So who *are* the NHL's generational players?

[Sweetpotato]

As an Oil fan, as of right now, McDavid/Crosby/Ovechkin.

Draisaitl and Matthews are not generational players as of yet.

If Drais keeps up his pace and passes Selanne and becomes the 2nd highest scoring euro ever? sure.

If Matthews strings together a bunch of 50-60 goal seasons and gets like top 3 in career goals? sure

But right now they aren't.

 

[TOGuy14]

Generational means once in a generation. There is no way Matthews is a generational player. He might be a franchise player, but no way is he generational.

McDavid is generational. Crosby is generational. Malkin is generational. Ovechkin is generational.

Amusing how many people put Ovechkin firmly into generational but fully dismiss Matthews.

It is a bit early to tell where exactly Matthews sits on the full spectrum, but he is definitively the best goal scorer in the league at this point and taken over the throne from Ovi

Over the past five seasons Matthews is second to Ovechkin in goals and has a 20G lead over third place which is McDavid, he is also clearly in the lead as top EV goal scorer

 

[Golden_Jet]

Amusing how many people put Ovechkin firmly into generational but fully dismiss Matthews.

It is a bit early to tell where exactly Matthews sits on the full spectrum, but he is definitively the best goal scorer in the league at this point and taken over the throne from Ovi

Over the past five seasons Matthews is second to Ovechkin in goals and has a 20G lead over third place which is McDavid, he is also clearly in the lead as top EV goal scorer

Franchise level player, OV is over 500 goals ahead, maybe he gets there someday, but not today.

 

[OppositeLocK]

Amusing how many people put Ovechkin firmly into generational but fully dismiss Matthews.

It is a bit early to tell where exactly Matthews sits on the full spectrum, but he is definitively the best goal scorer in the league at this point and taken over the throne from Ovi

Over the past five seasons Matthews is second to Ovechkin in goals and has a 20G lead over third place which is McDavid, he is also clearly in the lead as top EV goal scorer

Yeah, he's so good he had 1 goal in 7 playoff games this year

How has he taken over the throne from OV when even if he continued his goal scoring pace at the current rate, he would still have less goals than OV?

Ovechkin: 730 in 1,197 games (0.6098 G/GP)

Matthews: 199 in 334 games (0.5958 G/GP)

Matthews would have to score at a pace of 0.638 G/GP for the next 863 games to be where Ovechkin is today. Do you really think Matthews is going to play all 82 games in the next 11 seasons and score a minimum of 52 goals in every single one?

The same BS was brought up with Laine.

I remember back in 2005-06 when Cheechoo was the best goal scorer in the league.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Amusing how many people put Ovechkin firmly into generational but fully dismiss Matthews.

It is a bit early to tell where exactly Matthews sits on the full spectrum, but he is definitively the best goal scorer in the league at this point and taken over the throne from Ovi

Over the past five seasons Matthews is second to Ovechkin in goals and has a 20G lead over third place which is McDavid, he is also clearly in the lead as top EV goal scorer

Is he the next Ovechkin or the next Stamkos?

 

[MadLuke]

If you never use it and prove it then who cares if you "had" it. Unrealized potential accomplishes nothing and means even less.

That a complete different conversation too, but yes I am not sure why we care at all or why this thread exist, I will not be the one saying that anything about any of this should be something anyone care, it is just for fun a pure waste of time.

 

[Randyne]

Amusing how many people put Ovechkin firmly into generational but fully dismiss Matthews.
It is a bit early to tell where exactly Matthews sits on the full spectrum, but he is definitively the best goal scorer in the league at this point and taken over the throne from Ovi

Here is Ovechkin's first 5 seasons for comparison:

Matthews is way out of pace.

 

[Oneiro]

You have to literally be eleven years old to think that Matthews is even close to a prime Ovechkin.

 

[ck26]

What the hell is the "Lost Generation?" Where did they go?

Howie Morenz was the first great superstar, not a historically overrated goalie.

 

[iamjs]

Are you suggesting that Wayne Gretzky would have died in a car crash at 18, that Wayne Gretzky didn't had a level of talent that occur very rarely, once in a generation or less type of frequency ? And that we would just have never known for sure ?

 

[SkinsFan09]

Amusing how many people put Ovechkin firmly into generational but fully dismiss Matthews.

Could it be the three MVPs and three Pearsons perhaps? Just a thought.

One guy had a great season but didn't even lead his team in points, the other guy led his team by 49 points as a rookie. See the clear and obvious difference?

 

[plattnacken]

Orr
Gretzky
Lemieux

That's it.

 

[SkinsFan09]

H

Orr
Gretzky
Lemieux

That's it.

Howe?

 

[The Marquis]

Here is Ovechkin's first 5 seasons for comparison:

Matthews is way out of pace.

Ovechkin also has another CUP not even on that graphic. The most important one.

This is a GREAT graphic by the way.

