100 Wins

Earlier this season, Carey Price, Pekka Rinne, Craig Anderson and Jonathan Quick all reached the 100-win mark. With the current level of competition and skill in the NHL, especially for goaltenders, it's a difficult milestone to achieve. Each individual's specific path to this mark however, was very different. I'll break down each scenario and ask you, "Whose 100th win is the most impressive?" 

Pekka Rinne

100th victory: October 29, 2011 vs. Anaheim Ducks

Age: 29

Games played to reach 100th win: 187

Scenario: Pekka Rinne was drafted in the 8th round by the Nashville Predators in 2004. At that time, the current starter for the Predators was Tomas Vokoun. For those of you not familiar with Vokoun, he's pretty good. That being the case, Rinne played for Nashiville's AHL affiliate, Milwaukee Admirals. In those three seasons, Rinne maintained a 2.54 GAA and .911 SVP. Also during that span, he had surprisingly played only three NHL games. After Vokoun went to Florida, the Predators went with Dan Ellis and Chris Mason in net. Fortunately for Rinne, that plan didn't pan out for Nashville. He was promoted to the number one slot in 2007-2008 and hasn't looked back since. 

Craig Anderson

100th victory: October 20, 2001 vs. Winnipeg Jets

Age: 30

Games played to reach 100th win: 237

Scenario: Craig Anderson was drafted in the 3rd round by the Calgary Flames in 1999. Then, in 2001, Anderson re-entered the NHL draft and was selected in the 3rd round - this time by the Chicago Blackhawks. After several years of bouncing back and forth between the AHL and NHL, Chicago placed him on waivers in 2006. This proved to be a tumultuous year for the young goalie. He was claimed off of waivers three, separate times that year - once by the Boston Bruins, another by the St. Louis Blues and then returning to the Chicago Blackhawks. After re-claiming him, the Blackhawks traded him to the Florida Panthers for a 6th round selection. Keep in mind, this was all in the same year. In his first season, he competed with Ed Belfour and Alex Auld. The next two seasons he played behind, you guessed it, Tomas Vokoun. After doing that for three seasons, Anderson was left in unrestricted free agency. The Colorado Avalanche promoted him to their starter in 2009-2010 after signing him to a two-year contract. He played really well, but halfway through his second year, the Avalanche traded him to the Ottawa Senators for Brian Elliott. In Ottawa, Anderson is the currently enjoying the challenge of starting for a team in the process of rebuilding. 

Carey Price

100th victory: October 26, 2001 vs. Philadelphia Flyers

Age: 24

Games played to reach 100th win: 214

Scenario: Carey Price was drafted in the 1st round by the Montreal Canadiens in 2005. Remember, there is an extreme amount of pressure on goalies who play in Montreal. His first two seasons were spent in the AHL and WHL. The 2007-2008 season provided Price with his first opportunity in the NHL. For the next three years, he split time with other goaltenders. That first year, he split time with Cristobal Huet. The next two, with Jaroslav Halak. In those shared seasons, Price played well, accumulating 60 wins and maintaining a 2.72 GAA and .912 SVP. It was the playoffs that caused Price trouble. In 2008-2009, Price played four playoff games and lost all of them. Montreal gave him another shot the following playoff run, but after faltering early, the organization went with Halak. Halak carried the team to the Conference Finals. However, the team still had faith in Price and traded Halak in the off-season to the St. Luois Blues for Ian Schultz and Lars Eller. The following season, Carey Price proved critics wrong by stopping over 92% of the shots thrown his way. He translated this level of play into the playoffs, although his team didn't get past the first round. In his current season, Price is continuing to affirm his organization's decision by standing on his head.

Jonathan Quick

100th victory: October 20th, 2011 vs. Phoenix Coyotes

Age: 25

Games played to reach 100th win: 185

Scenario: Jonathan Quick was drafted in the 3rd round by the Los Angeles Kings in 2005. Quick spent the first two seasons playing for the University of Massachussetts. In 2007-2008, he played the majority of his games in the ECHL and AHL. He also got a small taste of the NHL with three games. The next season, he was thrust into the starting role, but also shared time with Erik Ersberg. Since then, Quick has absolutely solidified himself at the starter, playing 72 and 61 games in the next two years. He did this while critics questioned whether or not Jonathan Bernier, another talented, young goaltender, would steal the position away from him. Currently, Quick continues to dominate in Los Angeles with a .930 SVP.

Which 100th win do you find most impressive?