Was Jarome Iginla ever the best player in the league?

[EpochLink]

If memory serves, that was the year Roman Turek had the best month of his life to start the season, banked a nice four year deal, and promptly crashed and burned.

Ah yes, it was a contract year for Turek.
Once he got paid, he just laid back and counted his money..

 

[MadLuke]

His peers decided he was the best player in the league for 1 year. That's good enough for me. Players' opinion over "journalists" for sure.

I think that vote is for the player that had the most outstanding season, not for who they think is currently the best player hockey player in the world.

That award has arguably quite a forward bias (only one non forward won it since Hasek, even Bobby Orr won it only one time and is the only defenceman ever to get it, was he the league best player for only one season in the 70s ? Most would say he was the best player in North America for all that time frame.

 

[TheGuiminator]

If Iginla was ever the best, it was possibly during that 00' to 05 (pre lock-out) period, but let me think about it..

2000-2001 : Sakic was the best player in the world IMO
2002 : Lemieux (he was putting insane numbers during the 2002 calendar year, his PPG was WAY above the likes of Sakic, Forsberg, IGINLA, Naslund, etc)
2003 to lockout : Forsberg
Post-lockout : it was back and fourth between Crosby & Ovechkin until 2010

That said, Iginla was one of the best, but not quiet THE best

 

[Thenameless]

He had a claim between 2001 and 2003, but he never cemented it. So, I'd lean no. He got robbed of a Hart in the Theodore year by a completely unethical Montreal voter who blatantly strategically voted for the Hart (left Iginla off his ballot, he gets any vote on that ballot he wins over Theodore). He won a Pearson and had 2 2nd place Hart finishes the 3 seasons before the lockout. Answering who the best player between 2001-02 and 2003-04 is almost impossible. Guys who had solid claims entering that era either had significant injury issues (Forsberg) or had a weird mid-career fall off (Jagr). For that 3 year span, you are basically left deciding between Forsberg, Iginla, Naslund, Brodeur, MSL, Pronger, Lidstrom, Sakic, and maybe a couple others.

Its strange in retrospect. Expected elite stars who were meant to replace the former greats all had injuries or fell off (Forsberg, Bure, Kariya, and Lindros). It created a power vacuum to an extent. People seriously discussed guys like Bertuzzi as the best player in the league.

This is a very detailed, and I believe accurate answer. Iginla was among the best in a short span when there was no clear best.

 

[the4thlinegrinder]

At that time, most people would say Forsberg, Jagr, or Lemieux were the best player in the league. The MVP is the player with the best season. Iginla was never the best player in the league.

Sure, and I definitely agree that the MVP isn’t (necessarily) the best player in the league. Hall wasn’t the best player last year. I was just pointing out that Iginla had a huge role in one of Canada’s most important hockey games ever to go along with an MVP caliber season. No one else (that I saw anyway) had mentioned Iginla’s role in Salt Lake when talking about his 01-02 season.

 

[sr edler]

Iginla wasn't robbed of the Hart. Calgary didn't make the playoffs, Montreal did. He apparently also heated up towards the end of the season when the Flames were already toasted from the playoff picture. That's not a Hart. McDavid won no Hart last year. Iginla should probably be glad Theodore showed up because otherwise he would probably have been accused of one of the weakest Hart's ever, and who wants that.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

iginla was absolutely the best player in the world during the first half of the 2001-02 season. bertuzzi was the best player in the world in the second half.

 

[The Panther]

bertuzzi was the best player in the world in the second half.

Was Bertuzzi really better than prime Lidstrom?

 

[trentmccleary]

No, he wasn't. He was good, durable, accomplished something when he was young and played for Team Canada. However, he was in the same tier as players below the very top and there were always players in his own tier who were better defensive players, so I have no idea where the "best all round" player stuff is coming from.

 

[Killion]

No, he wasn't. He was good, durable, accomplished something when he was young and played for Team Canada. However, he was in the same tier as players below the very top and there were always players in his own tier who were better defensive players, so I have no idea where the "best all round" player stuff is coming from.

