Which Player Had The Coolest Hockey Career?

[CHGoalie27]

I can get Wayne Gretzky being the most accomplished hockey player ever out of the way.

Ken Morrow on the winning side of the biggest win in hockey history with a cup in the same year and three more to consecutively follow.

Henri Richard with more cup rings than fingers.

Click to read more...

 

[God]

"Coolest"?

 

[Killion]

By "cool" Im assuming you mean "bad boy cool", like Keith Richards or James Dean?. In hockey, you'd have to go back to at least the 70's, and probably the King of that category would just have to be Derek Sanderson. The $2.75M contract with the Philadelphia Blazers, the Silver Rolls & Fur Coats, the quotable quotes as in his favorite pre-game meal being "a steak and a blonde", the long hair & Frank Zappa mustache', that guy was as "cool" as they came. It was his pass that set-up Orrs' famous goal in 70; though a prolific goal scorer in junior, in the NHL he was a ferocious defensive center & excellent face-off guy. Really a Hell of a player. Sure, he "lost it" and a fortune, along with his health, but he turned himself around (with Orrs' help) & went on to a career advising young athletes with investment planning in partnership with Bobby, lectures on the pitfalls of "wild living" and has given back far more than he was ever given or took from anyone, and thats "cool" in my book.

 

[begbeee]

I dont know what you mean by "cool" exactly, but I'm sure Wayne would rather had a few records less with Gold Olympic Medal.

I choose Scott Niedermayer, man who won everything on team level (that's what mattters) and was always a key piece, what he can prove with some individual awards.

 

[John Flyers Fan]

I don't know how it isn't either Gretzky or Howe.

Gretzky - Famous since age 9. Considered the greatest player of all-time. Just think about how cool it would be to be considered the best ever at something. Met your boyhood idol, and then smashed all his records, and about 50 others. Multiple Stanley Cup winner. Multiple Canada Cup winner. Put together the first Canadian Olympic champion in 50 years. Played at a time, where he was able to make millions and be set for life. Married a movie star/model.

Gordie Howe - Your nickname is Mr. Hockey. You played for basically 30 years, and were dominant for 20 of them. Considered one of the 2 or 3 best players ever. Multiple Stanley Cup winner. Retired as the holder of the two most important records in the sport. Actually played on a line with your two sons, which is about as cool as it gets. One of your sons is also a Hall of Famer.

 

[begbeee]

Gretzky - Married a movie star/model.

Man... Even Daigle has cooler career from this point of view...

 

[Peter9]

By "cool" Im assuming you mean "bad boy cool", like Keith Richards or James Dean?. In hockey, you'd have to go back to at least the 70's, and probably the King of that category would just have to be Derek Sanderson. The $2.75M contract with the Philadelphia Blazers, the Silver Rolls & Fur Coats, the quotable quotes as in his favorite pre-game meal being "a steak and a blonde", the long hair & Frank Zappa mustache', that guy was as "cool" as they came. It was his pass that set-up Orrs' famous goal in 70; though a prolific goal scorer in junior, in the NHL he was a ferocious defensive center & excellent face-off guy. Really a Hell of a player. Sure, he "lost it" and a fortune, along with his health, but he turned himself around (with Orrs' help) & went on to a career advising young athletes with investment planning in partnership with Bobby, lectures on the pitfalls of "wild living" and has given back far more than he was ever given or took from anyone, and thats "cool" in my book.

Along those lines, for most of a decade Guy Lafleur was regarded as a Golden God in a very hip, cosmopolitan city at a time when liberation from conservative lifestyles went to the extreme. As he said, with a grin and a little laugh, while addressing the crowd at the Canadiens' centennial celebration, "We partied every night." It must have been cool to fly down the ice, blond locks flowing in the wind, the puck hitting the net time after time, the crowd roaring while the Canadiens skated to victory, as they nearly always did in those days, and then to celebrate by partying the night away surrounded by breathtakingly beautiful ladies. And then to drive home--or wherever--in the wee or, more likely, the not so wee hours in a very fast sports car.

But perhaps not so cool. The partying inevitably took its physical toll on Lafleur, whose game very much depended on speed. And the partying led to the automobile crash injury that hampered him for the remainder of his career.

Yet Lafleur still does have that grin and laugh when he recalls the partying!

 

[Wee Baby Seamus]

I don't know how it isn't either Gretzky or Howe.

Gretzky - Famous since age 9. Considered the greatest player of all-time. Just think about how cool it would be to be considered the best ever at something. Met your boyhood idol, and then smashed all his records, and about 50 others. Multiple Stanley Cup winner. Multiple Canada Cup winner. Put together the first Canadian Olympic champion in 50 years. Played at a time, where he was able to make millions and be set for life. Married a movie star/model.
.

