Toggle sidebar

Best Power Forwards of All-Time...

Crosby2010

Crosby2010

Registered User
Mar 4, 2023
1,070
884
Lindros has a combination you can argue has never been seen in 100 years of NHL hockey. If he only had a head on his shoulders he'd probably STILL be playing! But no one was that big, could skate as well as he could, fight like a demon, shoot the puck and have the playmaking quite like him. Obviously Howe comes to mind, but Lindros was bigger than him and would hit harder than anyone else. Howe wasn't quite as physically imposing.

I don't know who is the best power forward in the NHL today. They used to grow on trees, but now?
 

markymarc1215

Registered User
Jan 8, 2023
448
427
Southwest Florida
Like others have posted, prime Lindros was the most prolific power forward I've seen play the game. He did things anyone else on this list could only dream about regarding individual skill and power. But longevity, certainly not the case.

Post Original 6 era....Any argument for Lindros, Messier, Neely, Shanahan, Tocchet, prime Kevin Stevens, and Ovechkin for me.
 
Mav3rick07

Mav3rick07

Registered User
Jul 28, 2007
11,736
11,134
Keith Primeau is one of my personal favorites. I don't think he's in the GOAT tier though.
 

Overrated

Registered User
Jan 16, 2018
1,248
534
Could Vladimir Krutov be considered a power forward? He was short but other than that he fit the description.
 
Last edited:
JianYang

JianYang

Registered User
Sep 29, 2017
17,955
16,448
Crosby2010 said:
Lindros has a combination you can argue has never been seen in 100 years of NHL hockey. If he only had a head on his shoulders he'd probably STILL be playing! But no one was that big, could skate as well as he could, fight like a demon, shoot the puck and have the playmaking quite like him. Obviously Howe comes to mind, but Lindros was bigger than him and would hit harder than anyone else. Howe wasn't quite as physically imposing.

I don't know who is the best power forward in the NHL today. They used to grow on trees, but now?
Click to expand...

Yeah, one honorable mention for the size and skill combination is bertuzzi. In the early 2000's he would hit like a truck when he was mad enough, and he had a move infront of the net that almost made him impossible to defense.... in fact, teams had begun complaining to the league about it because they had no answer.

However, bertuzzi was also very talented. You look at his stature and your expectation was that he was going bull over guys and physically dominate the game. While he was fully capable of doing that, he also could beat guys with spinoramas and other "out of your seat' moves which made it look like he was just an artist trapped in a big man's body.

I got the feeling especially earlier in his career, that he would rather be an averaged sized player so he didn't have to be expected to destroy guys physically.... however, he eventually found a pretty potent combination of toughness and skill by the time he joined naslund and Morrison as linemates.
 
  • Like
Reactions: The Pale King, carjackmalone and Rockman74
Crosby2010

Crosby2010

Registered User
Mar 4, 2023
1,070
884
JianYang said:
Yeah, one honorable mention for the size and skill combination is bertuzzi. In the early 2000's he would hit like a truck when he was mad enough, and he had a move infront of the net that almost made him impossible to defense.... in fact, teams had begun complaining to the league about it because they had no answer.

However, bertuzzi was also very talented. You look at his stature and your expectation was that he was going bull over guys and physically dominate the game. While he was fully capable of doing that, he also could beat guys with spinoramas and other "out of your seat' moves which made it look like he was just an artist trapped in a big man's body.

I got the feeling especially earlier in his career, that he would rather be an averaged sized player so he didn't have to be expected to destroy guys physically.... however, he eventually found a pretty potent combination of toughness and skill by the time he joined naslund and Morrison as linemates.
Click to expand...

For a brief time, yeah, he was the man. I'd say from 2001-'04 he had that rare combination. He got timid after the Moore hit and was never the same. And like you said they did complain about his move in front of the net. I still don't think he could hit or fight quite like Lindros. And he couldn't skate like the wind either. Lindros was fast out there. Maybe he wasn't Bure-fast, but he has some wheels on him when he hit a gear.

I honestly don't even know who would be considered the best in the business today with this. Tom Wilson perhaps? And nothing against Wilson, but if he is the standard then that's not good.
 
JianYang

JianYang

Registered User
Sep 29, 2017
17,955
16,448
Crosby2010 said:
For a brief time, yeah, he was the man. I'd say from 2001-'04 he had that rare combination. He got timid after the Moore hit and was never the same. And like you said they did complain about his move in front of the net. I still don't think he could hit or fight quite like Lindros. And he couldn't skate like the wind either. Lindros was fast out there. Maybe he wasn't Bure-fast, but he has some wheels on him when he hit a gear.

I honestly don't even know who would be considered the best in the business today with this. Tom Wilson perhaps? And nothing against Wilson, but if he is the standard then that's not good.
Click to expand...

I think Bert had some moves that you just don't expect from a guy that size, but I also think he could hit as hard as anyone if he was motivated to do so.

Tom Wilson is probably the best modern day example of a power forward, but if he's the answer, then the criteria has evolved, because while he does check alot of the boxes, he also has a rat element to his game that traditional power forwards didn't have attached to their brand.

Also, the way the game is played today has changed. For example, power forwards on the forcheck used to demolish guys into the boards. These days, an encouraged forcheck is about your positioning and how you use your stick. You can't play exactly the same way.
 
Crosby2010

Crosby2010

Registered User
Mar 4, 2023
1,070
884
JianYang said:
I think Bert had some moves that you just don't expect from a guy that size, but I also think he could hit as hard as anyone if he was motivated to do so.

Tom Wilson is probably the best modern day example of a power forward, but if he's the answer, then the criteria has evolved, because while he does check alot of the boxes, he also has a rat element to his game that traditional power forwards didn't have attached to their brand.

Also, the way the game is played today has changed. For example, power forwards on the forcheck used to demolish guys into the boards. These days, an encouraged forcheck is about your positioning and how you use your stick. You can't play exactly the same way.
Click to expand...

I think it is a lost art to check and still maintain your position. If you paste a guy into the boards he's out of the play, you aren't. You have the advantage and he may be on the ice picking himself up. Somewhere along the way we've lost these hits and the physical game which used to be a staple of hockey.
 
Staniowski

Staniowski

Registered User
Jan 13, 2018
3,522
3,091
The Maritimes
I think most people think of Neely as the quintessential power forward in hockey. And a power forward was most commonly associated with a good-sized player who liked to hit, could fight, relied on their physical strength, and was a really good goal-scorer. Neely was all that.

But there's not really a strict definition, I don't think. Skating is also part of a power game. This fits in to the Messier model of a power forward, although Messier's game changed quite a lot over the course of his career.
 
  • Like
Reactions: HolyHagelin and jigglysquishy

Legion34

Registered User
Jan 24, 2006
18,182
8,272
Depends on the weighting of scoring. Hitting. Fighting

Wendel Clark was a monster hitter/fighter who could score. But not on the levels of a neely/lindros.

If it’s points/fighting why wouldn’t Thornton be on there? I don’t remember him losing fights other than to lindros. I also don’t remember big hits.

Shannahan/iginla/lindros would be my votes.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Primary Assist

carjackmalone

Registered User
Dec 30, 2023
100
41
Neely basically invented the term and style associated with a power forward so he’s always gonna be in the conversation but for me it’s close but there will never be anything like Eric Lindros ever again
 

YippieKaey

How you gonna do hockey like that?
Apr 2, 2012
2,981
2,517
Stockholm Sweden
Ovi is the fastest, best goalscorer out of all players mentioned here. He is arguably among the top hitters and obviously top tier skill aswell. Doesn't fight much at all but in all other facets i'd say he's the best power forward ever.

Who also managed to stay healthy for like 20 years which is basically unheard of for power forwards.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Ad

Latest posts

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

Top Bottom