I'll pick one of the toughest mofos to ever play the game, Mark Tinordi
Wrote about him before (
ATD 2020 Draft Thread V) but I remember some questions about him, and some dismissal of him as just a goon, so I pulled up his rankings in the Hockey Digest yearbooks (they used to split between offensive and defensive defensemen).
1991-92 Yearbook defensive defenseman: first
1992-93 Yearbook defensive defenseman: fifth (with discussion in his profile that he'd be first if he hadn't had to deal with injuries he'd be first)
1993-94 Yearbook defensive defenseman: first again
(stopped making yearbooks after that year)
They also ranked in sub areas and Tinordi did well in all of them (except durability lol), coming at the top in checking and slot coverage.
Hockey Scouting Report wrote copious praise on Tinordi. Things like one of the best defenseman in the world and Norris candidate if he would have avoided the freak injuries. Referred to him in the mold of Ray Bourque without the complete set of high level skating and finesse skills offensively, but a more defensive version. Later after many of the injuries kept piling up he was still referred to as a blue collar Scott Stevens.
But the dismissal as a goon isn't entirely inaccurate. Tinordi did start off as a goon before adding considerably to his game, and he even improved in goonery, as he changed from a dude who could take a lot of punches to one of the best technical fighters in the game.
Just like Lindros was said to be able to score a couple of points and then beat up your enforcer, Tinordi would shut down your superstar and then beat up your enforcer too lol
I like him with Ted Green as well as with Coffey for some matchups. Consider him my number four after the big three on D
