Is it time for another top 100 or so project?

BenchBrawl

Registered User
Jul 26, 2010
30,880
13,671
On that note, top 40 lines? Top 30 defense pairings?

I'm all for it, but lines might be complicated because of irregular 3rd wheelers, hence my suggestion of duos which would include both forward and defense pairings. But I'm down with both.

If we do this, I'd be more inclined to do Top 40 defense pairings, Top 30 lines, since lines are tougher to figure out.
 

BenchBrawl

Registered User
Jul 26, 2010
30,880
13,671
And if we do duos of both defense pairings and forwards, we could go to Top 60 easily.

Also have to decide how to deal with weird duos like Espo-Orr, who are not traditional yet still seen as such. Gretzky-Coffey is like that to some extent, with the difference that Gretzky already is part of another duo with Kurri (who might take the #1 spot). Not sure any other D-C combo are seen as a duo like Espo-Orr. I can't think of one on top of my head.
 
Last edited:

bobholly39

Registered User
Mar 10, 2013
22,246
14,867
Another idea - the 101st - 200th best players of all-time, based on the recent top 100 list.

Or if that's too much, do the 100th to 150th best all-time.

I know some posters wanted the list to go beyond 100, but that was deemed too much of a commitment. But now, with a break, maybe we could continue?

Id be 100% on board for this but i feel like we'd have to expand the parameters somehow for voting.

I think we had 10 players per round for top 100 and it's fine for early positions. But as we got towards end i feel like there should be closer to 20+ players eligible per spot. The gap is smaller, so have to somehow keep it representative. I think we had ~20 names up for the 100th spot.

Top 40 greatest duos of all-time would be interesting.

Duos, defense pairings or lines....is a bit complicated because of length.

Is Crosby/Malkin a duo, on different lines? Does F + D count as a duo - and if so Lemieux/Coffey should rank super high for 'peak' but were only on same team for like 2 seasons - compared to Crosby/Letang for 15 - does 15 yrs trump 2 better years?

Its interresting i just think there'd be a ton of parameters to set ahead of time
 

quoipourquoi

Goaltender
Jan 26, 2009
10,123
4,126
Hockeytown, MI
Another idea - the 101st - 200th best players of all-time, based on the recent top 100 list.

Or if that's too much, do the 100th to 150th best all-time.

I know some posters wanted the list to go beyond 100, but that was deemed too much of a commitment. But now, with a break, maybe we could continue?

I think the one issue there is that polarizing players who some people might have had mid-range on their #1-120 lists but weren’t named to the final top-100 list will have depressed voting totals on the next aggregate list, because the people who think very highly of them cannot properly distinguish them from someone they feel to be 101-105 range.

As an example, if someone believed Roberto Luongo to be the ~70th best player of all-time (and that the original list which didn’t contain a single goaltender drafted after 1990 is a noticeable blind spot) submitting a list of #101 Roberto Luongo, #102 Toe Blake wouldn’t necessarily reflect the 30-spot gap from the #1-120 list.

The way around this, of course, would be to do a #1-220 aggregate list (and then taking the previously unranked players into Round 2), because that would capture such nuances, but would that be asking too much of people?
 

ted2019

History of Hockey
Oct 3, 2008
5,492
1,882
pittsgrove nj
I think the one issue there is that polarizing players who some people might have had mid-range on their #1-120 lists but weren’t named to the final top-100 list will have depressed voting totals on the next aggregate list, because the people who think very highly of them cannot properly distinguish them from someone they feel to be 101-105 range.

As an example, if someone believed Roberto Luongo to be the ~70th best player of all-time (and that the original list which didn’t contain a single goaltender drafted after 1990 is a noticeable blind spot) submitting a list of #101 Roberto Luongo, #102 Toe Blake wouldn’t necessarily reflect the 30-spot gap from the #1-120 list.

The way around this, of course, would be to do a #1-220 aggregate list (and then taking the previously unranked players into Round 2), because that would capture such nuances, but would that be asking too much of people?

Like this as well.
 

BenchBrawl

Registered User
Jul 26, 2010
30,880
13,671
Duos, defense pairings or lines....is a bit complicated because of length.

Is Crosby/Malkin a duo, on different lines? Does F + D count as a duo - and if so Lemieux/Coffey should rank super high for 'peak' but were only on same team for like 2 seasons - compared to Crosby/Letang for 15 - does 15 yrs trump 2 better years?

