Players that should have Won the Conn Smythe?

[V-2 Schneider]

Lemaire in 1979.

Vernon in 1989.

Muller in 1993.

 

[Mad Habber]

Never liked the idea of a team that gets swept in the finals having the winner of the Conn Smythe. And that includes Reggie Leach even with the 19 goals. Crozier and whoever else. Not good enough for the trophy if you didn't even win 1 game in the finals.

 

[Big Phil]

Never liked the idea of a team that gets swept in the finals having the winner of the Conn Smythe. And that includes Reggie Leach even with the 19 goals. Crozier and whoever else. Not good enough for the trophy if you didn't even win 1 game in the finals.

Well Crozier's case is a little different. The Wings didnt get swept by the Habs, they made a good run and went into overtime in Game #6 before losing. Crozier was a 1st team all-star in '65 so by '66 his star was shining and Montreal didnt have a lights out performance by anyone that year. Worsley was good, Beliveau was good but that was it. Only J-C Tremblay is a guy that you would think deserved it over Crozier. I dont know why he didnt get it.

Hall got the Smythe in '68 despite being swept by the Habs. He played pretty good since the Blues had an expansion team in front of him. He kept every game in the finals close - by one goal - so that might have helped his cause. I would have picked Cournoyer for the Smythe though, so I'll agree on '68 for sure.

But as for Leach there isnt much of a debate. In '76 he was out of this world. Hard to believe that 19 goals in a playoff year has still yet to be touched despite Gretzky and Lemieux playing in their prime. Only Kurri has had 19 goals in a playoff year as well. '76 was a great time for Leach. He scored a goal in 12 straight games. He had a 5 goal game to eliminate Boston. He had 12 goals and 7 more points than the best Hab (Lafleur) and to tell you the truth '76 was another year where Montreal didnt have a clear cut player that stood out. Dryden was just his usual self and Shutt had 15 points. Not bad, but it's hard to vote against Leach considering everything even if the Flyers did get swept.

 

[Mad Habber]

Well Crozier's case is a little different. The Wings didnt get swept by the Habs, they made a good run and went into overtime in Game #6 before losing. Crozier was a 1st team all-star in '65 so by '66 his star was shining and Montreal didnt have a lights out performance by anyone that year. Worsley was good, Beliveau was good but that was it. Only J-C Tremblay is a guy that you would think deserved it over Crozier. I dont know why he didnt get it.

Hall got the Smythe in '68 despite being swept by the Habs. He played pretty good since the Blues had an expansion team in front of him. He kept every game in the finals close - by one goal - so that might have helped his cause. I would have picked Cournoyer for the Smythe though, so I'll agree on '68 for sure.

But as for Leach there isnt much of a debate. In '76 he was out of this world. Hard to believe that 19 goals in a playoff year has still yet to be touched despite Gretzky and Lemieux playing in their prime. Only Kurri has had 19 goals in a playoff year as well. '76 was a great time for Leach. He scored a goal in 12 straight games. He had a 5 goal game to eliminate Boston. He had 12 goals and 7 more points than the best Hab (Lafleur) and to tell you the truth '76 was another year where Montreal didnt have a clear cut player that stood out. Dryden was just his usual self and Shutt had 15 points. Not bad, but it's hard to vote against Leach considering everything even if the Flyers did get swept.

Sorry was thinking of Hall not Crozier. And the way the playoffs were setup, an expansion team was guaranteed a birth in the final.

No matter the Leach heroics, it just wasn't enough for his team to win 1 game. What he did against other teams only counts for 50% (at best) for his votes. Stats won it for him.

 

[daveskirtun]

No one mentioned Langenbrunner in '03?

 

[Psycho Papa Joe]

No matter the Leach heroics, it just wasn't enough for his team to win 1 game. What he did against other teams only counts for 50% (at best) for his votes. Stats won it for him.

Okay, so who on the Habs should have won it? Nobody's performance really sticks out. They just played incredibly well as a team that playoff. If I could give it to any Hab that season it would have been Savard, who played a terrific two-way game that playoff. The 2nd best candidate was probably Dryden and 3rd Lafluer. But keep in mind, Leach had more goals than Lafleur had points. That's how damn good he was that playoff.

 

[SCORE4]

Mike Vernon in '89

 

[Big Phil]

Sorry was thinking of Hall not Crozier. And the way the playoffs were setup, an expansion team was guaranteed a birth in the final.

No matter the Leach heroics, it just wasn't enough for his team to win 1 game. What he did against other teams only counts for 50% (at best) for his votes. Stats won it for him.

To be honest Leach scored a lot against the Habs too in the finals. He had 2 goals in Game #3 IIRC. It was just that no one on the Habs had an outstanding playoff. Lafleur was a no brainer in 1977 but in '76 he was a cut below Leach, everyone was

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Alfredsson in 2007.

 

[Dark Shadows]

No one mentioned Langenbrunner in '03?

Ill assume that is a joke. Even if a Devil had won the trophy, Niedermayer had a better claim than anyone, and Brodeur was a close second.

 

[Mad Habber]

Okay, so who on the Habs should have won it? Nobody's performance really sticks out. They just played incredibly well as a team that playoff. If I could give it to any Hab that season it would have been Savard, who played a terrific two-way game that playoff. The 2nd best candidate was probably Dryden and 3rd Lafluer. But keep in mind, Leach had more goals than Lafleur had points. That's how damn good he was that playoff.

