Is Nick Lidstrom underrated or overrated

[tarheelhockey]

If anything, Lidstrom is one of the most consistently ranked players out there. Virtually everyone who thinks seriously about the question will have him in a tier of Bourque/Harvey/Lidstrom/Potvin/Shore which all sit below Orr. There’s plenty of disagreement about the exact order of that group, but Lidstrom is ranked 3rd overall much more often than any other ranking.

Now what if we asked people to name the 3rd best goalie ever? Or the 3rd best LW? Or the 3rd best coach? We’d get answers all over the map. I’m not even sure there would be consensus on the #3 center. So the relatively stable consensus around Lidstrom actually sticks out as a case where he’s probably being quite fairly rated.

 

[psycat]

2nd greatest(not necessariliy same thing as best mind you) defenceman of all time for me but could see a case for a ranking as low as 5th. If anybody rank him below Harvey they underrate him.

 

[PatrikBerglund]

2nd greatest(not necessariliy same thing as best mind you) defenceman of all time for me but could see a case for a ranking as low as 5th. If anybody rank him below Harvey they underrate him.

Orr was greater (dominance compared to peers in the same era), but Lidstrom was without a shadow of a doubt a better overall hockey player.

Orr even said this himself during a WC several years back. And he wasn't just being humble, he basically said that the NHL was just so much better and faster these (those) days, than during the 70s - which is 1000% true.

Nick was basically a stay at home and puck-moving defenceman with incredible power play (and pk-) abilities.

If he had been a rover, he would've scored a lot more points, but hadn't been as good in his overall game.

People ignored his excellence for years, just because hd wasn't layinc people out or fought.

Yzerman was once asked who the best player on the team was, in either Lidstrom's second or third season. Without hesitation, he said Lidstrom, who at that point wasn't on many people's star radar.

 

[CanadienShark]

Consensus seems to be that he's top 3 all time. That seems right to me.

 

[psycat]

Orr was greater (dominance compared to peers in the same era), but Lidstrom was without a shadow of a doubt a better overall hockey player.

Orr even said this himself during a WC several years back. And he wasn't just being humble, he basically said that the NHL was just so much better and faster these (those) days, than during the 70s - which is 1000% true.

Nick was basically a stay at home and puck-moving defenceman with incredible power play (and pk-) abilities.

If he had been a rover, he would've scored a lot more points, but hadn't been as good in his overall game.

People ignored his excellence for years, just because hd wasn't layinc people out or fought.

Yzerman was once asked who the best player on the team was, in either Lidstrom's second or third season. Without hesitation, he said Lidstrom, who at that point wasn't on many people's star radar.

Don't agree, Orr was simply better. Bourque was also, arguably, better as was Potvin but Lidström got better career in both cases- I can't really rank Shore but based on awards he is up there I guess. Harvey is overrated.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Gretzky could produce despite the situation. It doesn't matter which team you put him on he still wins multiple Art Ross trophies. But Kurri never touches 1000 career points without playing with Gretzky. Lidstrom is the Kurri of the Detroit Red Wings...

This is one of, if not the worst take I have read on all of HFBoards in 20 years.

Kudos to you, dude.

 

[tarheelhockey]

in 20 years.

Tell me this is your burner account without telling me this is your burner account

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Tell me this is your burner account without telling me this is your burner account

Not a burner, it's just a new account. I used to be on here a million years ago but lost access to the old email associated with my old account and couldn't recover my password.

 

[Kranix]

Overrated by some people who put him above Eddie Shore and Ray Bourque

 

[Mulletman]

This is one of, if not the worst take I have read on all of HFBoards in 20 years.

Kudos to you, dude.

So you don't think Gretzky could produce on any team you put him in the 80s?! He was leading the league with a huge margin basically every year! Dude would've won the Art Ross on every single team in the NHL back in the 80s!

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

So you don't think Gretzky could produce on any team you put him in the 80s?! He was leading the league with a huge margin basically every year! Dude would've won the Art Ross on every single team in the NHL back in the 80s!

That's not what I said at all.

