If that's your argument, I guess Pacioretty should be before Moore because he is bigger and has a better technique.
Starting Six: Montreal Canadiens All-Time Lineup
- Thread starter LastWordArmy
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If that's your argument, I guess Pacioretty should be before Moore because he is bigger and has a better technique.
LastWordArmy
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Toene
Y'en aura pas de facile
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I agree with the people who suggest Roy. Dryden played on much better teams and had a shorter career.
I must admit that imo, the most prestigious trophy in hockey is the Conn Smythe. It implies that you were the best player, on one of the two best teams in the most important tournament in pro hockey. A lot of people are cautious about playoff success and say it's a small sample size. What we do know is the guy won the Smythe with 3 almost entirely different rosters. Even if we only consider his time with the Habs, the clutch factor in the most crucial games cant be ignored. For me it's pretty simple : if you had to ice any former Canadiens goalie for a SCF game 7 OT, who would he be? For me the answer is crystal clear.
Dryden is absolutely legendary and Im actually feeling bad arguing against him, which would be wrong in the vast majority of debates. Maybe he edges out Roy for overall career but even then. But going by the perspective of the best in terms of pure ability to play the position, I have to go with Patrick on this one. Who would you want in net if you had Gretzky breaking away in your zone, readying for a move? Come on now, give me the guy who actually outplayed and beat the greatest player of all-time in the finals.
I must admit that imo, the most prestigious trophy in hockey is the Conn Smythe. It implies that you were the best player, on one of the two best teams in the most important tournament in pro hockey. A lot of people are cautious about playoff success and say it's a small sample size. What we do know is the guy won the Smythe with 3 almost entirely different rosters. Even if we only consider his time with the Habs, the clutch factor in the most crucial games cant be ignored. For me it's pretty simple : if you had to ice any former Canadiens goalie for a SCF game 7 OT, who would he be? For me the answer is crystal clear.
Dryden is absolutely legendary and Im actually feeling bad arguing against him, which would be wrong in the vast majority of debates. Maybe he edges out Roy for overall career but even then. But going by the perspective of the best in terms of pure ability to play the position, I have to go with Patrick on this one. Who would you want in net if you had Gretzky breaking away in your zone, readying for a move? Come on now, give me the guy who actually outplayed and beat the greatest player of all-time in the finals.
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Whalers Fan
Go Habs!
LastWordArmy
Registered User
Orr and P. Esposito - Game 7 in Boston
Bobby Hull and Mikita - Game 7 in Chicago
Yakushev and Kharlamov - Games 6 and 8 in Moscow
Dryden dominated his peers like no other goalie in history
In a league with 16 teams, he won the following awards
1971 - Conn Smythe, Stanley Cup
1972 - Calder, 2nd All-Star
1972 - Summit Series Win
1973 - Vezina, 1st All-Star, Stanley Cup
1974 - sat out, team dipped to 99 points, lost in 1st round
1975 - Dryden returned, team improved by 14 points
1976 - Vezina, 1st All-Star, Stanley Cup
1977 - Vezina, 1st all-Star, Stanley Cup
1978 - Vezina, 1st All-Star, Stanley Cup
1979 - Vezina, 1st All-Star, Stanley Cup
In 7 regular seasons, he earned 5 1st all-star selections and 1 2nd all-star selection. Six years an all-star out of seven, unheard of!
His four consecutive 1st all-star team selections has never been matched by any other goaltender since the end of the six team era (1967).
By contrast, Patrick Roy had only 3 firsts and 2 second team selections in 10 seasons with Montreal, and only one more top-2 finish in 8 years in Colorado.
RealityBytes
Trash Remover
- Feb 11, 2013
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... and Tretiak, even though it was on Team Canada, but Tretiak has been called the world's best goalie in his time.
Roy is probably the one goaltender who's almost singlehandedly changed goaltending forever. And he did it while winning 3 Smythes. Something neither Mario or Gretzky did.
Tretiak was paid to train full time and play against real amateurs...
LastWordArmy
Registered User
Only 2 of the 3 count for the purposes of this series.
We aren't calling Wayne Gretzky the best centre in St. Louis Blues history.
Its only what the player did with that specific team.
So its Roy 2 Smythes vs Dryden 1
Then you have to stack up all the other awards, and they stack high on the side of Dryden.
Tighthead
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Rocket played his whole career on his off wing. Not sure if that makes him easier or harder to move.
Bowman may be the best coach in the history of NA team sports. He showed an ability to evolve and adapt. He will figure out how to use these guys.
Bowman may be the best coach in the history of NA team sports. He showed an ability to evolve and adapt. He will figure out how to use these guys.
MXD
Original #4
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Dickie Moore is actually from Québec.
Gainey and Shutt have nothing to do in this discussion. Aurèle Joliat absolutely does, though.
