Kipper… the Flames MVP

With a .907 save percentage, and a 2.80 GAA, one might suppose that Miikka Kiprusoff isn’t having a very good season. However, I would venture to say that he has been the primary reason why the Flames are currently sitting comfortably in 1st place in the North West Division. His play of late has been outstanding his saves have been world class.

The Vezina Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League’s goaltender who is “adjudged to be the best at this position”.  Under this definition, Miikka Kiprusoff may not be considered by many as a candidate for this prestigious award. However, if you ask any member of the Calgary Flames, I am certain they would all disagree. Last week’s shut out win over the L.A. Kings, and his play last night versus the Canucks are some of many prime examples of how valuable he has been to the Calgary Flames this year. Night in and night out, he gives the Flames a chance to win.

Here is my Schrute-like evaluation of Miikka Kiprusoff this year:

Fact: Miikka Kiprusoff has played more games than any other goaltender this year. Last night he played in his 53rd game of the season. Every Flames win this year has been backstopped by number 34. His TOI is also the highest in the league playing more than 3100 minutes to this point in the season.

Fact: Kipper has seen more rubber than any other goaltender this year. In total, 1565 shots have been fired in his direction, of which, 1419 of them have been stopped.

Fact: Kipper has more wins than any other goaltender this year. 33 wins already putting him on pace for 47 wins on the season. The current NHL record for wins was set in the 2006-07 season by Martin Brodeur in which he won 48 games. If Kipper can pick up a few extra wins in the coming weeks, he could easily break the record this season.

Fact: Miikka Kiprusoff earned his 4 shutout of the season last week in a 2-0 win over L.A. - this ranks him tied for 6th among NHL goaltenders this season. Thanks to an average of 30.4 shots against per game this season, shutouts have been hard to come by for Kipper and the Flames this year.

Fact: From a Calgary Flames team perspective, Miikka Kiprusoff owns numerous records including most wins in a season, most games played in a season, most shutouts in a season, and most total shutouts for the franchise.

Fact: Without Miikka Kiprusoff between the pipes this year, the Calgary Flames would find themselves in a much different worse situation right now.