Leafs All-Time Team Vote: First Line Centre

[Once]

Sittler

 

[crump]

As someone who witnessed the Leafs from 1961 , my order would be
Sittler, Keon, Gilmour and Sundin.

Sittler and Keon are about even in my opinion and Gilmour had 2 absolutely great years as a Leaf.

Just don't know about Kennedy and Apps, though Apps lead quite an accomplished life in and out of hockey. Same with Kelly, might have a great Dman before he came to the Leafs, then 10 years of Jonathan Toews type play as a Leaf. Had a very successful life outside of hockey too.

Have to agree. I put Keon first for longevity and cups.

 

[Mess]

Keon is considered the greatest Leaf of all time so the choice is rather obvious.

This poll should be Leafs all-star team since 1990 onwards because then the majority of the voters would have been born and around to see the players play.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Keon is considered the greatest Leaf of all time so the choice is rather obvious.

This poll should be Leafs all-star team since 1990 onwards because then the majority of the voters would have been born and around to see the players play.

Yes it would be odd to have Keon as the greatest Leaf ever and somehow have others get more votes for the top centre.

I've never been a huge Sundin fan for some reason but I at the notion that he wasn't a phenomenal skater. I was at the exhibition game against Dallas when Sundin wore the Leafs Jersey in a game for the first time and it was obvious from the start that Sundin and Modano were on a whole other level from all the other players as far as skating goes.

 

[Clark4Ever]

If we're objectively ranking the greatest centers based solely on their careers as Leafs I think it should be:

Keon
Sittler
Sundin
Gilmour

I still voted for Sundin though because he's my personal favorite centre of all time.

 

[Mess]

Yes it would be odd to have Keon as the greatest Leaf ever and somehow have others get more votes for the top centre.

I've never been a huge Sundin fan for some reason but I at the notion that he wasn't a phenomenal skater. I was at the exhibition game against Dallas when Sundin wore the Leafs Jersey in a game for the first time and it was obvious from the start that Sundin and Modano were on a whole other level from all the other players as far as skating goes.

There are past Maple Leafs that have won 4 Stanley Cups for the team and Conn Smythe trophies and other awards.

This poll shouldn't really be about who someone saw play but rather researched on Leaf greats of the past and acknowledged for their achievements in the blue and white. IMO

Sundin was certainly the best Leaf in his time but not All-time.

There are books published and lists made by people that have gone back 6 decades or more and ranked the all-time greats of the past. (http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/top-30-greatest-maple-leafs-of-all-time/)

The top 3 Leaf centres of all-time should be debated between Keon, Apps and Teeder Kennedy.

Sundin should be battling Sittler and Gilmour for the 4th line centre spot with a lively debate of the merits of each.

 

[al secord]

If Sundin were playing for us in the 60's and 70's we'd have more Cups than the Habs.

And if my aunt were my uncle....

 

[TLeafsFan]

lol at people undercutting Sundin.

Guy is simply the best player to ever don the jersey. Not his fault he was surrounded with the likes of Hoglund.

Any team success we had while he was here, was essentially all due to him.

IDK, that whole Kaberle patrolling point thing was pretty cool too.

 

[thewave]

Not voting just here to say. It's impossible not to pick the most modern era player. Frame of reference matters. We had a fling with Dougie and didn't win a cup, who cares.

 

[thewave]

Have to agree. I put Keon first for longevity and cups.

And you know what. Nobody can knock that choice and reasoning. The problem is Mats was a better player technically. If those athletes had modern training and equipment. Well, that's a debate.

 

[BayStreetBully]

What an embarrassment of riches. 7 surefire hall of famers, and among the greatest to ever play the game. We may not have a Gretzky or Lemieux in our midst, but I'd take our depth of superstar centers over any other team.

And for all the talk of our 50 years of gloom, look to Montreal if you want to see a team suffering an ongoing superstar center drought. Never mind superstar center, the Habs haven't even had a superstar *forward* since Lafleur in the 70's. Since then, we've had Gilmour, Sundin and soon to be Matthews...

