Top 10 big game players ever?

[KOVALEV10*]

Who are guys who were great in the regular season and we're even better in the playoffs and not only by stats but by say scoring the most important goal in a game 7 or an overtime goal or goalies.

1- Rocket Richard
2- Bobby Orr
3- Mario Lemieux
4- Guy Lafleur
5- Patrick Roy
6- Wayne Gretzky
7- Mark Messier
8- Steve Yzerman
9- Joe Sakic
10- Jean Beliveau

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[barfy2000]

I don't know if this is relevent....but I feel it may be.

I think I read somewhere that Mario Lemieux and Mark Messier never once during their career scored an OT Playoff Goal.

Not saying I wouldn't want them in a game 7, those two could both put a team on their back, but interesting to note nonetheless.

 

[arrbez]

Paul Henderson?

Didn't he score the winners in games 6,7, and 8?

 

[Bring Back Bucky]

Glen Anderson , Grant fuhr and BIlly Smith all knew how to step it up when it counted.

 

[Trottier]

Any top ten list that does not include Billy Smith is a pure joke.

 

[KOVALEV10*]

Any top ten list that does not include Billy Smith is a pure joke.

I agree but who would you change on the list?

 

[arrbez]

I agree but who would you change on the list?

Sakic maybe?

 

[Evil Sather]

How Claude Lemieux doesn't get a mention is ridiculous.

 

[KOVALEV10*]

How Claude Lemieux doesn't get a mention is ridiculous.

Again tough to choose over those 10 greats. Maybe take Sakic out but he's got 6 overtime playoff goals and had an unbelivable 96 playoffs so I dont know..

 

[John Flyers Fan]

Who are guys who were great in the regular season and we're even better in the playoffs and not only by stats but by say scoring the most important goal in a game 7 or an overtime goal or goalies.

1- Rocket Richard
2- Bobby Orr
3- Mario Lemieux
4- Guy Lafleur
5- Patrick Roy
6- Wayne Gretzky
7- Mark Messier
8- Steve Yzerman
9- Joe Sakic
10- Jean Beliveau

Gretzky should certainly be higher on the list. Even when he was older and could no longer be great every nght, he could still crank it up for the big games. Take note of the Rangers run in 97, game 7 vs. the Leafs in 93, etc.

At absolute worst Gretzky should be number two behind Richard.

Add Billy Smith and Bernie Parent, and I'd drop Yzerman and probably Messier, which certainly doesn't mean that they weren't clutch players.

 

[John Flyers Fan]

I don't know if this is relevent....but I feel it may be.

I think I read somewhere that Mario Lemieux and Mark Messier never once during their career scored an OT Playoff Goal.

Not saying I wouldn't want them in a game 7, those two could both put a team on their back, but interesting to note nonetheless.

Correct, and you can also add Gordie Howe to that list.

Mario did score an incrdibly important OT goal in his career howevere: Game 2, 87 Canada Cup final in 2OT's.

 

[Sens Rule]

Gretzky should certainly be higher on the list. Even when he was older and could no longer be great every nght, he could still crank it up for the big games. Take note of the Rangers run in 97, game 7 vs. the Leafs in 93, etc.

At absolute worst Gretzky should be number two behind Richard.

Add Billy Smith and Bernie Parent, and I'd drop Yzerman and probably Messier, which certainly doesn't mean that they weren't clutch players.

I'd have Richard # 1 OT god. Gretzky #2. Gretzky was super clutch in Game 7's and pretty much all the time. Roy # 3 with 2 cups that the Habs really had no business wining. 10 OT wins in a playoff run? Pejorative Slured! I wouldn't have Orr on the list. Somehow the early 70's Bruins who should have been one of the best teams of all time only won 2 cups. As perhaps the greatest player who ever lived Orr should have got a couple of more cups for the Bruins. Lost to the Habs in the playoffs too many times with a great team that often was better than than the Habs teams or at least equal. Lost to a weaker Rangers team. Lost to the Flyers in the final. Although he was the best player in the 1976 Canada Cup I don't think he was as clutch as some of the other stars.

 

[mazzinov]

Sakic maybe?

Sakic absolutely deserves to be on that list. Tied for most playoff OT game winners with the Rocket. Not to mention the huge game he had for Canada in the gold medal game. Sakic is a big game player. Is he the biggest? No. But defitnely top 10.

 

[V-2 Schneider]

Jacques Lemaire gets the nod over Sakic anyday.The man should have won two Conn Smythe's, and was in the top 3-4 players in each playoff year I saw him perform,with the exception of 1976,when there were so many that stood out.He was the prototype of a big money player, and never failed to deliver.

I'd put his playoff resume above Messier and Yzerman.

 

[#66]

No mention of Bossy. Three years in a row with 17 playoff goals is sickening.

 

[NOTENOUGHJTCGOALS]

Sakic absolutely deserves to be on that list. Tied for most playoff OT game winners with the Rocket. Not to mention the huge game he had for Canada in the gold medal game. Sakic is a big game player. Is he the biggest? No. But defitnely top 10.

SLC 2002 Gold medal game dont forget. 6 GWG in one playoffs has only beat equalled or beaten by 2 players. As a "clutch" player I'd put him ahead of even Yzerman and Lemieux.

 

[CGG]

Messier's stock would have fallen a bit if he actually played in a big game at any point in the last 7 years of his career.

 

[Sens Rule]

Messier's stock would have fallen a bit if he actually played in a big game at any point in the last 7 years of his career.

Cmon he played in the Heritage Classic. That was a pressure game!