 

[amnesiac]

Morenz
Shore
Nighbor

Howe
Richard
Beliveau
Harvey
Plante
Sawchuk

Mikita
Hull
Orr
Lafleur

Gretzky
Bourque
Lemieux
Roy

Jagr
Hasek
Lidstrom

Ovechkin
Crosby
McDavid

 

[gritdash60]

Morenz
Shore
Nighbor

Howe
Richard
Beliveau
Harvey
Plante
Sawchuk

Mikita
Hull
Orr
Lafleur

Gretzky
Bourque
Lemieux
Roy

Jagr
Hasek
Lidstrom

Ovechkin
Crosby
McDavid

This is a great list which i have no arguments against. Possibly could add someone but not sure who, all in all a very good list.

Edit: it's missing Selänne at least.

Or how about some all time greats from the Soviet teams, few of them need to be on this list. And this is coming from a dude who really don't like the current situation with russians.

 

[amnesiac]

This is a great list which i have no arguments against. Possibly could add someone but not sure who, all in all a very good list.

Edit: it's missing Selänne at least.

I basically listed the top 20 or so players of all-time.... maybe missing Esposito and Potvin

Selanne is around 70th?

 

[gritdash60]

I basically listed the top 20 or so players of all-time.... maybe missing Esposito and Potvin

Selanne is around 70th?

So 76 goals as a rookie, 1457 points career doesn't count as a "Generational"? i can think of 5 players i would put him over on your list, no offence. Also Tretjak, Kharlamov, maybe some others like Larionov or Fetisov need to be on that list.

 

[Connor McConnor]

Help me out because I don't know my hockey history that well.

Lost Generation (1885 - 1910)

• Georges Vezina

Greatest Generation (1911 - 1924)

• Maurice Richard

Silent Generation (1925 - 1945)

• Gordie Howe

Baby Boomers (1946 - 1962)

• Mike Bossy
• Ken Dryden
• Wayne Gretzky
• Bobby Orr
• Denis Potvin

Gen X (1963 - 1979)

• Dominik Hasek
• Jaromir Jagr
• Mario Lemieux
• Nik Lidstrom
• Eric Lindros

Millennials (1980 - 1996)

• Sidney Crosby
• Patrik Kane
• Evgeni Malkin
• Alex Ovechkin

Zoomers (1997 - 2012)

• Connor McDavid
• Auston Matthews
• Connor Bedard

Gen α (2013 - Present)

Your list is generous at best. It’s also inconsistent. You’re assuming a prospect can be generational even though a ton of guys on your list were not considered generational as a prospect?

Bedard shouldn’t be on this list and neither should quite a few others, Malkin, Kane and AM the most obvious.

 

[gritdash60]

Your list is generous at best. It’s also inconsistent. You’re assuming a prospect can be generational even though a ton of guys on your list were not considered generational as a prospect?

Bedard shouldn’t be on this list and neither should quite a few others (Malkin, Kane and AM the most obvious)

Oh Bedard was on this list thats f***ing HILARIOUS, this dude hasn't played a game in the NHL. And this dude is saying Selänne who scored 76 goals in his rookie season doesn't get in, ok i've changed my mind it's a bullshit list LOL

 

[amnesiac]

So 76 goals as a rookie, 1457 points career doesn't count as a "Generational"? i can think of 5 players i would put him over on your list, no offence. Also Tretjak, Kharlamov, maybe some others like Larionov or Fetisov need to be on that list.

Great career, no doubt, but hes far from being a top 30 or 40 player of all-time. He didnt didnt "dominate" the league. Him and Kariya may have for a few years, but he didnt do it on his own like those I listed.... I mean, other than a few rockets, he wasnt a consistent Hart or Art Ross candidate, and only had 88P in 130 career playoff games.

Messier, Sakic, Yzerman, Malkin, Kane, Forsberg are all well above him.... hes closer to a Federov, Brett Hull, or Kurri, which isnt a bad thing.

 

[gritdash60]

Great career, no doubt, but hes far from being a top 30 or 40 player of all-time. He didnt didnt "dominate" the league. Him and Kariya may have for a few years, but he didnt do it on his own liek those I listed.... I mean, other than a few rockets, he wasnt a consistent Hart or Art Ross candidate, and only had 88P in 130 career playoff games.

Messier, Sakic, Yzerman, Malkin, Kane, Forsberg are all well above him.... hes closer to a Federov, Brett Hull, or Kurri, which isnt a bad thing.

1457 points,

 

[amnesiac]

1457 points,

yes playing almost 20 seasons and being consistent get you a lot of points

Ron Francis 1798
Joe THornton 1539
Mark Recchi 1533
Dave Andreychuk 1338

Oates, Gilmour, Robitaille, Modano, Shanahan etc etc

you think theyre generational too?

 

[gritdash60]

yes playing almost 20 seasons and being consistent get you a lot of points

Ron Francis 1798
Joe THornton 1539
Mark Recchi 1533
Dave Andreychuk 1338

you think theyre generational too?

Which one of those scored 70+ goals in their rookie season?

 

[amnesiac]

Which one of those scored 70+ goals in their rookie season?

so a great rookie season makes you generational? in the highest scoring year of all-time too

Bernie Nicholls had a 70 goal season

Selanne, was a Hart finalist ONCE in his career. ONCE.

How can you be generational? Hull and Federov actually won the Hart and theyre not generational at all.