FINAL RESULTS: Greatest Leader

[Bring Back Bucky]

This weekend's question, who was the greatest leader of our generation. Since I'm submitting the names, I will use guys that I have seen play myself... This is the guy you want addressing the troops and leading them on the ice in game 7. Let's have your write ins, too.

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[VanIslander]

Modano is no more deserving of a poll entry than Peca.

(Except for Hull's foot in the crease of a non-goal in OT of Game 6.)

I vote OTHER.

 

[Bring Back Bucky]

Modano is no more deserving of a poll entry than Peca.

(Except for Hull's foot in the crease of a non-goal in OT of Game 6.)

I vote OTHER.

I agree with that, I was trying to be a big boy by posting the name of my LEAST FAVORITE player. I am, however a big fan of his fantastic giant poodle Anastasia Priscilla, the $400 doggie food consumer.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Ron "Saint" Francis

Yzerman a close second.

 

[Crosbyfan]

Torn between Yzerman and Sakic. Both Beliveau type leaders. Honourable mention to Messier who has a somewhat different style.

 

[DownFromNJ]

Scott Stevens.

 

[jaywills1020]

alfredsson? are you kidding me? what has he done to be mentioned with names like messier and yzerman? the guy hasnt won anything in his life and didnt LEAD his team to anything either. mess has 5 or 6 cups and yzerman playing with a broken knee in the playoffs proves that it goes to one of them. alfredsson? ha ha !!!

 

[John Flyers Fan]

Am I the only one that thinks Messier is overrated as a leader ???

 

[Bring Back Bucky]

Am I the only one that thinks Messier is overrated as a leader ???

In my own little world, Mark Messier retired in 1991, having accomplished everything possible as a leader and lives there as an Oiler forever. To me, all that guaranteed win in 94 stuff has been so overdone that it has cast a shadow over the rest of his career by overdoing the legend. But Mark Messier from 84 to 91, that was a leader.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Am I the only one that thinks Messier is overrated as a leader ???

Hell no.

I see him more as a senile old fool than a great leader anymore.

In the 80s he was legendary as a leader, but today...hardly.

 

[windowlicker]

Hell no.

I see him more as a senile old fool than a great leader anymore.

In the 80s he was legendary as a leader, but today...hardly.

Hence the poll asks for "overall" leadership, best individual leader of the past 15-20 years, not "current" leadership.

 

[BM67]

Am I the only one that thinks Messier is overrated as a leader ???

Messier has suffered through a bad decade that has hurt his image for a lot of people. His missing the playoffs over the last seven years reflects badly on him, but wouldn't enter anyone's thoughts if it had happened early in his career. Messier has missed the playoffs 8 times in his 25 year career. In his 17 playoff appearances, his team has lost in the first round only 3 times, and only 1 of them was an upset.

Yzerman on the other hand has missed the playoffs twice in 21 years, but his teams have lost 7 times in the first round, and 4 of those were upsets.

Which reflects worse on their leadership?

 

[John Flyers Fan]

Messier has suffered through a bad decade that has hurt his image for a lot of people. His missing the playoffs over the last seven years reflects badly on him, but wouldn't enter anyone's thoughts if it had happened early in his career. Messier has missed the playoffs 8 times in his 25 year career. In his 17 playoff appearances, his team has lost in the first round only 3 times, and only 1 of them was an upset.

Yzerman on the other hand has missed the playoffs twice in 21 years, but his teams have lost 7 times in the first round, and 4 of those were upsets.

Which reflects worse on their leadership?

I'm not saying that Messier was a bad leader, but his guarantee and the NY media have made him out to be the best leader in the history of sports, which I think is greatly overstated.

IMO Messier is certainly no better than Stevens, Yzerman, Clarke, Gretzky and Potvin (the Isles captain, not Trottier)

 

[BM67]

I'm not saying that Messier was a bad leader, but his guarantee and the NY media have made him out to be the best leader in the history of sports, which I think is greatly overstated.

IMO Messier is certainly no better than Stevens, Yzerman, Clarke, Gretzky and Potvin (the Isles captain, not Trottier)

Messier was a "great" leader before going to NY, so the over-rating of his guarantee isn't all he's highly rated for. Messier is hardly the only player who's had exploits overblown.

