GMHockey - Bobby Orr Trophy

asq2 wrote:

504Heater wrote:

asq2 wrote:
Niedermayer, however, is not the same offensive threat that Green is.

Anyway, they're both great offensively and either could have the award.

I have a slight man crush on Neidermayer that re-started late March. He is so slick and controls every single facet of the game.

Don't get me wrong, if you were to ask me who the better defenceman is, it'd be Nieds all the way.

Offensively, though, I think Green is superior.

Ah, the joys of hockey talk...

:D:

I'm torn between Redden and Meszaros! Our drop in goal scoring from last year to this year proves that!!

I'm joking of course.

The Bobby Orr trophy shouldn't go to Gonchar this year, as he only played 25 games.

I would give an honourable mention to Andrei Markov, he is an underrated dman, does a lot for the Habs, especially on the PP. Sad thing is, he is even underrated among Habs fans, at least the ones I know.

Another honourable mention should go to Mark Streit, as he was a part of 28% of his team's goals, despite missing 8 games.

But my vote for best Offencive Dman for this year goes to Mike Green. He's the first Dman in over a decade to go over a point per game (lidstrom achieved a point/game in 2005) and the first dman to score over 30 goals since '93. He also led all Dmen in shooting percentage, meaning his large number goals aren't coming off an obscene number of shots, but because he has a hard and accurate shot.

Mike Green isn't just a guy who can shoot. He brings so much more than that.

42 assists is no poor total.

EDIT: Give him an 82 game season and he'd have had over 50.

davetherave wrote:

wprager wrote:Niedermayer is not as good now as he used to be. Green is not as good yet as he's going to be. At this point in time, though, for this, one season, I'd have to give it to Green.

To be fair in your selection, have you watched both of them play enough times in the regular season to make that judgement?

I can't speak for Green, but Niedermayer looks to be playing as well as he ever has, and that's going back to his days in Jersey.

I once sat just a couple of rows behind Anaheim's bench. It was at the end where Scotty sat. I'd never seen a player -- a *captain* for crying out loud -- appear so disinterested in a game. He skated on, did his thing, skated off and sat at the end of the bench until his time came up again. Never said anything, never cheered his team-mates on, never commented on a good play or a bad one. I could not believe that this was the team's Captain. I will never again comment on Alfie not being a vocal leader after seeing this.

Forgive me for not having a man crush on Niedermayer. I still think that he's benefitted from playing on some great teams with future hall of famers beside or behind him. Is he a great player? Yes, or at least he was. You can't argue with success. But I still don't think he's the best defenseman that's ever played or is still playing. Have I seen him play a lot? No, not as much as some others. But I saw quite a bit of him when he was with the Devils, and that was his prime. It's just an opinion, but it's mine and I'm sticking by it.

In much of this discussion two things have been forgotten:
1. Green is still learning and growing as a hockey player and a defenseman.
2. This is the kid's first time in the post-season.

In Scotty's first post-season he played 5 games and was a -3. In his second, the Devils played 20 games and Scotty had 4 points and was a -1.

I think we need to keep this in perspective.

wprager wrote:In much of this discussion two things have been forgotten:
1. Green is still learning and growing as a hockey player and a defenseman.
2. This is the kid's first time in the post-season.

In Scotty's first post-season he played 5 games and was a -3. In his second, the Devils played 20 games and Scotty had 4 points and was a -1.

I think we need to keep this in perspective.

This is a terrific subject for a terrific discussion...looking forward to it.

For now...the Blackhawks beckon.

Cheers!

There are a few people not drinking the Green Kool Aid, and Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun is one who submits Mikey G isn't quite all that and a bag of chips:

After watching Mike Green and Joe Thornton in the playoffs, can't imagine how either will earn a place on Canada's 2010 Olympic team. The better the hockey gets, the more invisible they become.

You can get your offence from the back end with Dan Boyle and Scott Niedermayer without having to gamble on Green ...

http://www.torontosun.com/sports/columnists/steve_simmons/2009/04/26/9248641-sun.html

davetherave wrote:There are a few people not drinking the Green Kool Aid, and Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun is one who submits Mikey G isn't quite all that and a bag of chips:

After watching Mike Green and Joe Thornton in the playoffs, can't imagine how either will earn a place on Canada's 2010 Olympic team. The better the hockey gets, the more invisible they become.

You can get your offence from the back end with Dan Boyle and Scott Niedermayer without having to gamble on Green ...

http://www.torontosun.com/sports/columnists/steve_simmons/2009/04/26/9248641-sun.html

I genuinely believe this kid is hurt. He's passed up on so many shooting opportunities he might have a strained oblique or a broken rib or something, because there is no way someone who scored as many goals as he did would continue to pass up so many shooting chances...it just doesn't add up.

PKC wrote:

davetherave wrote:There are a few people not drinking the Green Kool Aid, and Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun is one who submits Mikey G isn't quite all that and a bag of chips:

After watching Mike Green and Joe Thornton in the playoffs, can't imagine how either will earn a place on Canada's 2010 Olympic team. The better the hockey gets, the more invisible they become.

You can get your offence from the back end with Dan Boyle and Scott Niedermayer without having to gamble on Green ...

http://www.torontosun.com/sports/columnists/steve_simmons/2009/04/26/9248641-sun.html

I genuinely believe this kid is hurt. He's passed up on so many shooting opportunities he might have a strained oblique or a broken rib or something, because there is no way someone who scored as many goals as he did would continue to pass up so many shooting chances...it just doesn't add up.

That could very well be...one musn't rush to judgement too quickly. Many of these fellows, it seems, are playing with injuries that would no doubt make us mere mortals shudder.

Hockey is truly the sport of warriors.

Let us salute them.