Is Huet Facing Same Fate as in Montreal?

The Hawks lost for the second time this season but again performed well enough to win on many nights. Goal keeping has decided many of the Hawk-Wing battles in recent years and last night was no exception. Chris Osgood was outstanding and was the main difference. The Detroit defense was staunch and blocked many shots, especially while the Hawks were on the power play. 

The deciding factor in the game came in the second period when the Hawks had a 5 on 3 man advantage for 1:53. Amazingly the Hawks had only one shot on goal during the two man advantage which ultimately led to their demise. 

Afterwards the Detroit defense tightened up and Cristobal Huet allowed two goals which should have been saved. Against the top teams one bad goal could cause a loss, last night Detroit benefitted from two shaky scores and a fluke. The first Detroit tally was off a lucky deflection and their next two tallies  should have been stopped by Huet. Give the Wings their due, they find a way to beat the Hawks on a consistent basis. 

The Blackhawks were decidedly the better team for much of the contest. But the picture on the scoreboard matters most and Detroit kept their magic touch over the Hawks. 

Unfortunately I feel compelled to write about a goalie controversy, I would rather not give this so much focus. At this point there is no avoiding it as  there will be those which continue to question Huet. So far Huet has given reason for Hawk followers to wonder if he can be a dominate netminder. 

I won’t place blame on Huet for the Hawks first loss but he did get outplayed by Tomas Voukon. He won’t be the best goalie on the ice every game and the Hawks will succeed in some of those battles regardless. The Detroit second and third goals should have been stopped. If he saved either one the Hawks could have captured two points instead of none. 

It’s not great to be put under the microscope every game, but Huet knew what he was signing up for. This isn’t Montreal but expectations are high in Chicago as well, plus there are always those which will bring up Huet’s hefty salary. Maybe Huet didn’t realize he would be put under such scrutiny here but he wasn’t a rookie when he signed his long term contract to be the Hawks number one goal tender. 

Huet wasn’t number one last season and there is cause for concern he may never achieve that status in Chicago.  

Will history repeat itself for Huet? 

In Montreal Huet was the number one goalie before being shoved aside. He was pushed all the way out of Montreal by a combination of rookies Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak. 

It should be realized Price was the number 15 overall pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.  He was the only goalie to be named the CHL goaltender of the year, the WJC tournament MVP and the AHL playoff MVP all in the same season which occurred in 2007. Price was a highly touted goalie and for good reason. 

Halak was thought to be the best goalie in the AHL before being called up in 2006-2007 and his accomplishments supported that status. Montreal GM, Bob Gainey, did not want to lose Halak and had a decision to make. The choice was Price and Halak, or a combination of Huet with either one. 

Gainey chose  his two prized younger goalies and Huet became expendable and was traded to Washington. Gainey’s decision was a difficult one and even today Price still has his doubters. Some believe if given the chance Halak could be a top NHL starter. So there continues to be some controversy in Montreal. 

Could Huet wind up in a similar situation here? 

If so the Blackhawks playoff future may depend upon two goal keepers not considered to be in the same class as Price or Halak. Actually at this point I’m not sure Antti Niemi is any better than Corey Crawford. It is thought by some that Niemi won the job out of camp due to contract considerations rather than standing above Crawford on performance. 

What is certain, Niemi and Crawford have not distinguished themselves in the AHL to be considered as likely to succeed in the NHL as Price or Halak. 

I am not sure Huet has found himself in the same type of situation as in Montreal. There are differences but then again Huet could be caught in the same predicament. The story for the Canadiens didn’t end well last year as they missed the playoffs. Huet would also be more difficult for the Hawks to trade than he was in Montreal.

One way or the other the Hawks goal keeping situation will evolve and hopefully a true number one will emerge. 

The injuries for the Hawks continue to mount and there is a difference between the injured starters and their replacements. I had a feeling the injury bug was going to bite more often than last season. Unfortunately the injuries have come in bunches as Dave Bolland and Ben Eager missed last night’s game. The word on Bolland is his back is still giving him trouble. The story on Eager is he has a concussion and didn’t make the trip to Detroit. 

The Blackhawks have no time to pout as they face Colorado on Saturday night and then will play four more games in the next seven days. Four of the five battles will be played at the United Center. Out of the upcoming 10 possible points, the Hawks will want to capture at least seven. 

Joel Quenneville’s first real goal keeping decision will be for Saturday’s home opener. 

He may want to go with Huet and get him on a roll. If he plays better Huet could keep the net for all games this week except one. The Hawks play back-to-back on Wednesday and Thursday and most likely those two contests will be split. If Q. goes with Niemi on Saturday and he wins again, Huet could find himself on the bench for most of next week. 

It might be Quenneville’s decision on Saturday’s starter which jump starts the debate. In the next 21 days the Hawks will play 10 games. If Huet doesn’t get hot and stay that way, Niemi may get his shot to be a starter sooner than many imagined. 

blackhawkwin@comcast.net.