Favorite Bruin of All-Time Tournament - FINAL (Orr Defeats Bourque) - VOTING CLOSED

Select who your FAVORITE is, not necessarily the best


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    71
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LSCII

Cup driven
Mar 1, 2002
50,474
21,968
Central MA
I'm going to limit my selections to the Modern Era (Post Original 6 Expansion) but my all time Dmen are as follows:

Mt Rushmore: Orr, Potvin, Bourque, Park

Next Tier: Scott Stevens, Larry Robinson, Nick Lidstrom, Chris Chelios

I don't consider Paul Coffey a defenseman. That guy was basically a 4th forward......

Scott Stevens was grossly overrated IMO just because of his big hits. When you go back and look at them now, he's a f***ing dirt bag. Pretty much every one of them would qualify as predatory and targeting the head. f*** him for all the careers he ruined because he is an asshole.

Agree with you about Chelios though. Was good for a long time.
 

RoccoF14

Registered User
Mar 1, 2016
5,390
7,999
Chicago, IL
Scott Stevens was grossly overrated IMO just because of his big hits. When you go back and look at them now, he's a f***ing dirt bag. Pretty much every one of them would qualify as predatory and targeting the head. f*** him for all the careers he ruined because he is an asshole.

Agree with you about Chelios though. Was good for a long time.
That's a little harsh Lonnie. You have to judge the guy by the era he played in, and at that time, it was par for the course and acceptable. By today's standards, you are right. There are a lot of Hall of Famers from the 80s & 90s that you could lump into that category.

I wasn't expecting to hit a nerve on that one......
 

LSCII

Cup driven
Mar 1, 2002
50,474
21,968
Central MA
That's a little harsh Lonnie. You have to judge the guy by the era he played in, and at that time, it was par for the course and acceptable. By today's standards, you are right. There are a lot of Hall of Famers from the 80s & 90s that you could lump into that category.

I wasn't expecting to hit a nerve on that one......

Yeah, I know it was a bit over the top, and you're right. Back then they were considered great hits. I have just never been a fan because I feel like he cheated the fans out of really getting to see the best of both Eric Lindros and Paul Kariya, to name a few.

Funny how despite the time that has passed on the hits and his career, I still hold animosity towards him. Fandom is a crazy thing, isn't it? :laugh:
 

McGarnagle

Yes.
Aug 5, 2017
28,435
37,672
The thing with Stevens was that he was a fantastic offensive defenseman in Washington and St. Louis, then when he went to New Jersey under Lemaire and the dead puck era set in, he completely transformed himself into a physical defensive defenseman for the remainder of his career
 
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BMC

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Sep 26, 2003
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The Quiet Corner
Scott Stevens was grossly overrated IMO just because of his big hits. When you go back and look at them now, he's a f***ing dirt bag. Pretty much every one of them would qualify as predatory and targeting the head. f*** him for all the careers he ruined because he is an asshole.

Agree with you about Chelios though. Was good for a long time.

IMO justice was definitely served when Stevens' career was ended by a head injury.
 

Mathews28

Registered User
Nov 24, 2008
5,625
3,753
Connecticut
Scott Stevens was grossly overrated IMO just because of his big hits. When you go back and look at them now, he's a f***ing dirt bag. Pretty much every one of them would qualify as predatory and targeting the head. f*** him for all the careers he ruined because he is an asshole.

Agree with you about Chelios though. Was good for a long time.

I agree with this and said that for years since he played. Piece of crap. Targeting the unsuspecting and quite often wouldn’t answer the bell when challenged.
I know a lot of people pull out the “keep your head up” line of thinking, but sorry, predatory hits like that, while not being penalized many times years ago, are what they are. Cheap and dirty.
 

rfournier103

Black & Gold ‘till I’m Dead & Cold.
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Dec 17, 2011
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I think you're selling Chris Nilan short in this tourney...
I might be, but he never bothered me any more than any other Hab. He was a villain on a team of villains, but I never cared that he was from here and played there. Just another guy in that infernal red sweater to me.

As far as his time with the Bruins is concerned; we never expected him to get us over the hump and then not deliver anything (Stevens), and he never ‘potentially’ cost us the Stanley Cup (Daugavins). Those are far more heinous crimes than anything I can think of that Chris Nilan ever did on the ice. Being the Canadiens’ resident tough guy turned Bruin doesn’t really grab my attention like some other schmoes that have breezed through here. There are plenty of guys that have actually hurt the Bruins while wearing a Bruins uniform. Those are the guys that really make my blood boil in terms of this discussion.

