Trottier or Yzerman?

[revolverjgw]

Bryan, not Guy or Joel.

Who do you think had the better career? Who was the better player in their prime? Who would you take now if they were both magically inserted into the '06 draft (if there IS one)? Who would you want as your pivot in the 3rd period of game 7?

I'd take Trottier in pretty much every category, mainly for aesthetic reasons. Qualty-wise, I find it very hard to justfiy one over the other, kind of a wash. I just liked his game more, his gruff 'tude (loved the clip of Stevens and Trottier trashtalking Bellows from the Pens bench), and I loved the ''throwback factor'' he had. He was fun to watch, a tough ******* scoring whiz.

Steve has the better numbers, especially when we get to their late careers... Bryan focused on defense during the Pens years. Both were Selke candidates at some point in their careers, but Bryan was a respected two-way force pretty much right from the start. Bryan never scored 155 points, but I'd still take his rough and tumble 120-130 points seasons over that.

On the Gretzky DVD, it shows Trottier knocking Wayne on his ass in the corner... a video clip speaks a few thousand words. I gather he was definitely the best center in the game until Wayne came along, and you could make an argument for him being the best center in the game even when Wayne DID arrive... at least for a little while.

Trots has 6 cups to Stevie Y's 3, though I'm not a big fan of citing how many cups someone has. But it's telling that Bryan won multiple cups with two different teams... he was a winner. Both the Pens AND the Isles never won a cup without Bryan.

Click to read more...

 

[Big Phil]

Hmmm. Let's see here. Trottier vs. Yzerman. I'm not so sure that Trottier was the best centreman of all time before Gretzky though. He was great but I would put Beliveau and Esposito ahead of him before that. That being said Trottier is better than Yzerman by a bit. 6 Cups vs. 3. Trottier has several all star selections and Yzerman only one. Yzerman may have come at a bad time though. He was always exciting to watch, but even the year he hit 155 points Gretzky and Lemieux still had more. He was often overshadowed.

As for all around Trottier was better. He was just a little more complete. If you tak the years of '78-84 and compare Yzermans 87-93 Trottier is a little bit better. That was the peak of each o them. But hey Yzerman is still a first ballot Hall of Famer and is third all time in points for a season behind many of Mario and Wayne's seasons.

 

[Frightened Inmate #2]

Trottier and it really isn't that close to be honest with you... I find that Yzerman is becoming somewhat overrated on these boards (with the talk of him being a top 10 player of all time and what not)....

 

[Trottier]

I would never say a cross word about Steve Yzerman, an obvious hall of famer, and one of the greats of his time.

That said, Bryan Trottier remains the most complete NHL forward I have ever seen, in following the sport for more years than I wish to admit.

Please note: That is not to be confused with "the best" player ever. A certain defenseman in Boston holds that title, IMO, and obviously, a very persuasive case can be made for #99 and #66, at least among those in my time. Those three players' offensive skills alone transcended the sport.

***

It is well-known that Stevie Y names Bryan Trottier as his idol, hence the #19 jersey.

 

[Chili]

Flip a coin.

They both had great careers and brought similiar skills to their teams.

Trottier was near the end of the road with the Pens but was still a key player, especially leadership wise...and I could say the same about Stevie Y with the Wings.

 

[Malefic74]

I will also throw my vote for Trottier. The only category where Steve might have the advantage is hands. Yzerman is probably the better stickhandler of the two and has a softer touch around the net.

The big difference to me is Torttier's physicality. He was pound-for-pound probably one of the best hitters in the game in the early 80s, no question. He was strong, could create his own space and most importantly for centre he could distribute the puck. He had no weaknesses in his game which made him very difficult to play against.

Big Phil, it's a little unfair to pick on Yzerman for his All-Star selections when he was stuck behind Gretzky, Messier, Hawerchuk and Savard in the Campbell Conference.

 

[#66]

I would never say a cross word about Steve Yzerman, an obvious hall of famer, and one of the greats of his time.

That said, Bryan Trottier remains the most complete NHL forward I have ever seen, in following the sport for more years than I wish to admit.

Please note: That is not to be confused with "the best" player ever. A certain defenseman in Boston holds that title, IMO, and obviously, a very persuasive case can be made for #99 and #66, at least among those in my time. Those three players' offensive skills alone transcended the sport.

***

It is well-known that Stevie Y names Bryan Trottier as his idol, hence the #19 jersey.

Just another great post by Trottier. I agree with everything you said.

 

[Frightened Inmate #2]

I will also throw my vote for Trottier. The only category where Steve might have the advantage is hands. Yzerman is probably the better stickhandler of the two and has a softer touch around the net.

