tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148461224473220694.post8771345983074699456..comments2024-03-27T06:03:35.695-04:00Comments on Brodeur is a Fraud: The Underrated Allan BesterThe Contrarian Goaltenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03433370306939690205noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148461224473220694.post-91143981217968222762020-05-21T22:51:35.473-04:002020-05-21T22:51:35.473-04:00It was a very full slapshot and the Leaf defender ...It was a very full slapshot and the Leaf defender was right in front of it, nearly half way between Momesso and the goaltender. It was not a lazy wrister. I have seen Patrick Roy let in worse ones than that. <br /><br />https://youtu.be/lOVp2MHF66MAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148461224473220694.post-62010509382842748252017-11-19T00:42:32.340-05:002017-11-19T00:42:32.340-05:00you winyou winAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02744831609027879594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148461224473220694.post-55733834904573037012017-05-10T20:50:07.316-04:002017-05-10T20:50:07.316-04:00I have always believed that Bester was given a bad...I have always believed that Bester was given a bad break. Andersen let's in a bad OT goal in Game 1 to Wilson and no one calls HIM out on it. Allen Bester played for the team he knew best growing up (he's from Hamilton), who wouldn't want that?<br />Put him on the Oilers or Montreal in that Era and his story is a completely different one, possibly with a Stanley Cup in it. He came out and played hard every game. I was a 5'7" goalie playing rep and stole a lot from him. I even bought his Louisville brand goal stick because it was the right lie for me. One of my prized possessions is a jersey he autographed for me at Don Cherry's Grapevine in Hamilton. Great blog, it's about time someone other than me stood up for the "little guy"!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14878513399094379552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148461224473220694.post-71736357924988917172013-10-10T00:57:32.429-04:002013-10-10T00:57:32.429-04:00I know this post is 4 years old but I have a very ...I know this post is 4 years old but I have a very vivid memory of the Momesso goal. It was a lazy 1-on-1 rush by Momesso, both teams changing on the fly. As he entered the blue line he cut to the middle and the Leaf defender stayed in front of him. It did not appear to be a dangerous rush. About 2 feet in the zone near the centre of the ice he lets go a medium-speed wrist shot and it surprises Bester and goes 5-hole. Replays show that the defenders skates were right in front of Bester's view of the puck, but it was such a long shot (the defender was only a couple of feet in front of Momesso) he should have been able to pick up the flight of the puck.<br /><br />I'd say the goal was 95% Bester's fault. An NHL goalie (even at 1990 standards) will make that save at least 19 out of 20 times. Adding to the pain was how crucial the game was. We were down 2-0 in the series and needed to win both home games to have a shot. That goal made it 3-0 and pretty much sealed the season shut.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148461224473220694.post-40777701951157185022013-06-30T13:18:31.649-04:002013-06-30T13:18:31.649-04:00Being a former Junior goaltender we all have our f...Being a former Junior goaltender we all have our favorites and they not necessarily play for our favorite team(s). Toronto Maple Leafs have never been a favorite of mine but must say they have had the best goalies in the league! Alan Bester happened to be one of the best and favorite of mine. All goalies can relate to being shell shocked. Alan Bester and any Leafs goalie can atest to that. The Leafs could kill a great goalie within 3yrs. Then send them off to pasture and talk smack about the week ones that were let in. Mike Palmeteer, Rick St.Crouix, Alan Bester, Felix Potvin just to name a few of Toronto's goalies are today still and always will be the best and deserve nothing but respect to what they brought to the game. With the past history it just shows how much politics are at these levels. Its who you know. One mistake and your black balled. There's goalies in the NHL that have no business putting a jersey on. How they got there who knows (Politics). The ones that deserve to be there and happen to be on a bad team like the Leafs get lost in the pile. Its too bad, Alan Bester was by far the best of that era.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15685704191321043143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148461224473220694.post-10120028823329500142011-12-28T19:01:50.831-05:002011-12-28T19:01:50.831-05:00To put this into perspective, consider this. In t...To put this into perspective, consider this. In the mid to late 1980's, a typcial season would see the Leafs garner 48 points, and still make the playoffs some years under the previous format. Now I think anyone can appreciate with a point total like that, you did not have the likes of Oiler dynasty teams in front of you. Even Grant Fuhr one time, when asked about his high GAA, casually joked and deflected the question, saying all that mattered was that his team scored one more goal than the other. And of course, he was right. This was an era when many teams scored upwards of 400 goals in any one season. Compare that to today, and do the math to see what a nominal team GAA might be. So while an average in the high 3's might sound poor by today's standards, it was actually very respectable. At a time when goalies did not fill the net with equipment, but rather had to rely on positioning, anticipation and reflex to succeed, stopping 9 shots out of every 10 faced was something to be downright proud of. I, for one, am old enough to recall watching Bester play during those years on HNIC, and he was fun to watch. He had a low stance which made him prone between the legs and sometimes high over the shoulder, but it also allowed him to quickly move laterally into position. I still say he made saves that no other goalie of his time would have dreamt of making. There really should be a compilation made of his most impressive work. There were some Saturday nights, in particular, where he put on a clinic. Don