A Non-Superstar You Loved (or Love) to Watch

[DaveG]

I always had a thing for that next tier down goalie wise, and especially the undersized guys that did it with athleticism and flair

Arturs Irbe
Kirk McLean
Byron Dafoe

I was (well still kindof am) hoping that Alex Nedeljkovic can end up being a throwback to that kind of goalie in this era.

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

Chris Neil, Clarke MacArthur, Mike Fisher

 

[aufheben]

Also Anton Stralman. Dude was like IV Corsi. And Tanev.

 

[Tall Morty]

I am not sure where your line for superstar is but Nolan is GOAT.

More obscure? IDK why, but I loved watching Ian White.

Another great recent one was marcus sorensen when he first joined the sharks. Every shift was an all-out, caution-to-the-wind, almost self-endangering affair. he's unfortunately chilled out a bit, but I still like him.

Weirdly, this was the first name that came to mind for me as well.

 

[Trap Jesus]

Charlie Coyle because of his ridiculous puck protection skills. It's such an interesting mix, he uses his big body to shield defenders and has this stiff arm move that he uses a lot, but he's also such a smooth skater that can use his edges to complement his reach. He has such a methodical approach to how he does it.

 

[Seanaconda]

hemsky. its a shame high def wasnt a thing when he was playing because his hands were just insane.

its too bad he didnt have a slightly different brain , fearless going into corners which gave him injury trouble but too focused on perfect passing so he would circle the offensive zone constantly without driving the net when he had a good shot

 

[mm11]

the original JT John Tonelli

 

[Michael Farkas]

The fun part is finding jerseys of the non-superstars you liked, for me, it's Maxim Afinogenov (red Sabres), Rostislav Klesla (blue CBJ), Valeri Kamensky (white Avs), Mikko Koivu (Finn WJC), Ryan Malone (white Pens) are among them...and my spirit animal as a player: Patric Hornqvist (black Pens, the only Reebok jersey I own I think)...

 

[Hammettf2b]

Darren Helm and Andrew Cogliano when they were in their hay days.

 

[BlackFrancis]

I once witnessed Ken Linseman get the stick chopped out of his hands, collect a loose puck with his hands/feet, tear ass down the ice on a breakaway, kicking the puck along the whole way until he booted the thing past the confused goalie waiting for him. All just so he could act the prick and upset everyone on the other bench with a disallowed goal.

Loved that guy.

 

[snipes]

Todd Marchant

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

I can't possibly be the first person to mention Tim Connolly?

Best set of hands to ever play in this league IMO. It's too bad he wasn't particularly athletic.



That goal against Ottawa is just so unbelievably filthy.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

Tomas Holmstrom.

Guy was a wonder in front of the net and his unique style was really enjoyable to watch.

 

[Dexter Colt]

Kirk Maltby. Such a selfless, smart player.

 

[jiboy]

Mike Ribeiro and Patrick Elias

Ribeiro played his junior in Rouyn so I watched him a lot he was such a special player and you could tell he was a huge headcase.

Always liked Elias efficient play, he played the right way and he seemed competitive and humble.

 

[brokeu91]

TJ Oshie

 

[Gardien2945]

I can't possibly be the first person to mention Tim Connolly?

You beat me to it! I agree, Tim Connolly is the best stickhandler I've ever seen play the game. Absolutely loved watching him play. If he played in a bigger market and was healthier throughout his career, he would have been a superstar.

 

[SnizzNasty88]

A few come to mind here forsure.

Viktor Arvidsson - for a small guy he’s really feisty and has a great scoring touch, he’s like a little bull that’ll roar right to the net whether there’s a 6’7 defenseman infront of him or a 5’11 defenseman.

Roope Hintz - not sure what it is but I love his skating stride and playmaking ability, he’s such a big diesel too.

Jesper Bratt - another small guy but he’s very skilled and very smooth, that move when he did that inside outside pivot on Parayko was so nasty.

Warren Foegele - I love the grit he plays with and his skill is underrated, I like his shot too, he reminds me of a Canadian version of Nikolai Kulemin.

Anthony Beauvillier - This guy is pretty nasty too, he’s so fast and has good hands along with good playmaking ability while also being a decent shooter. I’m rooting for him even though he’s French.

There’s many more I could name but these are the guys I thought off the top of my head. I’m also assuming we’re talking about guys that aren’t the main pivots or cogs on each team (reason why I left out guys like Ehlers, Connor, Forsberg etc).

 

[7even]

Mikhail Grabovski. That guy had absolutely no regard for his own safety. Dude was like a human weeble -- wobbles but doesn't fall down. Would randomly pull out some f***ing crazy Robbie Schremp dangles twice a year. "Fire burn the ice." Then there's a photo set of him just casually stabbing a pineapple in a turtleneck. That guy was a different kinda dude lmao.

 

[57special]

Bobby Baun (bodychecking artist), Charlie Coyle (though I understand the frustrations with him, his dominance when he is on reminds me of Messier and Lindros), and Jonas Brodin, who delights me with his inventiveness, and makes difficult things look easy- except for the ol' goalscoring part.

 

[Roof Daddy]

Jason Smith. “Gator” was a nasty piece of business, excellent leader, and actually had half decent puck skills/instincts for a pure stay at home D man.

For a non-Oiler, I’ll go with Al Iafrate. The guy had good wheels and an absolute bomb and played with an edge. Arguably my favourite D man in the 90’s.

 

[Brodeur]

Always liked Elias efficient play, he played the right way and he seemed competitive and humble.

Elias is a goofy dude too, always enjoyed him and Giroux "squaring off" during a skirmish. Giroux's another rival player I've enjoyed watching over the years, but he's toeing the line between star/superstar.



And since I'm running out of excuses to post this clip, I was a big fan of Martin Havlat when he was on Ottawa/Chicago. I was happy to see him and Patty get to play together for one season in New Jersey but Havlat wasn't the same by then.

 

[Primary Assist]

Dan Winnik and Mike Santorelli were great. Winnik especially, he gave it his all every single shift but had just a little more skill and passing ability than your "standard" role-playing grinder. He's one of the few players I've seen who worked so hard he got traded, since the Leafs couldn't afford to have that type of grit and passion during the tank years. It's a shame he couldn't come back during the Matthews era to better reap the rewards of his hard work.

 

[VinikToWinIt]

Bobby Ryan when he was on was something to behold.

 

[Fedz]

Marc Savard - loved seeing his new gear almost every game. Such a talent with the puck on his stick. Injuries stole a real talent from the NHL.

Tim Connolly - Many have already commented on Connolly. Another lost to injuries. Scored some nasty goals in his day...Supremely talented.

Alexei Kovalev - Best hands the planet has ever and will ever see. See below for his only real competition. If you've seen Kovalev live, you understand. It's incredible to watch.

Pavel Datsyuk - LOVED watching him stick check from behind with one hand. His two shootout moves were absolutely incredible and inspired many a drop in sessions.