The big difference to me is Torttier's physicality. He was pound-for-pound probably one of the best hitters in the game in the early 80s, no question. He was strong, could create his own space and most importantly for centre he could distribute the puck. He had no weaknesses in his game which made him very difficult to play against.

Big Phil, it's a little unfair to pick on Yzerman for his All-Star selections when he was stuck behind Gretzky, Messier, Hawerchuk and Savard in the Campbell Conference.

The point would still stand though that Yzerman wasn't as good as Gretzky, Messier, Hawerchuk, and Savard at the time then.....

 

[naihlflames]

I gotta go with Yzerman. He has 154 more goals and 142 more assists for a total of 296 points. Yzerman played on a loaded team later in his career, but started with a team that was terrible. Trottier played on a loaded Islanders team. Yzerman became a Captain at a young age and turned a laughing stock of a franchise into one of the best in the 90's and early 00's. Yzerman also played much of his career during the "trapping" phase and still put up solid numbers. Not only are his offensive stats better, he is also one of the best two-way forwards, as he won a Selke.

BTW: I hate these posts. Both are great hall of fame players. From all the posts above, it is not obvious that Trottier was better than Yzerman.

 

[ALF AmericanLionsFan]

I like Yzerman. Like his better scoring ability

 

[Habsfan 32]

I'd take Trottier.

 

[BM67]

Yzerman has had the better career, but Trottier was better in his prime.

 

[KariyaIsGod*]

I would never say a cross word about Steve Yzerman, an obvious hall of famer, and one of the greats of his time.

That said, Bryan Trottier remains the most complete NHL forward I have ever seen, in following the sport for more years than I wish to admit.

Please note: That is not to be confused with "the best" player ever. A certain defenseman in Boston holds that title, IMO, and obviously, a very persuasive case can be made for #99 and #66, at least among those in my time. Those three players' offensive skills alone transcended the sport.

***

It is well-known that Stevie Y names Bryan Trottier as his idol, hence the #19 jersey.

I agree, Don Sweeney was a heck of aplayer when he was in Boston. Personally, I've never seen better.

 

[Darth Milbury]

I would never say a cross word about Steve Yzerman, an obvious hall of famer, and one of the greats of his time.

That said, Bryan Trottier remains the most complete NHL forward I have ever seen, in following the sport for more years than I wish to admit.

Please note: That is not to be confused with "the best" player ever. A certain defenseman in Boston holds that title, IMO, and obviously, a very persuasive case can be made for #99 and #66, at least among those in my time. Those three players' offensive skills alone transcended the sport.

.

For the most part, I agree with all your points. I would, however, hesitate to call Trottier the "most complete" because there were a few others who were probably his equal in all around game (Messier and Sittler come to mind).


If push comes to shove, I'd probably rank Yzerman a hair below Messier and Trottier.

And, having seen Gretzky, Orr, and Mario all play in their prime, I'd take Orr above all.

 

[Trottier]

For the most part, I agree with all your points. I would, however, hesitate to call Trottier the "most complete" because there were a few others who were probably his equal in all around game (Messier and Sittler come to mind).

Yes, of course, it is all subjective. I preferred Trottier's defensive game demonstrably over Messier's, though the latter was a more dynamic offensive player. Can't lose either way.

Sittler is an interesting name to throw out, Darth.

Aside from Trottier and Messier, the name that jumps to my mind as one of the most complete forwards I've ever seen is none other than Peter Forsberg. Really does not lack an element in his game and is a non-stop fierce competitor, which separated Trottier and Messier from many others, IMO. Now with him, injuries are a whole different story....

I agree, Don Sweeney was a heck of aplayer when he was in Boston. Personally, I've never seen better.

Actually, I was referring to Ian Moran.

 

[David]

The point would still stand though that Yzerman wasn't as good as Gretzky, Messier, Hawerchuk, and Savard at the time then.....

I wouldd argue that Yzerman was better than Hawerchuk and Savard even at that time...

 

[jiggs 10]

Bryan, not Guy or Joel.


Trots has 6 cups to Stevie Y's 3

Should I wait for Stevie Y to sit on the bench and win 2 more Cups like Trots did to call him great? Trottier didn't even play in the 2 Pittsburgh Cup years (well, he played one shift a game), but he gets a lot of credit. If there had been a season this year, the WIngs would most likely have won the Cup, and Steve Yzerman would have a 4th Cup.

I, for one, think they are 2 of the greatest centers to ever play the game. Yzerman was the better offensive player, and the better defensive player. Trottier was the better "all-around" center for a few years, but not anymore. Yzerman was much better on face-offs, and blocking shots, and LEADING a team. But by HIS own admittion, it was because of his idol Bryan Trottier. I think they are very similar players, except Yzerman lasted longer at a higher level than Trottier.