The Career of Arturs Irbe

I saw this suggestion in the comments section and thought this would be a fun career to look at.
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[@JS-tx5wb]

As a Latvian I say you Shannon thank you for this vid. Irbe was legendary not that much because of his stats, but because he had overcome everything by work ethics and willingness to play a game. He was not that talented, but anyway reached many hearts.

[@drinkinbuddy8264]

My gf is from Latvia very proud people there

[@matthewdaley746]

@@drinkinbuddy8264 At least now they are free from Soviet tyranny.

[@kasparsfrisfelds7636]

Priekā !

[@austinschwartz8226]

Hey, I have a lot of respect for Latvia after how they played Canada in the 2014 Olympics. Kristers Gudlevskis FTW!

[@matthewdaley746]

@@austinschwartz8226 Playing under your own flag.

[@looper451]

PLEASE do more obscure ‘folk legend’ videos like this. Way more interesting than hall of famers people already know about

[@holoholopainen1627]

There is ROOM & Space for more documents like this ! The IIHF & National teams & Fans of Hockey ! I just saw a Docementary of The Pioneers of Swedish Hockey & where They showed - who were The 1st ones to play at Any Pro Leagues WHA / NHL !

[@michaelromandel9022]

Irbe is really well known and loved by everyone

[@MrFacyFace]

As a Latvian I can tell you that the reason as to why we love Arturs so much is only partly because of his NHL numbers and the rest of it comes down to how well spoken he is. He's an incredibly smart guy and was such a great leader whenever he appeared for the national team. Still one of my favourite moments is when Latvia beat Russia in the early 2000's and his emotional post game interview for that. I'm not surprised he had stints among coaching staff in NHL organisations because he definitely makes those around him better.

[@jacobfrost2229]

Finally someone made a video about this dude LEGEND

[@seizetheday89]

I'm Latvian. In one of local interviews Irbe said that after 93-94 season his own dog bit his left arm. After surgeries doctors said that he will not be able to move most of his fingers in that arm and should consider retiring. Irbe of course was a stubborn individual and kept playing after regaining some movement in his fingers. But he also mentioned that this injury bothered him all of his remaining career. He was Rookie of the Year in Soviet League in 87-88 and lead his team to the finals that year. Also Irbe is a two-time World Championship gold medalist for Soviet Union. In 1989-90 he was a starter and in 6 games had 0.95 GAA and .950 S%. He was very depressed when played for Soviet Union because he was huge Latvian patriot and hated playing under Soviet flag (never smiled or celebrated after winning games) but kept playing for them in hopes of impressing NHL scouts. After the historical Latvian win over Russia in World Championship (that was held in Russia), in the locker room with tears in his eyes he said that he's been living more than 30 years on this earth just for that moment. Fun fact is that Irbe was one of NHLPA's vice presidents in early 2000's. Another fun fact is that after 2010-11 season interviewer asked Irbe (Capitals goalie coach at the time) ''Who is going to be better goalie Varlamov or Neuvirth?'' He answered - Holtby :D In conclusion Irbe was and still is very inspiring, full of determination and intelligent person.

[@aaronyoung5667]

I've been scrolling through the comments to see if anybody had mentioned the dog bite, thank you for putting this in.

[@cscansin]

Love the detail and insight. As a Leaf fan growing up, Irbe was not just an enigma but a nightmare. Where did this goalie who still wore old pads and the jofa helmet in an era of "cool" looking goalies come from? How did he make it to the NHL from a small country and him self being small (p.s. as a 5'8er I know that doesn't matter xD)? How did he become the world's best goalie in that playoff run, he truly felt like a wall. To get this insight from his fellow country man makes me appreciate him all the more.

[@MrTheChemical]

Irbe is a legend back at home, he did so much for Latvian hockey and he is the reason I started to follow Canes

[@carlhuffman6318]

I remember his years in Carolina pretty well. He was always dedicated to his craft and entertaining to watch. He did his best for the Canes and will always be remembered fondly by those of us who are older. Go Canes!

