HFAvs Ranked: The 50 Greatest Avalanche Players

[Ceremony]

It's finally over. Here's the full list:

#1 - Joe Sakic (88.9%)
#2 - Peter Forsberg (55.7%)
#3 - Patrick Roy (89.6%)
#4 - Nathan MacKinnon (71.4%)
#5 - Cale Makar (70.5%)
#6 - Milan Hejduk (50.7%)
#7 - Gabriel Landeskog (42.6%)
#8 - Adam Foote (60.2%)
#9 - Mikko Rantanen (88.8%)
#10 - Alex Tanguay (56.0%)
#11 - Rob Blake (44.7%)
#12 - Erik Johnson (47.7%)
#13 - Claude Lemieux (27.3%)
#14 - Valeri Kamensky (37.1%)
#15 - Semyon Varlamov (28.6%)
#16 - Adam Deadmarsh (41.8%)
#17 - Sandis Ozolinsh (39.1%)
#18 - Ray Bourque (27.8%)
#19 - Stephane Yelle (30.4%)
#20 - Chris Drury (46.9%)
#21 - Paul Stastny (62.8%)
#22 - John-Michael Liles (33.9% - tied, highest runner up from #21)
#23 - Matt Duchene (40.0%)
#24 - Tyson Barrie (44.2%)
#25 - Ryan O'Reilly (37.5%)
#26 - Devon Toews (35.4%)
#27 - Jon Klemm (40.0%)
#28 - Nazem Kadri (53.3%)
#29 - Alexei Gusarov (47.6%)
#30 - Sam Girard (28.9%)
#31 - Ian Laperriere (29.4%)
#32 - Uwe Krupp (29.4%)
#33 - Valeri Nichushkin (47.1%)
#34 - Cody McLeod (32.4%)
#35 - Dan Hinote (33.3%)
#36 - Artturi Lehkonen (25.0% - tied, highest runner up from #35)
#37 - JT Compher (40.0%)
#38 - Marek Svatos (47.5%)
#39 - Andre Burakovsky (36.4%)
#40 - Shjon Podein (23.3% - tied, highest runner up from #39)
#41 - Mike Keane (29.0%)
#42 - Peter Budaj (24.3%)
#43 - Martin Skoula (29.0%)
#44 - Greg De Vries (41.7%)
#45 - Andrew Brunette (in sudden death overtime - 19.4% - tied, highest runner up from #44)
#46 - Sylvain Lefebvre (33.3%)
#47 - Wojtek Wolski (32.4%)
#48 - Nikita Zadorov (26.7%)
#49 - Karlis Skrastins (27.3%)
#50 - Steven Reinprecht (31.4%)

It's not the list I would have put together but then that's how an open poll works. I think I'll do a top 30 for the 30th anniversary in a few years. Then a top 35 after that. And so on. Hopefully we'll have enough players to fill out 25-onwards then, because this got the fun sucked out of it real fast.

Click to read more...

 

[UncleRisto]

What you're saying is, you'll run another top-50 for us in 20 years?

 

[BoneCherry]

I think after #20 expectations dropped. At #23 there was a lot of division and dissension about choices. We are only 23 years from the 50th anniversary! That's a good time to re-do the top 50. Time to start making your plans now!

 

[Ceremony]

What you're saying is, you'll run another top-50 for us in 20 years?

Predicted risers: Rantanen, Toews, Kadri, Girard, Lehkonen, Byram

 

[UncleRisto]

Predicted risers: Rantanen, Toews, Kadri, Girard, Lehkonen, Byram

You know it's Aebischer's time then.

 

[Bonzai12]

I predict that in 8 years Andrew Brunette will replace Sakic as GM, lead the Avs to three cups, and all of you homers will vote him into the top 20 of this poll

 

[ASmileyFace]

Things really went off the rails after the 30s lol.

Thanks for running this @Ceremony. I appreciate your effort in making it happen

 

[sethro109]

Things really went off the rails after the 30s lol.

Thanks for running this @Ceremony. I appreciate your effort in making it happen

This tuned into a shit show at 23. But yes, thank you @Ceremony for your continued efforts.

 

[Nzap]

This was fun, thanks Ceremony.
Reinprecht at 50 warms my heart as well.

Also not of course the list I would have made, but mostly the correct guys are in there I would say in the end.
At least 40 of them I would probably pick as well in there.
In a different order of course.

 

[Bone Breaker]

out of all the former Avs I liked, I think only Foppa, Blake and Kamensky got in, everyone else got snubbed. therefore I hate this list and I hate all of you for making that happen.





calm down, it was only a joke. kinda.