 

[Snap Wilson]

Tangentially related, the list of leading point-per-game scorers in the NHL is an interesting one. At the top is Newsy Lalonde, 25 points in 12 playoff games (21 goals, 4 assists) the highlight of which was scoring 11 goals in five games against the Ottawa Senators. Even given the scoring standards of the time, that's incredible.

Moving down the list, following Gretzky and Lemieux, we have Alf Skinner, 8-3-11 in seven games. Alf's legendary playoff performance came against the Vancouver Millionaires in the NHL's first Stanley Cup final. He scored 7 goals in the first three games and then added an eighth in the deciding Game Five.

Next is that legendary playoff monster, Barry Pederson. 22-30-52 in 34 games. His best year was in '83, 14-18-32 in 17 games before the Bruins fell to the Islanders. Barry's career playoff plus/minus: -2. Barry 's playoff numbers in the WHL are also jaw-dropping, 28-35-63 in 31 games.

Next we have luminaries Mark Messier, Bobby Orr and Mike Bossy. Ho hum. But after those guys, Daryl Evans (5-8-13 in 11 games)! The man who capped off the Miracle on Manchester had one magical playoff series for the Kings, and only played one NHL playoff game after that.

Jari Kurri, Peter Forsberg, Gil Perreault. Yada yada. Blues fans will remember Denis Chasse (eight points, seven of them assists, in seven games in '95). Nobody will remember Harry Mummery (same numbers, different year). Older Detroit fans may remember Vaclav Nedomansky's magical playoff series in '78 (3-5-8 in seven games).

Eric Lindros, Peter Stastny (playoff +/-: -2), Bobby Hull, Bernie Ferderko (playoff +/-: -12!), Joe Sakic, Pavel Bure, Joe Michiletti (1-11-12 in 11 games in '81), Jean Beliveau, Toe Blake, Ken Linseman (43-77-120 in 113 games).

 

[Big Phil]

Not a bad list, but you've got to have Glenn Anderson on there. I'd take out Yzerman (I know, I know) or even Beliveau. Anderson was the epitomy of clutch

 

[Habsfan 32]

1.Rocket Richard
2.Wayne Gretzky
3.Bobby Orr
4.Patrick Roy
5.Joe Sakic
6.Glenn Anderson
7.Mark Messier
8.Steve Yzerman
9.Jean Beliveau
10.Mike Bossy

 

[God Bless Canada]

I think Rocket Richard is No. 1 all-time. Period. It's what elevates him to top-5 all-time status. There are many players with better regular season portfolios. But when the most important games were on the line, I can't think of another guy who I'd want more.

Gretzky would be No. 2. The records and awards extend beyond the regular season. That LA team in 1993 doesn't come close to the Final without him. (Although Hrudey and the "young Big 3" of Blake, Zhitnik and Sydor deserve plenty of credit).

Hard to formulate a top 10 from there. Among the forwards, I'd say Beliveau, Lemieux, Messier, Clarke, Sakic, Bossy and Trottier deserve consideration. Among the non all-time greats (top 50 players), I'd give consideration to Claude Lemieux, Anderson, Gilmour, Propp and Neely (even though the last two never won a Cup) for the modern guys.

On defence, obviously you think of guys like Orr. Others who warrant consideration include the 1970s Habs' Big 3, Harvey, Stevens. Kevin Lowe always saved some great plays for the playoffs. Coffey set some post-season scoring records, too, although I never viewed him as a guy who really consistently stepped his play up in the post-season.

As for goal, you have automatics like Plante, Roy and Hasek, but here are a few other guys: Parent, Dryden, Fuhr, Smith and Cheevers. The last three guys, in particular, are the types who never cared about goals against average or save percentage. All that mattered to them was wins.

 

[Shane]

Isn't Trevor Linden the NHL's leading scorer in game sevens? Or something like that?

 

[God Bless Canada]

I believe Linden has 10 points in 8 career Game 7s. I'm sure Gretzky has more.

But I'm guessing that Linden is No. 1 all-time for points in Game 7s among players who never had a point-per-game in the lesser (regular) season.

 

[KOVALEV10*]

I think Rocket Richard is No. 1 all-time. Period. It's what elevates him to top-5 all-time status. There are many players with better regular season portfolios. But when the most important games were on the line, I can't think of another guy who I'd want more.

Gretzky would be No. 2. The records and awards extend beyond the regular season. That LA team in 1993 doesn't come close to the Final without him. (Although Hrudey and the "young Big 3" of Blake, Zhitnik and Sydor deserve plenty of credit).

Hard to formulate a top 10 from there. Among the forwards, I'd say Beliveau, Lemieux, Messier, Clarke, Sakic, Bossy and Trottier deserve consideration. Among the non all-time greats (top 50 players), I'd give consideration to Claude Lemieux, Anderson, Gilmour, Propp and Neely (even though the last two never won a Cup) for the modern guys.

On defence, obviously you think of guys like Orr. Others who warrant consideration include the 1970s Habs' Big 3, Harvey, Stevens. Kevin Lowe always saved some great plays for the playoffs. Coffey set some post-season scoring records, too, although I never viewed him as a guy who really consistently stepped his play up in the post-season.

As for goal, you have automatics like Plante, Roy and Hasek, but here are a few other guys: Parent, Dryden, Fuhr, Smith and Cheevers. The last three guys, in particular, are the types who never cared about goals against average or save percentage. All that mattered to them was wins.

I really respect your opinions but how come you dont mention Lafleur? In the last 30 years I haven't seen a forward not named Gretz or Mario who has dominated the way he did from 1974-75 to 1978-79 in the playoffs.