Canadiens1958
Registered User
Informal look at offensive defensemen.Not a comparison or rankings thread. Concerned with basic skills and styles.
Rushing defenseman.Before the forward pass became unlimited, defensemen rushed the puck, end to end scoring attempts since a back pass would slow down and negate any open ice or odd man advantage.Not shooters.
Passing defensemen. Once forward passing became unlimited the ability to make a forward pass or generate deflections became a factor BUT a powerful point shot was not part of the game.
Looking at Eddie Shore's stats illustrates the distinction. Starting with the 1929-30 season when the forward pass became an integral part of the game, Eddie Shore's assist numbers regularly surpassed his goal totals,previously the opposite was true.
http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/s/shoreed01.html
Quarterback defensemen. The arrival of Bill Gadsby,Red Kelly, Doug Harvey during the 1946-48 window followed by defensemen like Tim Horton, Pierre Pilote started a trend towards defensemen who would take some of the responsibilities away from the center on offense. Controlling the flow of the game, setting - up the power play from the point, much greater use of the outlet or breakaway pass after the red line was introduced. Paved the way for Bobby Orr
whose skills and style fully integrated and perfected all the offensive skills into the defenseman position.
All purpose defenseman. Defined by Bobby Orr, the tradition followed well into the 1990's thru Raymond Bourque via Brad Park, Denis Potvin, Larry Robinson, pre injury Serge Savard, Paul Coffey and others who generated offense.
The support defenseman. Present day defensemen who have superior skills BUT who support the offensive side of the game. Unlike the Orr thru Bourque style where offensive strategies were generated by certain defenseman, today's game requires that the defenseman simply support the offense even though they may be able to offer much more.
Rushing defenseman.Before the forward pass became unlimited, defensemen rushed the puck, end to end scoring attempts since a back pass would slow down and negate any open ice or odd man advantage.Not shooters.
Passing defensemen. Once forward passing became unlimited the ability to make a forward pass or generate deflections became a factor BUT a powerful point shot was not part of the game.
Looking at Eddie Shore's stats illustrates the distinction. Starting with the 1929-30 season when the forward pass became an integral part of the game, Eddie Shore's assist numbers regularly surpassed his goal totals,previously the opposite was true.
http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/s/shoreed01.html
Quarterback defensemen. The arrival of Bill Gadsby,Red Kelly, Doug Harvey during the 1946-48 window followed by defensemen like Tim Horton, Pierre Pilote started a trend towards defensemen who would take some of the responsibilities away from the center on offense. Controlling the flow of the game, setting - up the power play from the point, much greater use of the outlet or breakaway pass after the red line was introduced. Paved the way for Bobby Orr
whose skills and style fully integrated and perfected all the offensive skills into the defenseman position.
All purpose defenseman. Defined by Bobby Orr, the tradition followed well into the 1990's thru Raymond Bourque via Brad Park, Denis Potvin, Larry Robinson, pre injury Serge Savard, Paul Coffey and others who generated offense.
The support defenseman. Present day defensemen who have superior skills BUT who support the offensive side of the game. Unlike the Orr thru Bourque style where offensive strategies were generated by certain defenseman, today's game requires that the defenseman simply support the offense even though they may be able to offer much more.