Who is the Best Sniper in NHL History?

[Canadiens1958]

Real oldtimer - Joe Malone.

 

[Killion]

Real oldtimer - Joe Malone.

... yep.... and... RW Carson Shovel Shot Cooper.... particularly when playing with the very abrasive Center Sailor Herberts in Boston. Those two specializing in a short passing game so a lot of goals from in-close however Carson by all accounts shooting from all angles, high slot & so on & with deadly accuracy both with Herberts & later when he'd moved on, racking up the points. Overshadowed by others during his era. Went on to Scout in Detroit, "discovering" Howe, Red Kelly etc.... Herberts on the other hand, rather scandalous individual. The original Big Bad Bruin in many respects though well beyond... heavy drinker, Blackout alcoholic. Nicknamed "Sailor" as he worked on Lake Freighters off-season & did indeed swear like one. Wild Man with a homicidal temper at times. Opened up a lakefront cabin rental property in Wasaga Beach on Georgian Bay post playing career which he ran for many years.

 

[Boxscore]

Michael Bossy.

 

[Albatros]

Craig Simpson, a career shooting percentage of 23.7 is insane.

 

[Coach]

Bossy

 

[crobro]

1.Mike Bossy
2.Brett Hull
3.Guy LaFleur
4.Tim Kerr
5.Alex Ovechkin

In any order

 

[The Panther]

Craig Simpson, a career shooting percentage of 23.7 is insane.

I've said it before -- I've never seen a player better one-on-one against the goalie than Craig Simpson. And yes, that includes Mario Lemieux. I did see Mario miss a couple of breakaways before. I never saw Simpson miss when the puck was on his stick right in front of the net, with nothing between him and the goalie. (Mario and Craig were teammates, of course, 1985 to 1987).

Unfortunately for Simpson, (a) he wasn't a great skater and (b) the abuse he took ended his career by 25.

 

[sharkhawk]

Couldnt find a "Hi-Lights" pkg however here, his 50th & 51st Goals, give you a bit of a feel for just how dynamic a player he was; his 50th goal 10 seconds in, his 51st at 5:00 mark, the game stopping at the 25 second mark as the crowd goes crazy and.... www.youtube.com/watch?v=6doRKqexqmU ... very rare footage from the VERY LOUD Chicago Stadium, March 1966.

Shows you just how much the fan favorite he was, and not just in Chicago. Every bit as big a Star as Howe, Orr, Gretzky & Lemieux during his peak years in Chicago League wide, beyond hockey. He was the kind of player who ripped people right out of their seats the second he hit Center, and as you can see from just that short clip, as was the case with Orr & Lemieux, it was at times like watching a Man dominating an opposition of Junior A Players, Teenagers, or Over the Hill Minor Leaguers. There are more extensive clips in full length bio's, in color with replays available on youtube.

One guy who I haven’t seen mentioned in this thread but is mentioned in your video is boom boom geoffrion. I’m too young to remember him but he must have had quite a shot for the boom boom nickname

 

[Killion]

One guy who I haven’t seen mentioned in this thread but is mentioned in your video is boom boom geoffrion. I’m too young to remember him but he must have had quite a shot for the boom boom nickname

Yeah, given that nickname by sports reporter Charlie Boire of the Montreal Star who decided it fit after watching Geoffrion practicing at the old Montreal Forum.... "boom" the sound of the puck leaving his stick on the slapshot followed by the "boom" on the boards. Bernie laying claim to having "invented the slapshot" as a 9-10 year old... and while I dont think he did that what he did do was to take it to a whole new level in practicing the slapshot, employing it with regularity & consistency, refining & developing it.... And he could drive them.... Had a bit of a rivalry going on with his teammate Rocket Richard, putting up the points, somewhat overshadowed by the Rockets exploits.

Bernie one of my favorites, seriously tempestuous player, rugged. Took absolutely no nonsense from anyone & did at times totally lose it.... something I found highly entertaining.... Nearly lost his life in 1958 during a practice when he ran into a teammate, freak accident, he hits the ice unconscious with a ruptured bowel, the Doctor fortunately on hand & who in rushing to his aide cant find a pulse, flips him over onto his tummy & lifts him up accordion style at the waist so the blood'll rush to his head, comes to, rushed to the hospital & actually read his Last Rights before going in for emergency surgery... One of the games all time greatest & most colorful players, often overlooked as he was but one star in the galaxy that was Montreal. Classic Montrealer. Feisty, shrewd. Never say die, never quit, give it everything you got, and dont take even one ounce of crap from anyone.

 

[tarheelhockey]

History board or not, I'm finding it harder and harder to put anyone over Ovechkin. I think Lemieux had a better overall shooting package, when stuff like backhanders and deke/shot moves are factored in. But if we're talking about one guy with the puck on his blade, 30 feet from the net, 2 seconds on the clock and the goalie staring him down? The only guy that makes me really hesitate to take Ovechkin is Bobby Hull, and even at that I'm not sure I believe that 7 goal scoring titles in the 1960s is quite the same thing as 7 goal scoring titles in the 2000s.

