Players whose reputations were (at some point) inflated by media (or NHLPA) narrative

[Fixxer]

Ken Dryden, ok, I missed out on the 71 playoffs, and the first year I watched NHL, was 73/74 when he retired for one year. All I heard about was Dryden, especially when he returned. Was never convinced he was as great as rated, especially after the year off. I suspect he would have looked much more ordinary in front of a another team that wasn't as talented and strong defensively in front as the Habs were during their late 70's run. I don't dispute that he was good, especially for the standards in the 70's, but I still don't consider him in any regard close to how so many seem to.

Maybe just me....................................

Proved he could be a liability against the soviets. Sure, not seeing good from afar and the Russian style of play had an impact. Still got the job done in time with the Habs. Would you say it is kind of a Grant Fuhr situation? Great goalie but a greater team in front of him. Dryden laying against his stick while Savard had the puck behind the net while being chased.. you have to play for a great team to feel so relaxed. lol

 

[Tarantula]

Sure, not seeing good from afar

I could be confused, but it was Espo #35 that had vision issues from a distance.

 

[GMR]

NBCSN named Toews the second greatest captain ever. He was also named to the all-time top 100, over Malkin. The fact that his offensive peak is worse than just about any great center in NHL history is swept under the rug by these pundits.

 

[GMR]

How about Brodeur?

One of the best ever, but I cringe when people place him ahead of either Hasek or Roy. His longevity and records are impressive, but he was never as important or as dominant to his team as either Roy or Hasek.

 

[Fixxer]

I could be confused, but it was Espo #35 that had vision issues from a distance.

I didn't know about Esposito but I believe I heard it about Dryden. Dryden had myopia... but I could be wrong. All I know is that he wears glasses but how was his vision or if he had any aid to see better as a goalie, I got no clue. I don't know about contact lenses in the 70s....

 

[Fixxer]

The thing about Québec is that the NHL never intended to put a hockey team there (IMO). What I means is that it was the WHA that folded and the NHL brought this team along with Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary I believe... and possibly a few more. Geoff Molson is happy that the Québec province is all Habs (well, kinda) and the Nords are something of the past.

 

[DannyGallivan]

The thing about Québec is that the NHL never intended to put a hockey team there (IMO). What I means is that it was the WHA that folded and the NHL brought this team along with Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary I believe... and possibly a few more. Geoff Molson is happy that the Québec province is all Habs (well, kinda) and the Nords are something of the past.

Perhaps... although I originally posted this in the wrong thread (meant to put it in the Unpopular Opinion thread) so I moved it. Thanks for commenting anyways!

 

[Florbalista]

I think in the summer of 1997 there was this sense that there would be a new best player in the NHL that would stand out now that Mario was gone. Lindros was always the most popular choice and the most obvious one I thought. I think Jagr was never out of that mix either and Kariya was the other name that popped up. Look, he had an excellent 1997 season. Finished 2nd in Hart voting and at the time was considered by many to be more dynamic than his other famous linemate at the time. I know I thought the same thing too, I felt that 1997-'98 was going to be the year that showed Kariya was the best player in the NHL.

Then he held out like a wuss, came back, got hurt by Suter and while he still had a good year in 1999 and other ones on a lesser level he was never the same explosive talent.

Jagr took this mantle and held onto it for a few years.

He did have a great year in 96/97, and I never questioned his Hart votes. He deserved that. I can't recall the exact numbers, but he missed more than ten games and Ducks lost like 9 of those or something. I just thought he was a fitting one for this thread, albeit briefly and not to a huge extent.

As for me, I was only half-sold on him. He was tiny. I know he got bigger in 95, but I didn't think he was skilled enough to dominate on talent alone, especially during that era.

 

[JackSlater]

Kariya was overhyped for a while, but I do think that he could have justified it had he had better fortune with his health. He almost certainly wouldn't have been better than Jagr, but it isn't hard to imagine a Kariya where everything goes right for him winning Art Ross and Hart trophies at the very least in the early 2000s. Same for Lindros really. Or Forsberg, though he basically lived up to his hype.

 

[Florbalista]

Kariya was overhyped for a while, but I do think that he could have justified it had he had better fortune with his health. He almost certainly wouldn't have been better than Jagr, but it isn't hard to imagine a Kariya where everything goes right for him winning Art Ross and Hart trophies at the very least in the early 2000s. Same for Lindros really. Or Forsberg, though he basically lived up to his hype.

By the early 00s, he was without elite teammates, and the league was at its peak in terms of clutching and grabbing.

Both Lindros and Forsberg seem more plausible retro-winners, if healthy. But yeah, Paul would have been better without the Suter-induced snooze.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

peak kariya was actually kind of just confusing. you watched him and he's this darty guy with an elite shot and decent playmaking from the wing.

but you heard people talk about him and they were comparing him to gretzky. it made no sense, stylistically he just wasn't the kind of player they said he was. i have no idea why they kept pushing the kariya is a great playmaker narrative.

could he have won an art ross? i don't see why he couldn't have been a contender for the years that markus naslund was if he'd never had that suter concussion. historically definitely could have remembered kariya very differently if he'd lucked out and was the healthy superstar during that '02 to '04 lull.

the thing i actually remember most about him was the '93 WJC. we were all watching to see what daigle, pronger, gratton, and scott niedermayer's brother would do but i was like, who is this paul korea guy? when he's on the ice he always has the puck.

