Benn and Hartsburg?
I'd rather honor Calder winner and franchise highest individual scoring season holder (114 pts)
Bobby Smith, the franchise's 1st round 1st overall pick who led the North Stars on its first-ever Stanley Cup run in 1981 and is top-5 in franchise career scoring.
Choosing Benn screams of
"We gotta include a guy from today for that part of the fanbase unfamiliar with the franchise's history." Benn has 3 great years and one good playoff postseason. I guess him being a 4-year captain right now helps.
I'd rather honor
for the franchise the 7-year captain heart-and-soul guy
Brenden Morrow, who has led the guys through four playoffs with winning series, including two conference final runs. Heck, Morrow has more career goals as a Star than Benn does!
Hartsburg isn't top-10 in games played or points. He did captain the club for one and a bit years, then when Bellows struggled with the pressure of captaincy (I recall well), Hartsburg took over the captaincy for two more seasons and the bit of two more. He was touted early in his career and went to three all-star games three of his first four seasons in Minnesota. He played just 570 games for the team and had 413 points, a decent passer who led the team in blueline scoring in each of the six full seasons he played. He was 7th in North Stars scoring in their 1981 cup run, though his 15 points in 19 games were significant, one more than any other blueliner in town.
With all due respect, just a correction. Morrow only captained the team to 2 playoff appearances in his 6+ years as captain, 2007 in a 7 game 1st round loss to Vancouver, and 2008 in that Conference Final appearance losing to Detroit. 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 no playoffs, then traded spring 2013 when the club again missed the playoffs for the 5th straight season.
I love B-Mo and he was certainly a warrior for us. Difficult choice there, but Jamie Benn is poised this season to shoot up into the top 4-6 in every major offensive category for the franchise, including 5th in points, and after a couple more top 3-4 in all (Goals, Assists, Points, GWGs). Barring any major fall-off, he should do it. He's the only player in franchise history to receive a 1st Team All-Star nod (2014, 2016) and has a 2nd Team to go along with it (2015), and of course his Art Ross. He really is that superstar we waited for after Modano, though he's not Modano, and I will say that I would need to see him prolong his play another season or two before I start solidifying him ahead of a guy like Brian Bellows. There could be a bit of, "Let's place a guy from today this high" going on, as you said.
Hartsburg is a top 3 defenseman for the franchise. I get the questioning his top 10 placement given the amount of hockey he missed, but given just how good he was, and the fact that there really isn't anyone behind him with too strong a case, I have to like the placement.
You're right it's a bit strange not seeing Bobby Smith's name in that top 10. Really hard though. I'd consider maybe placing Turco a bit lower and having Smith in that top 10, but I don't know, again it's tough. I think the fact that he was traded to Montreal (He demanded to be traded right away or he'd quit hockey) in his prime and then returned in his latter years (Helluva playoff 1991) hurts him there. It's likely if he stuck around another year or two that slides him up a few notches. Also let's face it, a guy like that gets overshadowed a bit when it was guys like Gretzky and Trottier etc running the show at center during his initial North Stars tenure.
Glad to hear Goldsworthy is place fairly high. I'm not sure who I'd move in order to slide him up, but I wouldn't complain if he was placed a bit higher. The guy was great for us and needs to be recognized.
I'm interested to see what kind of respect a guy like Steve Payne will get, and Giles I like seeing as he was my 1st ever favorite Stars player and his #2 was my 1st ever Stars jersey. Still have it!
Anyways, I messaged my wife to see if she was stopping anywhere else in the big city (Edmonton) before she hits the highway and heads home, in hopes that she could grab me this magazine. I feel like a kid at Christmas now. Fingers crossed.