[@PancakesAndHammers2426]

Who ever requested this it was a great idea. I mostly remember his time as a Shark, but I bet most remember his time in Carolina. Also "The Wall" was a pretty cool nickname.

[@looper451]

Pancakes and Hammers Khabibuhlin is the only true wall

[@matthewdaley746]

@@looper451 He should have won the Conn Smythe Trophy, the Cup at least made people forget his holdout.

[@UwishUwereM3]

It was my idea but I am so glad he did it. Irbe was so much fun to watch!

[@PancakesAndHammers2426]

@@UwishUwereM3 I'm happy for you and thank you very much for suggesting the video.

[@RobertSmithhalo]

Pancakes and Hammers he was a wall alright.... A wall full of cracks and holes.

[@phineaskelly6171]

The yard sale pads are legendary

[@BuffaloNyBornRaised]

I worked at the arena in Buffalo New York we were in charge of setting up the locker rooms changing the ice over and whatnot. When he played for Vancouver the equipment was sent over during my shift I got to check out his pads they must have weighed 20 pounds each these old koho Revolution

[@raimondsdruva8549]

As a Latvian I hope that you will make a video about Sandis Ozolinsh. Also would love to hear your opinion on current Latvian players in NHL. I know that you have mentioned them in your previous videos where you talk about their teams, but as a Latvian I would love to hear what people from Northern America thinks about them

[@austinschwartz8226]

I love Latvian players! They won my heart in the 2014 Olympics. Not very talented compared to other countries, but extremely hard working, and good teammates. I miss Ronalds Kenins on the Canucks, and I'm hoping Rudolf Balcers turns into a good player. And what ever happened to Kristers Gudlevskis? ~From Canada with respect

[@matthewdaley746]

@@austinschwartz8226 I never heard of any of them.

[@raimondsdruva8549]

@@austinschwartz8226 Kenins could still play in NHL. He is the best skater from all Latvian players and throws good hits. He would be solid bottom 6 guy. Everyone has big hopes for Balcers as top 6 forward, but Im not sure where he will end up. There is also Teddy Blueger who is currently the best center for Latvian national team. Im hoping that he will have good year with the Pens. Gudlevskis moved back to Latvia and now plays in KHL. The thing with Gudlevskis is that he can play one game really good, like against Canada in 2014 Olympics, but after that he has many bad games. He is like one hit wonder goalie. Last year he was signed as starter for Dinamo Riga in KHL but during the season he lost 1st goalie spot to a unknown Russian goalie. Also everyone is quite disappointed with Zemgus Girgensons. Dude was great at juniors, but then Sabres happened. Honestly I think they just didn't develop him correctly. Thank you for your interest in our players!

[@brunswicker77]

Interesting question. I think Blugers is starting the year on the 4th line and Merzlikins as second goalie but they both have the potential to finish higher (top 9 for Blugers, 50-50 duo for Columbus with either one starting if they make the playoffs). I don't think Balcers will be a regular this year, and Girgensons is a very respectable bottom 6 forward. It's not the Irbe-Ozolinsh-Zoltoks-Skrastins-Skudra era, but it's the best your country had in a while.

[@jayvardy]

Remember his pads and how he refused to get new ones?? That's what I'll remember about him.

[@matejaandrejevic91]

dirtiest pads in nhl history

[@11DNA11]

He just repaired his dirty old pads when they broke and kept using them :D

[@willsk7068]

Hahaaha how Awsome

[@williamspence2079]

His helmet and cage was also epic.

[@11DNA11]

This is from his Wikipage:"He is notable on the ice for his helmet and padding - he has worn them almost continuously since his NHL debut for the Sharks - which are creased and scuffed with puck marks and stains. He has earned the nickname "Michelin Man" as a result."

[@michaelidarola]

5’8 is very generous. I stood next to him in high school. More like 5’3. LIKE WALL. Long live Irbe!

