Player Discussion Erik Karlsson breaks San Jose Sharks point streak record at 13

[aragorn]

I think he is the best d man in nhl history too concerning scoring and hardware. but I mean I think the athletes are always getting better and better... pretty much every current nhl would dominate back then... but how many back then would dominate now?

bobby orrs end to end goals are full of opposing players that can barely turn relatively to what they can do now.

Barry Boughner played for the California Golden Seals, remember them? He told me once yrs ago that while he was sitting on the bench he watched Bobby Orr step on the ice take the puck off one of Boughner's teammates, skate behind his own net & then start skating up ice towards the other team's net. Along the way he was slashed so hard his glove came off before he he left his own end.

He continued forward deking several players, went around their net skated back to his own end picked up his glove went around his own net again & continued back towards the opposing team's net. Just as he entered into their zone, again deking several more players on the way & placed a beauty of a shot in the top left corner, then skated to the bench & sat down. He'd never seen anyone go through an entire team twice on the same shift & never lose the puck & then score on top of that. Barry considered Orr the best skater he had ever seen in the NHL or anywhere else.

 

[umma gumma]

most of the guys today can skate so much better than anyone back then I doubt they would ever be caught... elite athletes were simply not as present

Actually a lot of the guys nowadays would be superstars if they were out on the ice in the 1970's, who are just average players right now

Maybe if you had a Delorean parked in your garage with ample room for their equipment. This idea that you can just grab someone from today and place them wherever you want in time as they are is ludicrous, otherwise you'd have to assume Guy Lafleur wouldn't be smoking in between periods if he were playing today, and someone like Patrick Kane probably would be if he were playing back then. And Mike Gartner would be faster than most in the league today even with his old equipment.

Take F1 drivers. They are all so much fitter than drivers of yesteryear and the lap times they are can produce is light years in racing terms compared to what could be achieved back then, but if you take Lewis Hamilton, once he gets out of the Delorean, and plop him into a race car with no downforce, no roll cage, no power steering and big old steel brakes, and there are very little barriers around the track with trees next to the pavement, I doubt he keeps up with Fangio or Nuvolari.

 

[4thlineduster]

Maybe if you had a Delorean parked in your garage with ample room for their equipment. This idea that you can just grab someone from today and place them wherever you want in time as they are is ludicrous, otherwise you'd have to assume Guy Lafleur wouldn't be smoking in between periods if he were playing today, and someone like Patrick Kane probably would be if he were playing back then. And Mike Gartner would be faster than most in the league today even with his old equipment.

Take F1 drivers. They are all so much fitter than drivers of yesteryear and the lap times they are can produce is light years in racing terms compared to what could be achieved back then, but if you take Lewis Hamilton, once he gets out of the Delorean, and plop him into a race car with no downforce, no roll cage, no power steering, and there are very little barriers around the track with trees next to the pavement, I doubt he keeps up with Fangio or Nuvolari.

This

Take any old NHLer and have them placed on diet plans, supplements, workout routines, on ice like 6 times a week (not including power skating, shooting clinics etc) from the age of about 4 and they could play with today’s NHLers.

You can’t compare the skill level of individuals essentially bred to play hockey (modern day NHL) and the old school guys who played from Sep-March on their local team in an era that knew basically nothing of fitness and diets compared to now.

 

[Stylizer1]

I don't like these cross-era comparisons.

A lot of the guys nowadays would **** their pants if they were out on the ice in the 1970s.

Chris Neil would have been a super star.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

bobby orr played in an era where he was the only elite skater essentialy.. basically everyone were smokers, and you could score consistnely on a slapshot from outside the blueline.

So you never actually saw him play a game then or were old enough to watch him and you have this opinion..

 

[dumbdick]

I'm happy for Karl. I'll be happier for him if he leads the sharks to the finals and re-signs there.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

So you never actually saw him play a game then or were old enough to watch him and you have this opinion..

