While I hate to bump down the wonderful picture of Slava scoring over the top of Lundqvist's arm and my lucky "Moose" socks, I can't help but post a new entry to demonstrate just how, dare I say, dominant Johan Hedberg has been so far this season. Check out these numbers and do revel in their elegance and beauty!
**Hedberg has started in 12 games for the Thrashers this season. His record thus far is a sparkling 9 - 3 - 0 <-- cuz' Moose is killer in the clutch (shoot-out)! Speaking of which, Moose is an amazing 15 - 3 lifetime since the addition of the shoot-out as a game-deciding mechanism...his save percentage? Just the highest of any goalie in history at 82.6%!! WOW!
**In those 12 games, Moose has faced a total of 383 shots for an average of 32.8 shots / game (adjusted for actual minutes played in games started).
**Moose has stopped 356 of those 383 shots for a sterling save percentage of .929 .
**Hedberg has made three other appearances in relief of a struggling Ondrej Pavelec. In those shortened appearances, Moose has stopped 28 of 29 shots for a save % of .965 . While only one of those games was close to winnable, it speaks to what kind of focus Johan maintains even coming in cold off the bench...a true professional and as reliable as they come when playing his best.
**So far, Moose has posted a superb Goals Against Average of 2.19 in the 15 games of action he has seen this year. In the games he has started, his GAA is even better at 2.11, which is quite jaw-dropping stuff considering he faces, on average, 4-5 more shots per game than most other elite goalies in the NHL.
**Taking that a step further, in his 9 wins this season, Moose's GAA is a very stingy 1.83. Other than the game he started against San Jose, in which he was admittedly dreadful, Hedberg has been excellent; giving his team a chance to win with a GAA of 2.05 in his other 11 starts this year.
**Moose are the largest "extant" species in the deer family. They are distinguished from other deer family members by their "palmate" antlers possessed by the male, as opposed to the "twig-like" antlers of deer and other members of the deer family. And naturally, moose typically dwell in the deciduous forests of the Northern Hemisphere in moderate to subarctic climates.
**Female moose have an 8 month gestation period. Similarly, Moose Hedberg's period of effectiveness usually peaks in the 8th month (see his Pittsburgh Penguins playoff run in 2001 when he started all 18 games and posted a GAA of 2.30 and a SV% of .911 before losing to the Devils in the ECF) if he procreates successfully in early October. Are any of Johan's kids pre-mature June babies?? We'll leave that one to slimy tabloid mags like TMZ and Us Weekly.
Will this magnificent run continue and for how long? At this point, it is anyone's guess due to the risky style of play the Thrashers employ. Their rope-a-dope style usually puts them on the very short end of the Shots on Goal stick and thus applies more pressure to the D-men to clear pucks as well as the netminders, who need to be on their toes to thwart 90-95% of 30+ shots.
Clearly, Moose is clicking with the defensive personnel this year (newcomers like Kubina and Schubert have been a big part of the team's stingier defense) and his puck-handling skills make him a better compliment to John Anderson's up-tempo, quick break-out system. If the coaching staff can tighten the screws and get the shots against totals down to an average of 30 or so per game (and the D-men continue to improve in their communication and risk vs reward decision-making), then Hedberg will have very good odds for continuing his stellar play in the blue paint.
**Hedberg has started in 12 games for the Thrashers this season. His record thus far is a sparkling 9 - 3 - 0 <-- cuz' Moose is killer in the clutch (shoot-out)! Speaking of which, Moose is an amazing 15 - 3 lifetime since the addition of the shoot-out as a game-deciding mechanism...his save percentage? Just the highest of any goalie in history at 82.6%!! WOW!
**In those 12 games, Moose has faced a total of 383 shots for an average of 32.8 shots / game (adjusted for actual minutes played in games started).
**Moose has stopped 356 of those 383 shots for a sterling save percentage of .929 .
**Hedberg has made three other appearances in relief of a struggling Ondrej Pavelec. In those shortened appearances, Moose has stopped 28 of 29 shots for a save % of .965 . While only one of those games was close to winnable, it speaks to what kind of focus Johan maintains even coming in cold off the bench...a true professional and as reliable as they come when playing his best.
**So far, Moose has posted a superb Goals Against Average of 2.19 in the 15 games of action he has seen this year. In the games he has started, his GAA is even better at 2.11, which is quite jaw-dropping stuff considering he faces, on average, 4-5 more shots per game than most other elite goalies in the NHL.
**Taking that a step further, in his 9 wins this season, Moose's GAA is a very stingy 1.83. Other than the game he started against San Jose, in which he was admittedly dreadful, Hedberg has been excellent; giving his team a chance to win with a GAA of 2.05 in his other 11 starts this year.
**Moose are the largest "extant" species in the deer family. They are distinguished from other deer family members by their "palmate" antlers possessed by the male, as opposed to the "twig-like" antlers of deer and other members of the deer family. And naturally, moose typically dwell in the deciduous forests of the Northern Hemisphere in moderate to subarctic climates.
**Female moose have an 8 month gestation period. Similarly, Moose Hedberg's period of effectiveness usually peaks in the 8th month (see his Pittsburgh Penguins playoff run in 2001 when he started all 18 games and posted a GAA of 2.30 and a SV% of .911 before losing to the Devils in the ECF) if he procreates successfully in early October. Are any of Johan's kids pre-mature June babies?? We'll leave that one to slimy tabloid mags like TMZ and Us Weekly.
Will this magnificent run continue and for how long? At this point, it is anyone's guess due to the risky style of play the Thrashers employ. Their rope-a-dope style usually puts them on the very short end of the Shots on Goal stick and thus applies more pressure to the D-men to clear pucks as well as the netminders, who need to be on their toes to thwart 90-95% of 30+ shots.
Clearly, Moose is clicking with the defensive personnel this year (newcomers like Kubina and Schubert have been a big part of the team's stingier defense) and his puck-handling skills make him a better compliment to John Anderson's up-tempo, quick break-out system. If the coaching staff can tighten the screws and get the shots against totals down to an average of 30 or so per game (and the D-men continue to improve in their communication and risk vs reward decision-making), then Hedberg will have very good odds for continuing his stellar play in the blue paint.
3 comments:
OMG! You are ridiculously good. I've reveled in the elegance and beauty of this here post!
"**Female moose have an 8 month gestation period. Similarly, Moose Hedberg's period of effectiveness usually peaks in the 8th month..." This "fact" officially qualifies you as one zany mo'fo!
Dear Mr. Speaker,
I have forwarded a copy of this post to the Blueland Chronicle Awards Committee for "Post of the Year" consideration.
Yours,
M. Peacock Esq.
Coming from you Morty, there could not be a more humbling compliment.
Hell, I woulda settled for Post of the Week! But until the epic saga of TGD wraps up later this month, you'll have the market cornered on that running title. And Post of the Day, Post of the Afternoon and Post of the Morning.
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