[@juliangrenon-grekin5954]

They do that a lot lol. I was 13 in 2002-2003when I met thibault and Theodore after the game outside the dressing room. I'm not 6'1 but even at 13 they were both 5"11 and 5"9 And I towered over both of them lol

[@holoholopainen1627]

They think that small Dudes cant skate & score ! Wayne #99 wasnt - any BIGGER & He made some History by 61 NHL Records to his name !

[@varmastiko2908]

@@holoholopainen1627 How about Theo Fleury - now that was a small guy. Didn't break many records but just look at his success. Then look at how small he was. And he even played well in the dead puck era.

[@holoholopainen1627]

@@varmastiko2908 Theo Fleury wrote a Book of His Life & Childhood ! Where He tells what kind of Upbringing He had & Teammates ! He surely was The Big Short Man of Canadian Hockey !

[@patch8376]

Cool for honoring that request. Irbe was a good stand up goalie, not necessarily by choice, given his size.

[@EvanEscher]

My dad often talks about him when he was with the Sharks

[@ryanbrymer1116]

Wow! Irbe was my favorite player as a kid! Thanks for this vid

[@mikebass1964]

I remember Irbe being a beast in Kansas City in the old IHL. He won the best goaltender of the year in 1991-92. He was up and down with San Jose that year.

[@CaretakerWanted]

True story, when my uncle worked as a pest controller, he actually had Irbe as a client! He even got a picture signed by him when he worked

[@goalieg3391]

Tonight I was in the mood to watch one of my all time favorite goalies watching growing up being 24. I am from NC, born in Smolensk(look it up and be amazed), but was always a fan of Irbe. I have a game used stick from him , with many autographs. Always a great to me and so under rated.

[@darkpower45]

Great choice on the Ibre pick 😁 hopefully one day we can get a Nabokov video too! 🤩

[@drew10981]

If we're touching on Sharks goalies, how about Nabokov? First Sharks player to win any kind of individual award (Calder) in 2000/2001, first NHL goalie to score a short handed goal, ranks 18th in career shutouts with 59, and ranks 20th all time in wins with 353. Oh, and then there's his first NHL start which is one of the best barely known stores in the Sharks franchise. I watched that game, and it was truly an amazing 65 mins of battle. A young kid from Kazakstan going toe to toe with one of the most highly decorated veteran netminders in NHL history at that time, and in league history.

[@paveldatsyuk7175]

Some of the best looking equipment of all time lol. Gotta love that guy

[@IslesGirl3]

Had a comment on twitter from someone who was in media and interviewed Irbe and what a fantastic guy he was personally. Said he helped him bring his recording equipment back to his car and then offered him to each lunch with his family after the interview was over. He had a great love for the NHL and found out he was a huge NY Islanders fan! He wanted nothing more than to be in the SCF just sad to see him be so close and yet not taste victory. Thank you for this video so I could learn more about his history. Fantastic job as always. Also if you want I'll tag you the twitter thread of the media personnel who interviewed Irbe about his interaction with him.

[@sm-vf]

Wow. Finally a video about latvian! Thank you!

[@lorndarken]

i miss irbe . pound for pound the best goalie the canes ever had .

[@michaelskrip4674]

I remember that 93/94 season 1st round upset very well because it was against my hometown team the Red Wings. The Wings were the #1 seed and the Sharks were the #8 seed and the Wings absolutely peppered him but they just couldn't seem to get anything past him. He was definitely the main reason the Sharks were able to upset the Wings.

[@niksplume9748]

Never expected a fellow Latvian to be in your vid. Greetings from Latvia

[@holoholopainen1627]

Latvia & Slovenija are the SMALLEST NATIONS - to compete at Top 16 level ! If You are Top 16 - The same number that takes part of NHL PLAY OFFS ! HATS OFF !

[@niksplume9748]

@@holoholopainen1627 but unlike Slovenia we actually fight for quater finals as we got into them last year and lost 3-2 to champions Sweden

[@siers2005]

@@niksplume9748 As a Latvian, dont be so cocky dude, Slovenians are doing their best!