I'm liking the OP's train of thought though. Entirely possible with a superior supporting cast "Coulda-Shoulda and definitely Woulda" had a far richer career.... Mel Fischer... akin, similar... discovered the Spanish wreck Atocha.... dripping in gold, rubies, emeralds..... Jeromes bad luck he would up where he did.... and all due respect to Flames fans.

 

[trentmccleary]

I'm liking the OP's train of thought though. Entirely possible with a superior supporting cast "Coulda-Shoulda and definitely Woulda" had a far richer career.... Mel Fischer... akin, similar... discovered the Spanish wreck Atocha.... dripping in gold, rubies, emeralds..... Jeromes bad luck he would up where he did.... and all due respect to Flames fans.

I think Flames management did relatively well post lockout surrounding him with talent, especially considering the franchise's draft history. They added a fair bit of offensive talent (Huselius, Langkow, Tanguay, Cammalleri, etc) and help on the back end ( Phaneuf, Hamrlik, Aucoin, Jay-Bo) from 2005-2011. They genuinely seemed to be trying to take the next step after the finals run, the results just seemed to get worse though.

 

[Killion]

I think Flames management did relatively well post lockout surrounding him with talent, especially considering the franchise's draft history. They added a fair bit of offensive talent (Huselius, Langkow, Tanguay, Cammalleri, etc) and help on the back end ( Phaneuf, Hamrlik, Aucoin, Jay-Bo) from 2005-2011. They genuinely seemed to be trying to take the next step after the finals run, the results just seemed to get worse though.

Yeah, all decent enough players but frankly?... Pedestrian. Passengers. I always loved Iginla as he was a real throwback. Guy was playing with a full toolbox but just lacked like minded & equally full toolbox type players to be dealing with... He was a rarity. You giys in Cowtown damn lucky to have him. Had he been born 30-40 years earlier..... Wow.

 

[tony d]

For a brief period I think he was. Guy was more often than not among the best but aside from a brief period he was never quite the best.

 

[LightningStorm]

There's no clear cut best player from the early 00's, but I do think Iginla was the best player from 2002-2004. In that 3 season span he won 2 Rocket Richard's, 1 Art Ross, plus carried an average Flames squad to Game 7 of the finals.

 

[The Panther]

Love Iginla, and he was probably the best forward in the game in 2001-02, and one of the very best from 2001 to 2008. But I don't think you get the crown of "best player in the League" based on one season. I also think you have to consider the guys who might have been injured or just having an off year, but who overall were better players, at that time.

So, in Iginla's case, he's competing with:
- Nick Lidstrom (1st team All Star, Norris, Smythe in 2001-02 alone)
- Mario Lemieux (old and injured, but on an 106-point pace and 45 points-in-21 games to start the next season; stud at Olympics '02)
- Peter Forsberg (didn't play in 2001-02 but obviously still in his prime and led '02 playoffs in scoring and then won '03 Hart/Art Ross)
- Joe Sakic
- Patrick Roy (1st team All Star, 1.94 GAA in 2001-02)

So, no.

 

[Troubadour]

Was Bertuzzi really better than prime Lidstrom?

He had a nice, latter part of the season run right there:

 

[Nathaniel Skywalker]

Love Iginla, and he was probably the best forward in the game in 2001-02, and one of the very best from 2001 to 2008. But I don't think you get the crown of "best player in the League" based on one season. I also think you have to consider the guys who might have been injured or just having an off year, but who overall were better players, at that time.

So, in Iginla's case, he's competing with:
- Nick Lidstrom (1st team All Star, Norris, Smythe in 2001-02 alone)
- Mario Lemieux (old and injured, but on an 106-point pace and 45 points-in-21 games to start the next season; stud at Olympics '02)
- Peter Forsberg (didn't play in 2001-02 but obviously still in his prime and led '02 playoffs in scoring and then won '03 Hart/Art Ross)
- Joe Sakic
- Patrick Roy (1st team All Star, 1.94 GAA in 2001-02)

So, no.

Off topic. But it’s crazy that you could actually make a serious claim the Lemieux was the best player in the world still in 2002. Sorry carry on haha