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September 10, 1999Red Wings like mix, chemistry in goalAddition of Wregget, Legace solidifies team's goaltendingBy JEFF PEEKRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - Bill Ranford wasn't the answer. So Detroit Red Wings General Manager Ken Holland rolled the dice again during the off-season and signed two goaltenders - Ken Wregget and Manny Legace - he believes will not only provide solid backup for Chris Osgood but push him as well. "I like the chemistry we have now," Holland said during a break from Wings' training camp at Centre ICE. "We felt we really needed a veteran behind Osgood. We let Norm Maracle go (to Atlanta) in the expansion draft, even though we feel he will develop into a solid NHL goalie. "We weren't comfortable going with two goalies who are about the same age," he said. "That's one of the reasons we went after Bill Ranford last season. "If you have the right mix, a younger goalie and an older goalie can push each other and have great chemistry. We think we have that mix with Osgood and Wregget." Osgood, whose knee injury in the NHL playoffs may have cost the Red Wings their third consecutive Stanley Cup last spring, agrees. "Wregget's a great goaltender - and a great guy," Osgood said. "I'm happy to have him here. "It's important to have a veteran guy who you know can step in and give you a chance to win," he said. "He's a good fit for this team - great personality, strong player, a real team guy - just like Vernie (Mike Vernon) was. "I think we have a great situation here." The 35-year-old Wregget, who was 10-12-4 with a 2.53 goals-against average for Calgary last winter, knew he would be No. 2 in Detroit, but that didn't dissuade him from signing with the Wings. "We had a couple of places to chose from, but I wanted to come here," Wregget said. "This is a great organization with a lot of tradition, and this team has the opportunity to win another Stanley Cup. I can't ask for anything more than that. "I'm definitely happy with my decision." So is Holland. "Ken Wregget's a guy who has come in and delivered in some pressure situations," he said of the former Pittsburgh goaltender, who won a Stanley Cup with Wings' coach Scotty Bowman when both were with the Penguins in 1992. "He has a reputation for being a great lockerroom guy who gets along well with his partner. We feel very fortunate to get a guy of Ken's caliber." Holland is also pleased with the signing of little-known Legace, who is four months younger than Osgood. Legace, 26, went 2-9-2 with a 2.60 goals-against average with the Los Angeles Kings last season, and according to Holland, "is going to be a solid NHL backup." "We really feel he has given us depth at a very vital position," Holland said. "He's also bought us some time. We don't have to rush our younger guys and push them into the NHL before they're ready." In hindsight, Holland said he is still happy with the deadline trade that brought Ranford to Detroit, despite the fact that Ranford eventually folded in the second-round playoff loss to Colorado. "Bill did absolutely everything we wanted him to," Holland said. "Nobody plans on losing their No. 1 goaltender to an injury for more than a game. What happened with Chris was just unfortunate. "If somebody would have told me that Bill Ranford would win two games in the Colorado series, I'd have said, 'We're in the third round,'" he said. "No team can play their No. 2 goalie for an entire playoff series and expect to win. It rarely happens - and it didn't for us." Osgood, who took the Wings' elimination from the '95-96 playoffs so personally that he wept at his locker, said he tried not to do that this time around, although he was "extremely disappointed" that he couldn't play at crunch time. "I took two months off and didn't think about hockey at all," Osgood said. "I used to think about it too much. But I've learned that I can't do that." Asked if he feels the need to prove himself again - as he did prior to the Wings' second Cup championship in '97-98 - Osgood shook his head. "Oh, no, not to that extent," he said. "I've already proven what I can do. If anything, we need to prove as a team that we have the ability to get the Cup back. "I'm up for the challenge," he added. "I just love playing hockey. I'm looking forward to it." Should Osgood go down again, however, Holland knows he has two solid goaltenders waiting in the wings. So to speak. |
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