[@holoholopainen1627]

@@niksplume9748 Slovenija has Kopitar ! I Dont even know - How GOOD / GREAT - He is - Thanks to that He plays at California / NHL Team Kings ! He is Their BEST PLAYER & been for Years !

[@niksplume9748]

@@holoholopainen1627 I'm Kings fan myself and I really like Kopitar but is he our best player? And Slovenia doesn't have anyone great except him

[@spencercunningham6056]

Yes! 🙌 Thanks Shannon, I always enjoyed the way Irbe played the game with such passion and heart. He truly was a 'working man's goaltender', and this was a nice way to encapsulate what made him so memorable.

[@ScarecrOmega]

One of my favorite goalies all time. I remember him shutting out a powerhouse early 90's Blackhawks team with the Sharks, great game for him and the team then.

[@gunsmithbasic]

was one of my favorite players in the league when I was a kid, mostly because he had a unique style and personality

[@davidmartinez7732]

I remember watching him play at the old Cow Palace in Daly City, my 2 favorite Sharks goalies were Irbe and Nobakov.....LIKE WALL

[@BuffaloNyBornRaised]

San Jose had such good teams Nabokov could just not get them to the cup he broke down in the playoffs. But he is still San Jose's all-time leader in wins shutout save percentage he was pretty solid

[@RIS3N1]

@@BuffaloNyBornRaised if nabby didn't leave to Russia in his prime he could've been one of the best

[@BrodieBr0]

Shannon once again jogs my memory, I totally forgot Irbe played in Dallas for a bit. Love these off season recaps of past seasons and players. 👍

[@Comryft]

A true legend, grow up with him in NHL. Remember some matches, when you would face Latvia and they had Irbe in net, you know he could be a wall.

[@Jaageful]

That is actually one thing that holds back evolution of hockey. Rating people by their measurements. That is just pure madness. You could end up losing world class talents that way.

[@doctorx3]

Bobby Clarke legit refused to draft Theo Fleury because he was "too small to play hockey." Those are the words of an utter wanker.

[@holoholopainen1627]

Nobody wanted Kimmo Timonen - Thanks to His SIZE !

[@Jaageful]

@@holoholopainen1627 and he ended up playing over 1100 games in the NHL.

[@Jaageful]

@@doctorx3 Theo Fleury played in finnish league and absolutely won everones respect. Great player.

[@robertplante8858]

Martin St.Louis...

[@mikegosnell2556]

Lived in Johnstown most of my life. Saw Irbe play there. Was a class act and never complained about being in the ECHL.

[@holoholopainen1627]

Home of The Chiefs ?

[@Tomten0]

Man I loved Irbe, one of my all time favorites and as a San Jose fan I really my hockey cards of him.

[@parliamentlite]

Never knew he was nicknamed "The Wall". My friends and I always called him Arturs Herbs & Spices.

[@okyouknowwhatever]

his nickname was "like wall" not "the wall"

[@cscansin]

2 playoff runs truly made it feel like that and now realizing that man played the long game, losing to the leafs in 7 in his like wall run in the early 90s with the sharks only to destroy us nearly a decade later with the canes in 6 ( I'm not salty about it) . Man's a legend.

[@andrew78460]

irbe was the first sharks goalie i remember watching as a kid growing up in San Jose.

[@UncleAnaesthesia]

I have a soft spot in my heart for Latvians, and I'm not even Latvian or anything. Irbe, Ozolinsh forever!

[@cscansin]

I'm getting one too(soft spot)! I swing by their embassy in DC and turns out they're big readers like It's a national sport for them big. How can you not rootfor a team and country that values books like this?

[@mendelsonja]

"The era that we're in now might be the only exception to that rule." (regarding SJ's great work developing goalies). RIP Warren Strelow.

[@davidmartinez7732]

The great former Sharks goalie coach RIP

[@matthewdaley746]

@@davidmartinez7732 Gold Medal winner.