I want a 51-100 ranking next offseason. and LOC better be voted as 51 at least, after he scores our incoming game 7 GWG for the Cup.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

This was fun, thanks Ceremony.
Reinprecht at 50 warms my heart as well.

Also not of course the list I would have made, but mostly the correct guys are in there I would say in the end.
At least 40 of them I would probably pick as well in there.
In a different order of course.

Yeah, the order was a bit weird to me as well.

I think the big problem I had was my approach. Next time we do something like this, I think I should probably sit down and make my own list of the top whatever, and then vote based off it. After about 15 or so, I was voting on feels and fuzzies not really stats. It was also difficult for me to compare players across different eras (note: the sun also rises in the east). I can't remember who it was that brought up production of role players in the 90s being a lot less than what is considered acceptable today. That doesn't mean they weren't good, the game was just played differently and it's hard for me to say who was more effective at their job when they are doing completely different jobs.

@Ceremony, thanks for putting this all together! Was it more work than you expected?

 

[UncleRisto]

@Ceremony, thanks for putting this all together! Was it more work than you expected?

Probably around the same and not more than the NHL soundtrack song bracket.

 

[thedoctor]

Yeah, the order was a bit weird to me as well.

I think the big problem I had was my approach. Next time we do something like this, I think I should probably sit down and make my own list of the top whatever, and then vote based off it. After about 15 or so, I was voting on feels and fuzzies not really stats. It was also difficult for me to compare players across different eras (note: the sun also rises in the east). I can't remember who it was that brought up production of role players in the 90s being a lot less than what is considered acceptable today. That doesn't mean they weren't good, the game was just played differently and it's hard for me to say who was more effective at their job when they are doing completely different jobs.

@Ceremony, thanks for putting this all together! Was it more work than you expected?

you have exactly identified where this list started to drift from an interesting discussion into insanity: Varlamov.

Next time we do it (thanks @Ceremony ), I'd advocate for some sort of objective process to better curate the options on the polls, maybe a couple slots in the polls dedicated to simply minutes played in an Avs sweater would be enough, with the nomination process also going.

there were certainly a couple moments where a player was added and I was like, "damn I'da voted for this guy ages ago."

 

[NOTENOUGHRYJOTHINGS]

There's a clear consistent bias against Jan Hejda amongst you lot. And I will not stand for this!

 

[Heyduke]

Overrated: EJ, Klemm, Hinote, Krupp, Skoula, De Vries

Underrated: Deadmarsh, Laperriere, Calvert, Young

 

[Ceremony]

What you're saying is, you'll run another top-50 for us in 20 years?

Yes.

You know it's Aebischer's time then.

Just think, for the 50th anniversary top 50 there might be someone who hasn't even been born yet. Or is being born right now.

Things really went off the rails after the 30s lol.

Thanks for running this @Ceremony. I appreciate your effort in making it happen

Thank you. I hope it kept you occupied during physio.

This tuned into a shit show at 23. But yes, thank you @Ceremony for your continued efforts.

Thank you.

This was fun, thanks Ceremony.
Reinprecht at 50 warms my heart as well.

Also not of course the list I would have made, but mostly the correct guys are in there I would say in the end.
At least 40 of them I would probably pick as well in there.
In a different order of course.

Thank you.

you have exactly identified where this list started to drift from an interesting discussion into insanity: Varlamov.

Next time we do it (thanks @Ceremony ), I'd advocate for some sort of objective process to better curate the options on the polls, maybe a couple slots in the polls dedicated to simply minutes played in an Avs sweater would be enough, with the nomination process also going.

there were certainly a couple moments where a player was added and I was like, "damn I'da voted for this guy ages ago."

When Nichushkin went I realised I had tried too hard to not influence which names were added. Not everyone was suggesting names and past the halfway point there wasn't much consensus on those. I think if I could do it again I'd open up the amount of options, and be more ruthless with who I added.

Yeah, the order was a bit weird to me as well.

I think the big problem I had was my approach. Next time we do something like this, I think I should probably sit down and make my own list of the top whatever, and then vote based off it. After about 15 or so, I was voting on feels and fuzzies not really stats. It was also difficult for me to compare players across different eras (note: the sun also rises in the east). I can't remember who it was that brought up production of role players in the 90s being a lot less than what is considered acceptable today. That doesn't mean they weren't good, the game was just played differently and it's hard for me to say who was more effective at their job when they are doing completely different jobs.

@Ceremony, thanks for putting this all together! Was it more work than you expected?

I underestimated how much this board likes to shit on role players (and how much fatigue there would be by the end tbf) (and how terrible the names got)

It was making a thread every other day, no real work. Aside from sourcing some pictures for players that hockeydb didn't have.

 

[katfude]

List woulda been a lot deeper if we added the Nords. FOUR STASTNYS