Couldn't have happened to a nicer goalie

No puck bunny jokes today. Just kudos to a long underrated goalie who is finally getting his just desserts.

After agreeing to a three-year, $4.5-million extension on Wednesday, Osgood found out Thursday he had been chosen to represent the Wings in the All-Star Game in Atlanta on Jan. 27.

Osgood joins teammates Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Nicklas Lidstrom on the Western Conference roster.

Chis Osgood was once nothing more than an afterthought. No one in their right mind could have envisioned an all-star berth and a long term contract when he signed on to be the Red Wings backup goaltender a year and a half ago.

It's an amazing turnaround for a goalie considered to have been carried by a great Red Wings team to win the 97-98 Stanley Cup. A goalie who was unceremoniously sent packing after the 2001 season, to bounce around the league with the Isles and Blues for 4 seasons. Osgood's career was going nowhere but down when the Wings took a flyer on Osgood last season, mostly due to the fact that he came cheap, and was fine with being a backup. He was just happy to be a Red Wing again.

Flash forward to today, and you have an all-star net minder who is playing some of the best goal in the entire NHL, kept the Red Wings afloat when Dom Hasek was struggling early on, moving high up on the list for career NHL wins and is arguably the team MVP.

Once told to hit the bricks, and don't let the door hit you on the ass when you leave, Ozzie's damn near the toast of Detroit. You just have to love a comeback story, one tailor made to be a CBC movie of the week.

"Ozzie: The Fall and Rise of a Journeyman Goalie"
"They Really Like Me! The Chris Osgood Story"
"Osbad? No, Osgood!"
"Ozzie Doesn't Cry Anymore"

It's good to be the king Ozzie.