For Modano's first 6 seasons he received zero Selke consideration, his first full season with Hitchcock as coach he began receiving praise. The ATD board has quotes from scouting books and newspapers etc that talk about his strong two way play. Now since some people here are simply looking at calculated numbers which can miss aspects of hockey (shocker) they simply ignore the people who actually watched the bloody players play. That's the issue
On page 3 of this thread I provided exceprts from newspaper articles re Turgeon, including lots of quotations from players, coaches, and others "who atually watched the bloody players play". This was in response to questions about his leadership, whether he made teammates better, and other intangibles, so the quotations focus on those elements rather than his scoring. Here they are again, in chronological order.
Associated Press, April 12, 1988:
Sabres' coach Ted Sator said: "The kid's gone from 18 to 28 in the span of four playoff games.
Pierre’s always been a big-game player and I think this is his element now."
In the first game of the series, Turgeon had a hand in all three goals. In Sunday's fourth game, he scored Buffalo's first goal and assisted on Tucker's winning goal 5:32 into overtime.
Montreal Gazette, October 6, 1988:
"He's going to be a star in this league," Sator said yesterday. "
He worked very hard - both on and off the ice during the off-season. He has one more year of maturation and his command of English is much better now.
"He's got a year under his belt and
he's grown into a leadership role. I think he's going to have a banner year this season."
"He's just a tremendous athlete and a
tremendous competitor," Sator said.
Edmonton Journal, Feb 22, 1990:
"He's a very talented hockey player," said linemate Dave Andreychuk, who had helpers on both of Turgeon's goals. "He does things with the puck we just shake our heads at."
"People can see he's got great offensive skills. I know that from playing against him," said blueliner Doug Bodger, a former Pittsburgh Penguin.
"We call him Sneaky Pierre the way he goes out there and hides, but
he leads out on the ice in other ways.
"He's playing with confidence. He leads out on the ice. …
He's playing like a leader."
"He's
putting in the work and getting back into the defensive end of the game," Andreychuk said.
"You can really see that from the first year. He knows he has to
work hard and he's doing it night after night."
Montreal Gazette (Michael Farber), April 7, 1990:
“Turgeon is one of those players who makes everyone around him better.”
Toronto Star April 19, 1990:
(after Turgeon had 2 goals and an assist in win over Habs to tie series at 2):
"We had to get our big guns gunning but that's how it is on any winning team, your shooters must do the shooting," Dudley said. "But Pierre doesn't have to prove anything to me or anyone else.
I know how good he is and how he's showed up in the big games all season."
Vancouver Sun, March 20, 1993
"He's not an outspoken guy. But in his own way,
he's become a leader," coach Al Arbour, who has had some great ones, said Friday. "He's a silent leader.
"He has progressed and he's going to keep progressing.
Everything we've asked him to do, he's done."
"He's a real team guy," Islander captain Patrick Flatley said. "He's still young, but he's starting to assume a
leadership role. Even last year to this year he's taken on more of a leadership role, and I think that progression will continue."
"He's had an MVP season," Flatley said. "
He has produced in big games, important games. He has come up big for us all season. He takes losing very hard."
Associated Press (May 6, 1993):
“One reason they didn’t [win] was the fact that their missing superstar, Pierre Turgeon, just might be more vital to the Islanders’ success in the short run than Lemieux is to the Penguins in the long run.”
Montreal Gazette (May 6, 1993):
“
Pierre carried this team all year," said goaltender Glenn Healy, who stopped 22 shots Tuesday. "He's the big piece of the puzzle, no doubt. When Pierre scores, we usually win."
Don Maloney (September 16, 1993):
“Pierre is our Mario Lemieux, our Eric Lindros, our superstar," general manager Don Maloney said. "His on-ice accomplishments speak for themselves."
J
ack Todd (Montreal Gazette, April 22, 1995):
“
The implication, that he had no heart, is simply not borne out by the numbers. Turgeon’s playoff stats have been good throughout his career, including the '92-93 season when he had six goals and seven assists in 11 games despite being bushwhacked by Dale Hunter.”
Montreal Gazette (April 19, 1996):
"
With the team dying around him, Turgeon all but loaded the Canadiens on his back and dragged them into the playoffs in `95."
Canadian Press, May 2, 1996 (quoting Tremblay):
“Pierre Turgeon is a great captain. Twice he took the whole team out for dinner on the road. When someone was having trouble, he would go talk to the player. I call that good leadership.”
Mike Keenan (Nov 3, 1996):
"A superstar centre doesn't come available that often. But he is a player you can build a franchise around."
"In my opinion, with all due respect to Bernie Federko and perhaps Red Berenson, I don't think there's ever been a better centreman in this organization, including Adam Oates.”
"Red Berenson and Bernie Federko had the numbers but not the speed. They were a different generation."
"He has to be considered at least among the best. He's 27, in the prime of his career. He's never had a winger to work with like Brett Hull. He's played with teams that never made the playoffs.”
“He's not the best centreman in the league - (Mario) Lemieux is the best, there's still Gretzky and Messier - but he's in the top group.''
Brett Hull (Nov. 6, 1996):
"He is your typical superstar centreman. He can handle the puck, he can shoot it, he can make the play late to guys. He does everything you want.”
Edmonton Journal, Nov 16, 1999
"It was a great effort," Quenneville said. "He beat the guy to the icing and pretty much got the job done on a second and third effort. It's nice to see him produce again, and
he continues to provide a lot of determination."
"He's been great all year, and he's fun to watch out there," McAlpine said. "He's
working hard, and he's so skilled. He's been big for us."
Globe and Mail, Nov. 18, 1999:
Simply put, there's an
edge to Turgeon’s game now, one that emerged during the Stanley Cup playoffs last spring.
"Yeah, I think his play, particularly in that Phoenix series, showed a lot more
leadership," said Quenneville
National Post, Jan 15, 2000:
On the eve of last year's NHL playoffs Turgeon asked for an audience with Blues coach Joel Quenneville. He told Quenneville that he wanted more responsibility, to be the guy on the ice in the last minute of the period or last minute of the game, to be the go-to guy.
"It showed that he felt that he had more to offer. And he delivered," Quenville said.
Midway through the Blues' first-round playoff series against the tough Phoenix Coyotes, Turgeon began to reinvent himself in front of his teammates' eyes.
He played tough along the boards. He took the big hits and, after being down 3-1 in the series, the Blues won the series in a heart- stopping seventh game in which Turgeon scored in overtime.
Turgeon continued his fine play in the next round against Dallas. He took a brutal slash from Pat Verbeek and kept the Blues alive in the series with critical playmaking. He added five more points (he had 13 in total), including an overtime winner in Game 4. If not for mediocre goaltending from Grant Fuhr, the Blues may well have upended the eventual Stanley Cup champions.
"He was determined to make the team win," Quenneville said. "That's a sign of the elite players."
You could always count on the points, said Quenneville, "but he raised his game to a higher level."
That brand of play did not disappear with the playoffs. Turgeon scored a handful of goals in one of the first training-camp scrimmages and has not backed off since. He has consistently been in the top three or four scorers this season and will return to the NHL All-Star Game on Feb. 6 in Toronto, his fifth all-star appearance.
His 23 goals and 55 points leads the Blues and marks the 12th consecutive season with at least 20 goals.
More significantly, the 30-year-old continues to play the important minutes of St. Louis games. Where he was sometimes hidden from other team's top lines earlier in his career, he is now matched against them. He is a central figure on the power play, of course, but he also kills penalties. He has answered his detractors while becoming a complete player.
