Some might forget that Tom Barrasso played in seven games with the Ottawa Senators in the 1999-00 season, but he did. Although his tenure in Ottawa was short, Barrasso will be remembered for his play on the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Barrasso is part of the Hockey Hall of Fame. With his two Stanley Cups won, winning both the Calder Trophy and Vezina Trophy in the same year in 1984, and winning the 1985 Jennings Trophy, Barrasso deserves a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
However, some might not think about Barrasso going down as one of the top goaltenders in NHL history with the names of former goaltenders like Dominik Hasek, Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur or even Ed Belfour. But, one new list may say different, but the ranking may be too high for Barrasso.
Barrasso named best American goaltender in NHL history in recent ranking
Yesterday, Bleacher Report's Adam Gretz wrote an article titled "Ranking Jonathan Quick and the Best American Goalies in NHL History." This was written shortly after Quick won his 400th NHL game, but Gretz named Barrasso as the best American goaltender in NHL history.
"You have to consider the era in which he played and what goalie numbers and offenses looked like in those seasons," Gretz said about Barrasso.
Gretz does make a valid point that players like Quick and Ryan Miller played in the shootout era, unlike Barrasso. But, Quick's 400 NHL wins are the most in NHL history by an American born goaltender to Barrasso's 369 wins, which is second all-time. Quick has won three Stanley Cups to Barrasso's two. Quick also has won one more Jennings Trophy and made one more All-Star Game than Barrasso.
In his 19-year career, Barrasso only had three seasons in which he played in at least half the season and recorded a goals against average under three. Quick has had 11 seasons of having a goals against average under three in which he played at least half the season. While Quick has never won a Vezina Trophy, Quick's best season came in which he recorded 35 wins with a 1.95 goals against average and 10 shutouts in the 2011-12 season.
One goaltender to also take into consideration is Tim Thomas. While Thomas has only won 214 games in his NHL career, Thomas' five-year stretch from 2008-2012 was one of the best for any goaltender. In four of the five seasons, Thomas was an All-Star. Thomas won the Vezina Trophy twice and one Jennings Trophy. In 2009 and 2011 when Thomas won the Vezina, he had the best goals against average and save percentage. Thomas was a major piece of the 2011 Boston Bruins' Stanley Cup championship team.
Mike Richter is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame with 301 wins and was a member of the 1994 New York Rangers Stanley Cup roster. While Richter never won a Vezina Trophy, he spent his whole career with one team for 14 years.
If there's one goaltender who has the best chance to pass any American goaltender all-time, it's Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets. As of the morning of Feb. 4, Hellebuyck has 308 career wins.
In his 10-year career, Hellebuyck has made four All-Star Game appearances and has won the Vezina Trophy twice. Last season, Hellebuyck won the Vezina and Jennings in the same season. At the pace he's going in, Hellebuyck will have a solid chance to pass Quick and Barrasso for most wins by an American goaltender. Hellebuyck is lacking at least one Stanley Cup championship or a few more Vezina winning seasons to take the claim as the best American goaltender of all-time.