Fuhr & Bobrovsky: 3 Things Great Goalies Have in Common

Wayne Gretzky keeps coming back to Grant Fuhr when someone asks him about the greatest goaltender of all time. It isn't because Fuhr stopped every puck. He didn't. It wasn't because he owned the best statistics. He didn't have those either. It was something harder to measure. Fuhr had a way of making the save that mattered. His teammates knew it, and Gretzky certainly knew it.

Watching Sergei Bobrovsky over the years, I've often thought that quality felt familiar. The two goaltenders played in different eras and had different styles, but three things are worth comparing.

First, Great Goalies Don't Need to Be Perfect.

This might be the most interesting similarity. Neither goaltender needed 60 minutes of perfection to give his team a chance to win. Fuhr could give up a goal and move on. Bobrovsky has shown that same ability. A bad goal didn't necessarily mean a bad night was coming. Some goalies seem to carry a mistake around with them. The really good ones have a shorter memory.

That's not a small thing. Goaltending is a position where the next shot is always waiting to test your confidence.

Second, Great Goalies Understand the Importance of Timing.

This is where Gretzky's appreciation of Fuhr really comes into play. A save in the first period and a save with two minutes remaining in a one-goal game count exactly the same in the statistics. They don't necessarily mean the same thing to the people playing.

Fuhr had a remarkable ability to make a stop when the game was hanging in the balance. Bobrovsky developed a similar reputation in Florida, particularly during the Panthers' championship runs. Sometimes a goalie's biggest contribution isn't stopping 35 shots. It's stopping the one that might have changed everything.

Third, Great Goalies Make Their Teammates Believe.

Here's the part I think gets overlooked. When players trust their goaltender, they play with a little more freedom. They can take a chance offensively, recover from a defensive mistake and keep pushing when the opposition starts coming on. Fuhr gave Edmonton that confidence. Bobrovsky gave Florida something similar.

A goaltender doesn't have to be spectacular every night to provide that feeling. He just has to convince his teammates that when they need him, he'll be there.

What Makes an NHL Goaltender Great?

I don't think we should throw away statistics. They're useful, and they tell us plenty. But they don't always explain why some goalies become part of a team's identity. Fuhr is in the Hockey Hall of Fame because of what he accomplished over a remarkable career. Bobrovsky has built a championship legacy of his own, and his story is still being written.

Maybe that's the real connection between them. Great goaltenders aren't remembered simply for how many saves they make. They're remembered for the moments when everybody in the building knows they needed one more.