Bring Back Bucky
Registered User
Just curious, how many of you hockey historians rate Bob Gainey in your top three overall players?
Bring Back Bucky said:Just curious, how many of you hockey historians rate Bob Gainey in your top three overall players?
Beatnik said:I'm not an historian but he is'nt even in the top 3 Habs.
Richard, Beliveau, Roy, Lafleur > Gainey
Don't even try to compare him to Gretzky, Lemieux or Orr.
Beatnik said:I'm not an historian but he is'nt even in the top 3 Habs.
Richard, Beliveau, Roy, Lafleur > Gainey
Don't even try to compare him to Gretzky, Lemieux or Orr.
revolverjgw said:Nah. Kovalev wasn't implying that Gainey was one of the three best players, ''all things considered'', just one of the top ''can do it all to at least some extent'' players. Even then I wouldn't call him top 3 but he's still damn close. I'd feel as comfortable and confident with Gainey on the ice as pretty much any player ever. Doesn't even matter what the situation is, just stick him out there and you're set.
Psycho Papa Joe said:No, but IMO his performance in the 1979 playoffs was the finest all round hockey performance I have ever seen.
Just ask yourself one question, would you give you or Spaz an autograph?Bring Back Bucky said:Yes, Papa P.J., Gainey was undeniably a fine hockey player. He once tried to run away from me and my friend Spaz after promising us autographs, circa 1982... I have forgiven him, but I think Spaz's life has been worse for the experience..
Psycho Papa Joe said:Just ask yourself one question, would you give you or Spaz an autograph?
MeBring Back Bucky said:Seriously, who wouldn't want to stop and talk to two eleven year old geeks with curly hair and coke bottle glasses.
Psycho Papa Joe said:No, but IMO his performance in the 1979 playoffs was the finest all round hockey performance I have ever seen.
Psycho Papa Joe said:
Ogopogo said:For anyone to put Gainey in the top 3 players of all time tells me that they really don't understand the game.
Gainey was great defensively. For a forward defense is, at most, 50% of the game. Gainey had very poor offensive numbers, only 3 times did he ever crack the 40 point barrier - and that was during a more offensive time than we have seen over the past decade.
What that tells me is that the man was excellent at HALF the game and not so excellent at the other half. In fact, I will be so bold as to say that he was not excellent at the more important half for a forward.
Another major clue as to how valuable a player is, is how they do in voting for the Hart Trophy, Post Season all star selections and Conn Smythe voting.
Gainey did win a Smythe - excellent work! But, the man was not seriously considered for the Hart ever. Also of note, the year he did win the Smythe, he scored 16 points in 16 playoff games - offense was a major part of the reason he won that award.
So, in short, Bob Gainey is not a top 3 player of all time and, I don't even think he is a top 100 player. Being a forward, scoring is a major part of your game. For gainey, scoring was non-existent.
So, being great at the less important part of the game for a forward, puts him somewhere in the top 200 players of all time but, I don't think he makes the top 100.
Hart trophy, post-season all star, and Conn Smythe trophy voters have all said he is behind the great offensive players of his era.
BTW Gainey was NOT a complete player, he was one-dimensional. The man did not score so calling him a complete hockey player is a complete misnomer.
One of the best defensive forwards of all-time but, hardly complete and not among the top 3 players ever.
God Bless Canada said:If defensive play is only 50 per cent of the game for a forward, then why did Mike Peca finish in the Top 10 for Hart voting in 2002?
(Including a second place vote).
loadie said:Ya know I love ya Bucky, but have you been overdosin' on the Donairs again? BG ain't top 3 my friend....I thought you would make the poll after reading the other thread on Messier.