What’s your unpopular hockey opinion?

[HFBS]

There are too many teams.

The NHL was at its best when there were 16 teams. 20 max.

Now, on average a team will win the Cup only once every 30 years. Everyone will be lucky to see their team win once in their lifetime.

 

[Dion TheFluff]

Who do YOU have above Matthews (Not saying that I disagree with you)?

was this comment in regard to me saying Matthews is a top 6 offensive player in the league?

 

[Hockey4Lyfe]

Unpopular opinion.

JUST BECAUSE YOUR OPINION IS CONTROVERSIAL OR UNPOPULAR, IT DOESN’T MEAN YOU ARE RIGHT.

Many people on this site struggle with knowing what an actual “opinion” is and throw out things that are more “statement” worthy. Things that can actually be proven factually wrong are not opinions.

True opinions have no defined right or wrong answer. They are those persons personal beliefs.

 

[holy]

So, are you telling me that the Leafs don't have fans that live outside of Toronto?

Yeah, but a lot of the 2.7M don't care about the Leafs either. That number gets smaller as the years of not winning continue.

I'd say there are more Leafs haters than fans too. But I'd also say that their fanbase has to have the largest percentage of homers that rub everyone the wrong way. I used to think every fan base has them, but nah.

Habs are up there too with dumb fans btw, but not as bad as the Leafs.

 

[Varan]

Who do YOU have above Matthews (Not saying that I disagree with you)?

tavares and marner (for now)

 

[lauraP]

So, are you telling me that the Leafs don't have fans that live outside of Toronto?

southern ontario alone account for 1/3rd of canada's entire population lol

 

[MrazeksVengeance]

Many people on this site struggle with knowing what an actual “opinion” is and throw out things that are more “statement” worthy. Things that can actually be proven factually wrong are not opinions.

True opinions have no defined right or wrong answer. They are those persons personal beliefs.

I DO NOT DISAGREE WITH THIS COMMENT.

 

[Master P]

Letting things go like clutching and grabbing in the playoffs makes the game worse.

Kucherov is better than Mcdavid

Tampa wins the cup this year.

 

[Ace of Hades]

Tavares is better than Matthews.

 

[LoveHateLeafs]

- Every team should have equal odds of winning draft lottery, and it is absolutely pathetic that people actively root for their team to lose so they have a chance at the welfare lottery. You should never be better off losing in any aspect of life, the fact this everybody gets a ribbon mentality has seeped its way into pro sports (which should be the ultimate meritocracy) is sad. The league should stop rewarding incompetence & failure, which goes on to ruin many stars who could've shined way brighter and grew the sport

I'm not sure if you can link the entry draft to the everyone gets a ribbon mentality, given that it started (properly) in 1969, when the league was run by rich guys born in the 1920's or earlier. It might be that that the phenomenon of whole fan-bases cheering for failure to win the lottery is the result of that mentality. I'm not old enough to recall a time when this didn't happen and I post-date the era of participation trophies, so someone older will need to fill me in.

Finally, if you believe the NHL ought to be a meritocracy, why have a draft at all? Make everyone free agents from the start of their career(with no caps, as you suggest), the way it works for 99.999% of the population.

 

[McDavidCrushedLarkin]

Matthews will never be a top 10 player

 

[Mrb1p]

The current generation is the best it's ever been. Ovi would have been known as the greatest player of all time if he would have played in any other generation. The common modern athlete surpasses all but a few of the old time greats.

What if I told you Ovi isnt even the best player of his generation?

 

[Mrb1p]

If you look beyond the numbers, Crosby is a better hockey player than Gretzky and Lemieux

I dont agree with Lemieux and Gretzky but Id have Crosby at a really really comfortable #4.

 

[Just Linda]

What if I told you Ovi isnt even the best player of his generation?

Well that part is obvious.

I just can't see Crosby or McDavid surviving long in those eras

 

[Mrb1p]

Well that part is obvious.

I just can't see Crosby or McDavid surviving long in those eras

The era where WAYNE f***ING GRETZKY THE 10 OUNCE SALAD BOY played????????????

