NHL: Top 4 aging goalies who are headed to new teams

NHL fans have to say goodbye to a group of goaltenders that defined a generation.

Growing up as a goaltender, I was always tuned into the man in the crease from start to finish regardless of the team. Since becoming a hockey fan in the early 2000s (born 1998), I have seen my fair share of star netminders in the NHL. To me, it did not matter how good a goaltender was. The courage and strength, mental and physical, required to play the hardest position in all of sports gave me the utmost respect for each and every one of them.

In 2015, my favorite goaltender in the National Hockey League, the great Martin Brodeur, called it a career. While it was not a storybook ending to the life-long New Jersey Devils goalie, who was traded to the St. Louis Blues before ultimately hanging up his skates shortly after, it was an honor to watch him play.

After the 2018-19 season, Roberto Luongo called it a career after 19 seasons. Fun fact, Luongo was named captain of the Vancouver Canucks in his second year with the team back in 2008. He was the first goaltender to hold that leadership position since Montreal Canadiens’ netminder Bill Durnan did in 1948. To this day, he’s the last goalie to be hold the position.

This offseason is a crucial one for many veteran netminders who seem to be fading away. While it is not fair to say that these goaltenders will all be retiring, the likelihood of them filling a starting role somewhere is slim, as their best days are far behind them.

Let’s take a look at the careers of these netminders and whether or not it is time to hang the skates up and ride into the sunset.