I wouldn't call Janet Jones a movie "star".

 

[Dangler99*]

Gretzky. 10 Art Ross Trophies, 9 Hart Trophies, 5 Lester B. Pearson Awards. Countless amount of other NHL, International and Awards from other Leagues. He Must have a Separate Room just for all his awards. More like a garage for them lol.

 

[Reds4Life]

Jaromir Jagr IMHO.

No hockey player made more money. Jagr has had no serious injuries. And he's also won a bunch of trophies, Olympic Gold, WHC Gold, and 2 Stanley Cups.

 

[John Flyers Fan]

I wouldn't call Janet Jones a movie "star".

She essentially gave up her career when she married him. She wouldn't have become Julia Roberts, but she certainly would have become a very well known and population actress.

 

[TasteofFlames]

She essentially gave up her career when she married him. She wouldn't have become Julia Roberts, but she certainly would have become a very well known and population actress.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0428314/

That's really the resume of an up-and-coming star. Janet Jones was an aerobics video host and fitness model, not a star actress in the waiting.

 

[Killion]

Yet Lafleur still does have that grin and laugh when he recalls the partying!

Ya, I considered Lafleur as well, however, he didnt have the same "living right on the edge out of control" propensities as Sanderson did. Not nearly the same Dandified Johnny Dangerous with a great story of redemption that followed. Sanderson in his prime was the "It Guy", bigger than Broadway Joe, paid more money than Pele', voted one of the sexiest men alive by Cosmo etc. Much depends on ones idea of "Cool" of course; to many, a squeaky clean Holier than Though Syl App's is the epitome' of cool, a Gretzky or Lemieux whose off-ice lifestyles were considerably more temperate. I like the Errol Flynns, Hemingways, Dietrichs, Nicholsons, Hunter S. Thompson types. Just bring on the debauchery, and so much for Freedom 55. Lord knows I never expected to live this long. Now what?....

 

[revolverjgw]

 

[Killion]

Al Iafrate, the "human highlight reel"?. He was funny, amusing, very talented player, but too much of a headcase requiring high-maintenance & babysitting to ever be considered "cool" IMO. Interesting choice though. And ya, he was known for some pretty crazy episodes while shacked-up at the Westbury Hotel in Toronto.

 

[hfboardsuser]

Have to give this to Joe Juneau.

-During his NCAA career, finished a degree in aeronautical engineering in just three years despite not knowing English.

-Leading scorer at the 1992 Olympics (silver medal).

-Set two NHL records in first season (most assists by a LW, most assists by a rookie).

-First player ever to be awarded a penalty shot in the playoffs.

-Scored a memorable OT goal to send the Caps to the SCF.

-Moved to Fairbanks, Alaska and then Kuujjuaq, Quebec, where he heads up youth hockey programs for Inuit youth.

Not the most glamorous or memorable career, but boy has he accomplished a lot both on and off the ice.

 

[Dom]

How about Coffey. Was allowed to play his style most of his career despite being an heavily relied on D. 5-100 pts seasons, most goals for a defenseman. Won cups with Gretzky and Lemieux, played with Yzerman, Fedorov, Jagr, Messier, Kurri and Lindros at his best.

 

[pappyline]

Ya, I considered Lafleur as well, however, he didnt have the same "living right on the edge out of control" propensities as Sanderson did. Not nearly the same Dandified Johnny Dangerous with a great story of redemption that followed. Sanderson in his prime was the "It Guy", bigger than Broadway Joe, paid more money than Pele', voted one of the sexiest men alive by Cosmo etc. Much depends on ones idea of "Cool" of course; to many, a squeaky clean Holier than Though Syl App's is the epitome' of cool, a Gretzky or Lemieux whose off-ice lifestyles were considerably more temperate. I like the Errol Flynns, Hemingways, Dietrichs, Nicholsons, Hunter S. Thompson types. Just bring on the debauchery, and so much for Freedom 55. Lord knows I never expected to live this long. Now what?....

Busher Jackson would also fall into this "Cool" category. Great player who played with style. Youngest AR winner pre Gretzky. Off ice, lived a wild lifestyle of booze & wild women. Was very handsome but came to a bad end. Conn Smythe kept him out of the HOF for years because of his lifestyle & resigned as a HOF director when Busher finally got in.

