Honestly, if you ask a random hockey fan to name the best goalies of the last two decades, they’ll probably start rattling off names like Price, Lundqvist, or Fleury. And sure, those guys have the hardware. But if you’re talking about sheer consistency, big-game guts, and a franchise-defining legacy, we need to talk about Craig Anderson.
Basically, the Ottawa Senators spent years trying to find "the guy" after Patrick Lalime’s era ended in a bit of a mess. They cycled through everyone. Gerber, Emery, Elliott, Hasek for a hot second. Nobody stuck. Then, in February 2011, they traded Brian Elliott to Colorado for a lanky American netminder who was struggling.
That move changed the franchise forever.
The Night Everything Changed in Edmonton
You’ve probably seen the clip. It’s October 30, 2016. Craig Anderson is standing on the ice in Edmonton, tears streaming down his face as the Rogers Place crowd gives him a standing ovation.
It was his first game back after his wife, Nicholle, had been diagnosed with a rare form of throat cancer.
The Sens’ backup, Andrew Hammond, had gone down with an injury. Nicholle basically told Craig, "Your team needs you." So he went out there, played through unimaginable personal pain, and stopped 37 shots for a shutout. A 2-0 win. I still get chills thinking about it. That win wasn't just about hockey; it was about a guy showing up for his brothers when he was at his absolute lowest.
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He ended that season winning the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. It wasn't a "pity" award, either. He was genuinely elite that year, putting up a .926 save percentage in 40 games while flying back and forth to be with Nicholle during her treatments.
By the Numbers: Why the "Greatest" Title Isn't Even a Debate
People love to argue about sports, but the record book doesn't really leave room for debate here. When Anderson finally hung up the skates—officially retiring as a Senator in 2023 on a one-day contract—he left as the undisputed king of the Ottawa crease.
Just look at the gap between him and everyone else:
- 202 wins (Lalime is second with 146).
- 435 games played (Nobody else has even hit 300).
- 12,447 saves (Nearly double the next guy).
He also holds the single-season franchise records for save percentage ($0.941$) and goals-against average ($1.69$), both set during that weird, lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. He was basically a brick wall that year. If he hadn't missed time with a freak hand injury involving a frozen chicken breast (yes, that actually happened), he probably would have won the Vezina.
The "Big Game Andy" Reputation
The playoffs are where reputations are forged, and Anderson was a monster in the postseason.
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Remember 2012? The 8th-seeded Senators took the President’s Trophy-winning Rangers to seven games. Anderson was matching Henrik Lundqvist save-for-save. He posted a 41-save shutout in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden. He looked like he was playing a different sport than everyone else.
Then there was 2017. The run to double overtime in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
People forget how close that team was to a Stanley Cup Final. They were one goal away. Anderson played every single minute of that 19-game playoff run. He finished with a .922 save percentage. While the "system" gets a lot of credit for that run, you don't get past the Rangers and Bruins without a goalie who can steal a period when the trap fails. He was 36 years old and playing the best hockey of his life.
Why He Was Underappreciated
Kinda strange, right? He has the stats, the longevity, and the emotional connection to the city. Yet, he rarely gets mentioned in the national "elite" conversation.
Part of it is the Ottawa market. It's "small-market Canada," and the Sens had some lean years during his tenure. He also had a very quiet, almost stoic personality. He wasn't a highlight-reel acrobat like Dominik Hasek. He was a "calculator." He used his 6'2" frame and incredible hockey IQ to make difficult saves look routine.
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He was also a late bloomer. He didn't become a true NHL starter until his late 20s. By the time he was a household name in Ottawa, he was already over 30.
The Poetic End
The way it ended was sort of perfect, honestly. His final NHL game was April 13, 2023. He was playing for the Buffalo Sabres, facing his old team, the Senators.
He won. 4-3 in overtime.
After the game, the Senators' players didn't just skate off. They stayed on the ice to shake his hand. They knew what he meant to that logo. Coming back a few months later to sign that one-day contract and retire as a Senator was the closure the fanbase needed.
If you're looking at the current state of the Sens, with all the young talent like Stützle and Tkachuk, it's easy to look forward. But you’ve gotta appreciate the guy who held the fort during the transition. He was the bridge from the "Pizza Line" era to the modern rebuild.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
If you're a hockey historian or a Sens fan looking to celebrate this era, here's how to actually value Anderson's legacy:
- Watch the 2017 ECF highlights: Specifically, look at his positioning. He rarely had to scramble because his "skating to the spot" was elite. It's a masterclass for young goalies.
- Check the 2012 Rangers series: If you want to see a goalie "in the zone," Game 5 of that series is the blueprint.
- The Masterton Speech: Find the video of his 2017 NHL Awards speech. It’s a reminder that these guys are humans first.
- Memorabilia Note: Because he’s often overlooked, his game-worn gear or high-end cards from the Ottawa years are actually quite affordable compared to "big name" goalies with similar stats.
Craig Anderson wasn't just a goalie for the Ottawa Senators. He was the heartbeat of the team for a decade. He was the guy who stayed when things got tough, who played through tragedy, and who proved that you don't need a loud personality to be a legendary leader.