Best Player in the History of the NHL

No goalies

I'm at work for most of the day, so here's something to keep you guys busy while i'm gone :D


PS- Bobby Orr

What's funny is that if any of those "old timers" like Gordie Howe etc... played their style of game today, they'd be ejected from every single game like there's no tomorrow. Think about all the stick work that those guys did, even Maurice Richard was nasty if you got near him. The game has changed so much since then...

shabbs wrote:What's funny is that if any of those "old timers" like Gordie Howe etc... played their style of game today, they'd be ejected from every single game like there's no tomorrow. Think about all the stick work that those guys did, even Maurice Richard was nasty if you got near him. The game has changed so much since then...

:lol!: so whos your choice?

Tukker wrote:

shabbs wrote:What's funny is that if any of those "old timers" like Gordie Howe etc... played their style of game today, they'd be ejected from every single game like there's no tomorrow. Think about all the stick work that those guys did, even Maurice Richard was nasty if you got near him. The game has changed so much since then...

:lol!: so whos your choice?

I need to think about it, and then supply my reason...

This is a great debate. I personally chose Lemieux. Had he been able to stay healthy he could have shattered some of Gretzky's records. He is my all time fav. I can also see valid arguments for the others though. This one is a toughy.

Yeah I put Gretzky... Just open up an NHL record book and you know why... Debates can be made and can be valid, but I don't think anyone had as much impact on the game...

Cap'n Clutch wrote:This is a great debate. I personally chose Lemieux. Had he been able to stay healthy he could have shattered some of Gretzky's records. He is my all time fav. I can also see valid arguments for the others though. This one is a toughy.

You could make the same argument for Orr ... what if he didn't get injured.

I would go with Gretzky but you have to remember the high scoring games when he played ... or had the big seasons.

Lemieux was just an anomaly. If he had managed to stay healthy, there are several records he would own right now. He just couldn't...such a shame.

A player's durability should factor in...

Though I do tend to agree with that comment Shabbs, had Lemieux not come out of retirement he would have maintained the best points per game average of all time.

Cap'n Clutch wrote:Though I do tend to agree with that comment Shabbs, had Lemieux not come out of retirement he would have maintained the best points per game average of all time.

Yeah but playing way less... Which to me makes it even more impressive for Gretzky, that he was able to do it consistently for so long... It's the same as shooting percentages...

Don't get me wrong though, because I think if Lemieux had stayed healthy like Gretzky he would have broken a lot of Gretzky's records... But the fact that he didn't Makes the decision all that easier for me...

Yeah but it's not like Lemieux only played a handful of games so, to me it's still a valid argument.

It's gotta be Gretz. Coulda woulda shoulda doesn't count for me. Even if Mario stayed healthy, there is no way to know if he could have maintained his scoring pace over a career as long as Gretzky's. Mario didn't revolutionize the game the way Orr or Gretzky did either. Mario has I'd put Orr 2nd, and Mario 3rd.

Yeah... I went with Gretz in the end too. The impact he had on the ice as well as off the ice did it for me.