[News] Thank you #34! - Miikka Kiprusoff officially retires -

[pylon]

Looks like he isn't planning on bolting back to Finland right away.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/...kiprusoff.html

"It's an important decision for me personally, my family, the Flames organization and fans," Kiprusoff said in the release. "I’ve been very lucky to have spent 10 years of my career in Calgary. There is no better place to live and play. I look forward to taking the next year with my family to enjoy everything wonderful about southern Alberta."

[The Swedish Flame]

Originally Posted by pylon

Looks like he isn't planning on bolting back to Finland right away.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/...kiprusoff.html

Of course he can't leave yet. He has to be around for his number to go up in the rafters

[C-Four]

Thanks Kipper!

[Mattman]

I'll remember the playoff series vs the sharks the most...it's where I fell in love with Kipprusoff despite the loss
<3

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by SixtySix

Yes.

Thanks Kipper for everything, greatest goalie Flames have ever had. I feel incredibly lucky as a Flames fan to have the opportunity to watch and cheer for a world class goalie like him for all these years. Hopefully they replace the 30 in the rafters with 34.

It's a jersey retirement, not a job promotion.

[repsol7]

Even though I knew this was coming, you can never be fully prepared on how you'll take the news. Kipper has been one of, if not, my favorite Flames in the last decade. We were truly blessed to have him "between the pipes" and the effort he put forth on a nightly basis was unreal. From the routine saves to the most amazing saves, he always looked fluid in performing them.

I'm still a bit taken aback from this news, but know that he did everything he could for this franchise by his nightly stellar play. He gave us a chance to win every night and it was a real treat to watch him.

To me, he's the most important player to our franchise in the last decade and he'll always have a soft spot in my heart for what he did in the '04 Stanley Cup run.

I will always forever be a "Kipperusoffarian" through-and-through.

Thank you for all the great memories, Kipper! I'm sure retirement will be a blast with all the endless fishing trips!

[Stormchaser]

Thanks Kipper! And thank you Darryl Sutter!

[Itse]

Originally Posted by Inferno

One last time:

I stand corrected, THIS is my favourite Kipper picture

[fanman]

Huge thanks to Kipper!

I am glad that in the future I'll be able to say I saw this Flames legend play in person. It'll be weird to not see him saving the team game in and game out.

He did everything he could for this team, and then he did some things that no normal human could do. It's a shame he couldn't get a cup but he'll always be one of the greats. Glad to see him retire as a Flame and am looking forward to seeing #34 hoisted to the rafters. (It better be!)

I wish him nothing but the best, and thanks for all the great memories.

[killer_carlson]

Originally Posted by MisterJoji

319 wins good for 23rd on the all time list. He has a similar amount wins to Sean Burke (324), Olaf Kolzig (303) neither of whom are in the HOF. Although Kipper reached 300+ in considerably less GP than those 2. He has slightly less than Harry Lumely (330) who is in the HOF, however Lumely has won a Stanley Cup, has more All-star appearances, while both have won 1 Vezina. (Kolzig has also won a Vezina, Burke has not). Billy Smith, in the HOF, also has a similar number of wins (305) and one Vezina, but has 4 Cups and a Conn Smythe.

Kipper's 44 Shutouts are good for 30th all-time, Dryden is close with 46 and Parent with 54, but both of those guys have MULTIPLE Cups and Vezina's and played in an incomparable era.

His .912 Save% and GAA of 2.49 and is actually the best of the 4 most recent inductees (although Brodeur's will be better, depending on how this season goes) but you have to take into account that Smith, Fuhr, Roy and Belfour also played in the high scoring 80's.

It's tough to gauge what it'll take to get in now because it's damn near impossible to compare goalies from different era's. I like to hope he'll get in, but he definitely won't be 1st ballot and I wouldn't be shocked if he doesn't get in. You have to remember there are only 33 goalies in the HOF (34 with Brodeur). Is Kipper one of the top 35 goalies of ALL-TIME?

I consider Kipper to be one of the greatest european trained goalies of all time.

Aside from Tretiak and Hasek, im having trouble thinking of a european goalie who was better.

[trublmaker]

May the fish bite at your line forever.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by MisterJoji

319 wins good for 23rd on the all time list. He has a similar amount wins to Sean Burke (324), Olaf Kolzig (303) neither of whom are in the HOF. Although Kipper reached 300+ in considerably less GP than those 2. He has slightly less than Harry Lumely (330) who is in the HOF, however Lumely has won a Stanley Cup, has more All-star appearances, while both have won 1 Vezina. (Kolzig has also won a Vezina, Burke has not). Billy Smith, in the HOF, also has a similar number of wins (305) and one Vezina, but has 4 Cups and a Conn Smythe.

Kipper's 44 Shutouts are good for 30th all-time, Dryden is close with 46 and Parent with 54, but both of those guys have MULTIPLE Cups and Vezina's and played in an incomparable era.

His .912 Save% and GAA of 2.49 and is actually the best of the 4 most recent inductees (although Brodeur's will be better, depending on how this season goes) but you have to take into account that Smith, Fuhr, Roy and Belfour also played in the high scoring 80's.

It's tough to gauge what it'll take to get in now because it's damn near impossible to compare goalies from different era's. I like to hope he'll get in, but he definitely won't be 1st ballot and I wouldn't be shocked if he doesn't get in. You have to remember there are only 33 goalies in the HOF (34 with Brodeur). Is Kipper one of the top 35 goalies of ALL-TIME?

The ironic thing about the HHOF debate is that I firmly believe Vernon belongs in the Hall, but that Kiprusoff won't make it. And that, ultimately comes down to the judging across generations problem.

300 wins today does not mean what it used to because wins are far easier to come by now. Case in point: Kiprusoff is only a 300 game winner because of the shootout. He has 296 real wins, and 23 skills comp victories. Likewise, GAA has gone down and sav% has gone up significantly from the 80s to the 90s to today.

But man, when Kipper was on his game, there wasn't anyone better.

[Flash Walken]

It might be because his retirement and career are both so fresh, but, I think he's the greatest Flame of all time.

No player has contributed more the success of this franchise for a longer time than Kipper.

[Sainters7]

LOL, love all the stories. Don't have anything like that, but I was just thinking back to his first days with the team. I remember him rocking just the plain white "loaner" helmet with a solitary, small vintage Flames sticker on the side, the kind that you'd give to a kid for his bicycle helmet. He wore it for what felt like a solid 3-4 months after the trade from SJ, I thought it was so bizarre at the time for him to keep it that long. But now that we now his quirks, that's just so vintage Kipper.

In hindsight I liked him with the plain white mask, it was fitting for having the best goalie in the world no-one knew about yet.

[JJsChaos]

Thank you Kipper!

[Miniac]

This is still one of my favorite picture of Kipper

Thank you and wishing you all the best Kipper!

[Miniac]

One of the best Kipper moments.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by nik-

It's interesting that you choose that series, because I think the real display of goaltending against the Wings was the 07' series. That series would have went down as one of the most brutal beatings in playoff history if it wasn't for Kiprusoff. The Flames lost the series anyway, but the level of play by everyone other than Kipper was a disgrace and he turned that into a 6 gamer pretty much single handed.

Games of 46, 51 and 55 shots against, the lowest shot total by the Wings for a game was 30 ... god that series was an embarrassment.

Yep. That series wasn't only the best I've seen Kipper play, it was probably the best performance by a goalie in a playoff series I've ever seen. Full stop.

[sun]

[Coach]

Anyone got the Bouwmeester headshots?