 

[MaskedSonja]

I don't know if this counts (seeing as "Cool" is pretty varied in this case), but Ken Dryden mystifed me-I think because of "lack" of flamboyance. I mean here's a goalie who considered one of the all time greats, was fortunate enough to play on some star studded HOF Montreal teams-and his demenor? Leaning on his stick-sometimes for a good part of the game, while the Habs were in the offensive end. Won Stanley Cups-and then just-retired? I mean, it always struck me that he just almost got "bored" of the game on the the ice-packed up his HOF career and instead went and studied the game (and wrote one of THE "Hockey books "The Game"), and through the entire thing seemed as nonplussed as though he had a regular 9-5 day job.

Just his whole quietness and seeming staying from the spotlight, despite playing in a Hockey Mad City, for a HOF bound team, winning Stanley cups-and not getting caught up in at all-that to me is "cool"

 

[Peter9]

Ya, I considered Lafleur as well, however, he didnt have the same "living right on the edge out of control" propensities as Sanderson did. Not nearly the same Dandified Johnny Dangerous with a great story of redemption that followed. Sanderson in his prime was the "It Guy", bigger than Broadway Joe, paid more money than Pele', voted one of the sexiest men alive by Cosmo etc. Much depends on ones idea of "Cool" of course; to many, a squeaky clean Holier than Though Syl App's is the epitome' of cool, a Gretzky or Lemieux whose off-ice lifestyles were considerably more temperate. I like the Errol Flynns, Hemingways, Dietrichs, Nicholsons, Hunter S. Thompson types. Just bring on the debauchery, and so much for Freedom 55. Lord knows I never expected to live this long. Now what?....

I know the kind of "cool" you mean first hand. I lived and worked in Venice, California in the late 1960s and through nearly all the 1970s. I was known on the Venice boardwalk as "Lawyer Man," and I represented many cool people in court when their coolness crossed the line and came to the attention of uncool authorities. I'd still pick Lafleur over Sanderson because I think Lafleur's on-ice career was cooler than Sanderson's. But I appreciate why you would choose Sanderson. He was, indeed, cool.

 

[Peter9]

I don't know if this counts (seeing as "Cool" is pretty varied in this case), but Ken Dryden mystifed me-I think because of "lack" of flamboyance. I mean here's a goalie who considered one of the all time greats, was fortunate enough to play on some star studded HOF Montreal teams-and his demenor? Leaning on his stick-sometimes for a good part of the game, while the Habs were in the offensive end. Won Stanley Cups-and then just-retired? I mean, it always struck me that he just almost got "bored" of the game on the the ice-packed up his HOF career and instead went and studied the game (and wrote one of THE "Hockey books "The Game"), and through the entire thing seemed as nonplussed as though he had a regular 9-5 day job.

Just his whole quietness and seeming staying from the spotlight, despite playing in a Hockey Mad City, for a HOF bound team, winning Stanley cups-and not getting caught up in at all-that to me is "cool"

A very good choice. His aloofness was indeed cool. Hockey was not everything to him; he made that clear. It was merely something he did and did well. He was cool even when he sat out a year after disagreeing with Canadiens management; he simply went on with his law studies when the Canadiens refused to offer him what he thought he was worth. Management, not used to such obstinacy, was very miffed. It was very costly to the Canadiens at the time, and I was not well pleased either. But he was true to his own convictions, his own sense of integrity. That is cool.

 

[steve141]

Brian Rafalski can look back at a pretty unusual career. Undrafted, moved to Sweden after college to try his luck there. After one mediocre SEL season, he moved to Finland where he finally found his game and was named best defenceman. After three years in Finland he was named the best player in the SM-liiga, and brought back over by the Devils as a 27 year old. The rest is history: elite NHL defenceman for ten years, two cups with the Devils, one with the Red Wings, named best defenceman in the Olympics etc etc. Pretty cool career for a draft reject.

Two other players who had good careers, in terms of winning, are Anders Kallur and Ken Dryden. Kallur won the SC during 4 of his 6 years in the NHL (66%), Dryden in 6 out of 8 (75%). I'm sure pnep can answer who had the highest winning percentage ever, but those must be some of the higher ones. Cool careers!

 

[Killion]

....late 1960s and through nearly all the 1970s. I was known on the Venice boardwalk as "Lawyer Man,".

Small World. You represented me. Twice..... How the Hell are ya?.

 

[Killion]

And oh ya, John "Pieface" McKenzie. Lets put him on the list as well. He had some "cool" goin on, and who doesnt like pie?...... oh, wait a minute, if your a Rangers fan, I guess not so much.

Upon defeating NY in the SC, Johnny skates out to center ice & pulls a Statue of Liberty pose, and with his free hand grabs his neck in a choke hold, and proceeds to jump up & down as if swingin from a gibbet. Forever after known as the "McKenzie Choke Dance".

 

[revolverjgw]