Is Steve Yzerman a top 10 forward of all time?

[slapKing]

As the title says.

Has Yzerman done enough in his career to be considered a top 10 forward ever.

Summary of Yzerman's accolades:
692 Goals
1063 Assists
1755 Points
1 Ted Lindsay
1 Selke
1 Conn Smythe
185 Playoff Points
3 Cups, 1 Olympic Gold Medal

Click to read more...

 

[um]

Not very many individual awards and only made one all star team... obviously he's a superstar but if we're talking top 10 talent.

 

[GlitchMarner]

He's behind Gretzky, Lemieux, Howe, Bobby Hull, Maurice Richard, Crosby, Jagr, Ovechkin, Lafleur, Mikita, Morenz, Messier. Those are 12 names right there.

I'd say he's in the same tier as Sakic/Trottier/Clarke. Not quite top ten but in the conversation for top 20 or 25.

 

[authentic]

Short answer: No

Long answer: Not even close

 

[GlitchMarner]

Short answer: No

Long answer: Not even close

He probably isn't too far off from a guy like Messier TBH and Mess would be considered a top ten forward by a good number of hockey people.

 

[authentic]

He probably isn't too far off from a guy like Messier TBH and Mess would be considered a top ten forward by a good number of hockey people.

You're right. I first read this as top 10 player, but just forwards you could argue he's close.

 

[amnesiac]

no, not close

Gretz
Mario
Howe
Crosby
Ovie
Hull
Beliveau
Richard
Morenz
Jagr

Mikita
Esposito
Lafleur
Messier
Clarke
Sakic
Yzerman
Trottier
Nighbor

 

[TheMule93]

no, not close

Gretz
Mario
Howe
Crosby
Ovie
Hull
Beliveau
Richard
Morenz
Jagr

Mikita
Esposito
Lafleur
Messier
Clarke
Sakic
Yzerman
Trottier
Nighbor

out of the thousands of forwards in NHL history, being 17th seems pretty close to top 10

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

Voted no, but he’s pretty close imo. He’s 16th in all-time points per game and I would definitely rank him ahead of some of the people above him. The fact that he was really good defensively and experienced so much Post-season success boosts him up.

 

[amnesiac]

out of the thousands of forwards in NHL history, being 17th seems pretty close to top 10

Relative to every forward that ever played, yes.

Relative to the top 20 forwards off all-time, no.... I shouldve just said closer to #20 than #10

 

[Steven Toast]

Not top 10, but close. Forwards that are comfortably ahead of him in my mins are:

Gretzky
Lemieux
Howe
Bo. Hull
Richard
Jagr
Crosby
Messier
Ovechkin
Bossy
Esposito
Dionne
Hawerchuk

Stevie Y is boderline top 15 ish

 

[Ace Card Bedard]

Top 20 for sure.
Amazing player.

 

[amnesiac]

Not top 10, but close. Forwards that are comfortably ahead of him in my mins are:

Gretzky
Lemieux
Howe
Bo. Hull
Richard
Jagr
Crosby
Messier
Ovechkin
Bossy
Esposito
Dionne
Hawerchuk

Stevie Y is boderline top 15 ish

Hawerchuk above these guys?

Beliveau
Mikita
Lafleur
Clarke
Sakic
Malkin
Trottier
Forsberg

 

[Steven Toast]

Hawerchuk above these guys?

Beliveau
Mikita
Lafleur
Clarke
Sakic
Malkin
Forsberg

My list wasn't exhasutive. I would rank Lafleur and Clarke ahead. Beliveau and Mikita equal. I would consider Hawerchuk ahead of Sakic, Malkin, and Forsberg.

Doesn't change the larger point, Yzerman is top 15ish.

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

Not top 10, but close. Forwards that are comfortably ahead of him in my mins are:

Gretzky
Lemieux
Howe
Bo. Hull
Richard
Jagr
Crosby
Messier
Ovechkin
Bossy
Esposito
Dionne
Hawerchuk

Stevie Y is boderline top 15 ish

I’d have Yzerman above Hawerchuk, Ovechkin, and Jagr.

I know Jagr, put up a ton of points, but he had a really long career. He also wasn’t the best teammate/leader throughout his career. Nor did he possess the defensive acumen of Yzerman.

