greatest showing of leadership all time?

[newfy]

A thread on the mainboard about Toews had me thinking, what is the greatest showing of leadership the NHL has ever seen?

Messiers guarantee is one that is cited quite a bit but overall I think Yzerman in 2002 has to be the one that takes the cake, at least since the 80s.

He played on a knee that needed surgery bad, when he fell down he could hardly get back up, his shoulder was hurt as well if I remember correctly. He went on to put up a point per game while being great defensively over the course of the playoffs.

After falling down 2-0 in the first round verse the nucks, he gave a closed door speech for players only in one of the intermissions of game 3. The wings went on to win 4 straight games and eventually the cup. A lot of people thought he should have won the Conn Smythe but it went to Lidstrom, it was arguable but both had great years


Anything that can beat that all time?

Click to read more...

 

[kmad]

Pretty sure it was Lidstrom's goal, not Yzerman's speech, that destroyed the Canucks. But I do agree that he should have won the Conn Smythe that year.

 

[begbeee]

I think Messier's leadership is overrated, but his guarantee speech and following performence is hard to beat, especially if we talk about one game.

If we talk about greater time span Yzerman 2002 is up there.

If we talk about even greater time span, then Stevens represented leadership personally in his Devils career.

 

[BenchBrawl]

roy in 93

 

[JackSlater]

I don't really see how anyone can rank showings of leadership unless you were involved with the specific teams. Most of the time we don't really know much about what was going on off the ice. On ice leadership is a somewhat different matter, and I would say that Yzerman in 2002 is a good example, and probably more importantly when he became a great defensive player in the mid 90s and helped change the Red Wings philosophy.

 

[BraveCanadian]

I don't really see how anyone can rank showings of leadership unless you were involved with the specific teams. Most of the time we don't really know much about what was going on off the ice. On ice leadership is a somewhat different matter, and I would say that Yzerman in 2002 is a good example, and probably more importantly when he became a great defensive player in the mid 90s and helped change the Red Wings philosophy.

I agree with what you are saying somewhat but a lot of the time the best leadership is shown on the ice.

For example Yzerman and Sakic were by all accounts I have seen, not overly vocal in the dressing room - they lead by example.

And we can see that.

Same thing with my avatar. Guy was an inspiration at his peak and everyone who watched saw it.

 

[Ilya Kovalchoke*]

How about Lemieux? Couldn't tie his own skates at times, was in severe pain well on the ice and still dominated and carried his team. Never complained once about his back. He missed the first game of the 91 Finals with back pain and the Penguins lost to the North Stars, Lemieux fought through the pain the rest of the series and the Penguins won 4 out their next 5 including an 8-0 game 6. He scored 12 points in only five games and scored probably the greatest goal in playoff history.

He also went through energy-draining radiation treatment in 93, had his last treatment in the morning flew to Philly in the afternoon and had a goal and an assist that night as they went on to win 17 straight games. He ended up winning the scoring title that year despite falling back 12 points while receiving his treatment and with about 20 games left he put up absurd numbers and won by 12 points.

"Notwithstanding Gretzky's abiding majesty, posterity will never forget that no athlete—not even the sainted Lou Gehrig—has ever before Lemieux been struck down by a deadly disease at the very moment when he was the best of his sport at the best he ever would be. And since: Lemieux has achieved miraculously in remission, struggling, on the side, with a back injury so grievous that it has benched him after he merely laced up a skate. That is the stuff that answers people these days when they wonder where all our sports heroes have gone."

—Frank Deford, Newsweek

 

[Canadiens1958]

Leadership

For those that have watched hockey or any sport leadership is very easy to define and spot.

Simply it is the ability to step on the ice in tough situations and inspire your team mates with your performance from the first shift to the last, game in and game out. Play the game in the opponents rink like you are playing at home.Inspire your team mates with your presence in the dressing room and elsewhere.

Most of the greats had this ability - Maurice Richard, Gordie Howe, Jean Beliveau, Bobby Orr, Henri Richard, Bobby Clarke, Dave Keon,George Armstrong, Larry Robinson, Doug Harvey, Bob Gainey, Bryan Trottier, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Slava Fetisov, Igor Larianov are just some of the greats that come to mind.

Dave Keon. April 9,1964, game 7, semi-finals vs Montreal at the Forum:

http://www.flyershistory.com/cgi-bin/poboxscore.cgi?O19640013

Dave Keon scores a hat trick while playing impeccable defense shutting down Henri Richard and Beliveau en route to a 3 - 1 Leafs victory. Arguably the greatest single game performance in play=off history.

