Best player in the world: 2011

[FrankSidebottom]

Three in a row for Ovechkin, what a domination. Moving on to 2011 (10/11 season).

Previous polls:
1998 (62% 1 Hasek, 2 Jagr, 3 Forsberg)
1999 (48% 1 Jagr, 2 Hasek, 3 Forsberg)
2000 (72% 1 Jagr, 2 Pronger, 3 Bure)
2001 (33% 1 Lemieux, 2 Sakic, 3 Jagr)
2002 (36% 1 Iginla, 2 Lidstrom, 3 Lemieux)
2003 (52% 1 Forsberg, 2 Naslund, 3 Lemieux)
2004 (23% 1 Forsberg, 2 St. Louis, 3 Luongo)
2006 (31% 1 Thornton, 2 Jagr, 3 Crosby)
2007 (73% 1 Crosby, 2 Lidstrom, 3 Lecavalier/Luongo)
2008 (64% 1 Ovechkin, 2 Crosby, 3 Zetterberg)
2009 (44% 1 Ovechkin, 2 Malkin, 3 Crosby)
2010 (56% 1 Ovechkin, 2 Crosby, 3 Sedin)

Click to read more...

 

[Steven Toast]

Thomas this year. Smythe, Vezina. 0.938s% in the regular season with 46 GSAA. 0.940s% with 21 GSAA in the playoffs.

 

[jigglysquishy]

If you posted this poll in 2011, Crosby would get over 90% of the votes.

There was zero doubt in 2010-11 who the best player in the world was.

 

[FrankSidebottom]

If you posted this poll in 2011, Crosby would get over 90% of the votes.

There was zero doubt in 2010-11 who the best player in the world was.

I don’t challenge this very statement but sometimes the distance makes things clearer.

 

[Nathaniel Skywalker]

Very very easily crosby and from here on crosby will dominate

 

[Midnight Judges]

If you posted this poll in 2011, Crosby would get over 90% of the votes.

There was zero doubt in 2010-11 who the best player in the world was.

Yeah that's pure history revision.

Crosby's half season was nice, but it merely matched Ovechkin's half season from the season before (actually Ovie's was better - same pace but 50 games instead of 40).

I realize our resident history revisionists will want a grace period every time Crosby leads the league in points (all two times). But Ovechkin just finished 3 seasons as the clear best player - leading the NHL in points, goals, PPG, GPG, and Playoff PPG and GPG. You can argue a half season from Crosby is enough to overtake that, but there is zero chance many of these people are arguing that if it's the other way around (as was the case for all the Crosby revisionists in 2007-2008).

Half seasons are far less valuable than full seasons IMO. It's pretty illogical that Lemieux won this poll for 2001 as well.

 

[ORRFForever]

I can't remember what I had for dinner, yesterday, let alone 12 years ago.

 

[Regal]

I can't remember what I had for dinner, yesterday, let alone 12 years ago.

You had the best player in the world for dinner 12 years ago!?

 

[EdJovanovski]

Thomas AINEC

 

[ORRFForever]

You had the best player in the world for dinner 12 years ago!?

Now that you mention it, maybe I did.

Looking over the names, I gonna assume it was Sid.

 

[Shark Finn]

.

 

[Video Nasty]

Pace and PPG junkies, now is finally your time to get your hit. Nathaniel, let everyone else try some before you come back for seconds.

I voted Crosby as well, though this half season of stellar play is actually a third of a season (6 goals and 15 points in first 13 games before the 25 game point streak, hence why it’s not ridiculous to assume he would cool off again). He also only led Stamkos by 1 goal (and 10 points) through the same number of games when he went down, so it’s not exactly the beatdown people tend to remember.

If I was comfortable voting Lemieux in 2000-2001, I’m okay doing it for Crosby here.

Thomas is of course an excellent choice and hard to go against for the complete package of regular season and playoffs that people are picking and choosing when that matters more or not.

 

[KoozNetsOff 92]

As expected, the 3 years OV won no Crosby fan mentioned PPG and they all brought up playoffs. Now in 2011 suddenly PPG matters and of course playoffs mean nothing. What a coincidence. OV was the best player in the world for the 3 previous years, tore Crosby a new hole in pts, PPG, goals, GPG, hart voting, lindsay voting. Crosby getting hot for 40 games doesn't overcome 3 years of OV dominating him. Crosby must be the only player in the history of any sport who is being called the best even though (as of the end of 10/11) he had gone 4 straight seasons with no MVP (wasn't even a finalist 3x), no best player award (3x not a finalist), no scoring title, no playoff MVP. Seriously check sports history there is no way it happened. Not sure why out of every athlete in history only Crosby gets this treatment.

 

[GreatGonzo]

Crosby will win this despite playing half the season. Even if it’s a “what could have been” situation. He was running away with it that year before injuries. Thomas should get a lot of votes though imo. The way he played that year was incredible.