 

[Fantomas]

High shooting percentages are just a reflection of the era. If you want a guy with a really high one look no further than Craig Simpson and a bunch of other guys from the 80s and 90s.

You don't score 40 goals while shooting at a 20% clip anymore unless you're a fluke like William Karlsson.

 

[Fantomas]

664 G in 816 GP

The guy who did that in his first 9 seasons......while being the undisputed playmaking king....is the greatest "sniper"

Although he did this in the highest scoring era in the NHL.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

1.Mike Bossy
2.Brett Hull
3.Guy LaFleur
4.Tim Kerr
5.Alex Ovechkin

In any order

AM I misremembering or was Tim Kerr not a sniper?

 

[crobro]

375 goals in 650 games

That’s a sniper

 

[Michael Farkas]

Well, that's a goal scorer for sure...but "sniper" has a unique connotation to it. This is a guy who can just pick corners all day...Patrik Laine is one, Phil Kessel is one...Alexander Semin was a less pronounced one...

This isn't intended to contradict your point, but it might...sniper is qualitative, not quantitative...

 

[crobro]

Why are Marcel Dionne’s 700+ goals grossly overlooked.

 

[Aladyyn]

Well, that's a goal scorer for sure...but "sniper" has a unique connotation to it. This is a guy who can just pick corners all day...Patrik Laine is one, Phil Kessel is one...Alexander Semin was a less pronounced one...

This isn't intended to contradict your point, but it might...sniper is qualitative, not quantitative...

For my money, Laine is #1. Best shot the game has ever seen.

 

[Ralph Spoilsport]

Sniper: pure shooter, picks his spot, aims, pulls the trigger. Forget all the tap-ins, tip-ins, deflections, rebounds and other "garbage goals".

Dropping this in here, just for laughs. (First attempt at a table so fingers crossed)

Goals Scored Above Average Leaders:

	all-time		per 82 gp (min 300)
1	Wayne Gretzky	291.3	Mike Bossy	25.8
2	Mario Lemieux	277.9	Mario Lemieux	24.9
3	Luc Robitaille	244.8	Steven Stamkos	19.0
4	Teemu Selanne	238.6	Charlie Simmer	17.5
5	Mike Bossy	236.9	Yvan Cournoyer	17.2
6	Jari Kurri	224.1	Johnny Bucyk	16.2
7	Joe Nieuwendyk	219.3	Wayne Gretzky	16.1
8	Brett Hull	217.9	Cam Neely	16.1
9	Mark Messier	212.2	Craig Simpson	15.8
10	Jaromir Jagr	210.9	Tim Kerr	15.5
11	Keith Tkachuk	189.9	John McKenzie	15.4
12	Mark Recchi	189.3	Paul MacLean	15.3
13	Gary Roberts	185.0	Eric Lindros	15.2
14	Bryan Trottier	179.5	Frank Mahovlich	15.2
15	Pierre Turgeon	179.3	Blaine Stoughton	15.0
16	Jarome Iginla	178.4	Pat LaFontaine	14.8
17	Steve Yzerman	177.9	Jari Kurri	14.7
18	Jeremy Roenick	173.3	Ziggy Palffy	14.5
19	Jean Ratelle	172.7	Joe Nieuwendyk	14.3
20	Rick Middleton	171.0	Bobby Hull	14.3

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[Riddum]

Prime Lemieux

 

[DannyGallivan]

Who is your pick?
I could pick a guy like Young Gretzky, Young Lemieux, Bossy, Richard, Hull (Both of them)... But my pick is Alexander Ovechkin. Ovechkin has scored 607 goals (661 counting playoff goals) in his NHL career in a low scoring era, Long story short.

Bobby Hull (although Ovechkin is close behind). Led the league in goals 7 times (a record Ovechkin has just tied). If he didn't jump to the WHA at 32, he may be the all-time NHL career leader in goals. Plus, his halcyon days were during the uber-defensive era of the mid-1960's.

 

[DannyGallivan]

I would also go with Bossy, assuming that I understand what is meant in the thread. Oveckin and Bobby Hull types are more likely to overpower goaltenders than to to score with a well placed snipe. Lemieux (Gretzky too really) also fits the bill of sniper given how accurate his shot was, to the point that had goal scoring been his primary focus I assume that he would be the best example of this player archetype.

If the criteria is target shooting as opposed to skating plus shooting, it would likely be Bossy or Brett Hull. Unlike his much more athletic father, Brett had an uncanny ability to hide in the weeds until (usually Adam Oates) found him for a one-timer goal.

 

[DANOZ28]

i never saw much of bossy , so i have to choose brett hull. his shot was unstoppable. he made goalies look like they were made out of swiss cheese.

 

[Thenameless]

Why are Marcel Dionne’s 700+ goals grossly overlooked.

They're not. He just didn't have the sniper style. He was a great overall scorer.

 

[crobro]

Charlie Simmers 2 Straight seasons of 56 goals in 65 games was absolutely Elite.

He also scored 36 in 55 games with Boston

Best shooting percentage of all time

 

[Neutrinos]

I'm surprised Lemieux isn't garnering more support

His ability to put it top corner over a goalie's glove is the definition of a "snipe"