September 16, 2003

By Craig Rondinone
SportsTicker Staff Writer

JERSEY CITY, New Jersey (Ticker) - "Jiggy", "Godzilla", "Cujo", "The Eagle" and "The Bulin Wall" are all back and ready to take their positions in between the pipes. So is an old friend called "The Dominator."

Fantasy hockey lost arguably the greatest goalie in the history of the NHL when Patrick Roy retired in the offseason, but gained another one of the greatest when Dominik Hasek decided to unretire and return to the Detroit Red Wings.

Goalies are crucial to fantasy hockey success. Where wingers, centers and defensemen combine to handle all of the offensive categories, most fantasy teams rely on just two netminders to accumulate all of the fantasy goalie stats.

Here are the top 35 goalies in fantasy hockey coming into the 2003-04 campaign, starting with the man who won his third Stanley Cup and his first Vezina Trophy last season:

1. Martin Brodeur, Devils: Brodeur misses about as many games as Cal Ripken Jr. did during his baseball career, and because of Brodeur's inhuman durability and the fact that the Devils are usually one of the best teams in the league, he is always at the top in victories and goals against average.

2. Patrick Lalime, Senators: Where inconsistency haunted him in the past, now Lalime brings his "A" game every night. Ottawa is a favorite to win the Stanley Cup, and Lalime will be leading the way.

3. Marty Turco, Stars: He set the modern day record for the lowest GAA in NHL history last season and led all goaltenders in save percentage, too. But could he be a one-year wonder? Maybe. Could his holdout cause him to miss the start of the season? Maybe. Could the losses of Derian Hatcher and Darryl Sydor hurt the defense in front of him? Maybe.

4. Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Mighty Ducks: Giguere is one of the best goalies in fantasy hockey, no doubt. But should he be the No. 1 goalie selected in fantasy drafts? No, but it might happen after his amazing playoff run.

5. Dominik Hasek, Red Wings: The man has more Vezinas than Todd Harvey has teeth and is back to dominate the league one more time. A year layoff and the fact that he is 100 years old have to worry you, but he is playing on a super team and had 41 wins and a 2.17 GAA just two seasons ago.

6. Olaf Kolzig, Capitals: He is as good of a bet to play 70 games as Valeri Bure is to miss 70 games. This workhorse blocks the net like he is a cloud blocking out the sun.

7. Ed Belfour, Maple Leafs: After looking like he was on his last legs two years ago in Dallas, Belfour was a Vezina finalist again last year with Toronto. The Maple Leafs have no worries about their puckstopper.

8. Evgeni Nabokov, Sharks: "Nabby" is primed for a huge bounce-back season after last season's disappointing run. Be aware that San Jose in a rebuilding mode, though, and Nabokov might lose some heartbreakers.

9. Roman Cechmanek, Kings: He was in the top 5 in virtually every major goaltending category last season, but that was with the Flyers, a team that makes their goalies look like brick walls with the way they play defense. Cechmanek will not have that luxury in L.A.

10. Jose Theodore, Canadiens: He was the MVP and Vezina winner two years ago. That seems like a lifetime ago after Theodore's nightmarish 2002-03 season. Personal problems this offseason are not going to help him focus on stopping pucks.

The rest of the top 35:

11. Dan Cloutier, Canucks: He was terrible in the postseason, but who cares? He is money during the regular season, and that is all fantasy owners care about.

12. Nikolai Khabibulin, Lightning: He does not have to stand on his head anymore to win games for Tampa Bay.

13. David Aebischer, Avalanche: This Swiss stopper steps in for Mr. Roy and gets to play for a team that has more firepower than a Third World country.

14. Tommy Salo, Oilers: This Edmonton mainstay has averaged almost 70 games per season over the past four years.

15. Jocelyn Thibault, Blackhawks: Never gets the respect he should. He quietly had a career year last season.

16. Tomas Vokoun, Predators: The breakout star of 2002-03 is as durable as a well-done steak. He might not win every night, but he will play every night.

17. Curtis Joseph, Red Wings: Joseph is the wild card. What happens to him could affect the lives and values of many other goalies. If he stays in Detroit, his value is small. If he gets traded to another team and gets to start, his value could go through the ceiling.

18. Mike Dunham, Rangers: Played surprisingly well last season and was one of the Blueshirts' lone bright spots. His GAA and SP get hurt by playing on a team that does not believe in defense, though.

19. Jeff Hackett, Flyers: Hackett failed miserably in Boston last season, but if he wins the starting job in Philly he could put up Cechmanek-like numbers.

20. Kevin Weekes, Hurricanes: He was one of the best fantasy goalies during the first half of last season until a concussion derailed him.

21. Chris Osgood, Blues: Bad goals still haunt him. Having Al MacInnis and a healthy Chris Pronger in front of him will surely help.

22. Roberto Luongo, Panthers: His stats do not make much sense. He had a .918 SP and a 2.71 GAA last season. Those numbers suggest he needs a whole lot more help from his troops in Florida.

23. Dwayne Roloson, Wild: used to be nothing more than journeyman hanging on in the NHL by a thread. Now he is on the cusp of being an elite fantasy goalie after posting a 2.00 GAA and .927 SP last season. He just needs to get Manny Fernandez out of the way.

24. Felix Potvin, Bruins: "The Cat" left Hollywood for Beantown. The move should not help or hurt his fantasy worth.

25. Martin Biron, Sabres: Will get more goal support now that Chris Drury and Andy Delmore are in to help pump up the Buffalo offense.

26. Marc Denis, Blue Jackets: He played in 77 games last season, which led all goalies. His games played should come down, and so should his GAA.

27. Sean Burke, Coyotes: The good news is he has had three straight seasons with save percentage's of .920 or better. The bad news is he gets injured more often than any other goalie.

28. Garth Snow, Islanders: He is the starter for the Isles - for now.

29. Roman Turek, Flames: If you like goalies who play all the time and finish with a .500 record and mediocre statistics, he is your man.

30. Sebastian Caron, Penguins: Who knows who will end up as the starter for the hapless Penguins? He is as good as any of the other choices.

31. Manny Fernandez, Wild: His save percentage is always top-notch but he only plays in half of Minnesota's contests.

32. Robert Esche, Flyers: Had a 2.20 GAA in 30 games last season. Will he get a chance to start for the defensive-minded Flyers this go-round?

33. Ron Tugnutt, Stars: He will start for Dallas if Turco's holdout lasts into the season. His sub .900 SP last season is a little disconcerting considering the team he plays on.

34. Byron Dafoe, Thrashers: You think Dafoe might want to forget a season where he went unsigned until a couple months into play, had a 4.36 GAA and .862 SP and then missed the last couple months due to injury? Things can only get better.

35. John Grahame, Lightning: He saw some action in favor of Khabibulin during the playoffs and was signed to a long-term deal in the offseason. Do not be shocked to see him supplant Khabibulin within the next year.

Others receiving votes: Brent Johnson, Rick DiPietro, Brian Boucher, Martin Gerber and Manny Legace.