Following two injury plagued years when he didn?t even play 35 games in a given season and four years removed from the worst season of his career, Chris Osgood is enjoying a renaissance season currently in HockeyTown. Later this January he will return to the All-Star game for the first time in over a decade. How did this happen? To understand the Chris Osgood currently playing for the Red Wings, it is important to understand exactly how the Oz came to be. He is a man who has earned such dedicated fans that he has some of the most inspiring fan-built player pages on the web. I found a treasure trove of Ozzie information on their pages, including a laundry list of nicknames for Chris which I will use throughout the article. The sites will help fill in the gaps in the story that starts in a sleepy Canadian town. Born in Peace River, Alberta, Osgood and his family soon moved to Medicine Hat, Alberta, where Chris grew up. He put on his first pair of skates at age four and was supported by his mother, father, and his grandpa Sheuer during those long hours of practicing, playing, and driving that make up youth hockey. At age 11, his father showed his particular devotion to his son?s craft and future by mortgaging the family?s house to buy Chris goalie equipment. If only Americans in this current sub-prime crisis could have chosen their investments as wisely as Mr. Osgood. The fan sites also give insight into Chris Osgood the person. Some of his personal favorites are (by category): cartoon character ? Fred Flintstone; pro wrestler ? Chief Jay Strongbow; and cereal ? the breakfast of champions, Lucky Charms. I like Strongbow and the Lucky Charms, but Flitstone is pretty boring cartoon character. I always felt it was Barney Rubble who was the straw that stirred the drink on that show. He is also apparently a bit of prankster. During his first stint with the Redwings, he tied Assistant Coach Dave Lewis? shoelaces to a chair at the bench. When the coach went out to congratulate starting goaltender Mike Vernon following the game, the chair came along for the ride. On a slightly more irregular but no less revealing note, I will quote directly from Megan A. Noble?s clearly professional Osgood fan site: ?He once ?treated? his teammates by dressing up as Baywatch beach ?hottie? David Hasselhoff for a Red Wings' Halloween Party. I bet he was much hotter than David!!!? Apparently, Dirk Nowitzki is not the only pro sports star who likes Mr. Hasselhoff far more than any grown man should. The Ozz first entered the Red Wings' organization when they drafted him in the 3rd round of the 1991 NHL entry draft. He was playing for his hometown Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League at the time. Following a strong performance for Seattle in the ?91-?92 playoffs, he was appointed as Detroit?s #1 minor league goalie prospect. He first cracked the Red Wings' lineup in 1993, but it took him a couple of years to establish himself as a legit NHL goaltender. By his third season, ?95 ? ?96, he had arrived: starting 50 games with a 2.17 GAA and a .911 save percentage. That year, he played in the All-Star game as well as sharing the William M. Jennings Trophy with Mike Vernon. The Jennings Trophy is given annually to the goaltending tandem allowing the fewest goals in the league. The two years after that, the Red Wings won back to back Stanley Cups. In the ?97 playoffs, he only played two games, serving as the backup to Mike Vernon. Vernon had already won a cup earlier in his career with the Flames, and that postseason Vernon won the Conn Smythe Trophy. Thankfully for Oz, Vernon was traded that offseason to the San Jose Sharks. Ozgod rewarded the Wings' management for their faith in him the next season. Over the ?97 ? ?98 regular season, Osgood played in 64 games, posting six shutouts on his way to a 2.21 GAA and .913 save percentage. Despite his heavy regular season load, The Wizard of Oz still shined in the playoffs starting 22 games, saving 92% of the shots against him as he led the Wings to their second Stanley Cup victory in two years. Osgood spent the next three years as Detroit?s primary goaltender, but was never able to recapture his earlier success. His GAA went up each season, and the team did not return to the Cup Finals despite strong regular seasons each year. In the summer of 2001, Osgood was moved by the only franchise he had ever known. Seeking a return to Cup glory, the Wings traded with