Carey and Jaro can clearly get along, so why can't we?! (photo taken from sportsnet.ca)
posted by habsbloggergirl
Goaltending has been a major issue this year, not so much for the team, but for the fans. Never have I seen such a divide between a group of people supposedly wanting the exact same thing. At first, I didn't understand why this was such a major issue. To me, it seems logical to play the goalie who gives us the best chance of winning, and though the identity of that goaltender may change weekly, we are lucky enough to have two able goaltenders, so I never saw a problem with that. Clearly, the majority of fans disagree.
I can't go a day without seeing or hearing something negative about one goaltender or the other, or something that pits them against each other, and to be honest, I am sick of it. Most fans seem to think its okay to badmouth a player, and although they do have the right to their own opinion, I have no clue what it accomplishes. I honestly don't know how Carey and Jaro do this. Or why. And I think that if it continues, one or both will be run out of town (or rather will themselves run as fast as they can to get out of town) and who would blame them?
Imagine being in their position. Would you stay if you had the option of leaving?
I don't want to dredge up the old arguments. We have heard them all so many times before and they are useless. People don't easily change their minds, so no matter how valid an argument is, if they believe something, they'll find a way to counter it. It's not their fault, it's just human nature. I just think that we aren't being fair to Jaro, Carey and the rest of the team. They may have been having a tough time, but at least they were trying. How can we not credit Jaro for being a momentum changer in the last win or for bringing the Slovakian team further than they have ever been in the Olympics? How can we not credit Carey for playing well right after the Olympic break ended or for his great play at the beginning of the season? To me these things are so clear, but I'm 100% sure that as people are reading this, the so-called Halak-haters will disagree with my first question, and the so-called Price-haters will disagree with my second. The worst part is most of the time people don't even realize that they are being prejudiced towards one goaltender or the other. I'm sure I'm guilty of this sometimes too; we all are. But it's important to become conscious of these prejudices, since only than can change occur.
The Halak-haters see Price through rose-coloured glasses, just as the Price-haters see Halak in that way. The truth is, neither are perfect. They both have their flaws. This year, both have been both good and bad at times. It is however not fair to slam them for every miniscule mistake they have made. They are only human after all. I doubt any one of us could have done any better, and although it may be easy to criticize them, who are we to say that the other goalie would have done a better job? There is absolutely no way of knowing that. Stats can only predict things to a certain extent.
People have criticized Jacques Martin for his “win-and-stay-in” policy, and although I think it may put a bit too much pressure on the goaltenders some of the time and sometimes may be unfair if goaltender has a great game, yet loses, I hope he sticks with it for the rest of the season, since I don't think we can make the playoffs any other way. At this point, we need points, so it doesn't really matter who is in nets when we get them. It isn't fair to sacrifice the team's chance at the playoffs to meet the expectations of the goaltenders, the administration or the fans, and by putting one goaltender in for the remainder of the season (unless they win every game), it would be doing just that.
Both goalies are talented and both deserve success. When one (or both) leaves, we'll be wishing we were back in this situation. So why don't we all take a deep breath, relax, try to get along and enjoy what we have while we still can?
