The ONLY reason that centers are slightly more valuable is because it gives you more options. Centers can play 3 of the 3 forward positions. Wingers can play 2. That is the only difference. Gives you more options and combinations.
This doesn't make a player any less important to a team or to winning just because he is a winger.
You need strong quality depth, with at least 3-4 high-end guys in at least 2 of the 3 positions. Forward, defense, goalie. That is the only consistent characteristic of Cup teams.
The reason that you find less Cup teams with a winger as their best player is because most star players are centers, or have the ability to play center. This means that cup teams, which tend to have multiple star players, have a high likelihood of one of them being able to play center.
And since people have gotten the idea that centers and defenseman are so important fully engrained into their brains, those players will tend to be viewed as better or more important, which people view as a confirmation of their beliefs, which continues the cycle.
A classic example is people thinking Chicago is built around centers, despite that being their area of weakness for years. Kane is just as important to Chicago's success as Toews or Keith. They don't win without any one of them.
LA Kings also don't win without 3 of their top 4 in points in the playoffs being wingers, top 3 goal-scorers (almost 40% of their goals from 3 players) being wingers, or the Conn Smythe winner being a winger. Actually, their entire top 5 in goals scored last playoffs were wingers. And 6th was a defenseman, and it wasn't Doughty.
And most importantly, NONE of them win without their incredible depth.
Also find it odd how Hossa isn't given more credit for the defensive abilities of the Toews line. In fact, I usually find him more noticeable both offensively and defensively.