Saying Lidstrom is the equivalent of Jarri Kurri is the bad take. It shows that you also have not seen any of the 3 players you listed because anyone that watched Kurri play knows how great he truly was.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Overrated by some people who put him above Eddie Shore and Ray Bourque

I have a lot of respect for Shore, but the more I have dug into the details of his career the less reason I see to put him above Bourque or Lidstrom. IMO he gets a disproportionate amount of prestige from having been exciting and controversial, as opposed to necessarily being the best player on the ice.

 

[Mulletman]

That's not what I said at all.

Saying Lidstrom is the equivalent of Jarri Kurri is the bad take. It shows that you also have not seen any of the 3 players you listed because anyone that watched Kurri play knows how great he truly was.

Both Kurri and Lidstrom were carried to a hall of fame career by better players. They were more lucky than great.

 

[MettleMcOiler]

If someone asked me who I considered in the last 30 years is the peak of what all Defencemen should strive too. It would be Lidstrom.

 

[Kranix]

I have a lot of respect for Shore, but the more I have dug into the details of his career the less reason I see to put him above Bourque or Lidstrom. IMO he gets a disproportionate amount of prestige from having been exciting and controversial, as opposed to necessarily being the best player on the ice.

Fair. I of course never saw Shore play, maybe he was just insane and dirty

 

[tarheelhockey]

maybe he was just insane and dirty

Yes and yes

He was a spectacular player to watch, very offensively talented and reckless to a level that would make Tom Wilson look disciplined. Shore by himself would double the entertainment value of a ticket. And his teams usually won. He was definitely a top-tier player, but I think the Hart trophies and the general mythology gives him a bit of a boost in the popular imagination. There were some weaknesses in his game and there were other players whose overall impact was about as good as his for much of his career.

IMO he is to defensemen what Bobby Clarke is to centers. Easily top-10, bordering on top-5. But once we get into that top-3 range he's just a tiny bit out of his league.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

If someone asked me who I considered in the last 30 years is the peak of what all Defencemen should strive too. It would be Lidstrom.

Nah, going back 30 years puts you in the middle of Bourque's prime. Bourque > Lidstrom fairly easily.

My top 3 is locked in Orr (big gap), Bourque, Potvin. Lidstrom comes in at 5/6 behind Shore and tied with Harvey

 

[bucks_oil]

Both Kurri and Lidstrom were carried to a hall of fame career by better players. They were more lucky than great.

Kurri scored 93 points playing with Mark Lamb as his center. Yes, the Mark Lamb.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Both Kurri and Lidstrom were carried to a hall of fame career by better players. They were more lucky than great.

Ok bud. Whatever you need to tell yourself.

 

[Hockey Outsider]

In his first two years without Gretzky, Kurri scored 195 points in 154 games (good for 9th in the league in scoring). And was pretty clearly the best two-way player of anyone in the top ten. He was also very strong in those two postseasons (I would argue he was around the 4th or 5th best player on the 1990 Cup-winning Oilers).

I doubt he approaches 70+ goals or 130+ points in a season without Gretzky, but Kurri probably would have spent his prime as a two-way force hovering around the top ten in scoring. Easily enough for a spot in the HOF.

 

[PatrikBerglund]

If anything, Lidstrom is one of the most consistently ranked players out there. Virtually everyone who thinks seriously about the question will have him in a tier of Bourque/Harvey/Lidstrom/Potvin/Shore which all sit below Orr. There’s plenty of disagreement about the exact order of that group, but Lidstrom is ranked 3rd overall much more often than any other ranking.

Now what if we asked people to name the 3rd best goalie ever? Or the 3rd best LW? Or the 3rd best coach? We’d get answers all over the map. I’m not even sure there would be consensus on the #3 center. So the relatively stable consensus around Lidstrom actually sticks out as a case where he’s probably being quite fairly rated.

Did you watch Shore play hockey?

 

[Eisen]

Depends on who rates him. He's top 5 in my books. You have Orr, of course, then Harvey and Bourque and then you can debate until you're blue in the face between Shore and Lidstrom. So at the very least top5.

 

[Three On Zero]

Who on earth would think that one of the greatest defenceman is overrated

 

[King 88]

Underrated here. 2nd best dmen in the world.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Did you watch Shore play hockey?

I’ve watched more of Eddie Shore than most hockey fans have watched of Owen Power.