AboveandBeyond
Registered User
different era's ; the players playing in today's nhl are better than the players playing in the 50's 60's 70's ;
they have more skill and speed ; the competition to make the nhl is way steeper and more rigorous than ever before ; Players are groomed from a young age and the training is harder;
I've heard stories of the players cracking beers before and after regular season games ; The level of fitness is not even close.
goalie's were a joke back in the day not wearing nearly enough protection it was easy to score ; i see some of the highlight goals and it just looked like pond hockey out there.
defensive systems make it harder for players to score and the goalies are better than ever ;
so for this top list it should be for each decade ; not overall ;
they have more skill and speed ; the competition to make the nhl is way steeper and more rigorous than ever before ; Players are groomed from a young age and the training is harder;
I've heard stories of the players cracking beers before and after regular season games ; The level of fitness is not even close.
goalie's were a joke back in the day not wearing nearly enough protection it was easy to score ; i see some of the highlight goals and it just looked like pond hockey out there.
defensive systems make it harder for players to score and the goalies are better than ever ;
so for this top list it should be for each decade ; not overall ;
S Bah
Registered User
Dickie Moore & Doug Harvey both born in Montreal, Guy Lafleur - Jean Beliveau - Maurice Richard, Serge Savard & Guy Lapointe & Jacques Plante all from Quebec also. Many others that deserve mention; Pierre Larouche(C) - Yvan Cournoyer(RW) - Jacques Lemaire(LW) another line from the 70's dynasty. Frank Mahovlich(LW) on Beliveau's line with Cournoyer(RW) that upset the Bruins(Biggest upset ever in the Stanley Cup Playoffs) on the way to beating Chicago in 1970-1971. Frank & Peter Mahovlich were a great Penalty Killing pair, always a threat to score.
So many great players the Habs had on those teams throughout the 50's, 60's & 70's, it was my great pleasure to have watched all of those teams play.( As a babe in Montreal just before the 5yrs. dynasty in the 50's.)
I must add Bernie(Boom Boom) Geoffrion's & Henri (The Pocket Rocket) Richard's name to this list of Hab's greats. Larry Robinson was a phenomenal defenceman, a particular great series was the 76 Canada Cup in which Bobby Orr & Larry Robinson were paired as their shutdown defence pair. (1st pairing)
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Whalers Fan
Go Habs!
I was being sarcastic with my "scrub named Orr" comment, but if we are listing great players Dryden beat in the playoffs, let's not forget:
Bobby Clarke
Bryan Trottier
Mike Bossy
Denis Potvin
SOLR
Registered User
This imo. No question.
Dryden, great goaltender, but he doesn't touch Roy's level of dominance backing up a so-so team. Dryden had the best defence in the league in front of him. What goes against Roy is how it ended, but in this kind of exercise you have to overlook politics.
"If they were all 25-27 in their prime, who would you pick to win 1 game"
S Bah
Registered User
The greatest team that I have watched play since the 50's until now, has to be the Team Canada in the 1976 Canada Cup, I believe that every player on that team is now a HOF member. I watch that series each year during the summer, absolutely great hockey, for the hockey purists, a must see for every hockey fanatic. The best players from so many teams, of course having Bobby Orr & Bobby Hull just amazed with their skills, alongside a seven Habs.(Including the Big Three, P.Mahovlich, Lafleur, Shutt, Gainey) & Buffalo's Rick Martin & Gilbert Perreault(Stickhandling par extraordinaire!!!)Lanny MacDonald & Sittler, Bobby Clarke, Bill Barber & Reggie Leach & the Watson's. Marcel Dionne & Rogie Vachon(Spectacular Goaltending) on and on just great hockey) Buy the 4 DVD set Canada Cup 76, if you can find it, worth every cent in entertaining hockey, for those whom missed watching these players.
Denis Potvin was also on that team, rookie NHLer that year, & Phil & Tony Esposito.
Other Hockey sets worth watching over like the 72 Canada / Russia series, the 10 disc Habs set & 50's five set Dynasty yrs.
Denis Potvin was also on that team, rookie NHLer that year, & Phil & Tony Esposito.Other Hockey sets worth watching over like the 72 Canada / Russia series, the 10 disc Habs set & 50's five set Dynasty yrs.
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I'd pick Dryden who won virtually every clutch game he had to.
Level of dominance = check out All-Star teams. There is a reason Dryden got voted to the 1st all-star team so often.
MXD
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LastWordArmy
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MXD
Original #4
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His save percentage for his career was .921 at a time when .900 was great.
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/nothin-but-net/
Chili
En boca cerrada no entran moscas
- Jun 10, 2004
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It was really the first 'best on best' tournament with multiple countries. Too bad the Russians didn't send their best but it was a great tournament.The greatest team that I have watched play since the 50's until now, has to be the Team Canada in the 1976 Canada Cup, I believe that every player on that team is now a HOF member. I watch that series each year during the summer, absolutely great hockey, for the hockey purists, a must see for every hockey fanatic. The best players from so many teams, of course having Bobby Orr & Bobby Hull just amazed with their skills, alongside a seven Habs.(Including the Big Three, P.Mahovlich, Lafleur, Shutt, Gainey) & Buffalo's Rick Martin & Gilbert Perreault(Stickhandling par extraordinaire!!!)Lanny MacDonald & Sittler, Bobby Clarke, Bill Barber & Reggie Leach & the Watson's. Marcel Dionne & Rogie Vachon(Spectacular Goaltending) on and on just great hockey) Buy the 4 DVD set Canada Cup 76, if you can find it, worth every cent in entertaining hockey, for those whom missed watching these players.
Other Hockey sets worth watching over like the 72 Canada / Russia series, the 10 disc Habs set & 50's five set Dynasty yrs.
Many highlights for me, watching Hull, even past his prime, he was still one of the best. Like you mentioned, Perrault was a stick handling wiz. Vachon really was outstanding, his only loss was 1-0 I believe. Became a huge fan of Borje Salming, he was excellent in the games I saw of him.
The lasting memory was the sweater exchange at the end of the finals, I believe initiated by Pete Mahovlich with Vladimir Dzurilla. I seem to remember Bobby Orr accepting the tournament mvp wearing Oldrich Machac's number 4.
It was a great show of sportsmanship.
ha! No way. I think I just tried for a line up that would be great a starting six yet would not be duplicated.
