Quote:
Originally Posted by Textcritic
Except that it is not, because it is fundamentally much more difficult to play at high enough of a level over a long enough period of time to cement oneself as a bona fide starting goalie. If it were indeed easier, then every backup goalie who strings together a good spat of games would emerge as a NHL starter.
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Well, no.
You're either a good goalie or you're not a good goalie.
There are not-good goalies who are "starters" and there are good goalies who are "backups". That's why for every Cam Talbot, Cory Schneider, or Martin Jones going from Backup to Starter seemlessly, there's still a Ondrej Pavelec, Antti Niemi, Cam Ward, or Marc-Andre Fleury who have been bad starters essentially their whole career.
I guess we'll find out next year if Mike Smith is a good goalie, or just a "starting mediocre goalie".