Buffalo for goalie All-World goalie Dominik Hasek. Wanting to clear the way for Hasek, the Wings left Osgood unprotected in the waiver draft and the New York Islanders picked him up. In addition to taking the high road following his departure, Osgood made a strangely accurate prediction of events to come, as he remarked, ?Surprised? Yeah. At first. But in the short term, I guess the Wings are upgrading by getting Hasek. I mean, right now, he's a little better than me. You have to be truthful. He's won the Vezina Trophy six times. Me, I'm just hitting my prime.... In a few years, I'll have the advantage. But things happen in sports. I'm not leaving on a sour note or negative way because too many positive things have happened to me in Detroit.... Who knows? Maybe one day, when I'm a free agent, I can come back.? Islanders GM ?Mad? Mike Milbury and new, eccentric owner Charles Wang acquired Osgood as part of an intense off-season overhaul that included adding star centers Mike Peca and Alexi Yahsin. Osgood?s first season in New York was moderately successful. He had four shutouts, a 3.5 GAA and a .91 save percentage as he led the team to the playoffs. Comparing Ozzie with the man who replaced him in Detroit, captain Mike Peca said, ?he's never quite gotten that level of respect that I think, after playing with him, he deserves. He's just so sound fundamentally that he's rarely out of position. Unlike Dominik, he doesn't have to make those flashy saves. He always seems to be in the right spot.? The Islanders ended up losing in the first round that postseason to the Toronto Maple Leafs. It was a hard fought series, where neither team won a home game. The next season with the Islanders, things did not go nearly as well. The team struggled, as did Osgood. He only played 37 games for them that season, posting some of the worst numbers of his career. Speaking to the media about his struggles, Osgood said, ?I was struggling, and I had trouble figuring out why. I lost my confidence, and I started trying too many things and listening to too many people. It got so bad that I started changing my routine -- how I'd drive to the rink and what I ate before the game -- thinking that would help. It didn't.? Osgood was traded to the Blues in the middle of that season, where his struggles continued. It was the worst season of his professional career. Osgood played 67 games in his second year with St. Louis, the ?03 ? ?04 season. It was a return to form. Taking on the heaviest workload of his career, Osgood had 3 shut-outs, a .91 save percentage and a 2.24 GAA. The Blues made the playoffs but lost once more in the first round. Headed into the 2004 offseason and eventual ?04 ? ?05 lockout, Osgood was a free agent. He was at a crossroads in his career. Though he probably would deny it, his numbers indicated that his skills had slipped. It seemed that a successful NHL career was in its final act. Taking a pay cut, on August 8, 2005 Ozzie returned to where it all began, signing with Detroit for $900,000. His first two years with Detroit were nothing special, and it indeed seemed that Osgood?s best days were behind him. Playing in less than 35 games each year, Osgood was plagued by injuries and unable to regain his previous post as top goaltender. Headed into the ?07 ? ?08 season Osgood?s future in the NHL was much in doubt. Many thought he could probably stick around for a few more years as a backup, but his All-Star days were behind him. Wings' management even gave him a metaphorical slap in the face as they resigned Dominik Hasek, seemingly to be the starting goalie. Hasek, remember, was the man who got Osgood kicked out of Hockeytown back in 2001. Somewhere in the sands of time, though, Muhammad Ozzie managed to find the fountain of youth. Following an early season injury to Hasek, Osgood took the starting spot and has not looked back. As of today, he is tied for 7th among all goaltender in wins with 19. He has the league?s 5th best save percentage at 92.2%, and, incredibly, he is leading the league with a 1.95 GAA. He is the only starting goalie with a GAA under two. Clearly the best explanation for his success is his large number of nicknames and fan sites devoted to him. Both of which will only increase exponentially if he continues his current pace. By the time he?s 40, he?ll probably be the best goalie in NHL history and have so many nicknames his real name has been completely forgotten by all the fan sites.