Top-100 Hockey Players of All-Time - Preliminary Discussion Thread (Citizens on Patrol)

[Iceman]

It was by position. So I had something like

D : Orr, Harvey, Bourque, Lidstrom (...)
W : Howe, Hull, Richard, Jagr (...)
C : Gretzky, Lemieux, Beliveau, Crosby (...)
G : Roy, Hasek, Plante, Brodeur (...)

1 - Who is the best between Orr, Howe, Greztky and Roy? Greztky
2 - Who is the best between Orr, Howe, Lemieux and Roy? Orr
3 - Who is the best between Harvey, Howe, Lemieux and Roy? Howe
4 - Who is the best between Harvey, Hull, Lemieux and Roy? Lemieux

(up until 120).

Probably not the best way to do it, but possibly the best way to not get completely mad around mid-point, and should've been foolproof against omissions (Joliat missing was a C+P gone wrong)

That's for the process.

That was my intention as well until realized I didn't have much time left.

 

[tony d]

I started positionally as well. What helped me a lot in the end though was that Hockey News Top 50 players per team magazine. I went by team. Obviously a few teams were left out but I found this helped me a lot for older more established teams.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

I did a method similar to MXD's, as well.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Like the Ten Commandments, my list came directly from God.

I'm pretty sure its correct.

 

[VanIslander]

A dart board, a blindfold, cue cards, a pencil, Jim Beam, The Joshua Tree album and the neighbor's dog.

 

[ChiTownPhilly]

As much as people’s rankings, I am curious about people’s methods.

Great question! Seemed to engage a lot of us! (Well timed, too!!)

Okay, like many others, I did that 'positional' thing... but the matter of how I got to the players used for conducting the interpositional comparisons was the more time consuming task.

Started with the Hockey Hall of Fame. Divided the inductees into three parts- 1) upper-division (obvious), 2) main-line, 3) lower division/borderline. All obvious Hall-of-Famers, come on down! All lower-division ones- kicked to the curb. [Main-line H-o-Fers were set aside for additional scrutiny.]

Added to the mix all of the unconscionably undervalued non-NHL Europeans that have yet to be inducted. Added to that lot (what I consider to be) the best of the recently retired/not yet Hall-eligible players and current players, but tended to exercise extreme caution and conservatism for such players (e.g.: no Karlsson or Toews [and of course not McDavid]).

Made my list by position- and noted that I looked a little light on goaltenders. Added some and trimmed from other places (mostly Center). Got to the point where I was comfortable with the mix by position. Made a list that took me deep into the 130s... and began the sometimes painful process of winnowing.

Then, I did that positional thing and generated a ranking for 120. As a final QC-check, I looked at the players through the time-span lens to see if there was any period I wasn't weighting properly. Found that I was light on '60s players. Made three significant adds there.

I have a little buyers remorse over omitting a couple of names from the ultra-early days of Hockey. Still I feel like I did all right for a maiden-effort.

 

[seventieslord]

207 players total
48 players on every list

one of these was right on.

 

[VanIslander]

Who was 121st on your list, the very last cut?

 

[seventieslord]

Who was 121st on your list, the very last cut?

Datsyuk

 

[VanIslander]

I regret my last cut already...

 

[BenchBrawl]

I just noticed a couple of stupid mistakes with my list, beyond its original madness.

An error on Excel disqualified Niedermayer from the get go.I would've ranked him somewhere if I had caught it in time.

 

[VanIslander]

An error on Excel disqualified Niedermayer from the get go.I would've ranked him somewhere if I had caught it in time.

I think he'll be up for voting consideration anyways.
I have him at 91st and am eager to argue the case for him.
I was a bigger Pronger fan than Nieds fan, but the debate as to which was better was a lively and interesting one for many years.

 

[ChiTownPhilly]

...I think this one's closer to correct, though:

207 players total
48 players on every list

one of these was right on.

Called it!

Looking ahead to Round 2 Vote 1, where I'll pursue my quixotic endeavor of attempting to lift Lemieux out of the 4-hole. I come with the knowledge that I'll be walking into a stiff headwind on that one, though. Funny thing about Vote 2, though- I think there's a clear 'next-3' among skaters... but I'm not that emotionally invested in their order, as long as they're all there. The X-factor will be- is your top goalie in that mix? Mine is!

I worry that by vote 3, we'll need to pass out the radiation-suits. I suspect the opinion-divergences will really come out at that time.

 

[Nick Hansen]

While we await the next round, let's all take a moment and cherish the list of Scotty Bowman's top 100 Canadian players of all time:

https://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/scotty-bowmans-top-100-canadian-players.1299145/

 

[Sentinel]

Who was 121st on your list, the very last cut?

Brandon Shanahan. Jesus wept.

 

[MXD]

Brandon Shanahan. Jesus wept.

If we keep it only to Canadian players, Shanahan is far from a bad choice.

 

[Sentinel]

If we keep it only to Canadian players, Shanahan is far from a bad choice.

Would you ever suspect me of making an all-Canadian list?

 

[sr edler]

Brandon Shanahan.

Is this a subtle dig at the Federov crowd?

 

[Sentinel]

When does Round 2 begin? I already starting to feel burned out.

 

[VanIslander]

Take the weekend off.

The plan all along was to have a one week turnaround time on the QC process before beginning the next round. That would mean Monday at the earliest.

 

[ImporterExporter]

Take the weekend off.

The plan all along was to have a one week turnaround time on the QC process before beginning the next round. That would mean Monday at the earliest.

 

[ted2019]

Last cut was Hugh Lehman

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Datsyuk

Me too sort of... (Datsyuk and Modano were my last two cuts and I kept swapping their order)

 

[The Macho King]

Called it!

Looking ahead to Round 2 Vote 1, where I'll pursue my quixotic endeavor of attempting to lift Lemieux out of the 4-hole. I come with the knowledge that I'll be walking into a stiff headwind on that one, though. Funny thing about Vote 2, though- I think there's a clear 'next-3' among skaters... but I'm not that emotionally invested in their order, as long as they're all there. The X-factor will be- is your top goalie in that mix? Mine is!

I worry that by vote 3, we'll need to pass out the radiation-suits. I suspect the opinion-divergences will really come out at that time.

Honestly vote 1 is going to bore me. Those arguments have been hashed out hundreds of times, and I doubt anyone moves.

Vote 2 is where this gets sexy IMO.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Honestly vote 1 is going to bore me. Those arguments have been hashed out hundreds of times, and I doubt anyone moves.

Vote 2 is where this gets sexy IMO.

I've been moving Howe, Orr and Gretzky around every single day for the past 5 years.