 

[Midnight Judges]

Yikes. There is zero case for Yzerman over Ovechkin.

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

Yikes. There is zero case for Yzerman over Ovechkin.

I put more weight on an how a player contributes to team success than most. I also don’t put as much stock in awards, but I know I’m an outlier in that, so I totally understand that others feel differently.

 

[newfy]

He's behind Gretzky, Lemieux, Howe, Bobby Hull, Maurice Richard, Crosby, Jagr, Ovechkin, Lafleur, Mikita, Morenz, Messier. Those are 12 names right there.

I'd say he's in the same tier as Sakic/Trottier/Clarke. Not quite top ten but in the conversation for top 20 or 25.

Yeah hes definitely not top ten but I agree with the tier you would have him in. Thats closer to 15 though than 25. Splitting hairs but hes not outside of the top 20 forwards

I’d have Yzerman above Hawerchuk, Ovechkin, and Jagr.

I know Jagr, put up a ton of points, but he had a really long career. He also wasn’t the best teammate/leader throughout his career. Nor did he possess the defensive acumen of Yzerman.

Cant put him above Ovechkin at this point. Jagr has so many individual awards that hes behind him too and I might be the biggest Yzerman fan on the website. Yzerman might be the "greater" hockey player but hes not better if that makes sense. Yzerman doesnt have the bad teammate/coach killer rep for years like Jagr did.

I also think if Yzerman played his prime in the late 90s when competition was a lot weaker that he would've taken some of those awards from Jagr. Peak offensive Yzerman had a 6 year run of Crosby like domination over everyone not named Gretzky or Lemieux. He might not have won the art ross every year but he would essentially be the favourite every year and be close to it, others having career years and things like that could have stopped him from winning though, similar to Crosby.

 

[Midnight Judges]

I put more weight on an how a player contributes to team success than most. I also don’t put as much stock in awards, but I know I’m an outlier in that, so I totally understand that others feel differently.

Yzerman had 5-7 other hall of famers on his team (not counting old Fetisov or old Larionov) any time he had team success. Crediting him for that is arbitary.

Does Ovechkin have any? Backstrom is like a fringe HoF'er.

 

[bobholly39]

Yzerman had 5-7 other hall of famers on his team (not counting old Fetisov or old Larionov) any time he had team success. Crediting him for that is arbitary.

Does Ovechkin have any? Backstrom is like a fringe HoF'er.

He has Kovalchuk.

 

[bobholly39]

My list wasn't exhasutive. I would rank Lafleur and Clarke ahead. Beliveau and Mikita equal. I would consider Hawerchuk ahead of Sakic, Malkin, and Forsberg.

Doesn't change the larger point, Yzerman is top 15ish.

Hawerchuk is equal to Beliveau and better than Sakic. Nice.

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

Yzerman had 5-7 other hall of famers on his team (not counting old Fetisov or old Larionov) any time he had team success. Crediting him for that is arbitary.

Does Ovechkin have any? Backstrom is like a fringe HoF'er.

Yzerman’s teams were way better obviously, but they probably don’t win those cups without him.

 

[joe dirte]

No, not close. Just off the top of my head.....

Gretz
Mario
Howe
Jagr
Sid
Ovechkin
Bossy
Messier
Malkin
Lafleur
Rocket Richard

All of these guys are comfortably ahead and that goes without getting into many of the real old time legends.

I could go on. I doubt he's top 20. But around there would be my guess.

 

[KoozNetsOff 92]

Yzerman is great but not even close to the top 10. These guys are 100% ahead of Yzerman (in no particular order)

Gretzky
Howe
Lemieux
Bobby Hull
Beliveau
Ovechkin
Crosby
Jagr
Richard
Mikita
Lafleur
Messier
Esposito
Clarke

Then you have the Sakic/Trottier/Bossy types who can all be argued over him. Closer to 20th than 10th.

 

[joe dirte]

I’d have Yzerman above Hawerchuk, Ovechkin, and Jagr.

I know Jagr, put up a ton of points, but he had a really long career. He also wasn’t the best teammate/leader throughout his career. Nor did he possess the defensive acumen of Yzerman.

No.