 

[Big Phil]

He did have a great year in 96/97, and I never questioned his Hart votes. He deserved that. I can't recall the exact numbers, but he missed more than ten games and Ducks lost like 9 of those or something. I just thought he was a fitting one for this thread, albeit briefly and not to a huge extent.

As for me, I was only half-sold on him. He was tiny. I know he got bigger in 95, but I didn't think he was skilled enough to dominate on talent alone, especially during that era.

He had explosive speed and that deadly wrist shot, rivalling Sakic. Watch the goal he scored in overtime in Game 6 of the 1997 series vs. Phoenix. He just freezes Khabibulin.

I think even without the injurie we are still talking about Jagr as the best during that era either way.

 

[Florbalista]

but you heard people talk about him and they were comparing him to gretzky. it made no sense, stylistically he just wasn't the kind of player they said he was

Yeah, I remember that. Even Gretzky compared him to Gretzky.

He had explosive speed and that deadly wrist shot, rivalling Sakic.

I know. Not only was he quick though, he was also pretty agile.

 

[Michael Farkas]

How about Brodeur?

One of the best ever, but I cringe when people place him ahead of either Hasek or Roy. His longevity and records are impressive, but he was never as important or as dominant to his team as either Roy or Hasek.

I don't subscribe to this personally. I find Brodeur to be under-appreciated, actually.

 

[JackSlater]

Yeah, I remember that. Even Gretzky compared him to Gretzky.

I think that Gretzky compared me to Gretzky before. He said that the way I saw the ice reminded me of the way he did it. To be fair though, I was up in the stands.

 

[Theokritos]

I think that Gretzky compared me to Gretzky before. He said that the way I saw the ice reminded me of the way he did it. To be fair though, I was up in the stands.

So for once Gretzky wasn't using hyperbole when describing someone.

 

[billybudd]

An overcooked media narrative?

The dominance of Eric Lindros.

Lindros was never top 5 in goals and his only top 5 in assists and points was in a lockout-shortened season.

The HHOF induction committee rightfully passed on him six times before compounding career hype about the leader of the so-called Legion of Doom, the "complete player" who couldn't even rush the puck without his eyes on the puck, head down, like some juniors bully oblivious to all in his china shop.

His reputation should have been MUCH different than it kept getting spun.

His dominance was a whisper and a prayer.

I'll second that. Running up to his HHoF vote, he was portrayed as something he never was seen as during his playing days. People hoped he'd become this, but he never quite did.

 

[yukoner88]

As they say, Lindros lived by the sword and died by the sword. At least he tried to make things ok with the Francophone media.
View attachment 253685

I do remember lindros in an interview saying it was more about the owner than the city

 

[Fixxer]

I do remember lindros in an interview saying it was more about the owner than the city

By a mile, yes! The guy also tried to hit on Lindros's mom, which made things go sour quick. Got thrown out of Women hockey because of harrassment or so. Aubut was great for hockey and as a businesmen.. but oh men does he have a bad rep outside of that!!

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

could it just have been a crazy crazy coincidence all along that lindros refused to play for SSM because he wanted to stay home (by itself, a reasonable request), refused to play for quebec because they were about to move the team and the owner apparently hit on his mom (by itself, reasonable), and refused to play for philly because the team's doctors' negligence and/or orders from above nearly killed him (reasonable)?

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

In regards to Niedermayer and the 2007 Conn Smythe:

Pronger got suspended twice, Giguere’s stats were not what they were in 2003, nobody scored more than 17 points

Should've just given it to Alfie!

 

[Smirnov2Chistov]

I always found it odd that Mike Komisarek was so hyped as a top tier defenseman, only to have him fall out of the league years later - he even garnered an all-star appearance!

I guess going back even further, I never understood the hype about Russian players during the Cold-War era. Take for example, Vlad Krutov, a powerful dynamo playing in Russia never lit the league on fire when he played for Vancouver in '89.

 

[Nick Hansen]

I guess going back even further, I never understood the hype about Russian players during the Cold-War era. Take for example, Vlad Krutov, a powerful dynamo playing in Russia never lit the league on fire when he played for Vancouver in '89.

Krutov was at the backend of his career by then and had terrible problems of adjusting to life in NA and probably was battling with an alcohol addiction as well (not sure when it started for him).

 

[The Panther]

Vlad Krutov, a powerful dynamo playing in Russia never lit the league on fire when he played for Vancouver in '89.

Canadians, as you may know, consume far more donuts per capita than any other people on earth. Krutov decided to celebrate this aspect of Canadian life.

 

[seventieslord]

peak kariya was actually kind of just confusing. you watched him and he's this darty guy with an elite shot and decent playmaking from the wing.

but you heard people talk about him and they were comparing him to gretzky. it made no sense, stylistically he just wasn't the kind of player they said he was. i have no idea why they kept pushing the kariya is a great playmaker narrative.

could he have won an art ross? i don't see why he couldn't have been a contender for the years that markus naslund was if he'd never had that suter concussion. historically definitely could have remembered kariya very differently if he'd lucked out and was the healthy superstar during that '02 to '04 lull.

the thing i actually remember most about him was the '93 WJC. we were all watching to see what daigle, pronger, gratton, and scott niedermayer's brother would do but i was like, who is this paul korea guy? when he's on the ice he always has the puck.

I, too, remember the novelty of, "oh, Canada has a guy called Korea!"