All-underrated team

[John Flyers Fan]

Players I've seen

Brian Propp - Peter Stastny - Jari Kurri
Mats Naslund - Dale Hawerchuk - Bengt Gustafsson
John Tonelli - Neal Broten - Rick Middleton
Ken Linseman - Dale Hunter - Steve Larmer


Mark Howe - Doug Wilson
Gary Suter - Petr Svoboda
Brad McCrimmon - Tomas Jonsson


Billy Smith

Click to read more...

 

[Flash Walken]

Joel Otto never gets any love

 

[#66]

Players that I've seen:

Brian Propp - Jacques Lemaire - Jean Provonost
Gerard Gallant - Mike Ridley - Kirk Muller
Al Secord - Thomas Steen - Danny Gare
J.P. Parise - John Cullen - Blaine Stoughton


Mark Howe - Craig Hartsberg
Reed Larson - Dave Burrows
Rob Ramage - Mark Tinordi

Tom Barrasso​

Players that I have not seen:

Doug Bentley - Bill Cowley - Andy Bathgate

Earl Seibert - Elmer Vasko

Chuck Rayner​

 

[GKJ]

I always thought Marcel Dionne was underrated. For scoring 700 goals, he typically is never talked about when discussing the game's great players

 

[pnep]

Bobby Rousseau ?

 

[John Flyers Fan]

Players that I've seen:

Brian Propp - Jacques Lemaire - Jean Provonost
Gerard Gallant - Mike Ridley - Kirk Muller
Al Secord - Thomas Steen - Danny Gare
J.P. Parise - John Cullen - Blaine Stoughton

​

Some good selections, I considered Ridley and Steen.​

 

[pnep]

Cashman Wayne -- Backstrom Ralph -- Provost Claude
Anderson Glenn -- Mahovlich Pete -- Rousseau Bobby
Tonelli John -- Carbonneau Guy -- Hodge Ken
Marshall Don -- Jarvis Doug -- Middleton Rick

Talbot Jean Guy -- Trembley J.C.
Howe Mark -- Lowe Kevin
Huddy Charlie -- Hollett Flash

Vachon Rogie
Liut Mike
Peeters Pete

 

[DaveG]

Players I've seen

Brian Propp - Peter Stastny - Jari Kurri
Mats Naslund - Dale Hawerchuk - Bengt Gustafsson
John Tonelli - Neal Broten - Rick Middleton
Ken Linseman - Dale Hunter - Steve Larmer


Mark Howe - Doug Wilson
Gary Suter - Petr Svoboda
Brad McCrimmon - Tomas Jonsson


Billy Smith

great list honestly. I'd probably switch out Hunter with Francis and add in Tom Barrasso was a 2nd goalie myself, but that's mostly because Hunter always ticked me off when Francis was with the Pens.

 

[John Flyers Fan]

Talbot Jean Guy -- Trembley J.C.
Howe Mark -- Lowe Kevin
Huddy Charlie -- Hollett Flash

Vachon Rogie
Liut Mike
Peeters Pete

I always thought Lowe was overrated, but agree with you about huddy, I considered him for my list. Liut is a good selection as well.

 

[AGraveOne]

Mike Gartner or would he be a level under these guys. A lot of them listed above are before my time. But Gartner is quickly forgotten despite having like the most consecutive 30+ goal seasons...

 

[Malefic74]

Players I've seen

Brian Propp - Peter Stastny - Jari Kurri
Mats Naslund - Dale Hawerchuk - Sergei Makarov
John Tonelli - Bobby Smith - Dave Lumley
Anton Stastny - Doug Jarvis - Steve Larmer


Mark Howe - Doug Wilson
Craig Ludwig - Normand Rochefort
Brad McCrimmon - Teppo Numminen


Billy Smith
Andy Moog

 

[Steve466]

Nice lists, but how about good old Ron Francis?

 

[John Flyers Fan]

Players I've seen

Brian Propp - Peter Stastny - Jari Kurri
Mats Naslund - Dale Hawerchuk - Sergei Makarov
John Tonelli - Bobby Smith - Dave Lumley
Anton Stastny - Doug Jarvis - Steve Larmer


Mark Howe - Doug Wilson
Craig Ludwig - Normand Rochefort
Brad McCrimmon - Teppo Numminen


Billy Smith
Andy Moog

Great minds think alike : Makarov, Smith, Rochefort, Ludwig and Numminen were all names that crossed my mind.

 

[John Flyers Fan]

Nice lists, but how about good old Ron Francis?

I disagree in a big way with Francis. He's been talked about as underrated for so long now, that I consider him to be overrated.

Also listed above: Mike Gartner ... I'd have him as overrated.

 

[Puckclektr]

Johnny Mac, Kirk Muller..easily two of the most underated of all time. HOw many people knew who Kirk Muller was until he played with Montreal and then Toronto?