Its interresting i just think there'd be a ton of parameters to set ahead of time

Crosby and Malkin are not a duo IMO. Same for Béliveau/H.Richard, Sakic/Forsberg, Yzerman/Fedorov, Kennedy/Apps, etc. Sure at the team level they were a duo, but I rather we be more specific and only include duos that actually played together.

As for F/D combos, I think we need to include Espo-Orr, but I don't know that any other such duo would/should make the Top 40, except perhaps Gretzky-Coffey. But like, I literally have never heard anyone say Crosby-Letang was a duo. It doesn't feel like a duo at all. Espo-Orr feels unique in that regard.

I agree we should set the parameters clearly before doing such a project.
 

BenchBrawl

Registered User
Jul 26, 2010
30,880
13,671
Some great duos on top of my head, just to give a taste. Feel free to call me out on "fake" duos or add any omission (of which there are plenty).

Forwards
Lalonde-Pitre
Joliat-Morenz
F.Boucher-Cook
Gretzky-Kurri
Messier-Anderson
(Shutt-Lemaire)-Lafleur
(Gillies)-Trottier-Bossy
Getzlaf-Perry
Denneny-Nighbor
Lindsay-(Abel/Delvecchio/Ullman)-Howe
(Olmstead)-Béliveau-Geoffrion
(Blake)-Lach-M.Richard
Martin-Perreault(-Robert)
Marchand-Bergeron-(Pastrnak)
Lehtinen-Modano-(Hull)
Stewart-H.Smith
Bentley-Bentley
Jackson-(Primeau)-Conacher
Oates-Hull
LeClair-Lindros-(Renberg)
Barber-Clarke-(Leach)
Ovechkin-Backstrom
(Dumart)-Schmidt-Bauer
Moore-H.Richard-(M.Richard)
Krutov-(Larionov)-Makarov
Kharlamov-(Petrov)-Mikhailov
Kariya-(Rucchin)-Selanne
Stamkos-St. Louis
Goulet-Stastny
Conacher-Cowley
Heatley-Spezza-Alfredsson
Sedin-Sedin
Savard-Larmer
Lewis-Barry-Aurie

Defense
Robinson-Savard
Duncan-L.Cook
Hitchman-Shore
Suter-Weber
Clapper-Crawford
Stanley-Horton
Brewer-Baun
Mortson-Thomson
Cleghorn-Gerard
Boucher-Gerard
Harvey-Bouchard
Fetisov-Kasatanov
Lapointe-Savard
Vasko-Pilote
Pospisil-Suchy

Hybrid
Orr-Esposito
Gretzky-Coffey
Lemieux-Coffey
Plante-Harvey ? *
Brodeur-Stevens ? *

* A long shot to include goalie-defenseman duos, but I might do it for goalies known to be good stickhandler and communicator. Brodeur-Stevens does feel like a duo, but I'm fine with excluding them.
 
Last edited:

bobholly39

Registered User
Mar 10, 2013
22,246
14,867
Crosby and Malkin are not a duo IMO. Same for Béliveau/H.Richard, Sakic/Forsberg, Yzerman/Fedorov, Kennedy/Apps, etc. Sure at the team level they were a duo, but I rather we be more specific and only include duos that actually played together.

As for F/D combos, I think we need to include Espo-Orr, but I don't know that any other such duo would/should make the Top 40, except perhaps Gretzky-Coffey. But like, I literally have never heard anyone say Crosby-Letang was a duo. It doesn't feel like a duo at all. Espo-Orr feels unique in that regard.

I agree we should set the parameters clearly before doing such a project.

I appreciate your effort in coming up with a pretty detailed sample list - but I still think it's impossible to define "duos" because the term is so subjective. The first 3 "duos" I think of are probably Sakic/Forsberg, Crosby/Malkin and Espo/Orr - and by your definition 2 are disqualified and 1 you're almost making an exception to include. This is too subjective imo
 

BenchBrawl

Registered User
Jul 26, 2010
30,880
13,671
I appreciate your effort in coming up with a pretty detailed sample list - but I still think it's impossible to define "duos" because the term is so subjective. The first 3 "duos" I think of are probably Sakic/Forsberg, Crosby/Malkin and Espo/Orr - and by your definition 2 are disqualified and 1 you're almost making an exception to include. This is too subjective imo

It's not hard for the majority of them: duos played together on the ice.
 

wetcoast

Registered User
Nov 20, 2018
22,505
10,294
It's not hard for the majority of them: duos played together on the ice.

