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"You're a boring old man"
As I correctly, IMO, pointed out, the Maroons have a superior 3rd pairing based on cumulative resumes and postseason experience. They serve a valuable purpose on the PP as players who have excelled there.
If you want to see a BIG depth advantage, look no further than the bottom lines.
4th line vs 4th line
Joe Malone-Mike-Modano-Theo Fleury vs Bill Barber-Peter Stastny-Todd Bertuzzi
No offense to the Wanderers but the Maroons blow the doors off their counterparts when looking at the last F groups. 2 of the 3 are HOF'ers and the third (Fleury) is certainly in the Hall of Very Good. They are all 80+ VsX players (correct me if I'm wrong on Malone's translation from the old VS1 to a Vsx approximation). All 3 can defend, especially Modano. Malone is a tremendous goal scorer and overpass put together a fantastic bio in 2018 showing he was a solid defensive player. Modano was a very underrated puck handler and passer and simply put balanced offensive performer while peaking as a Selke finalist C and strong face off artist. Fleury will pester, muck, dig, hit and cause havoc up and down the ice.
The Maroons 4th line is simply better offensively (by pretty decent margin) thanks to the wingers, better defensively, more accomplished in postseason situations, etc, etc.
Some people forget that Modano was one of the best 2 way C's in hockey during the DPE.
Selke finishes of 3, 4, 6, 6, 12
This while putting up a 7 year VsX 81.5 and he's 51st all time in ES VsX (1960 to present).
When I think of Modano I remember a very explosive yet slick skating C who wasn't really dominant in any one area but was just damn solid everywhere. Strong in the dot, wasn't affraid to mix it up and play hurt. He and Stastny are more or less washes all time but give me the guy who was a legit 200 foot player and big game performer in this setting.
Hart finishes of 7, 7, 10, 11, 12
Peaked as 2nd team AS in 2000 (2, 3, 4, 4, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
Big time experience in the playoffs
146 points in 176 games
Was phenomenal during the Stars back to back runs to the Finals (1 win/1 loss). Led the postseason both years in assists.
Great write up on him here:
Mike Modano: 100 Greatest NHL Players
Malone and Fleury absolutely blow the doors off Barber and Bertuzzi.
Fleury provides the energizer bunny pest. He'll hit everyone, dig pucks, create havoc all over the ice. He could easily fill in on a 3rd team PK unit or 2nd team PP. Wouldn't be surprised to see him get Bertuzzi to take a stupid penalty as well.
82 Vsx over 7 years
53rd all time (since 1960) in ES VsX just a hair behind his C on this squad.
He peaked as a 2nd team AS in 94-95 and was on the 3rd team twice and 4th once.
5th place twice in Hart voting.
5th place once in Selke
79 points in 77 playoff games.
SC champ in 89
Bertuzzi has a putrid postseason record. He's going to be skating against Joe Malone mostly which is major mismatch.
Speaking of Malone
HOF
Scored 343 goals in 273 regular season games from 1908-09 to 1923-24 (LOH)
NHA goal scoring leader (1913, 1917)
NHL goal scoring leader (1918, 1920)
NHL record holder for goals scored in a game (7) and goals per game in a season (44 goals in 20 games, 1917-18)
Charles L. Coleman named Malone as one of three forwards (plus rover) to his 1893-1926 all-star team
Ranked #39 on The Hockey News Top 100 Players from 1998
Ranked #72 on the History of Hockey's Top 100 Players from 2018-19
This guy was an absolutely lethal goal scorer in his day. And thanks to one of the greats in these parts we know that Malone wasn't just an offensive difference maker.
Pulled some tidbits from the exceptionally well done bio by @overpass
Descriptions of Malone's game
D.A.L. MacDonald, Montreal Gazette, January 23, 1934: Turning Back Hockey’s Pages
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Dink Carroll, Montreal Gazette, June 28, 1950 (Malone elected to Hall of Fame)
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Who’s Who in Hockey – Stan Fischler
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Overpass:
If you want to see a BIG depth advantage, look no further than the bottom lines.
4th line vs 4th line
Joe Malone-Mike-Modano-Theo Fleury vs Bill Barber-Peter Stastny-Todd Bertuzzi
No offense to the Wanderers but the Maroons blow the doors off their counterparts when looking at the last F groups. 2 of the 3 are HOF'ers and the third (Fleury) is certainly in the Hall of Very Good. They are all 80+ VsX players (correct me if I'm wrong on Malone's translation from the old VS1 to a Vsx approximation). All 3 can defend, especially Modano. Malone is a tremendous goal scorer and overpass put together a fantastic bio in 2018 showing he was a solid defensive player. Modano was a very underrated puck handler and passer and simply put balanced offensive performer while peaking as a Selke finalist C and strong face off artist. Fleury will pester, muck, dig, hit and cause havoc up and down the ice.
The Maroons 4th line is simply better offensively (by pretty decent margin) thanks to the wingers, better defensively, more accomplished in postseason situations, etc, etc.
Some people forget that Modano was one of the best 2 way C's in hockey during the DPE.
Selke finishes of 3, 4, 6, 6, 12
This while putting up a 7 year VsX 81.5 and he's 51st all time in ES VsX (1960 to present).
When I think of Modano I remember a very explosive yet slick skating C who wasn't really dominant in any one area but was just damn solid everywhere. Strong in the dot, wasn't affraid to mix it up and play hurt. He and Stastny are more or less washes all time but give me the guy who was a legit 200 foot player and big game performer in this setting.
Hart finishes of 7, 7, 10, 11, 12
Peaked as 2nd team AS in 2000 (2, 3, 4, 4, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
Big time experience in the playoffs
146 points in 176 games
Was phenomenal during the Stars back to back runs to the Finals (1 win/1 loss). Led the postseason both years in assists.
Great write up on him here:
Mike Modano: 100 Greatest NHL Players
In Game 2 of the 1999 Stanley Cup Final, Modano broke a bone and tore ligaments in his left wrist when he was slammed into the boards by Buffalo Sabres defenseman Jay McKee. He missed the final 10 minutes of the game but returned for Game 3. He was a key performer in Game 5 when the Stars won 2-0 and in Game 6 when Brett Hull's triple-overtime goal gave Dallas a 2-1 win to clinch the Cup. Modano assisted on all four Stars goals in the final two games.
"Not only was Modano willing to play hurt, he delivered," Button said.
The Stars scored 13 goals in the series, and Modano assisted on seven.
"He is a jack of all trades and master of all of them," Hull said. "He can shoot, pass, skate, play defense, kill penalties and run a power play. And he's one of the top three physically fit people I ever played with."
Malone and Fleury absolutely blow the doors off Barber and Bertuzzi.
Fleury provides the energizer bunny pest. He'll hit everyone, dig pucks, create havoc all over the ice. He could easily fill in on a 3rd team PK unit or 2nd team PP. Wouldn't be surprised to see him get Bertuzzi to take a stupid penalty as well.
82 Vsx over 7 years
53rd all time (since 1960) in ES VsX just a hair behind his C on this squad.
He peaked as a 2nd team AS in 94-95 and was on the 3rd team twice and 4th once.
5th place twice in Hart voting.
5th place once in Selke
79 points in 77 playoff games.
SC champ in 89
Bertuzzi has a putrid postseason record. He's going to be skating against Joe Malone mostly which is major mismatch.
Speaking of Malone
HOF
Scored 343 goals in 273 regular season games from 1908-09 to 1923-24 (LOH)
NHA goal scoring leader (1913, 1917)
NHL goal scoring leader (1918, 1920)
NHL record holder for goals scored in a game (7) and goals per game in a season (44 goals in 20 games, 1917-18)
Charles L. Coleman named Malone as one of three forwards (plus rover) to his 1893-1926 all-star team
Ranked #39 on The Hockey News Top 100 Players from 1998
Ranked #72 on the History of Hockey's Top 100 Players from 2018-19
This guy was an absolutely lethal goal scorer in his day. And thanks to one of the greats in these parts we know that Malone wasn't just an offensive difference maker.
Pulled some tidbits from the exceptionally well done bio by @overpass
Descriptions of Malone's game
D.A.L. MacDonald, Montreal Gazette, January 23, 1934: Turning Back Hockey’s Pages
Scoring marks were not the only records Malone that left behind him for future hockey stars to shoot at. In the days of rowdy hockey, when butchery was too often the means towards victory, Malone was a Frankie Boucher type of centre. It is significant that in 1919-20, when penalties records were kept for the first time, Malone served only 12 minutes on the side-lines, though scoring 39 tallies. Tall, rugged and a great stickhandler, he was also a potent defensive unit. He had a fine poke-check, and like Nighbor, used a long stick to break up opposing attacks. He and Odie Cleghorn were probably the outstanding stickhandlers of their day. But unlike Odie, who used a short stick and nursed the puck along almost between his skates, Malone swept through the opposition with long, swinging strides. He was a left hand shot. |
Dink Carroll, Montreal Gazette, June 28, 1950 (Malone elected to Hall of Fame)
One thing Joe could do was put the puck in the net. As we recall him he skated with his feet fairly wide apart, was hard to knock off balance, was always in the right place at the right time and had a hard and accurate shot. |
Who’s Who in Hockey – Stan Fischler
Many respected observers regard Joe Malone as the greatest all-around scorer of the early NHL year. “He might have been the most prolific scorer of all time if they had played more games in those days,” said Frank J. Selke, the former Canadiens managing director who remembered Malone as a young professional. “It was amazing the way Joe used to get himself in position to score. In that respect his style was similar to Gordie Howe’s. Joe was no Howie Morenz as far as speed was concerned. But he was a clean player like Dave Keon and Frank Boucher. On the other hand, though, Joe never took a backwards step from anybody.” |
Overpass:
Did Malone backcheck? Yes. My reading suggests that right wing Jack Marks was the most energetic backchecker on the Quebec team. Left wing Tommy Smith was a great shooter and very good around the opponent's net, but wasn't a good enough skater to be effective on the backcheck, leaving Malone and Marks to do most of the work. Malone was a very good checker but may not have backchecked as much as Marks did.