The Hockey News - Top 50 Players of All-Time By Franchise

[Johnny Engine]

I mean, if you’re including guys like Rob Ray, being a big name does matter. But my goodness, that’s not a strike against Lidstrom. Everyone knows how good that guy was.

 

[GlitchMarner]

Who is number two for the Lightning? I'm sure MSL is number one. Is Stammer number two?

 

[seventieslord]

Who is number two for the Lightning? I'm sure MSL is number one. Is Stammer number two?

It's Vinny, Stamkos' obvious peak edge didn't top Vinny's longevity.

 

[GlitchMarner]

It's Vinny, Stamkos' obvious peak edge didn't top Vinny's longevity.

Can I have just the top ten for the team?

 

[tony d]

Top 10 for Tampa Bay were:

1. Martin St.Louis
2. Vincent Lecavalier
3. Steven Stamkos
4. Brad Richards
5. Victor Hedman
6. Pavel Kubina
7. Ben Bishop
8. Nikolai Khabibulin
9. Brian Bradley
10. Nikita Kucherov

I got the magazine last week, very good magazine, great contribution by our very own @seventieslord

 

[Gundee1114]

Ordered this issue last Thursday, can't wait to get it and check it out! Been trying to get deeper into the history of the game recently (well really once the NHL came out with there 100 Greatest List in January), and bought this as soon as I saw this thread!

 

[quoipourquoi]

Barnes and Noble doesn't have it yet, so a quick question: is Ottawa the 1990s franchise or does it include previous versions? Thanks!

 

[overpass]

Top 50 for Ottawa is the 1990s franchise only. There is a top 10 for the original franchise in the section on defunct franchises.

The Ottawa list was pretty good, like the rest of them. I would have liked to see Hossa over Heatley, but I can see why Heatley was ranked first. My biggest pet peeve was actually down in the 40s—I thought Sergei Gonchar was ranked top low. Sure, he only played 3 seasons, but he was an important player. How is he behind Bryan Smolinski, who also played 3 seasons and was just not as good?

I also would have liked to see Steve Duchesne on Ottawa’s list. OK, only 2 seasons, but he was the first #1 defenceman in franchise history (apologies to Norm MacIver) and a big part of the first playoff team. Similarly, I was surprised to see Igor Larionov and Sergei Makarov omitted from San Jose’s top 50.

 

[MXD]

I should really get this.

Best player to not make any Top-50...?
I feel like it's probably a player who spent most of its time on an O-6 team, but not quite enough to make the Top-50, also played a bit elsewhere and had a shorter career for whatever reason.

Did Reijo Ruotsalainen made this list? Seems like a pretty good candidate, all things considered. Or Petr Svoboda, who probably just didn't play quite long enough for any team to make it (or just not at the right stage of his career for the Lightning). I mean, I'm not sure a player can make the Flyers list with only 230 games, unless it's Pronger-type of player (...Pronger didn't paly that many games with the Flyers, I know).

 

[Regal]

Top 50 for Ottawa is the 1990s franchise only. There is a top 10 for the original franchise in the section on defunct franchises.

The Ottawa list was pretty good, like the rest of them. I would have liked to see Hossa over Heatley, but I can see why Heatley was ranked first. My biggest pet peeve was actually down in the 40s—I thought Sergei Gonchar was ranked top low. Sure, he only played 3 seasons, but he was an important player. How is he behind Bryan Smolinski, who also played 3 seasons and was just not as good?

I also would have liked to see Steve Duchesne on Ottawa’s list. OK, only 2 seasons, but he was the first #1 defenceman in franchise history (apologies to Norm MacIver) and a big part of the first playoff team. Similarly, I was surprised to see Igor Larionov and Sergei Makarov omitted from San Jose’s top 50.

I haven't seen the list, but yea, I would have assumed both Larionov and Makarov would have been on the Sharks. Larionov for sure.

 

[Pominville Knows]

Where is Pominville on Buffalo plz.

 

[MXD]

I'm genuinely curious : How many year-end AST players did NOT make the list?

I'll throw the names of Hy Buller, Real Chevrefils and Bob Froese up there, because they seem like the very low-hanging fruits. I'd be extremely surprised if Glen Harmon and Bucko MacDonald made it, though MacDonald's case is partly explained by being traded twice (Harmon was just on the wrong team for this exercise). Same applies to Wilf Cude, who is also probably hampered by playing mostly for the wrong team AND the wrong position.

I don't know if former franchises were included in this. If so, Nels Stewart, Hooley Smith, Red Dutton, Baldy Northcutt, Art Chapman, Lionel Conacher, Roy Worters and Earl Robertson probably miss the cut, though that doesn't have much to do with where they stand amongst their former franchises. If that's the case, I surmise that the best player to miss is one of Nels Stewart or Roy Worters. I think Babe Siebert is fair game for the Habs Top-50.