 

[Kamiccolo]

Went Sundin. Most of the names I've only heard of and never seen play, and I bet it's the same for most. The era's just aren't really comparable.

 

[67Cup]

The heading of the thread is not "best I myself have ever seen." It's "All time." I have no objection to the former though with the number of younger posters, it would tilt the poll strongly in favour of the most recent stars. But if you actually respond to a post about "all time" first line players, the response can hardly avoid comparing across eras.

I voted on that basis for one of the two centres I never saw play, Syl Apps, but I won't repeat my post about him.

Just a note: I loved Dave Keon from his Calder winning first season. Voting for him makes a lot of sense and no criticism from me about that. It is a tribute to the Leafs of the sixties, however, that his line wasn't actually the equivalent of a present day first line. The first line would normally have been Mahovlich, Kelly and whoever played on their right wing, Bob Nevin in the early years. Keon's line played something more like the role of a present day third line. Of course, on differently structured teams, Keon might have been he first line centre, as indeed he was with the Leafs later in his career. And he was as effective in most ways as the first line centres, now Hall of Famers, he was matched against.

 

[nsleaf]

How about George Armstrong? 21 seasons with the Leafs!!

 

[BlueForever]

Voted Sundin. I've only seen Sundin and Gilmour play and Sundin was a little bit better.

Voted Gilmour. Sorry folks but for the short amount of time Gilmour played with the leafs he brought us to 2 conference finals all on his shoulders. Had Gilmour come to Toronto for the amount of seasons Sundin did, numbers would be different. Sundin although good, he wasn't great like Gilmour was for two seasons.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

How about George Armstrong? 21 seasons with the Leafs!!

He'll be on the docket for right wing.

 

[pooleboy]

why isn't Matthews up there?

 

[Craig Button]

Voted Gilmour. Sorry folks but for the short amount of time Gilmour played with the leafs he brought us to 2 conference finals all on his shoulders. Had Gilmour come to Toronto for the amount of seasons Sundin did, numbers would be different. Sundin although good, he wasn't great like Gilmour was for two seasons.

Neither was Gilmour.


Scoring 1994-1995

Player GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Sundin 47 23 24 47 14 -5 9 0 4[
Ridley 48 10 27 37 14 1 2 2 1
Gilmour 44 10 23 33 26 -5 3 0 1



Scoring 1994-1995

Player GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Sundin 76 33 50 83 46 8 7 6 7
Gilmour 81 32 40 72 77 -5 10 2 3

 

[Lauro]

This should not be done on the Leafs Board if you want a knowledgeable result.

Plus, you definitely should order the players by letter or time. Having Sundin mentioned first doesn't help.

Vote should be between Apps and Keon.

 

[Lauro]

lol at people undercutting Sundin.

Guy is simply the best player to ever don the jersey. Not his fault he was surrounded with the likes of Hoglund.

Any team success we had while he was here, was essentially all due to him.

Such a post from you is really depressing. You should visit the history section once in a while. There is a reason Syl Apps was voted 15th best center of all-time and Sundin only 54th (Teeder Kennedy 21st, Dave Keon 31st btw).

 

[Nithoniniel]

I went with Keon, although I guess Apps might have a better case.

I'd probably have it as Keon, Apps, Kennedy, Sundin, Gilmour, Kelly.

Any multi-era spanning comparisons have to be made relative to their peers, otherwise there's simply no point in the comparison. You want to evaluate the person and the player, not the benefits of their time.

In a lineup based on a more personal relationship with the players, I'd go with Gilmour - Sundin - Keon though.

Edit: I actually forgot Sittler. Ugh.

 

[kk87]

Sundin's the obvious answer, and probably the right one, but for me it was close between him, Sittler, Gilmour, and Keon. Voted Gilmour.

 

[Apotheosis]

Going with Keon here.

 

[Leaf Lander]

Joe. Primeau

 

[meefer]

Like any sport, comparing players from different eras is impossible. There's no doubt today's athletes are bigger, stronger, faster...That the game, its rules and the equipment have all changed makes the comparison even more difficult. That said, Davey Keon for me. My fav player growing up and that's a memory that's hard to change.