Sure but what is the cutoff in % of play together.

It is not like some of the guys mentioned above did not play together.

The real difference is data and historical differences and the information we have across time as being very uneven.

This would be extremely subjective even more so than most discussions.
 

Kyle McMahon

Registered User
May 10, 2006
13,301
4,353
Is there any appetite for a top 40/50/whatever pre-consolidation (1926) players list? After the top 10 or so it would mainly be players who are seldom discussed. And with most of those players there isn't a whole lot of strong pre-existing opinions on where they should rank, at least compared to guys normally discussed in the overall top 100 projects.
 

VMBM

And it didn't even bring me down
Sep 24, 2008
3,813
762
Helsinki, Finland
Top-? forward lines sounds the most interesting to me... or duos. But I think 'duos' can be slightly problematic too. I'll take an example from the Soviets; while Valeri Kharlamov and Boris Mikhailov were both undoubtedly greater players than their center Petrov, I still think that Mikhailov and Petrov were better as a duo than Kharlamov with Mikhailov (or Petrov)... If that makes sense.
 

ResilientBeast

Proud Member of the TTSAOA
Jul 1, 2012
13,903
3,557
Edmonton
Is there any appetite for a top 40/50/whatever pre-consolidation (1926) players list? After the top 10 or so it would mainly be players who are seldom discussed. And with most of those players there isn't a whole lot of strong pre-existing opinions on where they should rank, at least compared to guys normally discussed in the overall top 100 projects.

Would love it
 
  • Like
Reactions: ted2019

seventieslord

Student Of The Game
Mar 16, 2006
36,129
7,215
Regina, SK
Is there any appetite for a top 40/50/whatever pre-consolidation (1926) players list? After the top 10 or so it would mainly be players who are seldom discussed. And with most of those players there isn't a whole lot of strong pre-existing opinions on where they should rank, at least compared to guys normally discussed in the overall top 100 projects.

Why not 100?

Any player who played more than half his career or half his significant seasons pre-1926 would be eligible, but we'd count their whole careers.

There are definitely 100 worth talking about:

FrankNighbor
SpragueCleghorn
CycloneTaylor
NewsyLalonde
CyDenneny
EddieGerard
JoeMalone
TommyPhillips
HodStuart
Ernie "Moose"Johnson
DidierPitre
GeorgesVezina
GeorgesBoucher
ClintBenedict
HarryCameron
LesterPatrick
FrankFoyston
RegNoble
HarveyPulford
ArtRoss
BabeDye
PunchBroadbent
MickeyMacKay
JackWalker
MikeGrant
HughLehman
AlfSmith
ArtDuncan
DukeKeats
GordRoberts
RussellBowie
BernieMorris
JoeHall
GrahamDrinkwater
SmokeyHarris
Harry P.Watson
FrankMcGee
EddieOatman
TommySmith
RustyCrawford
BertCorbeau
MartyWalsh
LloydCook
GeorgeHainsworth
SiGriffis
OdieCleghorn
BlairRussell
TommyDunderdale
BobbyRowe
JackMarshall
BruceStuart
HapHolmes
KenRandall
PercyLesueur
AlfSkinner
CullyWilson
HambyShore
DanBain
JackAdams
ErnieRussell
JackDarragh
HarrySmith
PudGlass
HarryHyland
DubbieKerr
HarryWestwick
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
Billy Boucher
Carson Cooper
Dick Irvin
Corb Denneny
Leo Reise
Herb Jordan
Paddy Moran
Allan Cameron
Walter Smaill
Billy McGimsie
Gord Fraser
Harry Trihey
Art Gagne
Allan Davidson

Harry Mummery
Howard McNamara
George McNamara
Fred Scanlan
Louis Berlinguette
Billy Coutu
Moose Goheen
Billy Gilmour
Dickie Boon
Hobey Baker

Tom Paton
John Hutton
Phat Wilson
Slim Halderson
Weldy Young
Clarence McKerrow
Haviland Routh
Frank Rankin
Jack Ruttan
Steamer Maxwell

Art Hooper
George Richardson
Tom Hooper
Jimmy Gardner
Bob McDougall
Dolly Swift
Atty Howard
Bob Trapp
Percy Traub
Art Farrell

Skene Ronan
Billy Nicholson
Jack Marks
Ran McDonald
Don Smith
Fred Whitcroft
Billy Breen
Charlie Tobin
Art Moore
Jim Riley

there's a preliminary top-120 list right there. Aside from the commonly-known guys, it includes just about every player who is in the HHOF, who had a profile in The Trail, was worthy of mention in Iain Fyffe's hockeyhistorysis blog, or made a postseason all-star team in the western leagues prior to consolidation. There are not 20 guys there that I'd like to see miss a top-100 list, to be honest. But a few will.

edit: Forgot shoo-ins Barney Stanley, Fred Lake, Goldie Prodger, Clem Loughlin, so this list just got even harder to make.
 