[@MrVisde]

Loved Irbe on the Sharks. It was always an adventure when he played the puck out of the net 😂

[@SB-408]

This was my guy!!! SHARKS🦈🦈🦈🦈

[@briansergeant]

For those wondering who was Irbe’s backup when he was playing 75+ games a season for 2 years straight, they were Eric Fichaud who made 9 appearances, Mark Fitzpatrick appeared in 3 and the following season it was Tyler Moss and he appeared in 12 games including the 5 Irbe didn’t start.

[@dxhydroponicgardening9906]

Loved that guy... '94 playoff run was absolutely magical and for better or worse sealed my fandom of the Sharks.

[@Rometiklan]

Loved Artus Irbe. He was a throwback to the way goalies just stayed in the background and played goal. He wasn't flashy but he always seemed to stand firm when the going got rough. Vancouver is a goalie graveyard but if there was a goalie that won over the fans, it was Irbe.

[@1bert719]

Irbe (in his all star appearance) was the only goalie to score a goal in the short lived scoring event in the skills contest. 😊

[@DenOndeMister]

Growing up I followed the NHL mostly through hockey cards, magazines and the occasional book. My little brother was the same. We had our favorite goalies, mine was Hrudey and his was Irbe. But I was always a fan of Irbe as well. Great video. The 90's goalies deserve their own video, there's a haul of em behind those bigger names!

[@ozy75]

Not just cuz I'm 5'4", but I loved Irbe even before he was a Cane. I was equally mad with Vancouver saying the same thing even though the Canes got him. I'll never forget that 02 run even though the Canes lost in 5 against Detroit (Irbe got the lone win against Detroit in the opener). Thanks for covering this Shannon and love the hat!

[@sotahullu1]

The all star teams history sounds like a cool video.

[@KoDawgg]

This is a completely random comment but every time I watch THG’s videos I can’t help but smile. I appreciate everything he does and all the effort put into this channel.

[@dtokuno]

The first time I saw Irbe play was when the Oilers played the Dynamo Riga team from Russia in '89. Everyone was like "Who's this little goalie playing for this Russian team that's shutting out the late '80's powerhouse Oilers?". Been a fan every since then.

[@thesuneversets]

Johnstown PA shoutout! Loved seeing him when he played for the Chiefs in my hometown.

[@1madmaxx80]

Irbe is 1 of those guys that if only he had been on good teams. His record doesn't really show just how good he was.

[@sullivangate]

I was a fan of the Sharks when they came into town in 1991. Some of those games he had to netmind in that 92-93 season would be considered inhumane. That team just never had a chance. Irbe was the backbone of that team the following year. The fact they made the playoffs the next season was a Mighty Ducks like miracle run. The fact that they beat the Wings and came within one game of beating the Leafs still doesn't feel real. It was the playoff run that hooked me on hockey as a kid. And Irbe was one of the bigger parts of it.

[@juliangrenon-grekin5954]

Nice video. I remember that 2002 run. Montreal I believe had a 3-0 lead in game 4 and then they took a double penalty due to Michel therrien and boom that was that. Id love for you to make a Jocelyn thibault video. Awesome fellow. Met him three times .

[@vitnemec8365]

I like Irbe a lot. There are many urban legends about his equipment. He apparently wore one pair of pads throughout his career. When forced to use a new ones, he asked the team’s busdriver to drive over them a couple of times (to get them ’worn in’). Driver thought Irbe was crazy, but he let him drive over his pads himself. It was funny, seeing him is Stanley Cup finals, wearing pieces of equipment which no-one, even college kids would use.

[@timar6868]

I always loved Irbe, hard worker good teammate and was never a negative to any team he was on.

[@petercasnocha5340]

I absolutely loved arturs when he was in the nhl, especially because of his athletic style. He was kinda poor mans hasek - even had similar mask. After he retired in the nhl he signed for my local team and I was so happy to see him play. Too bad he had his best way behind him (he was quite awful here)

[@Adam202]

I remember as kids we thought that Irbe sucked. Hextall as well was considered bad. We also thought Vernon sucked and we hated every time he was in net instead of Osgood. Also anybody who played stand-up style was considered terrible. We knew about as much as most kids know, which is nothing. It's kind of funny because now I look back on those guys with all the respect in the world. I really like Hextall, Irbe, and even Vernon despite remembering him being pretty awful at times. As a kid it was hard to give credit where it was due when you had all of these new amazing goalies utilizing the butterfly style and looking flashy and amazing while doing it. Stand-up goalies would let a goal in and hardly even move. Aesthetically it just looked bad after you saw what Butterfly goalies were doing.