Maybe I’m too young to hate him as much as he deserves. I don’t know.

We can also have an all-time most hated opponents tournament. That would be fun and cringeworthy at the same time. Plenty of good nominees for that one.
 
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TCB

Registered User
Dec 15, 2017
12,778
22,390
North Of The Border
I put this in here as well since we're talking defense

Super 16: Orr, Karlsson among best defensemen of expansion era
I'll add this as well. To show just how dominant those Bruins teams were lead by the best player of All-time.
Fantasy Rewind: Fantasy Rewind: The 1970-71 Season - Fantasy Columns

The Bruins scored 63.9 percent over the average team in 1970-71.
These weren't the Bruins leaders they were the leagues leaders.
1970-71 LEADERS
Points
Phil Esposito – 152
Bobby Orr – 139
Johnny Bucyk – 116
Ken Hodge – 105
Goals
Phil Esposito – 76
Johnny Bucyk - 51
Bobby Hull – 44
Ken Hodge – 43
Assists
Bobby Orr – 102
Phil Esposito – 76
Johnny Bucyk – 65
Ken Hodge - 62
Wayne Cashman – 58
Plus/Minus
Bobby Orr – Plus-124
Dallas Smith – 98
Ken Hodge – 69
Phil Esposito – 69
Wayne Cashman – 59
Ed Westfall - 57
 
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Dennis Bonvie

Registered User
Dec 29, 2007
29,208
17,565
Connecticut
That's a little harsh Lonnie. You have to judge the guy by the era he played in, and at that time, it was par for the course and acceptable. By today's standards, you are right. There are a lot of Hall of Famers from the 80s & 90s that you could lump into that category.

I wasn't expecting to hit a nerve on that one......

Though Stevens hits were legal at the time, it wasn't par for the course.

When Dion Phaneuf threw a couple of Stevens-like hits in the World Juniors in 2004 it became clear that if guys were willing to make legal hits to the head, they had to change the rule before somebody got killed. It was already illegal in international play. Phaneuf was tossed. But I think the NHL rightly saw what might be coming and changed the rule.
 
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Dennis Bonvie

Registered User
Dec 29, 2007
29,208
17,565
Connecticut
I agree with this and said that for years since he played. Piece of crap. Targeting the unsuspecting and quite often wouldn’t answer the bell when challenged.
I know a lot of people pull out the “keep your head up” line of thinking, but sorry, predatory hits like that, while not being penalized many times years ago, are what they are. Cheap and dirty.

Stevens knocked Ron Francis out in a playoff game. Francis was 37. He'd been in the league for 19 years. I think he knew to keep his head up. Didn't matter.
 
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BruinDust

Registered User
Aug 2, 2005
24,281
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I'm going to limit my selections to the Modern Era (Post Original 6 Expansion) but my all time Dmen are as follows:

Mt Rushmore: Orr, Potvin, Bourque, Park

Next Tier: Scott Stevens, Larry Robinson, Nick Lidstrom, Chris Chelios

I don't consider Paul Coffey a defenseman. That guy was basically a 4th forward......

I find Pronger doesn't get enough respect among all-time great D-men. Won a Hart trophy (only Orr has done that in the modern era for D-men). Went to the finals with 3 different teams in a 5 year span coming out of the lock-out and was the best D-man on his team all 3 times. For me, it's him or Potvin getting that 4th spot on the Mt. Rushmore of modern era D-men (Orr/Bourque/Lidstrom).
 

Dennis Bonvie

Registered User
Dec 29, 2007
29,208
17,565
Connecticut
I find Pronger doesn't get enough respect among all-time great D-men. Won a Hart trophy (only Orr has done that in the modern era for D-men). Went to the finals with 3 different teams in a 5 year span coming out of the lock-out and was the best D-man on his team all 3 times. For me, it's him or Potvin getting that 4th spot on the Mt. Rushmore of modern era D-men (Orr/Bourque/Lidstrom).

I agree, Pronger does get overlooked.

But he wasn't in the same class as Potvin. Probably closer to Al MacInnis, who also gets underrated.
 
