Gretzky’s Favourite Goalie Had a Quality Missing in Toronto Now

There’s an interesting thing about Wayne Gretzky. Ask him who the greatest goaltender of all time is, and he rarely needs much time to think. He doesn’t usually go with Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur, Dominik Hasek or some of the other names we’d expect. He goes with his old Edmonton teammate, Grant Fuhr.

Why? It wasn’t because Fuhr had the best numbers. He didn’t. It was because he had a knack for making the save when his team needed it most.

Sometimes Big Saves Are More Important than More Saves

Think about that for a minute. A goalie can have a pretty ordinary first two periods, but when the game is on the line, he finds a way to keep the puck out. Gretzky valued that quality enormously. Four Stanley Cups together probably gave him plenty of opportunities to appreciate it.

We’ve seen something similar with Sergei Bobrovsky in Florida. He wasn’t always perfect for 60 minutes, but he had a habit of coming up with the big stop at the right time. His teammates trusted him. They knew that even if he’d let in a questionable goal earlier, he might give them something special when the game got tight. That’s a big part of what made Bobrovsky such an important piece of Florida’s championship teams.

What’s Happening with Bobrovsky in Toronto Right Now?

Through his first 10 starts with the Maple Leafs, that familiar quality hasn’t been showing up consistently. The statistics don’t tell the whole story, particularly when the defence in front of him has its own problems. But we’ve seen games where Toronto needed one important save to change the momentum, and it hasn’t arrived.

I’m not ready to declare Bobrovsky finished. He’s an experienced goaltender, and a difficult start doesn’t erase everything he’s accomplished. But the Maple Leafs have made a huge bet on him, and they need to start seeing a return on that investment. They need the goaltender who helped Florida win championships, particularly when games are on the line.

Here’s where Gretzky’s appreciation of Fuhr becomes interesting for both Toronto and Edmonton fans.

Can Bobrovsky Find That Big-Game Timing Again?

We sometimes get too caught up in save percentages, goals-against averages and other numbers. They’re useful, of course. But players and fans also know there’s something else. It’s that feeling that your goaltender will find a way when the game is slipping away.

Edmonton fans remember exactly what that looked like with Fuhr. Toronto needs to see it from Bobrovsky. And if he’s going to become the goaltender the Maple Leafs are counting on, those timely saves need to start showing up.

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