Poll of NHL GMs - Dec 23, 2002

[overpass]

I ran across this while looking through old newspapers. I thought it was interesting...some of it a snapshot from an earlier time, and some of the answers are still relevant. I like question 12.

From the Dec 23, 2002 Globe and Mail - 15 questions for NHL general managers. 16 of 30 GMs responded.

NHL General Managers Poll - Globe and Mail, Dec 23, 2002

1. At this point in the season, which team is favoured to capture the Stanley Cup?
Dallas 9; Detroit 6; Philadelphia 1

2. If all goalies were available, which current NHLer would you start in the seventh game of the Stanley Cup Finals?
Patrick Roy, Col 8; Martin Brodeur, NJ 2; Curtis Joseph, Det 2; Nikolai Khabibulin, TB 2; Olaf Kolzig, Wsh 1; Evgeni Nabokov, SJ 1;

3. What change has made the game better this season, obstruction crackdown or hurry-up face-off?
Hurry-up face-off 10; Obstruction crackdown 4; Neither has helped 1; Declined to answer 1

4. Are you confident Gary Bettman and Bob Goodenow will strike a new collective agreement before Sept. 15, 2004?
No 10; Yes 5; Declined to answer 1

5. Who is the most underrated player in today's game?
Steve Rucchin, Ana 3; Ron Francis, Car 2; Wade Redden, Ott 2; Daniel Alfredsson, Ott 1; Dan Cloutier, Van 1; Adam Deadmarsh, LA 1; Kenny Jonsson, NYI 1; Jere Lehtinen, Dal 1; Tommy Salo, Edm 1; Sergei Zubov, Dal 1; Declined to answer 1

6. Who is the most overrated player in today's game?
Eric Lindros, NYR 8; Jaromir Jagr, Wsh 5; Pavel Bure, NYR 2; Declined to answer 1;

7. If all the players were free agents, who would be the first player you would sign?
Joe Thornton, Bos 5; Peter Forsberg, Col 4; Nicklas Lidstrom, Det 2; Nikolai Khabibulin, TB 1; Mario Lemieux, Pgh 1; Evgeni Nabokov, SJ 1; Jose Theodore, Mtl 1; Declined to answer 1

8. Which NHL city has the best fans?
Toronto 4; San Jose 3; Columbus 2; Detroit 2; St. Paul, Minn. 2; Edmonton 1; Ottawa 1; Philadelphia 1

9. Which NHL team's long-term future are you most worried about?
Nashville 9; Ottawa 3; Calgary 2; Buffalo 1; Declined to answer 1

10. Who is the best coach in today's game?
Jacques Lemaire, Min 6; Ken Hitchcock, Phi 5; Robbie Ftorek, Bos 1; Bob Hartley 1; Jacques Martin, Ott 1; Joel Quenneville, Stl 1; Declined to answer 1

11. What NHL city has the best rink?
Edmonton 4; Toronto 2; Anaheim 1; Atlanta 1; Columbus 1; Florida 1; Minnesota 1; N.Y. Rangers 1; Ottawa 1; Philadelphia 1; Washington 1; Vancouver 1;

12. Who would you pay to sit and listen to for a two-hour seminar on hockey?
Scotty Bowman 5; Wayne Gretzky 3; Bob Gainey 2; Al Arbour 1; Bob Clarke 1; Roger Neilson 1; Craig Ramsay 1; Anatoli Tarasov 1; Declined to answer 1

13. Some NHL teams have experienced attendance woes this season. Are ticket prices too high?
Yes 9; No 5; Declined to answer 2

14. Which player who is eligible and not in the Hockey Hall of Fame, should be inducted?
Doug Wilson 3; Grant Fuhr 2; Steve Larmer 2; Kevin Lowe 2; Neal Broten 1; Dick Duff 1; Rick Middleton 1; Brad Park 1; Doug Risebrough; 1; Dave Taylor 1; Declined to answer 1

15. Who is the most controversial figure in hockey these days?
Don Cherry 6; Bob Goodenow 5; Gary Bettman 2; Brett Hull 2; Declined 1

Click to read more...

 

[Derick*]

All were wrong about the cup winner.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

14. Which player who is eligible and not in the Hockey Hall of Fame, should be inducted? [/B]
Doug Wilson 3; Grant Fuhr 2; Steve Larmer 2; Kevin Lowe 2; Neal Broten 1; Dick Duff 1; Rick Middleton 1; Brad Park 1; Doug Risebrough; 1; Dave Taylor 1; Declined to answer 1

who wants to bet that one of those votes for kevin lowe was by kevin lowe?

but the other thing is glaring.

 

[Blades of Glory]

Dallas was definitely the best team in the NHL that year. They would have walked into the Cup Finals had Modano and Zubov gotten ANY offensive help from the rest of the team.

 

[tony d]

Interesting. I forget who I was picking to win it all that year but I don't think I thought it would end up being New Jersey and Anaheim in the finals.

 

[overpass]

who wants to bet that one of those votes for kevin lowe was by kevin lowe?

but the other thing is glaring.

Were Wilson and Taylor GMs then?

 

[tarheelhockey]

5. Who is the most underrated player in today's game?
Steve Rucchin, Ana 3; Ron Francis, Car 2; Wade Redden, Ott 2; Daniel Alfredsson, Ott 1; Dan Cloutier, Van 1; Adam Deadmarsh, LA 1; Kenny Jonsson, NYI 1; Jere Lehtinen, Dal 1; Tommy Salo, Edm 1; Sergei Zubov, Dal 1; Declined to answer 1

This is like peeking into the delivery room as a bad contract is born.

 

[Loto68]

who wants to bet that one of those votes for kevin lowe was by kevin lowe?

but the other thing is glaring.

Um... wasn't Brad Park inducted in 1988? Was that GM suffering from sever brain damage?

 

[Stephen]

who wants to bet that one of those votes for kevin lowe was by kevin lowe?

but the other thing is glaring.

Brad Park is a Hall of Famer. Since 1988...

 

[Blades of Glory]

Were Wilson and Taylor GMs then?

Wilson was Sharks' director of pro development and Dean Lombardi was the GM. Lombardi was fired later that season and Wilson took over in May 2003. And yes, I believe Taylor was the GM in LA at the time.

 

[Michael Farkas]

2. If all goalies were available, which current NHLer would you start in the seventh game of the Stanley Cup Finals?

Patrick Roy, Col 8; Martin Brodeur, NJ 2; Curtis Joseph, Det 2; Nikolai Khabibulin, TB 2; Olaf Kolzig, Wsh 1; Evgeni Nabokov, SJ 1;


7. If all the players were free agents, who would be the first player you would sign?
Joe Thornton, Bos 5; Peter Forsberg, Col 4; Nicklas Lidstrom, Det 2; Nikolai Khabibulin, TB 1; Mario Lemieux, Pgh 1; Evgeni Nabokov, SJ 1; Jose Theodore, Mtl 1; Declined to answer 1

Thanks for this overpass. A couple of answers I found interesting. Brodeur and Roy had both had success recently (2 Cups each in the 7 previous seasons), Brodeur wins gold in an Olympics that is fresh in everyone's mind, Roy doesn't win for Canada in 1998. Interestingly, Brodeur wins a game 7 in the Finals in the coming playoffs while Roy, IIRC, blows a 3-1 lead to Minnesota.

Evgeni Nabokov, I guess, was picked by the Sharks GM in both cases. He's in the midst of an average third season, at the time and retrospectively he's a very odd fit there...

Interesting find, thanks again overpass!

 

[Infinite Vision*]

7. If all the players were free agents, who would be the first player you would sign?
Joe Thornton, Bos 5; Peter Forsberg, Col 4; Nicklas Lidstrom, Det 2; Nikolai Khabibulin, TB 1; Mario Lemieux, Pgh 1; Evgeni Nabokov, SJ 1; Jose Theodore, Mtl 1; Declined to answer 1

I found this interesting. If you look at the 3 seasons following the poll, I'd say the GMs did a decent job predicting who the best players were in that general time frame.

Thornton over Forsberg and not one vote for Sakic after the year he had is sort of surprising I'd say.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

I found this interesting. If you look at the 3 seasons following the poll, I'd say the GMs did a decent job predicting who the best players were in that general time frame.

Thornton over Forsberg and not one vote for Sakic after the year he had is sort of surprising I'd say.

I dont think lack of votes for Sakic was allnthat surprising, given his age.

 

[Unaffiliated]

I found this interesting. If you look at the 3 seasons following the poll, I'd say the GMs did a decent job predicting who the best players were in that general time frame.

Thornton over Forsberg and not one vote for Sakic after the year he had is sort of surprising I'd say.

This poll was taken in December 2002, which would make it part of the 2002-2003 season -- so he was coming off his 2001-2002 season, not the 2000-2001 Hart + Cup season.
I can't remember exactly when it happened, but just looking at stats it looks like Sakic was injured for a decent while that season -- perhaps that influenced the results?


edit:

I dont think lack of votes for Sakic was allnthat surprising, given his age.

also that

 

[Blades of Glory]

I found this interesting. If you look at the 3 seasons following the poll, I'd say the GMs did a decent job predicting who the best players were in that general time frame.