 

[John Flyers Fan]

Messier was a "great" leader before going to NY, so the over-rating of his guarantee isn't all he's highly rated for. Messier is hardly the only player who's had exploits overblown.

I agree that Mess isn't the only overrated player.

Mess was a big time leader in Edmonton; although I think he gets too much credit for the time while Gretzky was there.

Just because Gretzky wasn't the rah, rah guy that Mess is, doesn't mean that he wasn't the leader of the team.

 

[Nifty=HHOF]

I'll agree that Messier is overrated as a leader, so my vote goes to Ray Bourque for his years of consistent leadership in Boston.

 

[Habsfan 32]

Jean Beliveau

 

[jiggs 10]

Am I the only one that thinks Messier is overrated as a leader ???

No, you are not. I've never been convinced he's done much as a "leader". Gretzky was EASILY the backbone and leader of the Oilers teams when Mess won 4 of his 6 Cups, and what has he done since 1994? Nothing, except NOT get his teams to the playoffs! Some leader!

Yzerman is the best one here. Fiery when he has to be, outstanding team man, hardest working player on the list, at one time the 3rd best player in the NHL (1988-1994), did what was best for the team and quit scoring at a ridiculous rate, learned to win faceoffs and play better defense, and won 3 Cups in 6 years! There you go.

I like Ron Francis, but never thought of him as a "leader". Just a very good player for a long time.

 

[Crosbyfan]

Jean Beliveau

Beliveau would be my pick but I don't think he's in Bring Back Bucky's "generation" as stated in the first post. I voted for Yzerman.

 

[Bloody Sabbath]

Alfredsson

 

[Jacques Plante]

No, you are not. I've never been convinced he's done much as a "leader". Gretzky was EASILY the backbone and leader of the Oilers teams when Mess won 4 of his 6 Cups, and what has he done since 1994? Nothing, except NOT get his teams to the playoffs! Some leader!

Yzerman is the best one here. Fiery when he has to be, outstanding team man, hardest working player on the list, at one time the 3rd best player in the NHL (1988-1994), did what was best for the team and quit scoring at a ridiculous rate, learned to win faceoffs and play better defense, and won 3 Cups in 6 years! There you go.

I like Ron Francis, but never thought of him as a "leader". Just a very good player for a long time.

A post in which I agree on all 3 points

As you said Messier was always 2nd to Gretzky. In 1994, Leetch was the true leader on the ice along with Richter. Messier finishes a distant 3rd there, despite his game 6 heroics against NJ.

Yzerman, a proven winner. I'll always remember him playing with that bad knee. No, he wasn't a scoring machine like in the old days but he still chipped in. His faceoff work was great and he was solid in his own end. Remember him being knocked down and grimacing when he got up? That's a leader.

I wonder if in 5-10 years we'll be talking about Jarome Iginla like this. I sort of see him as a young Stevie Y. He scores, hits, fights, plays good D and is a good face in the community.

 

[Charge_Seven]

Was Daniel Alfredsson included in this class as a sick joke, or what? lol

 

[Bruins4Ever]

Bourque. He consistently showed that he was the best leader in many years. He never won a Cup in Boston, but being a leader has nothing to do with the championships, but it has to do with how you work with your teammates, and how you inspire them. A leader can't be the one responsible for not winning a Cup, that's up to the whole team. That's what happened in Boston, but Bourque was the leader for so many years, and he was respected by everyone in the league.

He never let his anger take control of him, he never bad mouthed other players, but he showed everyone on the Bruins that someone in every group is a true leader, and Bourque was the true leader of the Bruins for 20 years.

 

[Crosbyfan]

Alfredsson

How about Jagr?

 

[Big McLargehuge]

I like Ron Francis, but never thought of him as a "leader". Just a very good player for a long time.

Ronny was a good enough leader to push Mario to an alternate.

That should speak volumes right there.

But, like basically everything that Ronny did, it seems only Penguins, Whalers, and Hurricane fans will understand just how good he really was.

I do agree that Stevey Y is, at worst, the second best captain in the game though. I have Yzerman and Francis as 1a and 1b, but I voted for Francis to give him so love in the poll.