was right. He truly did see more rubber than a dead skunk on the TCH. So he let one between his legs. They probably would not have even made the playoffs without him. Bester, as the name implies, you were the Bestest.James Morehousenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148461224473220694.post-13773888573820353972011-02-04T14:12:08.291-05:002011-02-04T14:12:08.291-05:00Nice writeup.Nice writeup.Allan Besternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148461224473220694.post-23037576888385229272010-03-10T17:54:14.035-05:002010-03-10T17:54:14.035-05:00The Momesso goal was the play all the post 93 band...The Momesso goal was the play all the post 93 bandwaggon jumpers never got to see. I saw it on tv and it was not his fault. To anyone here professed to see the goal you might want to see it again. Bester was SCREENED on the goal.Chris Dubenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148461224473220694.post-33766555010265345552009-10-13T00:09:18.139-04:002009-10-13T00:09:18.139-04:00But weren't the Leafs of that era very defensi...But weren't the Leafs of that era very defensively weak teams that allowed many choice scoring chances against?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148461224473220694.post-57742033676143844172009-10-12T01:58:45.094-04:002009-10-12T01:58:45.094-04:00Anonymous: I'm not a Leaf fan, so I didn'...Anonymous: I'm not a Leaf fan, so I didn't see the goal at the time either, but from what Toronto fans say it was entirely on Allan Bester. I looked for the video as part of putting together this post but I didn't manage to find it.The Contrarian Goaltenderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03433370306939690205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148461224473220694.post-7941160940192782062009-10-09T20:25:26.851-04:002009-10-09T20:25:26.851-04:00Tell me about this infamous Sergio Momesso goal. I...Tell me about this infamous Sergio Momesso goal. I didn't follow hockey then (was a little kid). How at fault was Bester and how at fault was the team in front of him?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148461224473220694.post-82520659955200960622009-10-09T11:57:20.012-04:002009-10-09T11:57:20.012-04:00In general, I think a lot of your analysis leaves ...<i>In general, I think a lot of your analysis leaves much to be desired, but my opinion may be based on ignorance- i've only read a half-dozen or so of your articles.</i><br /><br />Suggestions and criticisms are always welcome.<br /><br /><i>1) You are right, Bester was definitely overrated. imo.</i><br /><br />Do you mean underrated?<br /><br /><i>While Bester faced the Canucks, Capitals, and Devils of the world, Ken Wregget was facing the Oilers, Flyers, and Bruins of the day. Just saying.</i><br /><br />I doubt that was the case, or if it was at least partially true it isn't enough to make up the gap between Bester and the others.<br /><br />I checked 1986-87, a season where Wregget and Bester split starts and Wregget was the #1 goalie in the playoffs. Bester actually faced slightly stronger opposition that year, although the numbers were almost identical.The Contrarian Goaltenderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03433370306939690205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148461224473220694.post-18206393666965807212009-10-09T03:06:27.559-04:002009-10-09T03:06:27.559-04:00Oh I forgot to mention- you are right that it is u...Oh I forgot to mention- you are right that it is unbelievable that Bester's 80s SV% is where it is.Gamblornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148461224473220694.post-32910024530402658292009-10-09T03:05:14.157-04:002009-10-09T03:05:14.157-04:00In general, I think a lot of your analysis leaves ...In general, I think a lot of your analysis leaves much to be desired, but my opinion may be based on ignorance- i've only read a half-dozen or so of your articles.<br /><br />In any event, a couple things:<br />1) You are right, Bester was definitely overrated. imo.<br />2) I think you are discounting the fact that backups generally play against less-skilled teams and thus it would be a disaster for a backup to have reasonably similar statistics to his starter. While Bester faced the Canucks, Capitals, and Devils of the world, Ken Wregget was facing the Oilers, Flyers, and Bruins of the day. Just saying.Gamblornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148461224473220694.post-30308655464865986822009-10-08T14:37:55.286-04:002009-10-08T14:37:55.286-04:00Never thought I'd read that headline.Never thought I'd read that headline.Navin Vaswani (@eyebleaf)https://www.blogger.com/profile/08445618400360263938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148461224473220694.post-63006759375757301422009-10-08T11:30:56.846-04:002009-10-08T11:30:56.846-04:00Thanks for the injury info, 1967ers, that would ce...Thanks for the injury info, 1967ers, that would certainly help explain the drop in his numbers.The Contrarian Goaltenderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03433370306939690205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148461224473220694.post-14800697830995974832009-10-08T10:52:03.017-04:002009-10-08T10:52:03.017-04:00In 1989-90, Bester got into trouble with bone spur...In 1989-90, Bester got into trouble with bone spurs in his heels and then had more problems with calcium deposits in his heels in 1990-91. <br /><br />I think this had a lot to do with his play in '89-90 and it's definitely why he barely played in '90-91 at all. After that, he just got buried.1967ershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13145022218460291801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148461224473220694.post-68614684121360340842009-10-08T10:15:17.843-04:002009-10-08T10:15:17.843-04:00I was at the Momesso game, and it was brutal. But ...I was at the Momesso game, and it was brutal. But Bester is still one of my all-time favorites. How could you not love a tiny guy like that, diving around in his net like a soccer goalie?<br /><br />Favorite Bester line, via Don Cherry: With that defense in front of him, Allan Bester sees more rubber than a skunk on the Transcanada highway.Down Goes Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10150805735008417848noreply@blogger.com