Professor What
Registered User
Connor McDavid appears to be on the cusp of joining some very elite company. Currently, he's leading the NHL in scoring, and he's an overwhelming favorite in the betting markets to be named MVP. Assuming that both of those things hold, he's about to win both the Hart and the Art Ross for the third time. Here are the lists of guys that have accomplished each of those feats:
Hart: Wayne Gretzky (9), Gordie Howe (6), Eddie Shore (4), Bobby Clarke (3), Mario Lemieux (3), Howie Morenz (3), Bobby Orr (3), Alex Ovechkin (3)
Art Ross: Wayne Gretzky (10), Gordie Howe (6), Mario Lemieux (6), Phil Esposito (5), Jaromir Jarg (5), Stan Mikita (4), Bobby Hull (3), Guy Lafleur (3)
Pulling off the double this year would make him the ninth player to make each list and only the fourth to make both -- and the other three are already "Big 4" members. What's more, McDavid is only 24, so barring disaster, it seems likely that he's going to be around for a long time yet, meaning there's plenty of time to continue to rack up accolades.
I'm going to make an assumption right now, but the details of the assumption aren't vital. I'm assuming Lemieux is in fourth place since that'sthe general concensus, and putting a name there makes it easier. If you find someone else to be fourth, simply put his name there in the discussion going forward. But basically, the question is, how close does McDavid need to get to Lemieux to become a member of an expanded Mount Rushmore of hockey, and what does it take to get him there?
I suppose that's largely determined by how big the gap between Lemieux and fifth place is, as well as who's in fifth place. Before I make an assumption there, I want to say that doing so is far more impoerfect because there are too many variables. If you like someone like Doug Harvey or Patrick Roy, the the above lists of awards are a moot point, because they weren't in contention for those lists, for all intents and purposes. Sure, anyone can win the Hart, but it's more difficult for goalies and all but impossible for defensemen. Again, a defenseman can win the Art Ross -- if he's Bobby Orr -- and goalies are completely out of luck there. So, if you like a non-forward in fifth place, the lists aren't as useful.
But, for the sake of discussion, let's put Jean Beliveau in fifth. Now, we're asking these questions: 1) What does it take for McDavid to pass Beliveau? 2) How far ahead of Beliveau is Lemieux? 3) Does McDavid just have to get to the point that he's closer to Lemieux than Beliveau, or does he need to close the gap further?
Now, even the assumption that Beliveau is in fifth shows that simply winning awards isn't a rubber stamp. That's largely why I chose him. Both he and McDavid are centers, so there's some degree of apples to apples, even if it's far from perfect, thanks to era. But Beliveau, while I believe a very sound option for fifth, isn't on either of those lists, which is a reminder that awards aren't always the be all, end all that they're made out to be.
So, the title has the question for discussion. How likely do you think it is that McDavid will one day be mentioned in the same breath as Gretzky, Howe, Lemieux, and Orr?
Hart: Wayne Gretzky (9), Gordie Howe (6), Eddie Shore (4), Bobby Clarke (3), Mario Lemieux (3), Howie Morenz (3), Bobby Orr (3), Alex Ovechkin (3)
Art Ross: Wayne Gretzky (10), Gordie Howe (6), Mario Lemieux (6), Phil Esposito (5), Jaromir Jarg (5), Stan Mikita (4), Bobby Hull (3), Guy Lafleur (3)
Pulling off the double this year would make him the ninth player to make each list and only the fourth to make both -- and the other three are already "Big 4" members. What's more, McDavid is only 24, so barring disaster, it seems likely that he's going to be around for a long time yet, meaning there's plenty of time to continue to rack up accolades.
I'm going to make an assumption right now, but the details of the assumption aren't vital. I'm assuming Lemieux is in fourth place since that'sthe general concensus, and putting a name there makes it easier. If you find someone else to be fourth, simply put his name there in the discussion going forward. But basically, the question is, how close does McDavid need to get to Lemieux to become a member of an expanded Mount Rushmore of hockey, and what does it take to get him there?
I suppose that's largely determined by how big the gap between Lemieux and fifth place is, as well as who's in fifth place. Before I make an assumption there, I want to say that doing so is far more impoerfect because there are too many variables. If you like someone like Doug Harvey or Patrick Roy, the the above lists of awards are a moot point, because they weren't in contention for those lists, for all intents and purposes. Sure, anyone can win the Hart, but it's more difficult for goalies and all but impossible for defensemen. Again, a defenseman can win the Art Ross -- if he's Bobby Orr -- and goalies are completely out of luck there. So, if you like a non-forward in fifth place, the lists aren't as useful.
But, for the sake of discussion, let's put Jean Beliveau in fifth. Now, we're asking these questions: 1) What does it take for McDavid to pass Beliveau? 2) How far ahead of Beliveau is Lemieux? 3) Does McDavid just have to get to the point that he's closer to Lemieux than Beliveau, or does he need to close the gap further?
Now, even the assumption that Beliveau is in fifth shows that simply winning awards isn't a rubber stamp. That's largely why I chose him. Both he and McDavid are centers, so there's some degree of apples to apples, even if it's far from perfect, thanks to era. But Beliveau, while I believe a very sound option for fifth, isn't on either of those lists, which is a reminder that awards aren't always the be all, end all that they're made out to be.
So, the title has the question for discussion. How likely do you think it is that McDavid will one day be mentioned in the same breath as Gretzky, Howe, Lemieux, and Orr?