You are not going to find Ken Dryden or Dominik Hasek on this Red Wings roster.

There is no superstar in net, nobody the other team fears when they take the ice at Joe Louis Arena.

Heck, the Red Wings aren’t even sure which of their two net minders is the better player.  And we’re 80 games into this 82-game marathon.

Mike Babcock, one of the most respected coaches in hockey, must make this unenviable choice at some point in the next week leading up to the playoffs.  There are some that have suggested he go with whoever is “hot” during the post season, but history has shown that a two-goalie solution is no solution at all.


Jimmy Howard

It appears that the incumbent, Jimmy Howard, has taken hold of the job with his last two games.  They weren’t standout performances - allowing a pair of goals each to the Wild and Hurricanes - but they were steady, consistent outings that led to Red Wing victories.  These games lacked the signature one or two “Did he really just let that puck in the net?!?” type of goals that had become all too common for Jimmy down the stretch.  

Howard is far more experienced than his counterpart, the up-and-coming Petr Mrazek, but Howard’s wisdom doesn’t necessarily come equipped with an idea of how to win in the playoffs.  He’s been at the helm of five Detroit playoff squads, but famously is yet to take any of those clubs beyond round number two. 

Mrazek has shown flashes of brilliance, but when given the opportunity to really take hold of the goaltending job, he failed to capitalize.  He was invisible during last week’s critical shootout against Ottawa, then gave up an unforgivable late game-winner against Boston two nights later.

At just 23 years of age, to Howard’s 31, it appears the magnitude of the moment may have gotten to the baby-faced Mrazek of late. 


Petr Mrazek

I am generally one to encourage trying something different, exploring a new method as opposed to simply banging your head against the wall in the same fashion you’ve done it the last handful of years.  But the last couple of weeks seem to suggest that Howard is still this team’s best option in net going forward.

Being honest with ourselves, it’s understood that neither candidate is likely to put the squad on its back and make a run into June.  Goalie play is so important in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and having one playing at an average level or a shade below generally won’t take you very far.

But these are still the Detroit Red Wings, more often than not this town’s best hope for a championship.  They’ve been to the Finals six times since 1995, winning four of them.  This current streak of five consecutive years without a Cup Finals appearance is the longest such stretch in two decades.

So as a franchise, the Red Wings are due for an extended playoff journey.

It will require that one of these two masked gentlemen step forward and become the unquestioned number one goalie for the club.  Having that role in limbo entering the post season is a recipe for disaster.  Babcock must make his choice, stand behind it, and let the team and the fans of Detroit get used to supporting that guy.

The Red Wings, while not clinched yet, are a good bet to advance to the post season.  They currently lead a host of teams by a couple of points and would need many things to go the wrong way over the final few days to be left out.

And assuming they do get there, and assuming either Howard or Mrazek can find their footing and display an active pulse in net, it would not be advisable to sleep on these Detroit Red Wings.

A possible first round opponent, the Tampa Bay Lightning, popped into Motown for a matinee clash a couple Saturdays ago and were promptly demolished to the tune of a 4-0 Winged Wheel triumph.  They are by no means an unbeatable opponent, nor is any other club in the wild and wacky crapshoot that is the Stanley Cup playoffs. 

The Pistons are down, the Lions are the Lions, and the Tigers may very well have missed their window for a championship.

It’s our old standby, the Red Wings, that we look to for a little taste of post season drama, something that’s been missing in this city for some time now.

They just need to find somebody that can stop the puck.