Peter Forsberg was the most complete hockey player who ever lived.

[DannyGallivan]

Well, of at least this generation and Barring his battle with injuries.


Elite Passing
Elite Scoring Ability
Elite "gritty intangibles"
Elite forward oriented defensive ability
Elite Skating
Elite IQ

Finished Amazing ppg and in playoffs overall


Won Hart. Won Art Ross. Won 2 Gold medals. Won 2 stanley cups.

He has highlights like no other.


Imo Peter Forsberg > Evgeni Malkin



He does not get enough praise and credit.

I see that you changed it to his generation...I thought you never heard of Bobby Orr.
I agree that Forsberg was great, but I'd take a healthy Sakic and/or a healthy Lindros over him when all three were in their primes.

 

[MadLuke]

Have not read the hole thread but I feel it is easy to underrate Forsberg has a goal scorer because of how much of is prime was played in the dpe and our human terrible habit with round number.

He never scored more than 30 goals is true.

But 30-28-30-27-29 goal season, many missing over 7 games he was a 30 goal scorer in some of the lowest scoring era.

And more importantly:
NHL Playoffs All-Time Goals Leaders

Top 25 playoff goalscorers and a .424 goal by games come playoff time (35 goal season rate), that a bit above Crosby playoff scoring rate. Is career shooting percentage of 14.7% was excellent He was not Joe Sakic, but when he had a scoring chance he was near elite at scoring.

 

[Nick Hansen]

Have not read the hole thread but I feel it is easy to underrate Forsberg has a goal scorer because of how much of is prime was played in the dpe and our human terrible habit with round number.

He never scored more than 30 goals is true.

But 30-28-30-27-29 goal season, many missing over 7 games he was a 30 goal scorer in some of the lowest scoring era.

And more importantly:
NHL Playoffs All-Time Goals Leaders

Top 25 playoff goalscorers and a .424 goal by games come playoff time (35 goal season rate), that a bit above Crosby playoff scoring rate. Is career shooting percentage of 14.7% was excellent He was not Joe Sakic, but when he had a scoring chance he was near elite at scoring.

He had a very accurate shot that he didn't use enough. Playmaker syndrome, if you will.

 

[ChiTownPhilly]

Lots of interesting reading in a thread with a pretty unpromising title-header. I thought of this in a different manner not long ago. I pondered the concept of the "'But'-Free Résumé." The all-time greats who are inoculated from a "but" in their C.V. Some fantastic players have a "but" in their résumé: Orr, for starters ("but injury-shortened career"). Lidström ("but lack of physicality").

At this juncture in the narrative, let me say that "lack of physicality" is the most immaterial of "buts," to me. You could hang that knock on Gretzky. The vast majority of hockey fans will still prefer Gretzky to Gordie Howe.

Mark Messier ("but his Vancouver-stint, and his general reputation as a shed-denizen"). Bobby Hull ("but his migration over to The Soft Parade of the WHA at a time when he still had a lot in his tank"). Ray Bourque ("but lack of playoff success, until he was towed to one at the tail-end of his career"). Mario Lemieux ("but injuries- and illnesses").

Yeah- the obvious answer is the right one. Gordie Howe has the ultimate "'But'-Free Résumé." Doug Harvey's in hailing-distance for such consideration, too.

 

[ZEBROA]

Dont care , i just know i like Forsbergs style of play the most. Angry Forsberg was the best i ever seen. His eyes went black and then hell broke out.

The coach on the other team:
-Ok who was it that made Forsberg mad? No more icetime for you!

 

[MXD]

I like that you are including defensemen as candidates. But I think the answer has to be Gordie Howe, right?

Among players I've seen, I'd probably say Mark Messier. Scoring, passing, physical game. Pretty good defensively. Forsberg wasn't a good enough goal scorer and that's an important part of being "complete" IMO, and that's before getting into the injuries.

Lidstrom and Bourque aren't bad answers either, but they are both limited to the amount of goals they could score as defensemen.

And Forsberg was limited in the amount of goals he scored as a Center, so...

 

[BenchBrawl]

Excluding defensemen:

Beyond Gordie Howe, my candidate is Bryan Trottier.

HM to Messier.

Trottier was more physical and a better goalscorer than Forsberg, and just as good defensively if not better.He was arguably a better leader too.Not sure who was better at faceoffs.

 

[authentic]

I think Trottier was closest to Forsberg as a player in all aspects but Forsberg was a better skater, stickhandler, playmaker and overall offensive player. I would give Forsberg the edge overall and probably Messier too at his peak, but it's debatable.

 

[quoipourquoi]

I think for the class of players who one could say are way too emotionally invested in the outcome of a contest (and I’m sure most skew towards being complete players because they want to control everything), there’s a fine line between being the pouty subject of ridicule and the lethal wait-10-minutes-before-talking-to-him-in-the-locker-room kinda guy.

In terms of physicality, I’m surprised Forsberg didn’t start collecting scalps the way others do after what he did to Brendan Shanahan. Love a player that has the capacity for violence. It’s like when a primary playmaker has a great goal-scoring season; you knew they had it buried inside them, but the confirmation is great.

 

[authentic]

I think for the class of players who one could say are way too emotionally invested in the outcome of a contest (and I’m sure most skew towards being complete players because they want to control everything), there’s a fine line between being the pouty subject of ridicule and the lethal wait-10-minutes-before-talking-to-him-in-the-locker-room kinda guy.