Lidstrom is the best dman of all time anyway.

 

[Micklebot]

Lidstrom is the best dman of all time anyway.

I always preferred Bourque over Lidstrom. I find people forget how damn good Bourque was before Lidstrom even entered the league, his career just kept going on and on so people forget he was 10 years older than Lidstrom and already 30 by the time Lidstrom played his first season.

 

[Sens]

Lidstrom is the best dman of all time anyway.

Pronger > Lidstrom ... just saying

 

[Sens]

Bourque > Pronger > Lidstrom

 

[Spartachat]

Bourque > Pronger > Lidstrom

Orr beats them all.

 

[Que]

Orr > Karlsson > Leetch > Bourque > Potvin > Pronger > Lidstrom > Neidermayer

There are so many more too.

 

[4thlineduster]

Boro’s career will put them all to shame.

You can take that to the bank

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Lidstrom is the best dman of all time anyway.

My Dog is better than your Dog and Orr is the best Dman ever ; taking nothing away from Lidstrom But to me its close between Lidstrom, Bourque and Potvin; I would take any of these 3 over Leetch.

 

[Micklebot]

My Dog is better than your Dog and Orr is the best Dman ever ; taking nothing away from Lidstrom But to me its close between Lidstrom, Bourque and Potvin; I would take any of these 3 over Leetch.

My thoughts exactly, I can see the arguement for Lidstrom over Bourque, or Potvin over both, but Orr? He's in his own territory.

 

[Burrowsaurus]

So you never actually saw him play a game then or were old enough to watch him and you have this opinion..

So Becuase I never consistently watched old era hockey I have no idea what it was like? Fact of the matter in the nhl today you’re going up against elite athletes game in game out. Back then you weren’t. Do you disagree

My overall point here is no one will ever compare. Because of points and hardware. Which Isn’t fair.

 

[Agent Zub]

Orr

Bourque/Karlsson/Lidstrom

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

So Becuase I never consistently watched old era hockey I have no idea what it was like? Fact of the matter in the nhl today you’re going up against elite athletes game in game out. Back then you weren’t. Do you disagree

My overall point here is no one will ever compare. Because of points and hardware. Which Isn’t fair.

 

[BondraTime]

So Becuase I never consistently watched old era hockey I have no idea what it was like? Fact of the matter in the nhl today you’re going up against elite athletes game in game out. Back then you weren’t. Do you disagree

My overall point here is no one will ever compare. Because of points and hardware. Which Isn’t fair.

Every other player had the same playing field as Orr, yet he's the only guy like him from that whole era

 

[Burrowsaurus]

Every other player had the same playing field as Orr, yet he's the only guy like him from that whole era

Yeah most definitely the best in his era absolutely. Not even close

 

[Burrowsaurus]

I’m not even completely disagreeing that he’s the best d man ever. But i don’t think it’s that simple.

 

[Tuna99]

I’d take a Neidermeyer out of all the modern Dman because he had the greatest skill of all in - winning.

Scott Neidermeyer won everything. People don’t even mention he was the Captain of what people consider the greatest hockey team ever assembled in Vancouver. That’s not even on the top 10 coolest things he did.

When Neids handed the Cup to his brother, that was legit one of the best hockey moments of all time

 

[NyQuil]

I’d take a Neidermeyer out of all the modern Dman because he had the greatest skill of all in - winning.

Scott Neidermeyer won everything. People don’t even mention he was the Captain of what people consider the greatest hockey team ever assembled in Vancouver. That’s not even on the top 10 coolest things he did.

When Neids handed the Cup to his brother, that was legit one of the best hockey moments of all time

I think he’s pretty overrated.

Right place in the right time.

 

[Tuna99]

I think he’s pretty overrated.

Right place in the right time.

You’re kinda right, He always seemed to find his way into those Stanley Cup lineups

 

[L'Aveuglette]

My dad can beat up all of your dads.