Star players that you never liked

[Nick Hansen]

It could either be their personality or the way they played. Or *gasp* a combination of both.

One guy I always found distinctly unlikeable was Dany Heatley. Don't know what it was, he just came off as entitled in a jock type of way.

Who do you think about?

Click to read more...

 

[VanIslander]

Tkachuk.
Yashin.
Heatley.
Roenick.
Kovalchuk.
Perry.
Spezza.

And Gary Suter. I respected his talent/effectiveness but loathed his violence. I actually have believed both that he should be inducted and indicted. Like Sprague Cleghorn was.

 

[Nick Hansen]

Tkachuk.
Yashin.
Heatley.
Roenick.
Kovalchuk.
Perry.
Spezza.

And Gary Suter. I respected his talent/effectiveness but loathed his violence. I actually have believed both that he should be inducted and indicted. Like Sprague Cleghorn was.

Spezza has to be related to his on-ice play I presume?

 

[Howie Hodge]

Bobby Clarke. Dirty biotch who had others answer for his antics.

But probably, like most, would have loved him were he on my team.

 

[Normand Lacombe]

Ed Belfour. No doubt a great goaltender. His personality always rubbed me the wrong way though.

 

[VanIslander]

Spezza was BOOED resoundedly by the barn faithful in Windsor when he was a junior (I was in uni, attended Spitfire games for $7 a night).

The guy lollygags, neglects backchecking, coasts, overreacts to getting checked. Ugh.

Steve Ott, on the other hand, gave 100% effort and we knew he'd be a solid NHL Bottom-6 role player. When he had the chance to captain the Sabres and play a top-6 role, he scored a team-high three game winners, playing playoff calibre intensity in third periods, top 3 in even strength assists for the Sabres, as a center whereas his best years offensively had been as a left winger in a Bottom-6 role in Dallas. I think Ott as a 4th line winger is almost ideal.

Spezza doesn't belong on any great NHL team. He is a skilled-enough to get an NHL job but lacking traits to become a winner, or valuable member of any contending top 6, and no way is he gonna stay in the NHL in a Bottom-6 role. Hence, he plays in Ottawa and Dallas.

 

[tony d]

Dominik Hasek. One of the best goalies ever but still a bit to smug for me.

 

[DannyGallivan]

It could either be their personality or the way they played. Or *gasp* a combination of both.

One guy I always found distinctly unlikeable was Dany Heatley. Don't know what it was, he just came off as entitled in a jock type of way.

Who do you think about?

So many
Patrick Roy
Kovalev
Glenn Anderson
Ovechkin
Forsberg
Mike Ribeiro (although he was hardly a star)

 

[NHL WAR]

Brad Marchand

 

[Khomutov]

Crosby, though he is a great player

 

[sr edler]

Too many to list.

 

[gary69]

Scott Stevens and Bobby Clarke, disgraceful behaviour towards fellow pros, their acts were more common amongst and suitable for lower line thugs and borderline NHL's.

 

[Big Phil]

Scott Stevens and Bobby Clarke, disgraceful behaviour towards fellow pros, their acts were more common amongst and suitable for lower line thugs and borderline NHL's.

Clarke it makes sense, but Stevens? There is a LOT of revisionist history with Stevens because the NHL is turning into a league where players are scared to bodycheck. So there tends to be this theory that Stevens was dirty, and he wasn't. Every GM would have wanted him on their team.

 

[Big Phil]

Mike Modano always annoyed me. Maybe it was because I disliked Hitchcock's Stars at the time. Come to think of it, Ken Hitchcock and Lindy Ruff were two good coaches I just loathed. I didn't have a dog in the fight in the 1999 Cup final, I just hoped in some way it would be a stalemate and neither would win and in a way...........it was.

Keith Tkachuk was another one

Was Bill Guerin a good enough player to be on this list?

Scotty Bowman. Never liked him after 1996. It was Bowman who was initially coaching Team Canada for the World Cup but then backed out. That was fine, but it was him who didn't include Roy on the team. Then in 1998 when Canada lost he was quoted as saying he was happy Canada didn't win because Roy would be rubbing it in people's faces. Meanwhile, Yzerman and Shanahan are on his team, go figure. Sometimes I think Bowman gets this free pass all of the time as if he can do no wrong. With all of his success he was standing behind the bench for Canada/NHL's two biggest embarassments (1981 Canada Cup, 1979 Challenge Cup) and lost in the playoffs with teams that blew everyone out of the water points-wise (1993 Pens, 1996 Wings).

Dany Heatley comes to mind as well.

 

[Nick Hansen]

Modano definitely had that jock aura and look about him. Never liked him either.

 

[sr edler]

Clarke it makes sense, but Stevens? There is a LOT of revisionist history with Stevens because the NHL is turning into a league where players are scared to bodycheck. So there tends to be this theory that Stevens was dirty, and he wasn't. Every GM would have wanted him on their team.

Stevens' hits were kinda suspect though. He most often sneaked up from the blindside and kinda targeted the head area, semi-interference, flailing around with arms a bit.

I liked Kasparaitis' hit on Lindros because it was straight chest on, and Kaspar lost balance himself as a result of it. (I didn't like the cheering on the bench though afterwards). I liked Campbell's hit on Umberger, straight on textbook. I liked Willie Mitchell's on Toews, body tucked in. So it's not like I don't like big hits. But Stevens' hits rubbed me the wrong way.