 

[pi314]

As expected, the 3 years OV won no Crosby fan mentioned PPG and they all brought up playoffs. Now in 2011 suddenly PPG matters and of course playoffs mean nothing. What a coincidence. OV was the best player in the world for the 3 previous years, tore Crosby a new hole in pts, PPG, goals, GPG, hart voting, lindsay voting. Crosby getting hot for 40 games doesn't overcome 3 years of OV dominating him. Crosby must be the only player in the history of any sport who is being called the best even though (as of the end of 10/11) he had gone 4 straight seasons with no MVP (wasn't even a finalist 3x), no best player award (3x not a finalist), no scoring title, no playoff MVP. Seriously check sports history there is no way it happened. Not sure why out of every athlete in history only Crosby gets this treatment.

Crosby can play 200 feet of hockey and do everything.

Ovechkin can cherry-pick and crush one-timers.

Nobody who actually plays hockey thinks Ovechkin was better.

When Ovechkin was in his prime, TSN polled all GMs and asked who was better.

3 said Ovechkin. 1 wasn't reachable. All the rest said Crosby.

"It's like the five-tool guy vs. the home-run hitter: The five-tool guy finds more ways to win all the time," said a Western Conference head coach not involved in the tourney, via text message after Canada's 5-3 semifinal win Saturday.​

​

"Full-court player vs. half-court player," added an Eastern Conference GM not involved in the World Cup, via text message during the third period.​

 

[Sheppy]

Tim Thomas had one of the best goaltending seasons ever followed by one of the best goaltending post seasons ever.

Him.

 

[Phil Kessels Hot Dog]

For some unknown reason, Ovechkins play really took a dive around March 2010. He had an incredible 2.5 year peak, but shouldn't be in the conversation for best player in the world here on out.

 

[Midnight Judges]

Crosby can play 200 feet of hockey and do everything.

To the contrary, Crosby sucks at defense and surrenders tons of goals while he's on the ice.

 

[Midnight Judges]

For some unknown reason, Ovechkins play really took a dive around March 2010. He had an incredible 2.5 year peak, but shouldn't be in the conversation for best player in the world here on out.

Wins Hart in 2013, was the best skater in 2015, wins 7 more rockets and a Smythe in that span. #3 in points and has a hundred more goals than any other player since 2010.

I think some of you have had a bit too much Don Cherry in your living rooms that you think these types os exaggerations are normal.

 

[TheGuiminator]

I had no problem voting Ovechkin between 08 to 10, as he had the best seasons AND was also the best player, no doubt.

But 2011 belongs to Crosby, if you try to dispute otherwise, than you’re just hating at this point. You have to be insane to believe he doesn’t win the Art Ross, Lindsay and the Hart if healthy

Also, people seem to confuse « best season » with « best player ».

 

[Matty Sundin]

Crosby looked to be peaking before his injuries during this time frame. Guys like Perry and Sedin twins were winning the hardware but everyone seem to know Crosby was the best. Thomas deserves mention though for his performance.

 

[Midnight Judges]

I had no problem voting Ovechkin between 08 to 10, as he had the best seasons AND was also the best player, no doubt.

But 2011 belongs to Crosby, if you try to dispute otherwise, than you’re just hating at this point. You have to be insane to believe he doesn’t win the Art Ross, Lindsay and the Hart if healthy

Also, people seem to confuse « best season » with « best player ».

It's not confusing. It's a simple fact that durability is inextricable from the equation about who is the best athlete, and this is true in every sport.

 

[GreatGonzo]

Crosby can play 200 feet of hockey and do everything.

Ovechkin can cherry-pick and crush one-timers.

Nobody who actually plays hockey thinks Ovechkin was better.

When Ovechkin was in his prime, TSN polled all GMs and asked who was better.

3 said Ovechkin. 1 wasn't reachable. All the rest said Crosby.

"It's like the five-tool guy vs. the home-run hitter: The five-tool guy finds more ways to win all the time," said a Western Conference head coach not involved in the tourney, via text message after Canada's 5-3 semifinal win Saturday.​

​

"Full-court player vs. half-court player," added an Eastern Conference GM not involved in the World Cup, via text message during the third period.​

Crosbys defense is probably the most overrrated part of his game to be honest, all while calling Ovechkin a cherry picker, it doesn’t help your argument. Doesn’t mean he wasn’t the best player in 2011 though.

 

[um]

Nvm.

 

[KoozNetsOff 92]

Crosby can play 200 feet of hockey and do everything.

Ovechkin can cherry-pick and crush one-timers.

Nobody who actually plays hockey thinks Ovechkin was better.

When Ovechkin was in his prime, TSN polled all GMs and asked who was better.

3 said Ovechkin. 1 wasn't reachable. All the rest said Crosby.

"It's like the five-tool guy vs. the home-run hitter: The five-tool guy finds more ways to win all the time," said a Western Conference head coach not involved in the tourney, via text message after Canada's 5-3 semifinal win Saturday.​

​

"Full-court player vs. half-court player," added an Eastern Conference GM not involved in the World Cup, via text message during the third period.​

That's why he won the lindsay 3x in a row and is a 6x finalist right? You know, the award people who actually play hockey vote on?

I don't know what random quotes from the 2016 world cup have to do with anything as I don't remember saying OV was better than Crosby in 2016.