In terms of physicality, I’m surprised Forsberg didn’t start collecting scalps the way others do after what he did to Brendan Shanahan. Love a player that has the capacity for violence. It’s like when a primary playmaker has a great goal-scoring season; you knew they had it buried inside them, but the confirmation is great.

Or in Forsberg's case, a great goal scoring playoff career. There was simply nothing he couldn't do at an elite level and I'm pretty sure he showed that often enough when the going got tough.

 

[The Panther]

This thread's title is a good example of the kind of title we don't usually lower ourselves to on this particular forum.

The period was quite ineffective.

 

[streitz]

Foresberg was good but I swear everytime someone posts one of his youtube compilations he gets a little better.


In 5 years he'll secure the #5 spot all time, in 10 he'll replace Howe. By 20 years I'm sure the mere mortals only known as 4,66,99 will be usurped for all time.

 

[BobbyAwe]

Fast?



Glad to see someone use the "F" word in reference to Gordie Howe. My fear is that the image of him is that of an older guy getting by on his elbows and his know-how. Whatever doubts I may have had about him as far as skating ability and speed were dispelled when I saw a classic game between the Leafs and Howe's Wings from the 1957-58 season. He was easily the best skater on the ice, for either team, and he seemed to always have the puck. You could not miss him when he was on the ice.

As for his defensive ability, his teammates vouch for him. He knew where to be and what to do when the puck was in Detroit's end. Apparently, dealing with him in that end was no more fun than dealing with him in the opposition's end.

Thanks for the head's up on that game, I believe I've found it? Good vid quality for a game that old also!

 

[Tarantula]

Thanks for the head's up on that game, I believe I've found it? Good vid quality for a game that old also!

Any link? I would love to see that games or any with Howe involved.
Youtube?

 

[tony d]

Forsberg was a good 1. Injuries really hurt him, had it not been for injuries he would have been more of an all time great.

 

[sr edler]

This thread's title is a good example of the kind of title we don't usually lower ourselves to on this particular forum.

I like it though, cause it’s funny. It also kinda implies there was/is (could have been/could be) a player more complete who didn’t live. Perhaps in another dimension/parallel universe unknown to us mere mortals. Klas-Börje Forsberg, Peter’s unborn phantom twin with a stronger calcium enriched foot structure.

Klas-Börje would have left everyone on this planet/dimension in the dust with a swooooshing sound.

 

[Johnny Engine]

I like it though, cause it’s funny. It also kinda implies there was/is (could have been/could be) a player more complete who didn’t live. Perhaps in another dimension/parallel universe unknown to us mere mortals. Klas-Börje Forsberg, Peter’s unborn phantom twin with a stronger calcium enriched foot structure.

Klas-Börje would have left everyone on this planet/dimension in the dust with a swooooshing sound.

The create-a-player function in EA Sports is a boundless wealth of these digital non-living beings. A Gordie Howe hat trick per period is always reachable with an X-Box and a little imagination.

 

[Marcus Lindgren]

Ok, so the question is, ”Was Forsberg the most complete player in the NHL”. The resounding anwer to that question is no.

BUT I would say that IF you compare player vs player in the only stat that matters and you assume NO injuries, then yes. Peter was the best ever and i would pick Peter in his prime (NO injuries) against Gretzky, Lemieux, Yzerman, Howe, Orr, Esposito etc etc because Peter would kill others to win and at their bests with stats, SATS, ppg and all that doesn’t matter. Peter would beat all of em thru sheer will. He played AND was the MVP of a game where his spleen was sliced, lost more than a liter of blood and was not that far from death but didn’t even reflect on it afterwards, he was just thrilled they won.

Someone that had that tenacity is for me the number one player of all time IF i had to choose 1 player for a play-off run... assuming championships is what we give a shit about and not stats.

Statswise, i’d go with Orr defense and Lemieux offense.

 

[Boxscore]

Orr most complete. Nobody dominated both ends of the ice like him. Plus he was tough. Orr had it all.

 

[streitz]

Foresberg's legend grows more and more.


He would have been a gold medalist in olympic diving aswell.

 

[quoipourquoi]

Foresberg's legend grows more and more.

Actually not a whole lot has changed since you misspelled his name in this same thread last October.

 

[JackSlater]

Orr most complete. Nobody dominated both ends of the ice like him. Plus he was tough. Orr had it all.

Orr doesn't have Forsberg's piercing eyes or steely gaze though.

 

[DannyGallivan]

Hyperbole, thy name is this thread.

 

[Marcus Lindgren]

Orr most complete. Nobody dominated both ends of the ice like him. Plus he was tough. Orr had it all.

Like i said in the post, Orr and Lemieux are hands down statistically the best players the hockey world has ever seen, but again...

How widespread was hockey during these days compared to Peters days. I’d say hockey was way more competative and more unforgiving during Peters days while counting training hours AND how people conducted themselves plus how ”bad” were allt of the players back in the day? We all know several players who wouldn’t have stood a chance of getting a spot on an NHL team in Peters era or today.

The chance to compare unfortunately falls apart in some regret to the fact that in the older eras you could get into a team just simply because you could knock people out

 

[DannyGallivan]

Orr most complete. Nobody dominated both ends of the ice like him. Plus he was tough. Orr had it all.

Agreed. There is only one answer to the question of the most complete hockey player of all time. It's Bobby Orr. And I usually scold people who use the phrase "and it isn't even close", but this is a time I think it's appropriate.