P.Stastny, Oates, Russ Coutnall, PEte Peeters, Ron Francis, Hawerchuck, Smyl, Terreri, D.Savard, Federko, B. Carpenter, Babych, Steen, Joe Mullen

 

[#66]

Players that I've seen:

Brian Propp - Jacques Lemaire - Jean Provonost
Gerard Gallant - Mike Ridley - Kirk Muller
Al Secord - Thomas Steen - Danny Gare
J.P. Parise - John Cullen - Blaine Stoughton


Mark Howe - Craig Hartsberg
Reed Larson - Dave Burrows
Rob Ramage - Mark Tinordi

Tom Barrasso​

Players that I have not seen:

Doug Bentley - Bill Cowley - Andy Bathgate

Earl Seibert - Elmer Vasko

Chuck Rayner​

I'ld like to add Patrick Sundstrom, Kevin Dineen, Paul MacLean, Dave Gagner, Gary Unger, Dave Manson, Calle Johansson and Kelly Hrudey to my bench.

 

[arrbez]

I disagree in a big way with Francis. He's been talked about as underrated for so long now, that I consider him to be overrated.

Yup, he wins the Matthias Ohlund award for the most accidentally overrated player

 

[God Bless Canada]

I disagree in a big way with Francis. He's been talked about as underrated for so long now, that I consider him to be overrated.

Also listed above: Mike Gartner ... I'd have him as overrated.

Francis and Gartner show up towards the end of most top 100 lists, somewhere around 75-100. That's where they belong. Francis was horribly underappreciated for most of his career, but in his final years, people finally realized what an efficient, effective all-round, all-season force we were watching. Steve Larmer is another guy who didn't get the respect he deserved for most of his career, but at the end, people realized how good he really was. A small cut below HHOF worthy.

Dave Gagner, at his peak, was a player who never got the respect he deserved. Same with John MacLean and Pat Verbeek, although anyone who rates Verbeek as an HHOF player actually over-rates him. Joel Otto and Esa Tikannen don't often get their proper respect as two of the top five defensive forwards of the last 20 years. Can't think of a more underrated defenceman in the last 20 years than Calle Johansson. The epitomy of the old adage that a defenceman plays a great game when you don't notice him.

There are a slew of players pre-1950s who don't get the respect they deserve. Yeah, we talk about the accomplishments of Howe, Richard, Shore and Morenz, and for good reason. They are among the top 20 players ever. But guys like the Bentleys, the Conachers and Syl Apps Sr. don't get their just kudos. You could fill two teams with these players.

Then there are the pre-NHL stars who nobody gives proper dues to, most notably Hobey Baker (maybe the best American-born forward ever), Cyclone Taylor (likely the best forward ever until Howie Morenz) and Newsy Lalonde.

 

[God Bless Canada]

I always thought Marcel Dionne was underrated. For scoring 700 goals, he typically is never talked about when discussing the game's great players

I don't view Dionne as under-rated. He's ranked around 26-40 on most lists, and I think that might be too high. He had a long of sparkling offensive seasons, piled up the points, won several awards, but this is what separates him from the top 25: playoff production. It's one thing not to win a Cup. I can accept that, especially in the post Original 6 era. But 45 points in 49 games? There are guys who aren't even close to HHOF worthy who did in the most important season. For a guy with his offensive skills/regular season production to be under a point per game in the playoffs is unacceptable. Why do I rate Trottier, Messier, Esposito, Morenz and Bobby Clarke ahead of Dionne? Dionne couldn't get the job done when it counted.

Dionne's a HHOF player, without a doubt, but he shouldn't be considered top 25.

 

[VanIslander]

Players I've seen

Brian Propp - Peter Stastny - Jari Kurri
Mats Naslund - Dale Hawerchuk - Bengt Gustafsson
John Tonelli - Neal Broten - Rick Middleton
Ken Linseman - Dale Hunter - Steve Larmer


Mark Howe - Doug Wilson
Gary Suter - Petr Svoboda
Brad McCrimmon - Tomas Jonsson


Billy Smith

Nice list, though three of them seem a little out of place due to the respect they seem to be given, at least in some quarters.

Hard to believe Kurri was underrated, picked as a Top-50 player by the Hockey News, usually mentioned when greatest right wingers are mentioned, got plenty of press with Gretzky. Perhaps you were one of those who felt he helped Wayne more than visa versa? And that he deserved the Selke? I'd agree with you on the latter count.

And Hunter is NOT underrated by Caps fans. He is much beloved. But leaguewide he was, surely. And hated too, so hard to tell how much respect is there. He was definitely talented offensively, an aspect of his game many tend to forget.

As for Suter, like Hunter, he had many detractors, people who simply didn't like him. I can't stand the criminal. Charges should have been laid. But yeah, he is a bit underrated.

 

[crosby_87]

I still believe Pat LaFontaine was always underrated....he did so much out there.

 

[Malefic74]

Hard to believe Kurri was underrated, picked as a Top-50 player by the Hockey News, usually mentioned when greatest right wingers are mentioned, got plenty of press with Gretzky. Perhaps you were one of those who felt he helped Wayne more than visa versa? And that he deserved the Selke? I'd agree with you on the latter count.

Pretty valid point. In the interests of expanding my list and to make it a little more different, I'll replace him.

I choose to add Dave Taylor. Played 16 seasons, all with the Kings. Was a part of the Triple Crown line and was the defensive conscience of that line as well as the designated grinder who got the pucks to Dionne and Simmer. Even after Dionne was gone he remained an effective player as a great defender who was still a 20 goal threat year after year. He made 5 All-Star teams, won the Masterson Trophy, and tallied 431 goals and 1069 point in 1111 NHL games. Always overshadowed by Dionne, but it was Taylor who was the glue of those teams.