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.

Watching the game tonight, there was 1 player who stood out above the others for me. No, it wasn’t Nystrom (although his short handed goal was a beauty) or Phaneuf (who did  several great defensive plays) - it was Kiprusoff. He didn’t have to make a lot of saves tonight, but he did have to make some spectacular (and timely) ones. It seems that he has found his groove again. The way he is moving around the crease, and his positioning lately reminds me of his performances back in 2004. The way he is playing of late gives the Flames a chance to win every night.

Here’s hoping he can bring his “A” game to the Dome on Friday versus the Oilers.

Back in January, when the announcement was made that Curtis Joseph had been signed, I must admit, I was somewhat worried about the deal. A 40 year-old goaltender was not my idea of a great pickup. I had heard rumours that Joseph was looking to make a return to the NHL and Calgary was an option for him, but I didn’t think that the rumours would ever come to fruition.

Jump ahead 2 months… I think this is one of the best deals Darryl Sutter made this season. Why? Let me explain:

1. He has proven he is still a great goaltender. So far, Joseph has played 3 full games in a Flames uniform. His first (unfortunately) was against the Oilers in which the rest of the team forgot to show up. All 5 goals allowed were directly related to poor coverage in the defensive zone. I don’t think the score would have been any different had Kipper been between the pipes. The next 2 games vs. Dallas and Phoenix, Joseph has been superb and, in the case of the Dallas game, stole 2 points for the Flames.
2. He puts pressure on Kipper. Until the signing in Joseph, it really didn’t matter how poorly Kiprusoff played, he was still going to get ice time… and a lot of it. The other 2-3 backup goalies in the Flames system had such little NHL experience that Miikka was going to play no matter what. Now that Joseph is here, Kiprusoff knows that he is not an automatic starter. If his play degrades, Mike Keenan will have no problems letting him ride the pine for a few games while Joseph takes over.
3. He’s had tons of experience. This guy knows what it takes to win. He’s fourth on the NHL all time win list - which is an amazing accomplishment when you think of the talented goaltenders that have passed through the league. He’s also had a tremendous amount of experience in the playoffs and can pass this on to the younger players on the team.
4. He’s a leader in the locker room. Curtis Joseph has been around for a long time and has a tremendous amount of knowledge when it comes to playing in the NHL. He’s a leader for the young players on the team and has the ability to keep players calm in stressful situations. I predict we will Curtis Joseph in some sort of leadership role in the NHL after his playing career is over.