Amongst players with a legit chance to make the list, AKA, playing long enough with a team that still exists, even if accomplishments most were elsewhere (that is, on a non-existing team), someone like Sweeney Schriner could fit the bill.

 

[seventieslord]

I don't know if former franchises were included in this.

Yes, they were. Top-10 for each... the lists and writeups were 100% me.

Yes, you should get this

 

[overg]

Yes, they were. Top-10 for each... the lists and writeups were 100% me.

Yes, you should get this

Seventies, have you ever participated in something like this before? I've been reading your posts around here for a long time, but don't remember you ever mentioning anything like this. I could have just missed it, or maybe my age is already catching up to me. I didn't think I was that old, but time makes fools of us all.

In any event, very cool. I'd trust the historians on this board over pretty much anyone, so it's nice to see your involvement in such a publication.

 

[reckoning]

Best player to not make any Top-50...?
I feel like it's probably a player who spent most of its time on an O-6 team, but not quite enough to make the Top-50, also played a bit elsewhere and had a shorter career for whatever reason.

I didn't see Bob Goldham on the Detroit list, so he'd probably get my vote as best defenceman left off.

I was trying to see if anyone other than Jagr appeared on four different lists, but couldn't find any. I thought Larry Murphy would, but he also missed the cut on the Detroit list.

 

[The Roy Of Ottawa]

Tony McKegney is not mentioned anywhere.

http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11080

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_McKegney

 

[seventieslord]

Seventies, have you ever participated in something like this before? I've been reading your posts around here for a long time, but don't remember you ever mentioning anything like this. I could have just missed it, or maybe my age is already catching up to me. I didn't think I was that old, but time makes fools of us all.

In any event, very cool. I'd trust the historians on this board over pretty much anyone, so it's nice to see your involvement in such a publication.

The only thing I've done like this is the ATDs and the HOH positional projects. Pretty much all I do here is of a historical/ranking/listing nature so I was a good fit for this project. Have I ever been paid to do this or appeared in a real publication? No.

Honestly they did pretty well with their rankings to begin with, but yes I think I made it better with my historical background gained on this board.

I didn't see Bob Goldham on the Detroit list, so he'd probably get my vote as best defenceman left off.

I was trying to see if anyone other than Jagr appeared on four different lists, but couldn't find any. I thought Larry Murphy would, but he also missed the cut on the Detroit list.

I'm not sure who is on four besides Jagr, but Ray Whitney is on five.

Tony McKegney is not mentioned anywhere.

http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11080

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_McKegney

He would be a good candidate for top-20 players not mentioned in the book.

 

[MXD]

Another with a strong claim at the best player not named anywhere : JG Talbot

 

[MXD]

I don't know if someone commented on the Rangers list, so I'll jump in :
The Top-10 was absolutely nailed from my perspective.
Hell, with one exception, the Top-25 was near-perfect. I'd have switched some players around, but nothing major.
The exception : Dean Prentice #21, Cecil Dillion #34. I just... don't get it. They could probably litterally be switched one another and it wouldn't be THAT off.

 

[FerrisRox]

Neither Toews nor Crosby is top-10 in terms of captains in hockey history, heck, not even in terms of the NHL!

Ab-surd!

What's absurd is that you think you can judge the quality of a captain. You need to be with a team day after day after day and in the locker room to have even the faintest idea of the ability of a captain.

 

[FerrisRox]

But again, McCabe's 2004 was definitely better than any of Kaberle's seasons

I couldn't disagree more.

Bryan McCabe had a ten cent head. His hockey sense was lousy and his defensive ability was a joke. He shot the puck well and he could play physical hockey, but he was absolutely clueless defensively and was a liability on the ice unless his team was on the power play.

 

[Thenameless]

Jagr as just a Penguin has scored MORE points (1079 to 1036) at a better points per game average (1.33 to 1.31) but the margin of difference is incredibly small.

Of course, in the playoffs, Crosby has 164 pts in 148 playoff games whereas in Pittsburgh only, Jagr has 145 points in just 140 playoff games.

So, ignoring Jagr's 12+ seasons elsewhere, their careers are remarkably similar!

But the similarity ends with the 2 Conn Smythes don't you think?

 

[VanIslander]

But the similarity ends with the 2 Conn Smythes don't you think?

If I hadn't seen those playoffs, yeah. Trophy counting seems a bit tarnished when one disagreed with the awarding of it in the first place.

 

[seventieslord]

I couldn't disagree more.

Bryan McCabe had a ten cent head. His hockey sense was lousy and his defensive ability was a joke. He shot the puck well and he could play physical hockey, but he was absolutely clueless defensively and was a liability on the ice unless his team was on the power play.

But the leafs goal differential was better at even strength with him on the ice, consistently. And this was with him being matched up against top players, not sheltered.

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Roberto Luongo in No. 7 for the Canucks? Really? He should be above that.