Summer Poll Series - Best Islander to wear #21?

[Mr Misunderstood]

Never forget Czerkawski married a Bond girl.

Click to read more...

 

[Strummergas]

Butch Goring, right?

 

[saintunspecified]

Realize most people will go Brent Sutter here... I saw a lot of Brent growing up after the dynasty. And I also saw a lot of Kyle Okposo. And just judging player vs. player as I saw them, I'd say that Kyle was the better player - more skilled, better skater, harder worker. Don't know how to correct that for eras, etc. But I always thought that Sutter was one of the more overrated players of that time. Particularly wrt to his play in the defensive zone. I just did not see it. Just my opinion, though.

 

[MJF]

Players whose Islanders careers straddled the Dynasty years or continued into the franchise's dark era of the late 1980s are tough to grade. Some had production dips as the team around them became lost some talented players and never replaced them.

 

[leeroggy]

Realize most people will go Brent Sutter here... I saw a lot of Brent growing up after the dynasty. And I also saw a lot of Kyle Okposo. And just judging player vs. player as I saw them, I'd say that Kyle was the better player - more skilled, better skater, harder worker. Don't know how to correct that for eras, etc. But I always thought that Sutter was one of the more overrated players of that time. Particularly wrt to his play in the defensive zone. I just did not see it. Just my opinion, though.

Sorry, not even close on your analysis. Brent Sutter was the 2nd best all around center in Isles history, behind Trots. Defensive zone play??? Top 5 Selke voted FOUR TIMES.

610 points in 694 Islander games. 102 points in 84-85! Faceoff percentages weren't kept but those of us who watched a lot of games remember him taking an awful lot of important ones.

And let's not forget he was on Team Canada and won THREE Canada Cups and if memory serves was on the ice when Bossy won the Canada Cup with the OT goal against the USSR.

Okposo has three 20-goal seasons and no 30-goal seasons.

 

[saintunspecified]

Sorry, not even close on your analysis. Brent Sutter was the 2nd best all around center in Isles history, behind Trots. Defensive zone play??? Top 5 Selke voted FOUR TIMES.

I realize all that, and never could square it with how he seemed to play.

 

[MatthewBarnabysTears]

Again: I fully concede the correct answer is Brent Sutter, but c’mon lets remember Mariusz Czerkawski! The best winger (or player) on a depressing number of Isles teams.

Also, peak Kyle Okposo was a beast.

 

[IslesCLT]

Clearly Palmieri the way that some talk about him lately

 

[Mr Misunderstood]

Again: I fully concede the correct answer is Brent Sutter, but c’mon lets remember Mariusz Czerkawski! The best winger (or player) on a depressing number of Isles teams.

Also, peak Kyle Okposo was a beast.

16 PPG for a team that had the #1 overall pick in 99-00

 

[doublechili]

This thread made me think of how much Trotz would love Okposo's drop passes exiting his own defensive zone....

 

[Bones45]

Again: I fully concede the correct answer is Brent Sutter, but c’mon lets remember Mariusz Czerkawski! The best winger (or player) on a depressing number of Isles teams.

Also, peak Kyle Okposo was a beast.

Kyle Okposo was a beast?

We must have different definitions of the word.

 

[MJF]

Kyle Okposo was a beast?

We must have different definitions of the word.

Okposo was a peak beast until the hit from Dion Phaneuf.

 

[Satan'sIsland81]

From that horrible period between the ziggy palffy era to the yashin peca era , czerkawaki might have been the only player worth watching on the team. skilled skater stickhandler and shooter.

 

[Bones45]

Okposo was a peak beast until the hit from Dion Phaneuf.

WTF is a peak beast?

A guy who climbs Everest?

 

[The Real JT]

Sutter, hands down....but no love for Otto our touted #4C to be? Smh

 

[leeroggy]

WTF is a peak beast?

A guy who climbs Everest?

John Holmes? Raquel Welch?

 

[Mr Misunderstood]

Okposo was a peak beast until the hit from Dion Phaneuf.

Okposo was peak beast on 5/3/13.

Fight Niskanen and score a playoff winner.

 

[Throttle]

Who knew Okposo would be the center of attention in this thread? Figure this would go down the 900th time to rant about Nilsson/Parise/Milbury…

 

[Throttle]

This thread made me think of how much Trotz would love Okposo's drop passes exiting his own defensive zone....

Okposo was like an upgraded Isbister, if you had enough credits to upgrade.

 

[BKIsles]

Good number

 

[Islanders4Cups]

If you want a beast, Brent Sutter was a beast especially in his prime in 1984-85
42-60-102 pts.

Great two-way center, would have been top line center if Trottier wasn’t there.

Brent Sutter’s number should be hanging up in the rafters and still may be someday.

 

[LeapOnOver]

Easy one for me and my favorite all- time Islander. Brent Sutter!

 

[PolishPrince21]

For me the answer is obvious even if it’s not the most popular choice.

 

[2ndGenIslander]

I still think of Mariusz when I see this number

 

[RMimagery]

Not close. Brent was an incredible player and competitor/leader. Could do it all and get dirty too.