From Roger Crozier to Tony Esposito to Grant Fuhr, some of the best goaltenders in thede game's history were right-handed. Offering a different angle to shooters, these goaltenders often had the upper hand because players rarely saw them. The game evolved to where they were seen more regularly and started to make a name for tehmselves. The game now has netminders with this unique quality and most of them are starters. Is the game of hockey once again going in this direction?
Current right-handed goalies are on fire
Some goaltenders are not talked about enough because they are not on elite teams despite their stats. Five goaltenders who catch right-handed are playing extremely well right now but are not getting the recognition they deserve. Two of these goaltenders could be in the Vezina Trophy conversation while others are having solid seasons.
Charlie Lindgren and Logan Thompson of the Washington Capitals, Yaroslav Askarov of the San Jose Sharks, Karel Vejmelka of the Utah Mammoth, and Brandon Bussi of the Carolina Hurricanes are the five goaltenders in the NHL who catch with their right hand who are having extraordinary seasons but are not talked about enough. Bussi and Vejmelka could get Vezina votes after the season is over.
Thompson and Lindgren have combined to go 29-23-7 with a .897 save percentage and a 2.90 goals against average. Thompson is seventh in shots against (1,120) and sixth in saves (1,023) while LIndgren is sixth in goaltender penalty minutes (8). Askarov has been unbelievable this season although his stats might not be where he wants them. For San Jose, Askarov is 18-16-2 with an .888 save percentage and a 3.53 goals against average.
The last two are Vejmelka and Bussi. These two goaltenders are the two standouts from this group and could be award winners at the end of the season. Vejmelka is 28-18-2 with a .902 save percentage and a 2.63 goals against average. He is second in wins (28) , shots against (1,207), and saves 1,087). He is fourth in points among goaltenders with two assists.
Bussi is the story of the goaltenders this season, putting up elite numbers across the board. He is 24-3-1 with a .906 save percentage and a 2.23 goals against average. he is fifth in wins (24) and ninth in goals against average (2.23), leading Carolina t third overall in the NHL standings and to the fifth fewest goals allowed in the league (148).
Since the 1917-18 season, 775 goalies have played in the NHL but only 99 of them caught with their right hand. There was a steady decline in that type of goaltender in 2010 but this number is one again going up. More and more of these rare goaltenders are debuting in lower-level leagues with the hopes of capturing the attention of an NHL organization.
Right-handed goaltenders are something special and something we do not see a lot of. Of the goaltenders in the Hockey Hall of Fame, there are four who catch with their right hand in the top 50 in wins including Esposito (423), Fuhr (403), Tom Barrasso (369), and Tomas Vokoun (300). Winning is everything in hockey and these are types of goaltenders getting the most out of their opportunities.