Greatest 3rd line/grinder player of modern era

[vadim sharifijanov]

admittedly, i was born a year after nystrom scored and you, presumably, "were there."

but this thread has made me curious about the isles dynasty, because i knew it should be represented in this thread about great third liners, but i wouldn't have known definitely who to list: bourne, goring, nystrom, tonelli, brent sutter? i've always heard and read that goring was ahead of bourne, at least when people talk about him being the "last piece," it's always in the context of getting a strong second line center. for example:

Realizing he needed a second center to take some of the pressure off all-star Bryan Trottier, Islanders general manager Bill Torrey swung a deadline-deal on March 10, 1980.

http://islanders.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=465519

and bourne is usually remembered as the grinder, albeit one who chipped in enormously on offense for that role.

For 16 years center Bob Bourne, 33, of the Los Angeles Kings has earned his daily bread in hockey's trenches—in the corners and along the boards, on checking lines and penalty-killing units.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1066867/index.htm

i'm sure it changed over the four years, but can someone say who generally played where (and what position-- didn't bourne also play LW?) on the isles dynasty?

 

[Johnny Engine]

Tikkanen and Gainey were NOT third liners. Whether they should have been is beside the point. Carbonneau was, at times.

Good call on Holik and Draper. They were third liners.

Peca should have been a third liner on a great team but he was a 2nd liner in the NHL for the vast majority of his career (except for the cup run in Edmonton).

The most NHL playoff points (95) by a third liner is Tomas Holmstrom. The funny thing is the next 3rd liner on the list is also a modern Red Wing, Johan Franzen (72).

In terms of career regular season points, Verbeek and Dale Hunter were sometimes 3rd liners but played a lot of 2nd line as well. The most regular season points by a career 3rd liner in NHL history is by Butch Goring, who also was a playoff Conn Smythe winner.

Gainey definitely played in a third line role for the ridiculously deep Canadiens teams in the late 70s, which is longer than Franzen has ever stayed on a checking line.

The tricky thing about talking about the best (any line except first) players of all time, is that these guys always get promoted at some point, or in some cases, just got demoted (I could definitely argue that Kirk Muller in his "grumpy old man" days fits this thread, but he's definitely not a career 3rd liner)
I think the only proper way to talk about this is to talk about who excelled at the highest level while playing this role, which disqualifies Franzen and Holmstrom right away. I don't think either of those guys were thought of as anything special in their tenures as bottom-6 players.
If he hasn't been mentioned, Ralph Backstrom is a good answer here. I'm pretty sure he played some 2nd line duty at times, but when I think his time behind Beliveau and Richard qualifies him.

 

[ColdSteel2]

Don't know if he's been mentioned, but what about Mike Ricci?

 

[JaymzB]

Someone will have to explain to me how Gainey wasn't a 3rd liner, but Franzen is?

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

Someone will have to explain to me how Gainey wasn't a 3rd liner, but Franzen is?

"dave's not here, maaaaan."


i wonder if that trottier guy is around to clarify about the isles dynasty.

 

[Baemon Severson*]

Dainius Zubrus

 

[sewellda]

Mike Keane was pretty good, though by no means "the best"

 

[VanIslander]

Someone will have to explain to me how Gainey wasn't a 3rd liner, but Franzen is?

Because Gainey played mostly on the 2nd line with Jacques Lemaire as his pivot and Franzen has played mostly on the 3rd line in Detroit.

 

[Canadiens1958]

No

Because Gainey played mostly on the 2nd line with Jacques Lemaire as his pivot and Franzen has played mostly on the 3rd line in Detroit.

Gainey was part of the Gainey/Jarvis/Roberts line, later Gainey/Jarvis/Houle, eventually Gainey/Carbonneau/Nilan line whereas Lemaire was the center between Shutt and Lafleur.

 

[Johnny Engine]

Also, Franzen has barely played a minute on anything you'd call a third line since that goal streak he had a couple years back. As a third liner, Franzen was a pretty unremarkable player, and doesn't belong anywhere near this discussion whether you're talking about guys who spent most of their time on third lines, or excelled in that role. He's commonly used with Zetterberg or Filpulla at center, and Cleary or Bertuzzi on the right, and is way down on the penalty killing depth chart as well.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Esa Tik was mostly a second line player