That's my point. No one on the Habs had stats that jumped at you, so it was a team effort, while the Flyers had one really good player and the rest were a notch or two below. So if the stats didn't point to someone, then a look at overall play is what the NHL or is it journalists should have done. Savard is a good choice. My memory is good but not that good, I would have to look at the games that year over again.

 

[Mad Habber]

To be honest Leach scored a lot against the Habs too in the finals. He had 2 goals in Game #3 IIRC. It was just that no one on the Habs had an outstanding playoff. Lafleur was a no brainer in 1977 but in '76 he was a cut below Leach, everyone was

If the Flyers would have won 1 game. I wouldn't have a problem with it. It's just that they got swept, so no matter how good he was, to me, it's irrelevant. Not good enough.

 

[McRobbiezyg]

Ward single handedly won that series against edmonton.. that is why he received the conn smythe.

 

[Selanne08*]

Sammy PÃ¥hlsson

+1. Best playoff performance that year by far.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

Ward single handedly won that series against edmonton.. that is why he received the conn smythe.

Did we watch the same series? Ward made one great in Game 7 to clinch the Cup for Carolina, and one great save in Game 1 to prevent the game from going to OT. In between he was only average. Nobody from Carolina really stood out in those finals, but Brind'Amour was clearly the best Hurricane in the previous rounds of the playoffs if you ask me. His performance reminded me a lot of Stevens in 2000, who had the award sewn up by the time the finals started, as long as the Devils didn't blow the Cup.

 

[Canadiens Fan]

If the Flyers would have won 1 game. I wouldn't have a problem with it. It's just that they got swept, so no matter how good he was, to me, it's irrelevant. Not good enough.

Food for thought.

Ironically, and nobody seem's to remember this but back then Sport magazine also handed out it's own playoff MVP award with the recipient receiving a new car.

In 1976, Reggie Leach won the Conn Smythe, but Sport magazine named Larry Robinson as the playoffs MVP.

 

[Giotrapani91]

I'd say Mullen In 89, fedorov im 02, modano, and lehtinen in 1999 brodeur in 2000. As well as potvin in 81, byfuglien in 2010, Blake in 01 best d-man on that team. Beliveau in 69, selanne in 07, and stillman in 2006.

 

[The Panther]

It's interesting we have multiple posters saying Vernon didn't deserve the award in 1997, and multiple posters saying he DID deserve it (when he didn't win it) in 1989.

Vernon is sort of like Bernie Nicholls or Pierre Turgeon -- it's hard to get a read on how average / good / great he really was. I watched the guy play a LOT of hockey games (two or three times I watched him live at the Saddledome when I was a kid), and I still don't really know. I feel like blaming him for the early-90s' Flames' choke-jobs is unfair... but then again, he wasn't part of the solution either... except when he was.

Two remarkable things about Vernon: (i) he played for 4 NHL franchises, and had winning records with all 4 [how many goalies in history can say that, I wonder?]; (ii) he was the starter for two Stanley Cup winning franchises [also very rare, I'd guess, and puts him in some elite company].


I know it's not necessarily 'history' to talk about spring 2016, but do History-Board posters think Sid Crosby deserved his Conn Smythe last spring? I sort-of have a problem when a high-scoring forward doesn't score in the Finals and wins the Conn Smythe. It just seems wrong.

 

[Voight]

Keith in '13

 

[Cursed Lemon]

The fact that Fedorov doesn't have a Smythe bothers me.

 

[The Panther]

The fact that Fedorov doesn't have a Smythe bothers me.

I'm personally okay with it -- he's over-rated enough already. Can you imagine if he had a Conn Smythe... we'd never hear the end of it on this forum...

Just kidding. Well, which year do you think he should have won it? I don't think 2002 is in the running, so it's either '97 or '98. I can certainly see a case for 1997.

 

[Black Gold Extractor]

I know it's not necessarily 'history' to talk about spring 2016, but do History-Board posters think Sid Crosby deserved his Conn Smythe last spring? I sort-of have a problem when a high-scoring forward doesn't score in the Finals and wins the Conn Smythe. It just seems wrong.

It's kind of like Messier winning over Gretzky, I suppose. Gretzky/Kessel was the offensive leader while Messier/Crosby was the more well-rounded player without whom the Oilers/Penguins probably couldn't have won.

Of course, the weird thing is how badly the Sharks were lighting up their previous opponents while collapsing completely against the Penguins. Couture was definitely the best player in the 2016 playoffs and led scoring in the Finals as well, but the Sharks never looked like they were going to make it a series. I suppose there was an outside chance of Couture winning the Conn Smythe had the Sharks made it to Game 7 and only narrowly lost.

 

[Cursed Lemon]

I'm personally okay with it -- he's over-rated enough already. Can you imagine if he had a Conn Smythe... we'd never hear the end of it on this forum...

Just kidding. Well, which year do you think he should have won it? I don't think 2002 is in the running, so it's either '97 or '98. I can certainly see a case for 1997.

Vernon just does not deserve that Smythe over Feds, it's insane to think of what the reasoning is.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Thread dating back from 2008, but Doughty in the Kings' last cup is an obvious example.He got robbed.

 

[Preisst*]

I thought Dave Bolland should have won it in 09-10....he played an amazing all around game the entire playoffs.