 

[Nick Hansen]

Stevens' hits were kinda suspect though. He most often sneaked up from the blindside and kinda targeted the head area, semi-interference, flailing around with arms a bit.

I liked Kasparaitis' hit on Lindros because it was straight chest on, and Kaspar lost balance himself as a result of it. (I didn't like the cheering on the bench though afterwards). I liked Campbell's hit on Umberger, straight on textbook. I liked Willie Mitchell's on Toews, body tucked in. So it's not like I don't like big hits. But Stevens' hits rubbed me the wrong way.

Often times he hit smaller guys coming into vulnerable positions, from an odd angle as you say. Looking back at it, most of them are garbage IMO. Dishonest hits. I like to hit but I'd never do them like Stevens did. Compare to Kronwall who's the biggest hitter since I guess (right?). He almost always came straight forward at them.

 

[sr edler]

Spezza was BOOED resoundedly by the barn faithful in Windsor when he was a junior (I was in uni, attended Spitfire games for $7 a night).

The guy lollygags, neglects backchecking, coasts, overreacts to getting checked. Ugh.

Steve Ott, on the other hand, gave 100% effort and we knew he'd be a solid NHL Bottom-6 role player. When he had the chance to captain the Sabres and play a top-6 role, he scored a team-high three game winners, playing playoff calibre intensity in third periods, top 3 in even strength assists for the Sabres, as a center whereas his best years offensively had been as a left winger in a Bottom-6 role in Dallas. I think Ott as a 4th line winger is almost ideal.

Spezza doesn't belong on any great NHL team. He is a skilled-enough to get an NHL job but lacking traits to become a winner, or valuable member of any contending top 6, and no way is he gonna stay in the NHL in a Bottom-6 role. Hence, he plays in Ottawa and Dallas.

What did the barn faithful think about Kyle Wellwood?

 

[Big Phil]

Modano definitely had that jock aura and look about him. Never liked him either.

The off colour comment during the lockout about needing the money to "feed his dogs" or the like. That bugged me. I know it was meant to be funny, but we lost a whole season of NHL hockey for nothing and no one on either side has learned a thing which we'll find out in 2020. So I was hardly in the mood to laugh.

Bryan McCabe is another player that irritated me. Dion Phaneuf as well. Yeah, Leaf defensemen who were whipping boys.

 

[Iron Mike Sharpe]

Bobby Clarke
Pierre Larouche
Billy Smith
Pete Peeters
Mark Messier (long before he came to Vancouver)
Paul Coffey
Ron Hextall
Brett Hull
Cam Neely
Petr Nedved
Eric Lindros
Todd Bertuzzi (long before the Moore incident)
Sidney Crosby

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Clarke it makes sense, but Stevens? There is a LOT of revisionist history with Stevens because the NHL is turning into a league where players are scared to bodycheck. So there tends to be this theory that Stevens was dirty, and he wasn't. Every GM would have wanted him on their team.

Disagree.

 

[Big Phil]

Stevens' hits were kinda suspect though. He most often sneaked up from the blindside and kinda targeted the head area, semi-interference, flailing around with arms a bit.

I liked Kasparaitis' hit on Lindros because it was straight chest on, and Kaspar lost balance himself as a result of it. (I didn't like the cheering on the bench though afterwards). I liked Campbell's hit on Umberger, straight on textbook. I liked Willie Mitchell's on Toews, body tucked in. So it's not like I don't like big hits. But Stevens' hits rubbed me the wrong way.

They may have rubbed you the wrong way because they were big hits in the playoffs perhaps? I like those other hits too that you mentioned, but one underrated thing about the Lindros hit in 2000 is that it was on a transition and Lindros was on a promising looking rush with Leclair to his side. It sort of caught the Devils off guard and about a split second later the puck would have been dished off to a streaking Leclair who could have walked right into the net. Go ahead, watch it, if Leclair gets that puck he's possibly home free. Stevens drilled Lindros just a second before that play could develop. The question is, would you want him to let up at a time like that?

Stevens on a Kariya could be classified as late. I get that. It was borderline. Other big hits though like against Willis or Francis or even Kozlov in 1995, were just hockey hits. No one is hurt if their head is up. Lindros probably bowls over Kaspar in 1998 if he isn't looking at his feet for several strides.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Scott Stevens and Bobby Clarke, disgraceful behaviour towards fellow pros, their acts were more common amongst and suitable for lower line thugs and borderline NHL's.

Agreed.

Add Messier to the list.

 

[Nick Hansen]

Calling the big Stevens hit against Lindros a 'shoulder' is laughable in my mind. I've played a fair amount of physical sports including hockey and floorball. Always ready for a good hit if the situation presented itself. This is not a 'shoulder'.

 

[GlitchMarner]

Bobby Clarke
Pierre Larouche
Billy Smith
Pete Peeters
Mark Messier (long before he came to Vancouver)
Paul Coffey
Ron Hextall
Brett Hull
Cam Neely
Petr Nedved
Eric Lindros
Todd Bertuzzi (long before the Moore incident)
Sidney Crosby

Aren't you a Canucks fan? You didn't like Bertuzzi during his peak?