[@BuffaloNyBornRaised]

I have osgoods blocker when he played for the Islanders he left it behind in the Sabres locker room in Buffalo I hung onto it but no one ever said a thing of course I would have gave it back if confronted

[@hondamanvtec2894]

This dude and Hasek Both 👑

[@UwishUwereM3]

Yes you did my request! Thank you so much for doing it!

[@dustinrhodes4793]

I got to meet him at a card shop in San Jose when I was 6 or 7. He was such a nice guy, he stopped and took a picture with me. I will always remember that.

[@skankhunt9896]

There were some cool special cards with him in the early 90s, around 95, I was a big Potvin and Roy-fan.but they had special cards with him and Hasek, roy. potvin, ritcher, vanbiesbrouck,belfour, brodeur; etc, so he was definitely top 10 back then, sellable wise

[@dustinrhodes4793]

@@skankhunt9896 back when cards was a fun hobby. Now it's just a money grab

[@patch8376]

Genuine LOL, Snow's pads were almost the size of Irbe, one of them. Irbe was still a better goaltender.

[@iivarikoutonen9027]

Loved this comment bc it's true

[@juju31897]

finally an arturs irbe vid, life complete lmao

[@TheDAIRG]

Sandis Ozolins should be next!

[@sharxboy]

Those of us who were there still Love Arturs and Satcha (Sandis)…!

[@nhlpa17]

He was such a good guy off the ice too. I spent time with him while he was a shark. Good man.

[@turkelsimon]

Back in March of 1998, I went to Maple Leaf Gardens to see the Leafs play the Canucks on a Saturday night. Arturs Irbe started in goal for Vancouver, and when a Vancouver powerplay was expiring, Irbe was banging his stick on the ice to let his teammates know the Leafs player was about to exit the penalty box. While doing this, Irbe actually broke his stick, then actually tossed a part of the broken stick into the crowd behind the net in the golds. It was pretty funny to me :-)

[@willsk7068]

Growing up, playing road hockey in the village, I'd rock the Irbe mask with a baseball mitt glove.

[@jarink1]

I *KNEW* I should have gotten an Irbe KC Blades jersey back in '92 when I had a chance!

[@awrestlingfan5085]

I remember Artus Irbe. He was a really goalie for a long time at his size. He played well with Carolina among other teams he played for..

[@dudebro87]

Kevin weekes & Irbe was a great duo

[@peterphillips9541]

Thanks again Shannon!

[@brdy85]

i remember 1 year when the leafs were gonna face the hurricanes and Irbe, I was pumped because i thought Irbe would suck and be easy to score on and would andavnce to the next round, but he was lights out and Eliminated my Buds

[@gocanuckurself1]

Never realized (I don't think) that Irbe played for the Stars. Cool.

[@todddavis5433]

Beautiful jersey Shannon...hoping Carolina will do big things this year!!

[@kristiansralfsmucenieks605]

Shannon, do a video on Sandis Ozolins at some point. :)

[@edivadR]

Great video as always dude he was a so so goalie reminds me of John Vanbiesbrouck

[@Jokerlevin]

Cant believe you didnt bring up that he if he couldnt get hold of old hockey equipment and was forced to get new ones. He drove over them. The guy was a true legend.

[@BuffaloNyBornRaised]

He was the goaltending coach for my Buffalo Sabres he actually dressed for one game on an emergency basis I remember seeing him dressed in the equipment looked odd not wearing his typical koho. I think he was wearing Ryan Miller's equipment he left behind when he was traded to st. Louis

[@8888rektors]

Tnx for video, LV ❤️ Ozoliņš next please

[@zenonelealainen3750]

Irbe was the last number one goaltender of the red machine. I was a big fan of him during his San Jose days. The E fucking A Sports gave him a rating of 81 after that 2002 playoff streak. At the same time they had José Théodore at 98. Thats how badly they were biased.

