Brian Bellows- Overrated or Underrated?

[Al Bundy*]

Is he an overrated or underrated player?

I think he's underrated: 9 30-goal seasons, 4 40-goal seasons, a 50-goal season, and a Cup: Nice career with some solid numbers.

Click to read more...

 

[MXD]

It really depends on how he's rated to begin with....

I mean... was he Michel Goulet's equal? Absolutely not. But he was a solid citizen, first liner in the best hockey league in the world for quite a while. (and an absolutely legit one).

I'd say his status definitely below former teammates Damphousse and Ciccarelli, but he ain't that far.

 

[arrbez]

We have it from credible sources that he lies on the ice like a ****in' broad...

 

[mco543]

I'm a huge fan of Bellows and even have a signed game stick from him but this is the first thing i think of when i hear his name mentioned


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MNA0_n32Hc

 

[norrisnick]

Though they do readily point out that he's a ****ing superstar.

 

[Big Phil]

No, Bellows gets the love he deserves. He is barely ever talked about as being a future Hall of Famer which is a good thing because he just doesnt quite fit that bill. He was a 2nd team all-star in '90 after a 55-goal 99 point season. That was his best year. This might surprise people but he has 485 career goals. More than Sittler. Now of course he was not in Sittler's class but it just goes to show you he could score at a very good pace. He won the Cup in '93 and was a key part in it as well as being an integral part of the '91 Cup run for Minnesota. As a Kitchener Rangers fan I remember him especially in the 1982 Memorial Cup. But his NHL career speaks for itself, he had 1022 points.

 

[Dark Shadows]

I'm a huge fan of Bellows and even have a signed game stick from him but this is the first thing i think of when i hear his name mentioned


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MNA0_n32Hc

That Video is always extremely misleading because it does not show the context.

Bellows had just suffered a Knee on Knee from.............good old Ulf Samuelsson. The same playoff run in which Ulf delivered 2 knee on knee hits to Cam Neely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tQsE3BIcKo

37 Seconds in is the Bellows hit. Ulf's collisions were always intentional(As Ulf was never hurt during them because he braced for intentional impact)

The Cam Neely hits are 2 separate hits that often get confused. The first(In this video) was his original hit on Cam in game 3, which wrecked Cam's mobility for the rest of the series(At the time, he was 16 goals in 16 games). His second hit, which was far more severe, looked something like this,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip3bWzEgIhE

except worse, as Ulf put his full weight into his knee hit into Cam's Thigh and it was very obvious. Nieuwyndyk's knee was hurt from slamming into the boards, but Cam's was far more severe because Cam's leg was sandwiched intentionally.

Back to topic. Bellows was obviously really hurting from the hit. Nobody takes a shot like that in a head on collision to the knee without going down in pain. He recovered after a minute though, while hobbling, and scored on the ensuing power play(Thus all the taunting)

 

[dcinroc]

Bellows was a pretty solid all-around player.

After his excllent rookie and sophomore seasons, plus the pressure of being the No 2 overall draft pick, I think that people expected more from Bellows and he couldn't/didn't perform up to those expectations.

Not really fair, but it happens sometimes.

 

[saskganesh]

he was overrated when he came into the league, there were many huge, unfair expectations. now that his career is over, he's probably underrated.

very solid player, who could score, hit and had leadership, lead by example type intangibles.

 

[ish]

I don't think he's over or underrated. He is what he is. A very good player but clearly not a HOFer. Think Bernie Nicholls and Brian Propp.

 

[Comparison Ford]

I'm a huge fan of Bellows and even have a signed game stick from him but this is the first thing i think of when i hear his name mentioned


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MNA0_n32Hc

beat me to it.

 

[EpochLink]

This guy was SUPPOSED to be the unanimous overall number one pick in the 1982 draft. I remember in some articles that Boston, who had the number one pick were already hyping up Brian Bellows as the next great Bruins scorer but Harry Sinden convinced Minnesota that he wanted Kluzak and they could have Bellows in exchange for two players.