Thornton over Forsberg and not one vote for Sakic after the year he had is sort of surprising I'd say.

The question being asked wasn't "who is the best player in the league" or "who you would want on your team right now". The question is "if you could sign one player as a free agent, who would it be?" It is about a long-term commitment. Peter Forsberg was 29. Joe Sakic was 33. Forsberg was the best player in the league at the time, but at age 29 and with a long history of injury issues, it is easy to see why GM's would have been more confident with a long-term commitment to Joe Thornton. At age 23, Thornton was the premiere power forward in the game. With all due respect to Todd Bertuzzi, Thornton was the finest combination of size, physicality, and elite offensive ability that the league had seen since Eric Lindros. Since Lindros in 1997, Thornton is still the only player to have reached the 100 point-100 PIM mark while fighting multiple times, which is what he did in 2003. I can see why he has the most votes.

 

[Infinite Vision*]

Lidstrom was about the same age as Sakic though. Combined with the fact that Forsberg was so injured all the time.

 

[NOTENOUGHJTCGOALS]

I found this interesting. If you look at the 3 seasons following the poll, I'd say the GMs did a decent job predicting who the best players were in that general time frame.

Thornton over Forsberg and not one vote for Sakic after the year he had is sort of surprising I'd say.

I'm a little curious over Iginla getting no votes.

Also no votes for Naslund and Bertuzzi in what was the height of their short peaks looks remarkably prescient by the GMs.

 

[Hasbro]

1. At this point in the season, which team is favoured to capture the Stanley Cup? [/B]
Dallas 9; Detroit 6; Philadelphia 1

So we know Bobby Clarke responded.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

I never viewed Thornton as a power forward, he's big but his style doesn't seem comparable at all to "classic" power forwards a la Neely or Shanahan.

 

[Derick*]

Thornton is not a power forward now, not by a stricter definition anyway, but he was then.

 

[reckoning]

14. Which player who is eligible and not in the Hockey Hall of Fame, should be inducted?
Doug Wilson 3; Grant Fuhr 2; Steve Larmer 2; Kevin Lowe 2; Neal Broten 1; Dick Duff 1; Rick Middleton 1; Brad Park 1; Doug Risebrough; 1; Dave Taylor 1; Declined to answer 1

Doug Risebrough? Anyone want to make a case for him?

 

[Infinite Vision*]

I never viewed Thornton as a power forward, he's big but his style doesn't seem comparable at all to "classic" power forwards a la Neely or Shanahan.

You do realize the Thornton now is completely different from the Thornton before the lockout.

 

[Roomtemperature]

8. Which NHL city has the best fans?
Toronto 4; San Jose 3; Columbus 2; Detroit 2; St. Paul, Minn. 2; Edmonton 1; Ottawa 1; Philadelphia 1

Well we know that the Edmonton, Ottawa and Philly GM voted.

 

[overpass]

How about Craig Ramsay as an answer to Q12? Not a head coach in his post playing career, not Wayne Gretzky. I guess one GM liked him as a hockey guru, but nobody was hiring him to be a head coach.

2 votes for Curtis Joseph in game 7 - obviously not everyone thought he was a choker.

 

[Hardyvan123]

The question being asked wasn't "who is the best player in the league" or "who you would want on your team right now". The question is "if you could sign one player as a free agent, who would it be?" It is about a long-term commitment. Peter Forsberg was 29. Joe Sakic was 33. Forsberg was the best player in the league at the time, but at age 29 and with a long history of injury issues, it is easy to see why GM's would have been more confident with a long-term commitment to Joe Thornton. At age 23, Thornton was the premiere power forward in the game. With all due respect to Todd Bertuzzi, Thornton was the finest combination of size, physicality, and elite offensive ability that the league had seen since Eric Lindros. Since Lindros in 1997, Thornton is still the only player to have reached the 100 point-100 PIM mark while fighting multiple times, which is what he did in 2003. I can see why he has the most votes.

The fact that Forsberg at 29 and with his history and Lidstrom in his age 32 season were considered so high is telling on how valuable GM's (at least the small sample here) valued those 2 players at the time.

The same goes for Mario but maybe it was for a GM who thought he needed just one extra piece.

These types of polls are interesting but need to be taken with a grain of salt as I remember one poll were Federov was voted best skater but 8-9 coaches one year then only by 1-2 the next.

That and only 16 of the 30 GM's responding make it interesting but not much value behind it IMO.