[@mattmacknight3000]

How did I not know you did this. Glad I finally found it. He was my childhood hero growing up in Raleigh. Still have a Latvia jersey with his name. Saw a lot of games of his back in the day and remember watching that 01-02 run on the floor of my family's living room, pretending to be him in street hockey, and raging at Paul Maurice for screwing him haha. I was young, but always blamed it on Paul Maurice that Irbe's career fell apart in Carolina. Maurice was brutal after 2002.

[@ebez7132]

Great video! Always enjoy these career summaries , next could you please do "The Bulin Wall", Nikolai Khabibulin?

[@steveauersperg8200]

Thank you so much for this video!

[@hellochris06]

Another fun career to look at would be Tomas Holmstrom. One of the best (if not the best) net-front guys of all time. Overlooked quite a bit because of the other guys on those Detroit teams, but played a noticeable role on 3 cup teams (has 4 cups total) especially in his 2nd year in the NHL (97-98) with 19 points in 22 playoff games. A guy with whole videos of reputation calls against is always interesting to talk about.

[@drinkinbuddy8264]

Always one of my favs

[@garrettjames4011]

I’d love to see videos about Puppa and Terreri!

[@hockeyprofit19]

This is so random. I love it. Now do Tommy Soderstrom and his birdcage.

[@hockeybrod3076]

Thank You for making a video on one of my favourite Goalies

[@nuck97]

Irbe was probably my favorite Canuck the year he played for them.

[@doctorx3]

I remember being terribly frustrated when the Sharks dispatched Detroit in '94, but I seriously respected Irbe's abilities. He was a canny player with crazy fast reflexes, even if he did give up far too many rebounds. The line on him used to be that you went fivehole against him, and that if he used the butterfly that you could easily lift the reboubd over his head. It often worked, and that made him hestiant to use the butterfly, leaving him vulnerable fivehole. He also had a series of nagging tendon injuries in his catching hand, caused by a dog that bit him. I am not making this up. His own pet dog mutilated his hand.

[@Venomforyall]

He was always stuck in miserable teams his entire career, can't expect good numbers from that. He did win world championship with team USSR in 1990 and he was the best goalie of the tournament, so at least he has that.

[@talaltalhouk7865]

His nickname was "Like Wall". I think it was a quote from an interview, but I don't quite remember.

[@janellemaynait]

He and Evgeni Nabokov were beasts

[@rodzor]

were*

[@matthewdaley746]

@@rodzor Another Sharks goaltender.

[@topiheimola69]

Cover other players from small countries? For example Antropov, Ponikarovsky, Fedotenko, Krupp, Sturm, Hecht, Hansen(Jannik), Streit, Ehrhoff, Seidenberg, Kölzig.....

[@MrMDOT1406]

1994 playoff as an 8th seed, he upsets a very good Scotty Bowman lead Red Wings team

[@Aaronschinaguide]

The 94 upset of Detroit was very satisfying.

[@theangrybavarian3876]

Apologies if you've done him already, but can you do a video on Manny Legace. He's a special place in my heart because he was the goalie for my favorite team when I first was old enough started paying to sports. Also Roman Turek would be cool too.

[@Poorlydrawnchicken]

Still love Irbe, I had a cat named after him. It would have been nice to see where he would have gone with the Sharks without the dog issue.

[@scottcalloway4630]

For those that don't know, he was mauled by a dog, I think one of his own, that screwed up one of his hands.

[@ColonialUnited]

My third all time favorite player. Behind Roy and Kolzig

[@awrestlingfan5085]

3 very good choices for favorite players

[@Toxic_Male_Minimalist]

I once saw a Brett Hull light up Irbe when he was tending the net for the Dallas Stars with a hat trick. One of the first games i ever attended