Bob Gainey,May 5, 1977, game 6 semi-finals vs NY Islanders at the Coliseum. Gainey scores 0:07 second into the game, contributes to shutting down the Islanders, scores a second goal midway thru the third as the Canadiens win 2-1. Last gasp Islander goal with 9 seconds left.

Today's players, Chris Pronger, Mike Richards - even though he is a dangerous cheap shot artist, Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg,Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews.

 

[JackSlater]

I agree with what you are saying somewhat but a lot of the time the best leadership is shown on the ice.

For example Yzerman and Sakic were by all accounts I have seen, not overly vocal in the dressing room - they lead by example.

And we can see that.

Same thing with my avatar. Guy was an inspiration at his peak and everyone who watched saw it.

No doubt about that. I was thinking more of the players who aren't elite, but are considered leaders by the team. Obviously these guys set an example by playing hard (it's hard to imagine a leader not doing this) but we wouldn't really understand the team dynamic in many cases. There were guys in the 24/7 series who seemed to be in a leadership role that you would have no way of knowing for certain otherwise. In any event, it's even harder to compare the leadership of one player against another.

For those that have watched hockey or any sport leadership is very easy to define and spot.

Simply it is the ability to step on the ice in tough situations and inspire your team mates with your performance from the first shift to the last, game in and game out. Play the game in the opponents rink like you are playing at home.Inspire your team mates with your presence in the dressing room and elsewhere.

You have the ability to spot a player leading his team by inspiring them in the dressing room?

 

[Iplayhockehh]

Linden put up 12 goals and 13 assists in 24 playoff games playing with cracked ribs in 1994. In the finals he had to be injected with a needle during intermissions. He would scream loudly out of utter pain and the whole team could hear him from the dressing room. But then he would walk back into the dressing room with a casual look on his face and didn't complain at all about his ribs or the needle. Cliff Ronning said it was the most inspiring thing a teammate he played with has ever done. Too bad the nucks fell 2 goals short of a win.

 

[Big Phil]

This is over a longer time span and I know it was hardly the stuff of legends but I felt the guarantee Alfredsson did in the beginning of 2003-'04 that the Sens would win the Cup was gutsy. It kind of put the whole team under the microscope. The Sens got bounced in the first round, but a decent goalie and they could have won. Again, nothing legendary but I've always felt it was a heroic thing for a captain to do

 

[tony d]

Messier in 1994.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

I think Messier's leadership is overrated, but his guarantee speech and following performence is hard to beat, especially if we talk about one game.

If we talk about greater time span Yzerman 2002 is up there.

If we talk about even greater time span, then Stevens represented leadership personally in his Devils career.

Agree with all three in terms of modern showings of leadership. The fact that Scott Stevens sacrificed his offensive game entirely and all the fun and glory that goes along with it for the betterment of team for almost a decade - and the fact that his teammates followed his lead through a revolving door of coaches, is often overlooked when talking about the great leadership performances of all time.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Did Gretzky really play so hard in the 1987 Canada Cup that he pissed himself, or is that just legend?

Either way, his hard work inspired a supremely talented but lazy Mario Lenieux to realize he could take the next step by not relying on talent alone.

 

[edog37]

How about Lemieux? Couldn't tie his own skates at times, was in severe pain well on the ice and still dominated and carried his team. Never complained once about his back. He missed the first game of the 91 Finals with back pain and the Penguins lost to the North Stars, Lemieux fought through the pain the rest of the series and the Penguins won 4 out their next 5 including an 8-0 game 6. He scored 12 points in only five games and scored probably the greatest goal in playoff history.

He also went through energy-draining radiation treatment in 93, had his last treatment in the morning flew to Philly in the afternoon and had a goal and an assist that night as they went on to win 17 straight games. He ended up winning the scoring title that year despite falling back 12 points while receiving his treatment and with about 20 games left he put up absurd numbers and won by 12 points.


—Frank Deford, Newsweek

this right here....

 

[edog37]

Did Gretzky really play so hard in the 1987 Canada Cup that he pissed himself, or is that just legend?

Either way, his hard work inspired a supremely talented but lazy Mario Lenieux to realize he could take the next step by not relying on talent alone.

that tournament set Lemieux upon the path from very good to legend....I remember how much his game elevated following that series against the Soviets....

 

[Big Phil]

Did Gretzky really play so hard in the 1987 Canada Cup that he pissed himself, or is that just legend?

Either way, his hard work inspired a supremely talented but lazy Mario Lenieux to realize he could take the next step by not relying on talent alone.

