Mike Bossy Versus Guy Lafleur

[GlitchMarner]

Whom would you rank higher?

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[tony d]

Lafleur

 

[Midnight Judges]

I am starting to wonder if Bossy is the most overrated player of all time.

Lafleur won 2 Harts and was top 5 six times.

Bossy was top 5 two times, was regarded as a pure goal scorer except he only lead the league twice.

 

[KoozNetsOff 92]

Lafleur

 

[Thenameless]

Lafleur. He generally tends to beat Marcel Dionne, Gilbert Perreault, and Mike Bossy in these comparisons, but all 4 were really good.

I think Dionne can carry a team's offense the best, but Lafleur is close and better under pressure. Well, really one of the best ever under pressure.
Perreault had fantastic skills and style, but Lafleur was just that much more effective.
Bossy is the best goal scorer of the bunch, but I think Lafleur's total offensive game is still a little better.

 

[ScaredStreit]

I am starting to wonder if Bossy is the most overrated player of all time.

Lafleur won 2 Harts and was top 5 six times.

Bossy was top 5 two times, was regarded as a pure goal scorer except he only lead the league twice.

Bossy would have 5 Richards if Gretzky didn't play. He's one of 2 players to have 9 50+goal seasons...and he did them all consecutively. I don't think he's the best goal scorer ever, but to say he's not in the conversation or is overrated is ridiculous.

 

[Midnight Judges]

Bossy would have 5 Richards if Gretzky didn't play. He's one of 2 players to have 9 50+goal seasons...and he did them all consecutively. I don't think he's the best goal scorer ever, but to say he's not in the conversation or is overrated is ridiculous.

A 50 goal season in Bossy's day is like a 38 goal season in recent years. Just talking in raw numbers is misleading without the context of how many goals were scored per game in the different eras.

Bossy's name frequently comes up in the best goal scorer ever discussions. He is very clearly not. I guess the folks who bring him up in that context are the ones who I think are overrating him.

 

[Plural]

I am starting to wonder if Bossy is the most overrated player of all time.

Lafleur won 2 Harts and was top 5 six times.

Bossy was top 5 two times, was regarded as a pure goal scorer except he only lead the league twice.

Bossy did go directly up against Gretzky though. Bossy is probably the most overrated goal-scorer (which is crazy cause he legit is top-10 all-time in that area) but sometimes the way people characterize him is misleading. He was not regarded as pure goal-scorer. He was goal-scoring offensive winger. He was more than just a scorer a'la Bure. More like a better offensive version of Selanne.

That said, I pick Lafleur. His peak just simply is something Bossy never matched and picking a player with lesser peak would require that said player to have far superior longevity. Bossy has one more top-10 PPG finish season but Lafleur destroys him in the upper tier seasons where he has 6 top-3 finishes against Bossy's 2. Even accounting for Gretky it doesn't level the playing field enough. And when it comes to playoffs, Lafleur is one of the rare wingers who I think has Bossy beat.

 

[Ctrain2k]

Bossy, Lafleur gets overrated cause he was the face of the canadiens 70’s dynasty.

 

[Spirit of 67]

Bossy is not over rated.
Bossy is the best goal scorer ever.

But this goes to LaFluer. He was possibly the best player on one of the best teams ever. Bossy was not.

 

[LeapOnOver]

Greatest Hockey Legends.com: Who Was Better? Guy Lafleur vs. Mike Bossy

 

[LeapOnOver]

Greatest Hockey Legends.com: Who Was Better? Guy Lafleur vs. Mike Bossy

An argument could be had for both. I pick Bossy because I'm an Islander's fan and was born in the 70's. The only Guy Lafleur I remember was a shadow of his former self and nothing special to me, lol.

 

[Plural]

Bossy is not over rated.
Bossy is the best goal scorer ever.

But this goes to LaFluer. He was possibly the best player on one of the best teams ever. Bossy was not.

How is that possible when he got absolutely destroyed head to head by Gretzky? If Bossy is the best goalscorer ever, what does it make Gretzky?

 

[beowulf]

Bossy was just an amazing goal scorer but still have to pick Lafleur.

Bossy, Lafleur gets overrated cause he was the face of the canadiens 70’s dynasty.

What a weakass argument. And you can say Bossy was the overrated face of the 80s Islanders.

 

[beowulf]

How is that possible when he got absolutely destroyed head to head by Gretzky? If Bossy is the best goalscorer ever, what does it make Gretzky?

7th best when looking at goals per game. Sadly some players careers were cut short for different reasons.

• Mike Bossy, 0.762.

• Cy Denneny, 0.756.

• Mario Lemieux, 0.754.

• Babe Dye, 0.742.

• Alexander Ovechkin, 0.626.

• Pavel Bure, 0.623.

• Wayne Gretzky, 0.601.

• Brett Hull, 0.584.

 

[ScaredStreit]

A 50 goal season in Bossy's day is like a 38 goal season in recent years. Just talking in raw numbers is misleading without the context of how many goals were scored per game in the different eras.

Bossy's name frequently comes up in the best goal scorer ever discussions. He is very clearly not. I guess the folks who bring him up in that context are the ones who I think are overrating him.

Adjusted stats and raw stats are hard to compare between generations, on that you're 100% spot on. So let's look at how Bossy did compared to his peers by his finishes at the end of the year:

Let's look at his finishes though:

2, 1, 5, 1, 2, 3, 8 (played in just 67 games), 3, 2

Name the players over the past 15-20 years who has consistently finished top 5 in goals over a span as long as that.

38 goals in today's NHL does not put somebody in the top 5 goals (it doesn't even get you in the top 10)...so no it's not the same thing as scoring 38 goals in today's NHL. It's more like 42-50 (safely in the top 5 while leading at times).

PS: He'd have a total of five 1's if Gretky never played...and Gretkzy would beat anybody.

 

[Bouboumaster]

I'm going with Lafleur, but Bossy was an amazing player himself.

 

[boredmale]

A 50 goal season in Bossy's day is like a 38 goal season in recent years. Just talking in raw numbers is misleading without the context of how many goals were scored per game in the different eras.

Bossy scored 60+ goals in 5 of his 10 seasons, plus he had 58 in 76 games one year and 51 in 67 another year(ie he probably would have cracked 60 if he played a full season both those years). So that is basically 7 out of his 10 years he wasn't just a "50 goal(that would equate to a 38 goals)" scorer

Bossy is the best goal scorer of the bunch, but I think Lafleur's total offensive game is still a little better.

Bossy played 10 seasons and had a PPG or more in every one. Not counting his last 19 games played year in Montreal or his return in the late 80s, Lafleur had 9 out of 13 PPG seasons.

Bossy had 7 115+ point seasons(averaging 124 points in 77 games), Lafleur 6(averaging 128 points in 77 games). (For the sake of fairness Lafleur had 2 injury prone seasons that prorate to 101 and 110 points, Bossy minor(7 games missed) injury season that prorates to 100). I really don't see how this makes Lafleur any better, especially if we start valuing goals more then assists. Only way Lafleur stands out here is if you look at the totals, Bossy had the best season(147), but Lafleur would have the 2nd(136), 3rd(132) and 4th(129) best seasons before Bossy's next best season(126)

If i had to make arguments for each. Bossy was way more consistent during his career(albiet shortened one) but especially early on. For the case of Lafleur I think Bossy benefited more with his linemate(Trottier, who was the best linemate either player had) so you could argue Lafleur generated all of his lines offense