Some teams that have been having ongoing troubles with goaltending (not all, but some)...
Vancouver
Calgary
Edmonton
Toronto
Ottawa
(and Winnipeg did for a while)
Canadian fans are just so quick to turn on players, and goalies in particular. Make a bad save? You're a bum, pack your bags!
When they are being constantly scrutinized and criticized, they just get torn down, sooner or later.
Kipper was 26 when he finally put it together. Fortunately for him (and us?), his development took place in SJ where Canadian fans weren't jumping down his throat for every mediocre goal or game.
Bernier was a good goalie. Toronto fans destroyed him.
Reimer is a good goalie. Toronto fans ran him out of town.
Luongo might end up in the HHOF. Vancouver fans (temporarily) destroyed him and ran him out of town.
Schneider is a great goalie. Vancouver fans ran him out of town.
Dubnyk is a very good goalie. Edmonton fans destroyed him and ran him out of town.
Scrivens is an okay goalie. Edmonton fans annihilated him.
Hiller was a decent goalie when he came here. I honestly don't think Calgary fans ruined him, but I bet he is afraid to show his face at the grocery store these days.
I could go on. And on.
Ortio is 24. He is still developing. Is he an NHL goalie right now? Borderline at best. But so what? What is wrong with having some patience and continuing to work with him?
Nope. Fans can't wait to call him (anyone) a bum. They want to turn on him and label him useless when he hasn't even hit the age where most goalies begin their NHL careers yet.
Canadian hockey fans are their own worst enemies and I don't expect the cup drought is going to end any time soon.
/rant
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