In the NHL, goaltender may be the most rigorous of all positions.
I can't say from experience, but you never see star forwards or defensemen getting days off, if healthy (unless they are slumping terribly).
Goalies usually max out at about 60-65 games a year, which is a big reason why backup goalies can be an important void for a team to fill. You need to count on that guy to allow the team to compete for the remaining 15 to 20 games, while also being a safety net in case a starting goalie goes down for a long period of time.
The Devils seem to have a solid backup in Yann Danis. He's 3-0-0 this year with a goals against of only two. I know it's a small sample, but it's a good one.
So why does Denis not play more often?
The Devils reached the halfway point of the season yesterday with their 4-0 win over the Dallas Stars. 41 games, and Marty hasn't played in just two of those games. Two.
In case you were wondering, the most games played in one season by a goaltender was 79 by Grant Fuhr in the 95-96 campaign. Brodeur is on pace to play in 78 games.
In case you were wondering ab ...
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Article written by Doug Gausepohl
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January 6th, 2010 by Doug Gausepohl Leave a reply »
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