Gretzky was so utterly exhausted during double overtime in Game 2 that he literally "let himself go" while sitting on the bench. He wrote about this in his autobiography in 1990. It has been well documented since. The Lemieux goal in overtime (on a pass from Gretzky) is most likely done by a Gretzky who needed a diaper change, haha. As far as I know, the Gretzky-to-Lemieux goal in Game 3 Gretzky is dry on that one. But considering Game 2 was end to end hockey I can see why he was so exhausted

 

[JaymzB]

You have the ability to spot a player leading his team by inspiring them in the dressing room?

I have read quotes from some young player on the 71 Habs saying Beliveau’s presence in the dressing room helped them immensely. Literally all they had to do was look over at him, and they realized everything would be okay. This is at least the type of dressing room leadership you can appreciate after the fact.

 

[Canadiens1958]

Media

I have read quotes from some young player on the 71 Habs saying Beliveau’s presence in the dressing room helped them immensely. Literally all they had to do was look over at him, and they realized everything would be okay. This is at least the type of dressing room leadership you can appreciate after the fact.

The media had access to the dressing rooms of the leading O6 teams - Montreal, Toronto, Chicago, Detroit in a fashion unheard of today. The beat reporters would travel by train with the players or carpool to the rink. In Montreal, at times during the fifties/early sixties Jacques Beauchamp, a reporter would be the practice goalie when necessary.

Most of the exploits, attributes and quirks of the leading Toronto and Montreal players from were reported, published and re-confirmed by numerous sources. Also a number of the former players from the Canadiens, Leafs and other teams upon retirement became involved with minor hockey at various levels from administration, to coaching, to scouting to simple good parenting and they left a legacy.

This legacy that was experienced and observed by others, verbally, visually and in various other fashions was repeatedly confirmed by published reports in the media.

 

[Stonefly]

For those that have watched hockey or any sport leadership is very easy to define and spot.



Dave Keon. April 9,1964, game 7, semi-finals vs Montreal at the Forum:

http://www.flyershistory.com/cgi-bin/poboxscore.cgi?O19640013

Dave Keon scores a hat trick while playing impeccable defense shutting down Henri Richard and Beliveau en route to a 3 - 1 Leafs victory. Arguably the greatest single game performance in play=off history.

Unbelievable performance by Keon there. His leadership was exceptional always. He gave full effort every game. I never saw him take a night off and I saw a lot of him. He expected his team-mates to be the same way and wasn't shy about letting them know either.
Won the Conn Smythe in 67 too after leading the Leafs past the favoured Hawks and then the Canadiens to win the Cup. He isn't valued near enough by folks around here.

Interesting how highly Datsyuk is thought of though.

 

[JackSlater]

I have read quotes from some young player on the 71 Habs saying Beliveau’s presence in the dressing room helped them immensely. Literally all they had to do was look over at him, and they realized everything would be okay. This is at least the type of dressing room leadership you can appreciate after the fact.

No question. We have some idea of locker room leadership from various reports, especially from the most famous teams historically. I was more amused by the claim that fans could spot locker room leadership. We can generally always see the guys who are playing hard and setting an example, at least these days. We do not know for certain which guys are most important in the locker room, who practices the hardest, who helps out new players etc., especially with the teams that are less celebrated.

 

[Shadyone33]

roy in 93

This is it for me. The pressure that Roy had in Montreal especially after going down 2-0 in the 1st series. 10 OT victories is something that I don't think will EVER be topped. Not to mention the team was 3rd in their division. Not conference...DIVISION!

Also as the other poster mentioned Lemieux's 1st cup. Thanks for sharing the video by the way. Lemieux's goal is one of the greatest playoffs goals of all time, they actually did a feature of it on the 20th anniversary on TSN.

 

[Ogopogo*]

Esa Tikkanen - game 7 vs Calgary 1991. Perhaps the greatest single game display of leadership in the past three decades. Or, a close second to Messier's guarantee.

 

[Megalodan]

Maybe not the greatest showing of leadership of all time, but Vladimir Tarasenko playing in the 2011 WJC Gold Medal game was pretty remarkable: broke a few ribs early on in the game, refused to quit, and ended up leading the team to come back from 0-3 and beat Canada 5-3, scoring the game-tying goal and setting up the game-winner. Pretty cool for someone who only just turned 19 at the time. Take it from the Russian goaltender, Igor Bobkov, who said, "He's the best captain in my life."

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

On-Ice Leadership is fine, but leadership in the face of adversity takes the cake.

This is why Yzerman in 2002, and Super Mario in 1991 win this one for me.