A couple ramblings between early and late festivities...
Simmons was DOMINANT in three other leagues, 1st and 2nd team all-star selections.
And Simmons' NHL success is not inferior to Cechmanek's, superior even if judging play against the best, in the NHL playoffs.
Anyways, those who see edges here: better look at forward cores and bluelines too. Neither team can rely on goaltending to win or lose a series here unless the skaters are comparable.
I don't take the use of the word "dominant" in capitals lightly. We're talking about five first team all-stars, five league championships and a playoff MVP. Simmons' minor league dominance (which I definitely do value considering it came during the O6 era - but more the WHL 1st team and AHL 2nd team, as the EAHL was a scrub league) was much closer to the degree of Wakely's WHA dominance (one 2nd team) than Cechmanek's Czech league dominance. Cechmanek was like Dryden over there.
Anyway, it should surprise no one that Cechmanek and Simmons are my favourites in this series, in no order.
I assessed both Mironov brothers pre-draft and it confirmed what was known for a long time: Dmitri had a better career and performances than brother Boris. I put Boris on the at-best 7th dman list, at the position you took him.
I've been around long enough to see both their careers too, and I am not so sure about that. Boris was good enough to make the THN preseason top-20 a couple of times. Dmitri was never really at that level.
The scouting reports on both players was very similar: hulking size, on-and-off use of their size (Boris did it much more frequently though), very good puck skills, particularly on the PP, prone to bad decisions occasionally, and far from polished defensively, but adquate to survive a long time (although Boris rose above this for a while).
Statistics point to Boris being better:
- He averaged 22.32 minutes a game in his career, compared to Dmitri's 21.00
- They were remarkably similar offensively, with Dmitri averaging 0.29 and 0.24 at ES and on the PP, respectively, and Boris with 0.26 and 0.25.
- They were used a remarkably similar amount of time overall on special teams: Boris45% on the PP, 29% on the PK for a total of 74%, Dmitri 54% and 25% for a total of 79%. Dmitri getting more special teams time but less overall time highlights that he was a bit more of a specialist player. Boris also played more on the PK and less on the PP, indicating better balance in his skill set.
- Given that Boris' icetime and PPG averages were attained over more games, which is harder to do (716 to 556), you have to give him credit in the offense department and major credit in the icetime department.
- for icetime reasons, Boris' adjusted +11 and Dmitri's adjusted +47 tell us nothing, because Boris played harder minutes.
Here's what was said in 2000 about them:
Boris: Has improved his defensive play to the stage where he belongs as part of a team's top defense against other teams' top lines... he uses his size well to protect the puck... isn't a thumper, but he's strong and he eliminates people...
Dmitri: likes to get involved in the attack... probably too much involved... can be a bit of a risk factor in his own zone. Can be beaten one on one and it helps to play with a defensive defenseman. He has to learn to play as hard in his own zone as he likes to do in the attacking zone... has a long reach and is big, but plays soft and doesn't use either attribute to his best advantage. He gives up easily on plays in his own end. He likes to step up and challenge in the neutral zone but doesn't take the body well; he often lets the opponent get by him... a lot of skill, but a questionable work ethic... his offensive contributions don't always compensate for his defensive shortcomings...
However: There is one thing that makes a major difference and tips the scales in Dmitri's favour, possibly all the way in his favour if you value it highly enough - his teams were succesful. He played 75 playoff games to Boris' 25. This is important for two reasons: contributing to good teams is a plus on your resume, obviously. The other is that his lower icetime can be explained by being on better teams with deeper defense corps.
I'll let you two hash this one out. I lean towards Boris, but I did really like Dmitri in Toronto. Both have their place. But Dmitri being picked as a first pairing guy 100 picks before Boris, who's a #7, seems off to me. I'd prefer the inverse of that, personally, though something in the middle seems most appropriate. A team with Boris as their #7 (assuming he's actually their 7th-best D-man) has to be doing a lot better than a team with Dmitri as a top pairing guy (assuming he's actually one of their top-2 D-men)
This would be an excellent HOH poll. (So would Todd Gill vs. Hal Gill)
You constantly misrepresent positions so they are easier to attack. I stand by what I said all along, NO MORE, no less.
), I would want to know why Wakely is in the WHA HOF. I honestly have no idea what being one of the 6 best goalies in WHA history means (or if he really was one of the 6 best). 70s math seems reasonable in the absence of more information, but I'm sure there is more information out there. 
