All-time underrated players

[Dennis Bonvie]

Here's some completely random names to consider:

George Boucher
Harry Cameron
Joe Malone
Joe Hall
Frank Boucher
Ted Kennedy
Red Kelly
Art Duncan
Jacques Lemaire
Serge Savard
Mike Modano
Jonathan Toews
Dave Keon
Henri Richard
Ryan Getzlaf
Charlie Gardiner

Yes, Toews.

Serge Savard?

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

Curtis Joseph would make my list for the simple fact that some people don't think he should make the Hall of Fame

what is the case for him to be in the hall? because he played forever and accumulated a bunch of wins?

no Vezinas
no Cups
no AS-1
no AS-2
never led in GAA
only 2x top 10 in GAA
1x in 19 seasons led in sv%
only 5x top 10 in sv%

literally has none of the criteria of a HOF goaltender.

 

[VanIslander]

Cujo also often lost the big games.

But he was beloved in Toronto.

 

[Big Phil]

Has Elmer Lach been mentioned yet? Led the NHL in points twice, actually won the MVP the year Richard got 50-in-50 too. "Money" in the playoffs too. Often forgotten but a key part of that "Punch Line".

Andy Bathgate comes to mind as well. I think if you put 7 or 8 or his seasons side by side at the same time with Gordie Howe he has practically identically the same amount of points.

 

[Gilles Meloche]

Reijo Ruotsalainen
Mike Bossy
Robert Shevhla
Viacheslav Fetisov
Kent Nilsson

 

[BraveCanadian]

Paul Coffey.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Rick Middleton and Michel Goulet.

 

[BraveCanadian]

Rick Middleton and Michel Goulet.

Agreed on both of these ones.

Also agree about CuJo up thread. He took teams to later rounds than they could possibly have deserved to and then got the blame when they flamed out.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Serge Savard?

Serge Savard was a foundation type player, like Eddie Gerard, Frank Nighbor, Doug Harvey or Henri Richard.Montreal had fancier players like Lafleur and Robinson, but Savard was like the engineer making sure the water is running and the sewer system works so society can function, regardless of which new fancy government is elected.A Top 10 defensive defenseman of all-time, he was primordial to glue it all together.

Robinson, as great as he was, was a forward in his youth and his defenseman instincts were a bit rough around the edges compared to Savard who played the defensive zone to near-perfection.

All in all, I'd rank Robinson higher, but IMO the canonical gap between both on this section is too large for what really happened.

Don't forget that Scotty Bowman himself ranked Savard ahead of Robinson in his Top 100 Canadian players list.Yeah, I know, the list was highly questionable, but how he ranked the players he coached was an interesting feature.And yes, Bowman liked defense a lot.

 

[Normand Lacombe]

Vincent Damphousse- With Toronto, Edmonton and Montreal, Damphousse was nearly a PPG player. While Patrick Roy deservedly gets the majority of the credit for Montreal's 1993 Cup, rarely is Damphousse's name mentioned. Damphousse led the Habs in playoff scoring, including the OT winner in game 3 against Quebec with Montreal in a 2-0 hole. Still posted respectable numbers with San Jose in the DPE at the end of his career.

Calle Johansson- Went quietly about his business. There was nothing flashy to his game. Johansson was just a solid, all around defenseman for 15 years with the Caps. Positionally sound, could score some points when needed and was a clean player.

 

[crobro]

Rick Martin
Michel Goulet
Tim Kerr
Charlie Simmer
Bernie Nichols

 

[Neutrinos]

what is the case for him to be in the hall? because he played forever and accumulated a bunch of wins?

no Vezinas
no Cups
no AS-1
no AS-2
never led in GAA
only 2x top 10 in GAA
1x in 19 seasons led in sv%
only 5x top 10 in sv%

literally has none of the criteria of a HOF goaltender.

Likely should've won the '93 Vezina, unfortunately for him, voters were still enamored with wins, rather than performance

Cups are irrelevant when evaluating an individual's career

Joseph has just as many AS-1 and AS-2 selections as Ron Francis

GAA really doesn't carry much weight

Entered the league at the same time as Belfour, and finished with the same career SV% as the Hall of Fame netminder

 

[Bronxxx]

Alexander choo choo Mogilny. Triple gold club member. Over point per game career average. Scored 50 goals in 46 games! 1st Russian NHL Captain.

