This might be too much at this point, but I thought I'd post it anyway. We were trying to put your list in perspective at another message board and decided that your list reflected the common trend of comparison to peers. But we were interested in a more modern list. For instance, if you had to choose a player for your team next year, I doubt you'd go for Doug Harvey over Chris Pronger in their prime (tho maybe you would)....
anyhow, here are the comments I posted to kickstart our debate:
Looking at styles:
#1.Orr(89.26%)Small, but rugged, contemporary speed and agility pre-knee operations, elite tools/head. The template for the modern players (not just defenseman) in many ways. He would still be a superstar in today's NHL without question, especially with the trend to smaller, mobile, skilled D.
#2.Shore(37.00%) Small, but MEAN. Kasperaitus with skill. A completely amoral player. Would probably be a lot like a mid-90s Chris Chelios or a Denis Potvin in the modern NHL, obviously stronger if he had modern weight training techniques.
#3.Harvey(52.33%) Good frame, but still small for a contemp D. Excellent vision and puck moving skills, great change of pace skater. Never a bad decision. Mean and dirty every now and then to keep them honest. And excellent defender in every respect. Like a smaller Chris Pronger in the way he could control the pace of a game (tho he was better at it than Pronger).
#4.Bourque(54.84%) Hard to argue against Ray being ranked this high. The seas would part when he carried the puck, his vision and hand skills were so good. Had immense talent and mental strength, but also used every trick in the book.
#5.Potvin(61.84%) Like Bourque, but dirty. Very dirty. If it were me, I'd nose him ahead of Ray just for that reason. An extraordinary defender because nobody wanted to go near him. Offensively, he was compared to Orr. Nuff said.
#6.Robinson(31.71%) He was tall and skinny, but filled out fast. Was big, thick, fast, skilled, daring, and mean when he had to be early in his career. The comparisons to Potvin were always there, but never to Orr. His play tailed off after they won the four Cups. He was criticized for not delivering on the physical side and became more of a stay-at-home guy. That's what drops him down. Otherwise, with his body and skill, he should have done a lot more.
#7.Kelly(27.69%) Squat, tough defender who could think on the fly, was so smart, with vision and hands, that he starred in the NHL at both defense AND center. Unheard of. Won too many Cups to count and was central to all of them.
#8.Lidstrom(32.58%) Improved his agility and then his vision, speed and hands took over. Never a physical presence, he uses his size to stick-and-pin and then is a master at reading the play on the fly and anticipating. Always aggressive offensively.
#9.Coffey(40.58%) Maybe the fastest defenseman of all time. His hands almost matched his feet, which is incredible. Sometimes was too fast for what he wanted to do. Not an elite defender, and didn't pay the price down low. Was overrated overall. Won some Norris Trophies that belonged to Bourque because of offensive numbers. I would drop him lower.
#10.Chelios(34.25%) Has done a bit of everything. As mean as hardly driven nails, he also had excellent offensive tools and the aggressive mentality to match. Superb passer, his anticipation down low is unsurpassed. Somehow he was underrated imo.
#11.Fetisov(44.29%) All the tools with size. Developed on European ice surfaces, but his physical presence was solid. It's too bad he isn't North American, because his potential was probably largely untapped. Basically a shinny player who could adapt to any style. Remarkable.
#12.Park(48.21%) Rock solid frame, excellent skater, passer, shooter. Loved the rough stuff. Never wavered on defense when his knees were healthy. Challenged the entire Big Bad Bruins in the early 70s in his book, but continued to attack them all on the ice. Impressive but stupid.
#13.Pilote(35.71%) Stalwart two-way defender. Small, but mean as a snake with his stick. Excellent first pass. Keyed the explosive Hawks offense in the 60s. Sometimes considered to be overrated because of the lack of other elite defensemen in the 60s between the Harvey and Orr eras.
#14.Horton(31.25%) Rock solid stay-at-home defender. Tough as nails, but clean. The best defender in the NHL by wide acclaim during the 60s. Not much in the way of offensive skills, but teams would kill to have a guy like him today. Strong as an ox and a great leader by example type.
#15.Clancy(34.55%) Considered the best player in the world for a stretch. Fastest player in the days when forward passing was not allowed and one man basically had to go end-to-end every play. And he was a defenseman too. Usually it was the centerman who did it with the old rules. Was a small player who was not very physical, though could take punishment.
#16.Stevens(current leader) Rockstar. Would elbow your grandmother out of her rocking chair. I would rate him much higher. Early in his career was a risky, low percentage offensive defenseman. Retooled his game and became the best defensive defenseman in an era that also had Bourque and Chelios. Major presence as long as he limited his offensive involvement.
