I like goalies!
So why stop.
1996/97 Upper Deck
#135 Ken Wregget
#135 Ken Wregget
Talk about a moment frozen in time. This pic takes the cake.
Now, the caption at the bottom says "Wregget stones the Rangers 40 times en route to 4-1 win". So I'm assuming this photo ends up as either a save or the puck goes wide. I'm hard pressed to think Upper Deck would use the one goal New York scored as the picture used in a stellar goaltending performance.
The one small beef I have about this card is that you have very little reference as to where the net is. You can kind of make out the crease, and it appears that you can make out the shadow of the mesh in the netting. But a post or crossbar would have been nice.
By loosening the shot a bit, you'd also be able to eliminate cutting off Messier's head (which I found funny anyways).
I really like the 'zero blur', razor sharp image captured here. From Wregget flopping back to make the save, to Moose licking his chops at a loose puck (and potential garbage goal), to the fans in the crowd who are seemingly in awe by the action.
I think the shot has got good exposure, decent framing and works well with the layout of the card.
Now if it could only be determined if it was a goal?
An interesting tidbit on the back of the card...Ken led all NHL goaltenders in wins in 1994/95.
Seems harmless enough, but there was something odd about the stats, and the year......it took me a bit, but I figured it out.
Get this...
Ken Wregget played in 17 NHL seasons. He led the league in wins once (94/95). He had only 25 wins that year. I'm sure you can guess why. Yup, it was the shortened, 48-game lockout year.
Now the weird bit. Ken's best season as an NHL goalie in terms of wins? 1994/95! A whopping 25 wins!
That's his BEST season. Ken won 20+ games in a season only 5 times and never cracked more than 25.
Yikes.
Wregget was a solid backup for most of his career. At times, he was probably one of the best number two goalies in the league.
ReplyDeleteThe reason he won 25 games with Pittsburgh that year was because of an injury to Tom Barrasso. However, if you were to average out the 25 wins that year to an 82-game schedule, he would have won 42 or 43. An absolute anomaly based on his track record, yes, but it would have been interesting at least.
I agree. He was a very dependable backup.
ReplyDeleteWregget, as a Pens fan I use to love that guy.
ReplyDeleteThe 96/97 Upper Deck was one of my favorite sets, a ton of nice looking pictures and who didn't like the game dated captions at the bottom.
You have to remember as well, Ken played for some very BAD Leafs teams in the 80's, I think there may have been one or two years where the TEAM didn't win 25 games....
ReplyDelete