 

[MadLuke]

For Joseph

He look good in Win during the time he played.
Brodeur: 557
Belfour: 484
Roy: 482
Joseph: 454
Osgood: 389
Hasek: 389

And I am a fan of Joseph in the all for is many playoff storyline, but looking at this:

NHL & WHA Career Leaders and Records for Goals Saved Above Average | Hockey-Reference.com
NHL & WHA Career Leaders and Records for Adjusted Goals Against Average | Hockey-Reference.com

For how long he played is goal save above average between Guy Hebert and Tim Thomas do not look too impressive.

Vanbiesbrouck could be above him ?

 

[VMBM]

Who?

Some Russian who played in the Stone Age, apparently.

The 'Firsovgate' (THoH's Top 100 Hockey Players of All-Time) continues...

 

[GMR]

Dave Andreychuk and Phil Housley are underrated on this forum. I agree they’re among the weaker players in the HHOF but that shouldn’t diminish their accomplishments or numbers. Not every schmuck could duplicate their longevity and consistency. They get railed on too much.

Phil Esposito doesn't seem to get enough credit. The man put up God like offensive numbers over a seven or eight year stretch and was the most productive forward in the league. His numbers in the playoffs and in the Summit Series were strong as well. However, I frequently see him overlooked when people talk about the next best center after Gretzky or Lemieux. He's absolutely in that discussion for me.

The Czech greats from the 1970's don't get enough credit. Martinec, Holecek, and Nedomansky have yet to be elected to the HHOF, while many of their Soviet counterparts have. It seems to be because the Canadians did not play Czech Republic in the Summit Series, so there's not as much name recognition.

 

[Iron Mike Sharpe]

Jari Kurri has owned this category since his prime. People always have the tendency to default to the "Gretzky made Kurri" argument to downplay and denigrate his accomplishments. Nobody else in the history of hockey is dismissed so much because of his linemate.

 

[frisco]

Dave Andreychuk and Phil Housley are underrated on this forum. I agree they’re among the weaker players in the HHOF but that shouldn’t diminish their accomplishments or numbers. Not every schmuck could duplicate their longevity and consistency. They get railed on too much.

Yeah, I mean Housley had more points than Clarke, Fedorov, Bobby Hull, Goulet, Nicholls, Kariya, Sittler, the Sedins, both Richard brothers, etc., AS A DEFENSEMAN and gets picked on as a weak HOFer because he wasn't Rod Langway in his own end.

My Best-Carey

 

[Theokritos]

...and gets picked on as a weak HOFer because he wasn't Rod Langway in his own end.

That's not true. He gets picked on because he was a liability in his own end.

There is a lot of space between not being Rod Langway and not being trusted to play at Even Strength.

 

[frisco]

That's not true. He gets picked on because he was a liability in his own end.

There is a lot of space between not being Rod Langway and not being trusted to play at Even Strength.

If Housley never played ES how come he has the third highest total of ES goals amongst defenseman?

My Best-Carey

 

[The Panther]

Jari Kurri has owned this category since his prime. People always have the tendency to default to the "Gretzky made Kurri" argument to downplay and denigrate his accomplishments. Nobody else in the history of hockey is dismissed so much because of his linemate.

I'm one of Jari Kurri's biggest fans, but I don't really agree with this statement. I don't think Kurri's accomplishments are downplayed today. Of course they were circa 1982 to 1986 or whatever, but that was when anybody who played with Gretzky saw their numbers rise, and accordingly people (outside of Edmonton) were suspicious of Kurri's real worth. But all such questions were laid to rest during 1988 to 1990, and in recent years I've heard American broadcasters use phrases like "the legendary Jari Kurri" and so on. He went straight into the Hall of Fame, no questions asked.

Based on this forum, I would say Phil Esposito is downplayed far more than Jari Kurri is.

 

[decma]

Brian Propp
Pierre Turgeon

 

[Jim MacDonald]

You guys think Bob Gainey is a good choice for this thread? Or does he get the "appropriate" amount of love/respect amongst the hockey forum homies and homettes?

 

[HawkNut]

I'd say Michel Goulet and Sergei Zubov were underrated, and perhaps as a stretch, I'd call Shore underrated.

Shore won four Hart trophies, a record for a defenseman. He was the first ever to win it four times and one of only three all time to do so. If the Norris existed in his day, his collection would rival Orr's.

Yet, this forum only ranked Shore No. 14 on the 100 Greatest Players list, and the fourth greatest defenseman of all time. I'd also make the case that he's underrated in sports history.

 

[Theokritos]

If Housley never played ES how come he has the third highest total of ES goals amongst defenseman?

My Best-Carey

I was exaggerating, but so were you when you said that he gets picked on for not being Rod Langway. Being average defensively would have been sufficient for him to escape the criticism.