Last edited:

ResilientBeast

Proud Member of the TTSAOA
Jul 1, 2012
13,903
3,557
Edmonton
Why not 100?

Any player who played more than half his career or half his significant seasons pre-1926 would be eligible, but we'd count their whole careers.

There are definitely 100 worth talking about:

FrankNighbor
SpragueCleghorn
CycloneTaylor
NewsyLalonde
CyDenneny
EddieGerard
JoeMalone
TommyPhillips
HodStuart
Ernie "Moose"Johnson
DidierPitre
GeorgesVezina
GeorgesBoucher
ClintBenedict
HarryCameron
LesterPatrick
FrankFoyston
RegNoble
HarveyPulford
ArtRoss
BabeDye
PunchBroadbent
MickeyMacKay
JackWalker
MikeGrant
HughLehman
AlfSmith
ArtDuncan
DukeKeats
GordRoberts
RussellBowie
BernieMorris
JoeHall
GrahamDrinkwater
SmokeyHarris
Harry P.Watson
FrankMcGee
EddieOatman
TommySmith
RustyCrawford
BertCorbeau
MartyWalsh
LloydCook
GeorgeHainsworth
SiGriffis
OdieCleghorn
BlairRussell
TommyDunderdale
BobbyRowe
JackMarshall
BruceStuart
HapHolmes
KenRandall
PercyLesueur
AlfSkinner
CullyWilson
HambyShore
DanBain
JackAdams
ErnieRussell
JackDarragh
HarrySmith
PudGlass
HarryHyland
DubbieKerr
HarryWestwick
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
Billy Boucher
Carson Cooper
Dick Irvin
Corb Denneny
Leo Reise
Herb Jordan
Paddy Moran
Allan Cameron
Walter Smaill
Billy McGimsie
Gord Fraser
Harry Trihey
Art Gagne
Allan Davidson

Harry Mummery
Howard McNamara
George McNamara
Fred Scanlan
Louis Berlinguette
Billy Coutu
Moose Goheen
Billy Gilmour
Dickie Boon
Hobey Baker

Tom Paton
John Hutton
Phat Wilson
Slim Halderson
Weldy Young
Clarence McKerrow
Haviland Routh
Frank Rankin
Jack Ruttan
Steamer Maxwell

Art Hooper
George Richardson
Tom Hooper
Jimmy Gardner
Bob McDougall
Dolly Swift
Atty Howard
Bob Trapp
Percy Traub
Art Farrell

Skene Ronan
Billy Nicholson
Jack Marks
Ran McDonald
Don Smith
Fred Whitcroft
Billy Breen
Charlie Tobin
Art Moore
Jim Riley

there's a preliminary top-120 list right there. Aside from the commonly-known guys, it includes just about every player who is in the HHOF, who had a profile in The Trail, was worthy of mention in Iain Fyffe's hockeyhistorysis blog, or made a postseason all-star team in the western leagues prior to consolidation. There are not 20 guys there that I'd like to see miss a top-100 list, to be honest. But a few will.

How much of that was off the top of the head? Because I'm super impressed
 

TheDevilMadeMe

Registered User
Aug 28, 2006
52,271
6,981
Brooklyn
Top pre-consolidation players of all-time is an interesting idea if we can get enough participants. The problem with doing a full top 100 is that as the complexity and time commitment of the project goes up, the participation goes down. So I'd lean towards making it a top 50, like the non-NHL Euros project.

It is one of my favorite 3 ideas in this thread, along with the next best 100 players of all time (or 101st to 175th or whatever) and the HOH HHOF.
 

rmartin65

Registered User
Apr 7, 2011
2,672
2,153
Count me in for a pre-consolidation list; that is a period of hockey I have been meaning to focus more attention on, but I keep putting it off.
 

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad