Better hockey player: Lindros or Forsberg? [not career accomplishments]

[bobholly39]

When healthy, I truly believe Lindros may have been the best player the game has ever seen. Size, toughness, speed, hands, vision. He had it all.

I liked Forsberg a lot, but he was more of a complimentary player. Lindros made Mikael Renberg and Brent Fedyk into good players.

Lindros when healthy in the 90s wasnt even a top 3 player in that decade - not even close.

In a thread full of absolutely horrible takes - it just gets better and better lol

 

[LokiDog]

The “when healthy” crowd for Lindros isn’t wrong that he was dominant, but the same can be said of Forsberg. Of note, both played 13 seasons. Lindros managed to dress in 760 games, amassing 865 points. Forsberg only dressed in 708 games, racking 885 points. I get that just because he was dressed didn’t mean he was healthy (again, same argument can be made for Foppa), but Lindros is a fair bit behind in points per game and both players dragged their careers on after injuries had made them a shell of themselves and lowered their P/PG.

For a guy who was 6” shorter, Forsberg had a pretty massive impact on the game, at both ends of the ice, and especially in the playoffs. It’s a good poll though. Very difficult to pick a side.


For two players with the same number of seasons, similar numbers of games played and total points, from the same era, I will say:

Highest peak season: Forsberg 116pts, Lindros 115

Forsberg 2 +100pt seasons, 2 +90pt seasons, 2+85pt seasons

Lindros 1 +100pt season, 2 +90pt seasons

 

[High five Tom]

Lindros, top 5 player of all time when healthy.

Best player to come along since Gretzky and Lemieux.

 

[bobholly39]

Best player to come along since Gretzky and Lemieux.

Absolutely. Best player to come along since Gretzky and Lemieux....until Jagr matched him in his 3rd year, surpassed him the next year and never looked back. Since then - all of Ovechkin, Crosby and McDavid are also better.

 

[Ben White]

Joe Sakic is a top ~30-40 player of all-time.
Naslund is maybe a top ~300-400 player of all-time. Maybe.

I don’t think a player who won a Lindsay award and was top 2 in scoring two years in a row and top 4 three years in a row could possibly be ranked lower than top 200. The comparison two Sakic was about playing style and major strength. I said his hockey iq set him apart.

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

Prime Lindros is the best player the NHL has seen since Lemieux and Gretzky.

Forsberg is absolutely everything I love in hockey players wrapped up in one blue and yellow package, but if we are comparing prime ability this is Lindros in a landslide.

 

[Svechhammer]

I don't even think we legitimately saw Lindros hit is prime. The trade happened in 1992. Kasparitis knocked him out with a concussion in 1998, and he was never the same afterward. Recent studies have shown that forwards largely don't reach their peak in this league until age 28, and Lindros' career was significantly altered for the worse due to injury when he was 25. In fact, those 2001. 2002, and 2003 Flyers should have been with Lindros in his prime.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

When healthy, I truly believe Lindros may have been the best player the game has ever seen. Size, toughness, speed, hands, vision. He had it all.

I liked Forsberg a lot, but he was more of a complimentary player. Lindros made Mikael Renberg and Brent Fedyk into good players.

when he kept his head up anyway...

Lindros is the most overrated player in history looking at this mess of a thread.

 

[Yuri35]

when he kept his head up anyway...

Lindros is the most overrated player in history looking at this mess of a thread.

Don't forget you're in a North American thread where crunching hits, big power, etc....are generally preferred to pure hockey skills like puckhandling, passing, skating speed.Not to mention the general bias to NA players over the European ones.
This thread is a prime example of that

 

[koyvoo]

Don't forget you're in a North American thread where crunching hits, big power, etc....are generally preferred to pure hockey skills like puckhandling, passing, skating speed.Not to mention the general bias to NA players over the European ones.
This thread is a prime example of that

These two players were both virtually unplayable at their best, but to suggest that Lindros didn’t have supreme, top tier skills is one of the most uninformed opinions in all of sport.

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

Btw... how the injuries took place matters in this discussion.

Foppa’s body just let him down, that’s why he had a shortened career.

Lindros stick-handled with his head down and took big hits because of hit. His concussion issues were self imposed. It would’ve been great if he played longer, but he’s the reason he didn’t play more games.

 

[Yuri35]

These two players were both virtually unplayable at their best, but to suggest that Lindros didn’t have supreme, top tier skills is one of the most uninformed opinions in all of sport.

Lool he had skills but you're making sound like he had Lemieux or Jagr's hockey skills

 

[mouser]

For those not old enough to remember, the pre-draft hype for Lindros was bigger then Crosby and McDavid. And Lindros delivered on every bit of that hype until injuries took their toll. His first 4 seasons he was second in the league behind only Lemieux with a cumulative 1.46 PPG. Ahead of LaFontaine, Oates, Jagr, Gretzky, Mogilny, Fedorov, Selanne, Turgeon, Yzerman, Sakic, Francis, Bure and Messier rounding out the top 15. (min 150 games)

 

[koyvoo]

Lool he had skills but you're making sound like he had Lemieux or Jagr's hockey skills

There are probably 3-5 players in the history of the game who would be ridiculous to compare his skills to. Aside from that, it’s not outlandish to compare his skill level to rest of the pack.

Adide from that, I’m not sure I’d agree that a hit is any more or less impactful than a deke for example. Both can be the most important sequence in making a goal and both can be useless as well. Being effective is far more relevant than just being skilled alone, and being more skilled doesn’t always equate to being better.

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

For those not old enough to remember, the pre-draft hype for Lindros was bigger then Crosby and McDavid. And Lindros delivered on every bit of that hype until injuries took their toll. His first 4 seasons he was second in the league behind only Lemieux with a cumulative 1.46 PPG. Ahead of LaFontaine, Oates, Jagr, Gretzky, Mogilny, Fedorov, Selanne, Turgeon, Yzerman, Sakic, Francis, Bure and Messier rounding out the top 15. (min 150 games)

Forberg also had an excellent start to his career and had the better second half of his career.

If we judged players solely based off their first 4/5 years Alex Ovechkin would probably be considered a top 3 player ever.

 

[mouser]

Forberg also had an excellent start to his career and had the better second half of his career.

If we judged players solely based off their first 4/5 years Alex Ovechkin would probably be considered a top 3 player ever.

This thread isn't about careers though. My point was to illustrate how dominant a healthy Lindros was early in his career before the injuries.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

I don't even think we legitimately saw Lindros hit is prime. The trade happened in 1992. Kasparitis knocked him out with a concussion in 1998, and he was never the same afterward. Recent studies have shown that forwards largely don't reach their peak in this league until age 28, and Lindros' career was significantly altered for the worse due to injury when he was 25. In fact, those 2001. 2002, and 2003 Flyers should have been with Lindros in his prime.

The overwhelming body of studies that I have seen have shown quite the opposite; that forwards peak around the age of 25 or sooner. Mind showing these recent studies?

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

This thread isn't about careers though. My point was to illustrate how dominant a healthy Lindros was early in his career.

Sure it is.

It’s about who was the better player.

Just because Lindros liked to stick-handle with his head down through the neutral zone doesn’t mean he gets a pass for how he played after he got popped a few times.

 

[KoozNetsOff 92]

I don't even think we legitimately saw Lindros hit is prime. The trade happened in 1992. Kasparitis knocked him out with a concussion in 1998, and he was never the same afterward. Recent studies have shown that forwards largely don't reach their peak in this league until age 28, and Lindros' career was significantly altered for the worse due to injury when he was 25. In fact, those 2001. 2002, and 2003 Flyers should have been with Lindros in his prime.

Gretzky had his 200+pt seasons between ages 21-25.

Lemieux had his best season age 23.

Howe won 4 consecutive rosses age 22-25, had his best season age 24.

Jagr won his 1st ross age 22, most productive season age 23, best season age 26.

Ovechkin peak ages 20-24, best season age 22.

Crosby most productive season age 19, best season age 26.

Malkin best season age 25.

Not sure what studies you're looking at, I don't see anyone who peaked at age 28. 99% of the time it's before age 25. Just sounds like more excuses for Lindros.

 

[Merrrlin]

Sure it is.

It’s about who was the better player.

Just because Lindros liked to stick-handle with his head down through the neutral zone doesn’t mean he gets a pass for how he played after he got popped a few times.

Btw... how the injuries took place matters in this discussion.

Foppa’s body just let him down, that’s why he had a shortened career.

Lindros stick-handled with his head down and took big hits because of hit. His concussion issues were self imposed. It would’ve been great if he played longer, but he’s the reason he didn’t play more games.

You may want to read my OP again, you seem to be making up your own rules. I asked who the better player was when healthy.

Please stop changing the rules of the thread - you can go ahead and make your own thread if those are the discussions you want, but calling out others for simply answering the question the way it was asked and not by your own idea of what's right is pretty arrogant.

How they were injured or how they played while suffering from the lingering effects of injury are irrelevant.

I wanted to know which player was better in their ideal state without injuries.

 

[Merrrlin]

Gretzky had his 200+pt seasons between ages 21-25.

Lemieux had his best season age 23.

Howe won 4 consecutive rosses age 22-25, had his best season age 24.

Jagr won his 1st ross age 22, most productive season age 23, best season age 26.

Ovechkin peak ages 20-24, best season age 22.

Crosby most productive season age 19, best season age 26.

Malkin best season age 25.

Not sure what studies you're looking at, I don't see anyone who peaked at age 28. 99% of the time it's before age 25. Just sounds like more excuses for Lindros.

Am I a joke to you?

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

You may want to read my OP again, you seem to be making up your own rules. I asked who the better player was when healthy.

Please stop changing the rules of the thread - you can go ahead and make your own thread if those are the discussions you want, but calling out others for simply answering the question the way it was asked and not by your own idea of what's right is pretty arrogant.

How they were injured or how they played while suffering from the lingering effects of injury are irrelevant.

I wanted to know which player was better in their ideal state without injuries.

Apologies I never read your original post.

If it’s strictly based off the first 2/3 years of their career than the answer is Lindros.

 

[KoozNetsOff 92]

Am I a joke to you?

Talking about generational players/talents.

 

[The Abusement Park]

Lindros had size on everybody. Both players were skilled while Lindros had a mean, and sometimes cheap side, along with playing very physical.

Oh so you mean just like Forsberg.

 

[Iapyi]

But nothing obliged him to say that Forsberg was the best player in the world.
Crosby is also one of the most humble guys around and you never heard him saying that his teammate Geno was the best player in the world.

This is one of, if not the, lamest excuses to say one player is better than another one. Like get serious dude.

According to Wayne Gretzky anyone who has ever played hockey is better then him.