Net results Goalies a rare breed in first round of NHL Draft Click here for more on this story Posted: Monday June 28, 1999 04:40 PM   Pittsburgh's Tom Barrasso, the No. 5 pick in 1983, has won two Stanley Cups. Brian Babineau/Allsport By Ryan Hunt, CNN/SI To this day, Michel Plasse stands alone. Plasse was selected by the Montreal Canadiens with the first pick in the 1968 Amateur Draft, becoming the first goaltender to be taken at No. 1. And 31 years later, no other goaltender has been picked No. 1. However, since 1969, when the NHL adopted its current drafting system (from 1963-68 teams sponsored junior clubs to develop players), seeing a goaltender picked in the first round is news. In the last 30 drafts, 619 players have been picked in the first round. Only 29 have been goaltenders, which translates to 4.7 percent. In fact, just eight of the 29 goaltenders have been picked in the top 10. And of those, only Roberto Luongo (No. 4, Islanders, 1997) has been selected higher than fifth. First class Active NHL goalies drafted in first round Name Team Year Drafted Grant Fuhr Tom Barrasso Jimmy Waite Olaf Kolzig Trevor Kidd Martin Brodeur Jocelyn Thibault Jamie Storr Eric Fichaud Dan Cloutier J-S Giguere Martin Biron Marc Denis STL PIT PHO WAS FLA NJ CHI LA NAS NYR CGY BUF COL 1981 1983 1987 1989 1990 1990 1993 1994 1994 1994 1995 1995 1995 8th by EDM 5th by BUF 8th by CHI 19th by WAS 11th by CGY 20th by NJ 10th by QUE 7th by LA 16th by TOR 26th by NYR 13th by HFD 16th by BUF 25th by COL   It's curious that the position that is so important to winning a Stanley Cup isn't coveted more on Draft Day. But, getting drafted in the first round doesn't guarantee the Cup. Only four -- Michel Larocque, Tom Barrasso, Grant Fuhr and Martin Brodeur -- have hoisted Lord Stanley's Cup in the last 30 years. Then again, being drafted high doesn't even guarantee success. Ray Martyniuk (1970) never played in an NHL game. Terry Richardson and Gord Laxton, first-round picks in 1973 and 1975, respectively, won a combined total of seven games. Even Plasse won just 92 games over an 11-year NHL career. Still, teams have made a more concerted effort to draft goalies higher in the '90s. Seventeen of the 29 first rounders have been taken since 1990, including a record four in 1994. And of the original 29 first-round netminders, 13 played at least one game in the NHL last season.   Scouting slip-ups Draft position of some of the NHL's prominent goalies Name Team Year Drafted Ed Belfour Curtis Joseph Dominik Hasek Nikolai Khabibulin Arturs Irbe Guy Hebert Damian Rhodes John Vanbiesbrouck Chris Osgood Patrick Roy DAL TOR BUF PHO CAR ANA ATL NYR DET COL 1986 1988 1983 1992 1989 1987 1987 1981 1991 1984 Not drafted Not drafted 207th by CHI 204th by WIN 196th by MIN 159th by STL 112th by TOR 72nd by NYR 54th by DET 51st by MON In 1999, the crop of first-round goalies likely will grow with Brian Finley, Maxime Ouellet and Evgeny Konstantinov. None is expected to be drafted in the top five, leaving Plasse alone at the top for at least another year. In this respect, Dallas' Ed Belfour, this year's Stanley Cup winning goaltender, isn't in the same class as Plasse. Belfour, after all, wasn't even drafted.   Related information Stories Expansion draft hasn't been a long-term answer in NHL Multimedia Click here for the latest audio and video Search our site Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call 1-888-53-CNNSI.

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