRC+ and OPS+ in baseball, it’s judged on a scale where 100 is average. Anything below 100 is above average, anything above 100 is below average. Roy’s career goals allowed adjusted rating is 85. Sawchuk’s has not been calculated, but it’s probably not 85 considering how amazing that is. Once you factor in Roy’s influence, he wins this matchup to go to the finals. But who will he face?

McAuley Champion vs. Tsujimoto Champion

This one’s a very intriguing matchup. It features the two goalies defined by making teams much better than they were. Elite goaltenders mask their team’s flaws. Usually, this is a good thing. However, sometimes it’s a bad thing. These two are why. Maybe Hasek (with the Sabres) and King Henrik are too good at their job. Problems with the defense get ignored because they spoil their respective team. Both goalies led lesser teams to the Stanley Cup. Maybe if Lundqvist bolts for a team that doesn’t willingly give Dan Girardi first pairing minutes, his legacy will be bettter. It sure helped Hasek. But for now, The Dominator is still leagues above his opponent.

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