lovetherangers
Registered User
My vote goes to Rod Gilbert, although a close second goes to Marcel Dionne. Borje Salming, and Cam Neely also pops into my mind, and Satsney as well. Which player do you feel is the best to never win?
My vote goes to Rod Gilbert, although a close second goes to Marcel Dionne. Borje Salming, and Cam Neely also pops into my mind, and Satsney as well. Which player do you feel is the best to never win?
As a Ranger fan I love Gilbert, but It would be a stretch to put him even in the top 5 never to win a cup. In fact he isn't even the best Ranger of that era to not win, see there are these two guys named Ratelle and Giacomin. I shouldn't have forgot about the Greatest Ranger never to win the cup, Brad Park.
So tell me again how Gilbert can be the best never to win, when he wasn't even the best player for his franchise not to win.
that Ratelle is better than Gilbert is highly debatable, seeing as how everyone around the team and league placed Gilbert ahead of Ratelle talent wise, and leadership wise. Brad Park was a great defenseman, and for 5 years was the best d-man outside of Orr, but again comparing a defenseman to a foward is apples and oranges, and was traded no less. I'm not going to quantify Giacomin as he was an excellent goalie, but shared the nets for the first half of his career with Villamure before coming into his own and owning the NY nets. Gilbert was the best player on the 70's Rangers, and frankly I'm curious as to why it's apparently not so to you fine people?
I think you're going to have to stay up late to convince most hockey fans than Sergei Makarov was better than Brad Park. I've got Park ranked as a top 10-15 defenseman all-time.Best of all players who played in the NHL: Sergei Makarov
Best of all players who were primarily NHLers: Brad Park
I think you're going to have to stay up late to convince most hockey fans than Sergei Makarov was better than Brad Park. I've got Park ranked as a top 10-15 defenseman all-time.
What adds some mythical juice to Dionne's status as greatest ever to not win was how tantalizingly close he came as a rookie. He was an extremely highly rated prospect in 1971, and was drafted second by Detroit, just after Guy Lafleur was drafted by Montreal.
Detroit's next pick that season? C Henry Boucha. Ever heard of him? Thought so.
The LA Kings started off that year with C Vic Venasky and D Neil Komadoski. Ever heard of THEM? Thought so.
After Montreal grabbed Lafleur, they wasted a couple of additional first rounders before having D Larry Robinson fall into their lap in the second round.
This isn't a story of falling just short in the finals one year; if the Backstrom trade goes differently or the Habs make a different decision on draft day, Dionne could easily have won 4 or 5 Stanley Cups.
I think you're going to have to stay up late to convince most hockey fans than Sergei Makarov was better than Brad Park. I've got Park ranked as a top 10-15 defenseman all-time.
What adds some mythical juice to Dionne's status as greatest ever to not win was how tantalizingly close he came as a rookie. He was an extremely highly rated prospect in 1971, and was drafted second by Detroit, just after Guy Lafleur was drafted by Montreal.
Detroit's next pick that season? C Henry Boucha. Ever heard of him? Thought so.
The LA Kings started off that year with C Vic Venasky and D Neil Komadoski. Ever heard of THEM? Thought so.
After Montreal grabbed Lafleur, they wasted a couple of additional first rounders before having D Larry Robinson fall into their lap in the second round.
This isn't a story of falling just short in the finals one year; if the Backstrom trade goes differently or the Habs make a different decision on draft day, Dionne could easily have won 4 or 5 Stanley Cups.
I like how a lot of greats ended up winning Cup later past their primes, kinda of a fairwell, like Bourque so he wouldn't have to be on this list.
Dionne pops into my head for forwards.
Tony Esposito for goalies.
Players I watched I feel bad for not winning, Ron Hextall, Mark Howe and Keith Thatcuk.
Murray Wilson was actually a pretty decent player with the Habs.Detroit's next pick that season? C Henry Boucha. Ever heard of him? Thought so.
The LA Kings started off that year with C Vic Venasky and D Neil Komadoski. Ever heard of THEM? Thought so.
After Montreal grabbed Lafleur, they wasted a couple of additional first rounders before having D Larry Robinson fall into their lap in the second round.