 

[FissionFire]

For most of his career Crosby hasn’t even been the best player on his own team. Most productive sure, but not the best.

 

[Lebowski]

For most of his career Crosby hasn’t even been the best player on his own team. Most productive sure, but not the best.

I'd be curious to see you try to break that down season by season.

 

[Just Linda]

The era where WAYNE ****ING GRETZKY THE 10 OUNCE SALAD BOY played????????????

Absolutely. Crosby's career would have been ended quickly by blind hits and McDavid would soon have been Bobby Clarked

 

[FissionFire]

I'd be curious to see you try to break that down season by season.

It’s not a numbers thing, it’s a talent thing. Just like Yzerman was more productive on those Wings teams, but most years Fedorov was the better player even if he didn’t score as much. Talent wise most seasons I feel Malkin was more physically talented, just not as productive.

 

[Lebowski]

It’s not a numbers thing, it’s a talent thing. Just like Yzerman was more productive on those Wings teams, but most years Fedorov was the better player even if he didn’t score as much. Talent wise most seasons I feel Malkin was more physically talented, just not as productive.

I think you may be referring more to flashiness than talent.

Because talent speaks for itself over a large sample size. Malkin is considered a top 3 player of his generation and he outplayed Crosby in a few seasons, but over the bulk of their career, most would say it heavily leans in Crosby's favor. More consistently dominant and the stats show it.

 

[pabst blue ribbon]

-Awards are an overrated metric in evaluating star players

-The NHL can carry more teams than any other major North American sports league

- Talent in the NHL isn't diluted at all and even if it was it wouldn't be a bad thing

-The new draft lottery system is awful and nonsensical

 

[TropicalFruitGirl2]

Hmm....let's see...
One opinion I've always held and finding fewer and fewer people agree with me on is.... There IS a place for large, stay-at-home defensemen in the NHL!!

Yes, yes, I know the game has moved to a more offensively oriented game and having defensemen that can pinch in, or at the very least, are very elite puck movers if not supremely offensively talented, are the preferred type of D-men nowadays...and I won't contest that.

But seems like, since the game has moved to a more skill based, faster paced, and yes, LESS physical game than it was, that the large, bruising defensive defenseman has almost no value.
I don't think so.
True, there aren't a whole lot of them that can hang with the likes of the best forwards in the NHL, but there are a few who still can hold their own, don't really show up on the scoresheet, and in fact, are usually invisible....until they do something wrong that is..... but nevertheless, do things on the ice that greatly benefit their teams by taking away certain areas of the ice from forwards, or intimidating certain players from completely dismissing who is defending a zone, or just putting on a big hit on someone...making them think twice next time about 'strolling around a zone' thinking no one will touch their primadonna arse...

Guys like Braydon Coburn, Radko Gudas, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Josh Manson, Joel Edmundson....just to name a few.
These players aren't flashy, aren't "fantasy hockey" darlings, or even elite defenders in some cases (and yes, can be exploited by the upper echelon of players), but for the most part, still pull their own weight in their own zone in a bunch of different ways.....even if its just "discouraging" offensive players from wanting to try engaging them in the attack zone.

No one wants a defensive liability, but yes, I don't care what anyone says, there is STILL room in today's NHL for a good, solid defensive defenseman....and championship teams usually have at least one of these types of guys doing all the menial, low level, and sometimes dirty work that doesn't get nearly enough credit.

 

[LuckyBoeser]

Monahan is a good #1C and, contrary to what @ScrewNHLOfficiating believes, that does not make me a “Monahan stan” (LOL).

Monahan is a low end #1C imo. He isn't a play driver but he is still great offensively. He is a fantastic finisher and has a knack of being in the right position to score. I'd probably rank him in the late 20s if I were to make a center list.

 

[Brucelenok]

Svechnikov will be in top 5 players for the next decade

 

[NJ DevLolz]

Ivan Provorov is a slightly above average hockey player. He is valuable, no doubt, but hasn't been anything special to date *

*he is young and this is subject to change