Once a Decade Prospects

Status
Not open for further replies.

FlyersFan10*

Guest
The only problem I have with the whole hype thing is that each player mentioned is different in all areas of their game. For instance, Ilya Kovalchuk is a pure goalscorer in the Mike Bossy/Jari Kurri mould. I haven't seen a player like that in a long time. Not even Pavel Bure in his heyday could score a goal like Kovalchuk. Sure, Bure may have scored more goals in a season, but that was mainly due to his speed and the fact that he did play on some great Vancouver teams. I want to see what happens when Atlanta becomes a great team. I'm thinking Kovalchuk might (key word here being might) eventually take a run at Gretzky's single season record. The man is that good. As for Spezza, he's a playmaker. Can he score goals? Absolutely. The man has a cannon of a shot and it's accurate. Why he doesn't use it more often is beyond me. However, Spezza's vision of the ice is phenomenal and feels more comfortable being able to distribute the puck. Contrary to what is being said, Spezza will be a 100 point player in this league. The only problem is Jacques' reluctance to use Jason as the #1 pivot on the team. Thornton has been everything he was supposed to be, minus the mean streak. I really think the coaches in Boston have to make him ornery and mean natured and his game will open up even more. Of course, Joe has to watch the stick work as he's been suspended a couple of times for high sticking and cross checking incidents. As for Bouwmeester and Pitkanen, it's a toss up between the two and I think it will be an ongoing thing between both players when it comes to the Norris trophy. Truth of the matter is that Pitkanen is just as good a skater as Bouwmeester and has a higher upside. Bouwmeester on the other hand is much better defensively and is the kind of player you want on the ice during the last minute of a game. Once again, apples and oranges comparison (think of it as comparing a prime Brian Leetch to a prime Nicklas Lidstrom....both dominating players, but each played a different style). Now comes my favourite topic......Eric Lindros. Eric did have greatness written all over him and it was apparent he would have been "the Next One." However, there were several factors working against him. The first was his style of play. From junior right up to the pros, he always skated with his head down. Why that wasn't curbed by any of his junior coaches and professional coaches is completely beyond me. He could get away with that in junior because he was bigger than most of the players, but the fact that professional coaches allowed that habit to continue is beyond me. Had that have been curbed, he wouldn't have suffered all those concussions and might still be a Flyer today. The second issue with Eric is his dad being his agent. Being a parent, I know I could not separate business affairs from personal affairs. I really think Carl screwed Eric's career by being his agent. Eric had a great agent in Ric Curran who got Eric a sweet rookie deal. It's funny that he was replaced by Carl after Carl stated Eric could have gotten more. Now, if that isn't greed speaking. Eric's rookie contract at the time was paying him more money than Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky. Go figure that one out. For a kid who hadn't played in the NHL and he got more money than Gretz or Mario and his dad said he could have gotten more. Anyways, once again, his father could not separate business. I'm sure that Bobby Clarke did like Eric, but that he had to think of what was best for the Flyers time and eventually, it wasn't Eric who became a cancer to the Flyers, it was Eric's parents. Eric could have simply fired his dad as his agent and use Gordon Kirke as his agent and his dad could have been a consultant. But no, Eric could not say no to his parents. I really think that Eric's time in New York must be weighing heavy on his mind and that he really had it made in Philadelphia. If Eric were to fire his parents and get a real agent, I would like to think that it would be possible that he and Bobby can rebuild the burned bridges and start a new. As for Vinny Jordan down in Tampa Bay, let's remember that this current NHL stifles creativity and offensive excitement. If they were to open up the game again (and the easiest way to do that is to fine any team that deploys a trap like system $100,000 per game......that begins to add up and I think you'll see owners pressure coaches into getting rid of the trap), I think you would see Vinny put up astronomical numbers. Is he the Jordan of the NHL? Of course not. But I would venture to say he is at least a Thornton of the NHL. Not a bad player if I say so myself.
 

Debrincat93

Registered User
Dec 4, 2002
22,669
468
Michigan
Nhl.com
great post indeed.... nice work... Kovalchuk sure is special and im glad that ill get to watch his entire career first hand from the first season till his 20th (lets hope)
 

Kugel

Registered User
Oct 16, 2003
209
0
Ontario, Canada
derbyfan said:
"Schremp was lighting up jr. B hockey in the states, which isnt the toughest competition as a 15 year old, but he is a good player."

Actually, I believe Schremp was playing for Syracuse of the OPJHL (Jr. A) at 15. While this is a watered down league, a step down from the NAHL, it is still a step up from "B", and one hell of an accomplishment.
Robbie had 41 g, 47 a, 88 points in 47 games which led to his #1 draft status in the OHL. Playing "A" against guys as old as 20, and putting up those kind of numbers, I'd say the 'hype' was justified.

hey derby fan,

thats what i meant, sorry i got the level of the league wrong. but he put up huge numbers in junior and thats y he got the hype....his play in the OHL has showed that he is good.
 

flyercide

Registered User
Feb 27, 2002
891
0
Philadelphia
Visit site
BrooklynCanuck said:
The "Michael Jordan" comment was just the delusional owner of the team that drafted him. Impartial source, eh?

I don't think Thornton got all that much hype.

Lindros was unbelievable when healthy. To some degree he never had the chance to live up to any of the hype.

I happen to agree with you. Although he did live up to the hype to a degree in that I think he proved to be the best Flyer ever... if he stayed healthy he could have done soo much more. He was one heck of a player! He had everything. Truly dominate. My favorite years watching him play was when he was wreckless hitting everything. Just a shame Clarke never built a better supporting cast & he kept getting injured to the point he's at now one hit from retirement. There was a bunch years where team's cheap shotted him.. which probably was deserved but no one.. and I mean no one on the Flyers stood up for him.
 

mmbt

Cheeky Monkey
Feb 27, 2002
9,433
0
California
Visit site
My impression always was that Lindros was considered on another level from most prospects. Not just immensely talented, but TRULY can't-miss players who *at minimum* should turn out to be all-stars, and have the ability to be the best of their generation.

Guys like that come along once a decade or so. Orr (late 60's). Gretzky (late 70's). Lemieux (mid 80's). Lindros (early 90's). The other players mentioned, while they may have received plenty of hype, weren't the same caliber of prospect as the aforementioned. There were a lot more folks wondering about the bust potential of guys like Thornton or Spezza or Lecavalier, et al, than there were questioning a Mario or Lindros. You just knew those guys were going to be great, great players.

Maybe Crosby's the next big thing. All I know is, Canada's about due for another one in the next few years, if the pattern is to hold up. But he'll need to play even better next year than he's playing right now if he's going to be seriously talked about in that way.
 

AL-Canadian

Registered User
Nov 7, 2003
294
0
Birmingham, AL
Here are a couple from the "older" crowd's generation (early 70s) who were dream prospects:

in the same year - Guy Lafleur and Marcel Dionne

the coin toss fiasco (prior to the NFL's coin toss screwup) - Gilbert Perrault went to Buffalo instead of Vancouver (Dale Tallon)

and the original King of the Island - Denis Potvin (not as smooth as Orr but he had that major nasty streak like the Lindros postings say was a key part of his 'ratings')

All these players were regarded as being head and shoulders above the rest in their draft year and in seasons around that time.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->