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Mathews28

Registered User
Nov 24, 2008
5,625
3,753
Connecticut
Stevens knocked Ron Francis out in a playoff game. Francis was 37. He'd been in the league for 19 years. I think he knew to keep his head up. Didn't matter.

That is one of the more prominent incidents in my view and a good example of why the “keep your head up” BS is, well, often times just BS. If his head is up Stevens likely doesn’t go for that hit, guys like him look for the vulnerable player and deliberately inflict injury. It’s like Jack Tatum and Atkinson of the 70s Raiders.
 

rfournier103

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Dec 17, 2011
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That is one of the more prominent incidents in my view and a good example of why the “keep your head up” BS is, well, often times just BS. If his head is up Stevens likely doesn’t go for that hit, guys like him look for the vulnerable player and deliberately inflict injury. It’s like Jack Tatum and Atkinson of the 70s Raiders.
Great post.

Once upon a time I lived and died with wins and losses, and I wanted my favorite teams to win at any cost - even if someone on another team had to get hurt. I did not care. They worked for ME. MY money paid their salary. I bought the merch and sat through the commercials that made THEM rich. Without ME and millions of others just like me, they’d all have to get real jobs and likely most of them wouldn’t be as well off as I was.

Then I had a very eye opening experience.

I saw first hand and in person the cost of REAL war.

During the Great Recession I worked out of IBEW Local 60 in San Antonio on a massive expansion of the Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC). It was DOUBLING in size. A new building right alongside the old one.

I never set foot inside the old one, but as we were building this massive new building, we could see very clearly into the patients’ rooms and I noticed a couple of things. The first was that none of the curtains were ever closed. Sunlight staves off depression, and I suppose watching us work was better than staring at the wall. The second thing I noticed was that I never saw a single patient out of his bed. Not one. I certainly didn’t spend a lot of time staring at these poor men, but at least a couple of times a day I’d stop and look over. And I often saw the patients that were awake looking right back at me. The severity of their injuries was horrifying, and I will never forget it.

I’ve always known about the horrors of war. I come from an Army family; seen things on CNN (Somalia, Iraq) that I wish I could unsee; and I’ve read more firsthand accounts than I can recall. But something about my time there really struck home with me. Sometimes the most unfortunate soldiers are the ones who survive.

After that, wins and losses were just a little less important to me, and players on rival teams were just guys trying to make a living like the guys on “my” teams (at least that’s how I saw most of them). It also made me really hate the guys who seem to serve no purpose but to injure others. That made less sense to me than ever. It’s only sport. It’s a GAME. I never once wished for anyone to get hurt after that, and I’ve never reveled in anyone’s injury since, either. No matter who it was or who he played for.

The football and hockey players at all levels who earn their roster spots as headhunters should spend a day at BAMC or a facility just like it to get some perspective on just where they fit into the real scheme of things. With so much trauma and misery in our world, how could they ever willingly add to it by deliberately injuring someone else in a GAME?
 
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DaaaaB's

Registered User
Apr 24, 2004
8,266
1,840
Snarky comments? How long have you been coming here now? And you're surprised by this from me? That's literally all I do here. And it's not meant to be a mean, it's meant just to have a laugh..:laugh:

I have zero problem with anyone picking any player they want. Which is why I never called anyone out on their choices at all. I merely lamented that Park and O'Reilly got steam rolled in brackets that should have been closer, IMO. Just that. Nothing more. You know, the whole debate part of it? A couple of people seemed to get wound up and mad that I did this, but that's on them, no?
I don't spend enough time here to pick up on most members tendencies. I wasn't wound up about it, just a little annoyed but it's no big deal.
 
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jgatie

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Sep 22, 2011
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Lidstrom in his prime was barely better than Bourque at the very end of his career. Most overrated defenseman not named Chelios. He's great, but not more Norrises than Bourque great. 2nd tier great, and everyone makes him out to be 1st tier.
 
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LSCII

Cup driven
Mar 1, 2002
50,474
21,968
Central MA
Ready to post this exactly. There's a lot of things that have faded from my Bruins memory, but I'll always remember Chris Nilan's stick butt to Rick Middleton's mouth, and my extreme disgust that he was brought to our team for ANY reason...

Exactly. Unforgivable.
 

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