When Mike Vernon got word last summer that he was being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, among the first to acknowledge his moment was Vernon’s old Detroit Red Wings goaltending partner Chris Osgood.
“He texted me and said, ‘Congratulations,'” Vernon recalled.
At some point in the future, Vernon is sure that he’ll be making the same call in the other direction.
“Absolutely,” Vernon answered without heistation when asked if Osgood was worthy of Hall of Fame enshrinement. “He’s won two Cups and the wins and things like that.
“There’s no doubt, Ozzie is going to have his time. He’ll be there one day.”
Will it be someday soon? On that point, Vernon isn’t nearly as certain. Vernon, after all, waited 18 years to get his own Hall call.
“You’ve got to be patient,” Vernon said. “You can’t push it. You do have to . . . I’d had an advocate in the Calgary Flames organization that put some stuff together and sent it in to the Hall of Fame and kind of made your case for it. That’s kind of what you have to do I gather.
“My daughter wrote a letter a bunch of years ago, too. It didn’t work. Eventually, I think in Ozzie’s case, in time he’ll get there. I don’t know if it will be next year, or when. There’s candidates coming up every year.”
Among the first-year contenders in 2024 will be former Red Wings star Pavel Datsyuk. Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit’s captain prior to Dylan Larkin, also remains Hall eligible.
Patience Will Be Virtue For Red Wings Osgood
Osgood certainly has the resume to be considered Hall-worthy. He’s among 13 NHL goalies with 400+ regular-season wins. He’s one of 32 netminders with at least 50 shutouts. Osgood is 13th all-time in winning percentage (.583).
In the playoffs, Osgood’s resume also sparkles. He owns three Stanley Cup rings. Osgood is ninth in NHL playoff wins with 74, three behind Vernon. He’s tied for fifth with 15 playoff shutouts.
“There’s a lot of players out there with good numbers,” Vernon said. “I just think Ozzie’s gotta be patient. It will come. He’s a lot younger than I am, so he’s got lots of time.”
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