I'm fully aware that Ramsey was a winger, he's just a guy that doesn't get much attention because he played in buffalo and not Montreal.
Jarvis was a 4th line checking center who played on the PK on a team that had a stacked defense and a great goalie.
If Jarvis was pretty special i guess that would make Kris Draper extremely special and while draper was a fine player and fellow Pete grad no one is calling him pretty special even with his role on 4 cup teams.
The term "pretty special" should be reserved for players that actually were that IMO but i guess we can agree to disagree on this one.
You are insulting us in claiming in your last sentence that we are arguing that the term "pretty special" should not be reserved for players who actually are that. No, we do not disagree that the term pretty special should be reserved for players that actually were that. Where we disagree is on whether Jarvis was in fact pretty special.
Your evaluation of Jarvis gets worse and worse the more board members who actually saw him play tell you of his value. For some reason you seem resistant to the point of absurdity.
Your description of Jarvis as "a 4th line checking center who played the PK on a team that had a stacked defense and a great goalie" is demeaning to Jarvis and grossly underestimates his value. It underlines what I have said before on this board: the impossibility of fairly evaluating players when one has never seen them play. It also underlines the failure to accord appropriate respect to players who have defensive skills, the mindless focus on goals and assists, on statistics, rather than on what actually happens on the ice. Those two points are related. Those who never saw a player perform and who discard the evaluations of long-time fans who actually saw the player perform are relegated to black and white numbers in their evaluations, which suffer accordingly, particularly with respect to players given defensive responsibilities.
Jarvis came to the Canadiens because Scotty Bowman was adamant about it. Bowman had attempted to have the Canadiens draft him, but he was overruled and the Toronto Maple Leafs grabbed him. The trade that sent Jarvis to the Canadiens soon after the draft is regarded as one of the Maple Leafs' worst ever. (The trade that sent Jarvis to the Washington Capitals is regarded as one of the worst the Canadiens ever made, although the inclusion of Rod Langway in that deal plays a huge part in that characterization. But Jarvis played an important role in transforming the Capitals and he went on to win the Selke trophy in his second season in Washington).
Jarvis was the NHL's premier defensive center while with the Canadiens, and the line he played on was regarded as the NHL's best two-way line. He, Bob Gainey and Jimmy Roberts, Rick Chartraw or whoever else played on the right wing often contributed important goals, particularly in tight games when they were sent out to preserve a lead. As Gainey said of the line: "We think offensively. We want the puck. If we get a goal against the other team's big line, we have a psychological edge." Jarvis was a solid player in all aspects of the game. He had been a leading scorer in OHA junior hockey, although even then his superb defensive skills were evident (and the reason Bowman was desperate to get him). Since he was the NHL's best defensive center on a line sent out to contain the opposition's top players and since he spent a lot of time killing penalties, his scoring opportunities with the Canadiens were somewhat limited, but, given the opportunity, he was certainly more than capable on offense.
Jarvis was the NHL's best at winning faceoffs. He was a superb penalty killer. He was tough and perhaps the most resilient player in the league, as shown by his consecutive games streak over 12 seasons. He sometimes played through injury or illness. He was also an incredibly consistent performer, again as shown by his consecutive games streak. No coach ever benched him or rested him. Finally, he was an extremely intelligent player. That's the primary reason he has had a successful career in coaching.
Jarvis was indeed pretty special. But I recognize we are not going to convince you. Your version of NHL history is not mine, and for that I am grateful.