Chris Osgood was named to the Western Conference roster for the NHL all-star game, Thursday.
A well-deserved honor for Osgreat (the name has to change until he stops leading the league in everything) especially since starter Roberto Luongo backed out of the game because of the impending birth of his child. Tough to come up with four goalies in the Western Conference and not include Osgreat.
In addition, Grand Rapids goalie Jimmy Howard and defenseman Jonathan Ericsson were named to the PlanetUSA team roster for the AHL all-star game. Howard, who injured his hand in his last game and might be shelved for a while, and Ericsson are the Red Wings' top two prospects.
Talking to goalie coach Jim Bedard yesterday and complimenting him on how well Osgreat and Dominik Hasek have played, he said that he's most proud of the improvement made by Howard this season. Bodes well for the Red Wings next fall because this was a make-or-break year for Howard.
If Ericsson can make the jump to the NHL next season, the Wings will have a big piece of the bridge to the future in place.