4,000 minutes too much?

From Jim Cerny at Rink Rap: Was perusing stats from last year and noticed that only four NHL goaltenders logged more than 4,000 minutes of playing time: Calgary’s Miikka Kiprusoff, Marty Turco of Dallas, Henrik Lundqvist of the Rangers, and Minnesota’s Niklas Backstrom. My hunch is that Kiprusoff---barring injury---may be the only one of that group to exceed 4,000 minutes this season, at least as far as NHL action is concerned. The reasons for this vary depending upon the goalie in question. Turco, who played more than 4,300 minutes---the first time he was over the 4,000 mark since the 2003-04 season---, will see less of the ice this season now that the veteran Alex Auld was signed by the Stars as his reliable foil. This should greatly enhance the play of Turco, as well as Dallas’ chances of making the playoffs. Lundqvist, who has logged more than 4,000 minutes in each of the last three years, will be Sweden’s starting goaltender in the Olympics, adding to his big workload. To avoid completely wearing his franchise goalie out, Rangers coach John Tortorella has already hinted that Steve Valiquette---who won over the coach last season with his strong work ethic, and play when called upon---likely will get the starting nod more often than in the past. Click here for more. Our good friend Jim Cerny is posting some excellent pieces over on Rink Rap so please go on over there and show your love for all things NHL, New York Rangers and hockey in general.