Blackhawks Top 100: #85 Nikolai Khabibulin

Sep 28, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks goalie

(39) during the first period against the Washington Capitals at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

We’re heading into the dog days of the offseason, counting the days until the Chicago Blackhawks 2014 season kicks off. We’re going to do a Top 100 list of the all time Chicago Blackhawks.  It’s a fun way to pass the time and take a stroll down memory lane.

Nikolai Khabibulin’s Blackhawks Statistics

Regular Season

Games-206

Wins-90

Losses-81

OTL-24

Goals Against Average- 2.84

Save Percentage-.904

Postseason

Games-15

Wins-8

Losses-6

Goals Against Average-2.93

Save Percentage-.898

Most new Blackhawks fans will remember Khabibulin only as the failed veteran backup to Corey Crawford during the 2013-2014 season where a groin pull turned into rotator cuff surgery and a quick end to his second stint with the Blackhawks.

Old time Blackhawks fans remember Khabibulin as the goalie that was supposed to lead the Blackhawks out of the wilderness of their dark ages and back to winning.  Well, Khabibulin got them all the way to the Western Conference Finals in 2009 their first playoff experience in years, and the first for the very young core of the Blackhawks.

Khabibulin or the Bulin Wall was never spectacular in Chicago and never duplicated his heroics like he performed for the Tampa Bay Lightining in their only Stanley Cup season, but he was a pretty good goalie that is 9th all-time on the Blackhawks career win list which is pretty high when you look at all the great Blackhawks goalies that have been around in this franchises history.

Here’s one video of

drilling a shot off Khabibulin’s mask when he was with the Edmonton Oilers

What do you think of Khabibulin on the list did he give enough to make it? Too High Too Low or shouldn’t have made the final cut?

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