IF Bellows was the first overall pick in 1982, his status as a player would have been much greater. Unfortunately for Kluzak, the hype of being number 1 didn't ruin his career, his knee did.

 

[Al Bundy*]

This guy was SUPPOSED to be the unanimous overall number one pick in the 1982 draft. I remember in some articles that Boston, who had the number one pick were already hyping up Brian Bellows as the next great Bruins scorer but Harry Sinden convinced Minnesota that he wanted Kluzak and they could have Bellows in exchange for two players.

IF Bellows was the first overall pick in 1982, his status as a player would have been much greater. Unfortunately for Kluzak, the hype of being number 1 didn't ruin his career, his knee did.

I also wonder why Boston wanted Kluzak.

Bellows could have provided Boston with another great scorer- maybe he could have taken the focus off on Neely.

No offense, but IMO, choosing Kluzak was catastrophic for the Bruins.

He reminds like Sam Bowie- Hyped prospect, too many injuries, minimal production in the pros.

Bellows, IMO, would have put Boston past the Oilers or the Penguins in the early 1990s.

To this day, I still insist that if Bellows joined the Bruins for 1982-83 (who had a league-high 110 points), they get past the Islanders and they get no farther than three in a row,

 

[wilty00]

Good player, will always be overshadowed by that video clip though!

 

[Dark Shadows]

I also wonder why Boston wanted Kluzak.

Bellows could have provided Boston with another great scorer- maybe he could have taken the focus off on Neely.

No offense, but IMO, choosing Kluzak was catastrophic for the Bruins.

He reminds like Sam Bowie- Hyped prospect, too many injuries, minimal production in the pros.

Bellows, IMO, would have put Boston past the Oilers or the Penguins in the early 1990s.

To this day, I still insist that if Bellows joined the Bruins for 1982-83 (who had a league-high 110 points), they get past the Islanders and they get no farther than three in a row,

Minnesota gave Boston several picks I think just to entice Boston not to pick Bellows first.

Can't remember exact details. I agree that it was a bad move. But no, Boston would not have gotten past the Oilers. Too stacked.

Pittsburgh is a different story. Boston was creaming them until Ulf took Neely's knee out. Neely was Boston's only Scorer(16 goals in 16 games at the time). Losing him was catastrophic.

 

[cupcrazyman]

Brian Bellows was an above average player.not a HOF'er but very effective.

 

[MS]

I also wonder why Boston wanted Kluzak.

Bellows could have provided Boston with another great scorer- maybe he could have taken the focus off on Neely.

No offense, but IMO, choosing Kluzak was catastrophic for the Bruins.

He reminds like Sam Bowie- Hyped prospect, too many injuries, minimal production in the pros.

Bellows, IMO, would have put Boston past the Oilers or the Penguins in the early 1990s.

To this day, I still insist that if Bellows joined the Bruins for 1982-83 (who had a league-high 110 points), they get past the Islanders and they get no farther than three in a row,

Kluzak would have been a franchise defender if his knees would have held up. He had a Chris Pronger-type skill package - 6'4" defender with a mean streak and the offensive ability to put up 50-60 points/season. Can't really blame Boston for picking him.

Even in the '88 Finals, when his knees were pretty much completely toast, he still just oozed ability and you could see what a class player he should have been.

____________

Bellows, like pretty much all non-HHOF players, becomes more under-rated as time passes and his career gets hazier in the memories of fans.

 

[Pensfan86]

Great player in an era that was dominated by high-scoring forwards. While those numbers look unreal today, given the torrid pace at which players scored in the 80s and early-mid 90s, they're still good, but not unbelievable.

It's similar to a few years back when everyone was juicing in baseball. Putting up 40 homers, once considered a very impressive feat, was commonplace, just as pumping 30-40 goals was during Bellows era.

IMO, had he turned in 2-3 more seasons like he did in 1990, then yes, he is a HOFer, but no, instead he'll just be considered a great player in his era.

 

[Form and Substance]

above average...lol

The guy was one of the most consistent producers of the 80s , a VERY slight notch below hall of fame status.