Why is center > winger?

[Kshahdoo]

This rule looks like an axiom in modern hockey. But I was rising on Soviet hockey, where it was mostly just the other way around: great wingers carried lines (Firsov, Kharlamov, Makarov), while centers had mostly supportive roles. And look at some modern wingers like Ovechkin, Kane, Panarin, Kovalchuk in his best NHL seasons.

Columbus fans say, Panarin is a special player, because he makes players around him better. I think, Kane was the most important Chicago player in their 3 Cup wins. Yeah, people should change their minds about the idea, that a winger can't be a franchise cornerstone.

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[izzy]

Yes

 

[DL44]

Elite scoring wingers are close to the same value.Easily can be franchise cornerstones and often are...
The players you mentioned plus Iginla who was also the best player in the league for a stretch.. or Naslund for the Canucks during the same era.. Brett Hull, Mike Bossy, Cam Neely, Jagr..
Taylor Hall is in line for Hart this year... winger. Kucherov as well.
Centres happen to effect the game is other areas... face offs, defensively, being playmakers setting up those valuable wingers... so the elite Centers will carry more valuable for that reason.

 

[Shootica]

Versatility. Most centers can also play on the wing, while true wingers may struggle at center. Elite wingers can transcend this philosophy though.

 

[Kshahdoo]

Elite scoring wingers are close to the same value.
Centres happen to effect the game is other areas... face offs, defensively, being playmakers setting up those valuable wingers.

Winger usually do the most of forchecks, and as to being playmakers, Kane is as good scorer, as he's a playmaker. The same can be said about most elite wingers. Even Ovi can set up his teammates pretty good.

 

[DL44]

Winger usually do the most of forchecks, and as to being playmakers, Kane is as good scorer, as he's a playmaker. The same can be said about most elite wingers. Even Ovi can set up his teammates pretty good.

Agreed.. the elite ones can. Centers also have a more critical defensive zone responsibility plus faceoffs.... so when skill is equal, roles push value towards the Center.

 

[Viqsi]

Because generally there are more responsibilities given to the center position and therefore it is a more difficult and demanding position to play. It also means that good quality wingers are much easier to come by than equivalent quality centers.

 

[DL44]

Good discussion point tho.

I’m on the Taylor Hall for Hart train... so the wingers < centers does not always apply.

 

[DL44]

Playmaking wingers are HUGE value... so rare tho...
The Canucks were spoiled for 2 decades of Daniel... currently have a much lower tier version in Baertschi and acquired Leipsic who is also like one.. elite versions are rare.

 

[ProspectsSTC]

Centers are more involved defensively, as they act as a 3rd defenseman in front of the net or in the corner, and are expected to play lowest in the zone of the forwards. They also control the puck up the center of the ice, giving them a wider range of options to distribute the puck on either side

 

[KlefDown]

People who play the game at any level will tell you the same.
I’m a winger and I have no problem saying C and D are way more important positions.
a QB in football is more important than a linebacker. Just the way it is.

 

[PAZ]

There's a reason why a large majority of forwards play Center in juniors and eventually shift to wing.

 

[OrrNumber4]

If you look at history, virtually all the teams to win a SC had two of the following (at least for the playoffs):

1) Vezina-quality goaltending
2) Franchise-caliber center
3) Norris-quality defenseman

These are players who make everyone around them better. It's harder to do that from the winger position, especially if the winger is a more goal-scoring type (Ovechkin) than playmaking type (Kane).

 

[AustonsNostrils]

No idea about Soviet hockey's development but in Canada hockey had a very simple strategy, wingers went up and down their wings like table top hockey game wingers, they didn't roam. Centers had the wide middle area between the wingers to roam so your best skaters became centers, best skater as kids also usually were your most skilled players too. The center was like the QB in football. And that stereotype still exists though as the game has changed it's lessened.

 

[Zuluss]

What people saying center>winger usually do not understand is that while centers have more ways of being useful (defense, faceoffs), centers also have an easier time collecting points, just because they touch the puck more due to their position on the ice. So, if a center and a winger have the same amount of points, the winger is better, at least offensively.

Another thing that often gets misunderstood is that these extra things a center does are not worth as much as many would make them to be, at least for a star offensive player. E.g., peak Datsyuk was 10-15% behind peak Ovechkin in terms of points, and the difference in defense was huge, but Ovechkin was winning the Hart over Datsyuk by a landslide.
This what is called comparative advantage: if your star player is better than 99% of the league at generating offense, this is what you want the guy to concentrate on, rather than make him "well-rounded".

 

[Seanaconda]

Faceoffs/ they are supposed to play defense and control the play. Some wingers are better than centers but the best players tend to play center.

P Kane is the best forward on the hawks panarin best forward on cbj . Montreal doesn't have a center . Hall best forward on the devils johnny hockey flames

 

[Kshahdoo]

I think, center obssession is a Canadian thing. Look at the list of franchise wingers: Kane, Jonny Hockey, Ovechkin, Kucherov, Panarin... Laine will join this company in a couple of years or even sooner. And you know what, they are all non-Canadians. Out of Canadians, only Hall and Marchand can be added to the list. And there are way more Canadians in the league, than all other nationalities combined.

 

[StatisticsAddict99]

C>W is way overused and abused...

Centers are more valuable not better, Centers have to take on more responsibilities(as previously mentioned many times), but that doesn’t correlate with being better(just because your doing more doesn’t mean your more effective to the game or have the same skill set of a compared Winger). If an Elite player is willing to take those responsibilities head on than he brings more value to the table for himself and his team.

All that being said, the better player is the better player(stats and performance predict that).

In a nutshell I think Kane vs Kopitar is a great comparison as both are pretty close and have had plenty of success, I think Kane has been the better player career wise though.

 

[Seanaconda]

I think, center obssession is a Canadian thing. Look at the list of franchise wingers: Kane, Jonny Hockey, Ovechkin, Kucherov, Panarin... Laine will join this company in a couple of years or even sooner. And you know what, they are all non-Canadians. Out of Canadians, only Hall and Marchand can be added to the list. And there are way more Canadians in the league, than all other nationalities combined.

Well Canada's at less than fifty percent now so not combined.

Also Benn is a Canadian winger and he's debatable for Dallas . Umm stone best forward on the sens he's Canadian and a winger center tends to be the best player on most teams so there isn't alot of guys to choose from

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Canadian thing. Best players for Russia, USA and Finland have been usually wingers.

 

[LordNeverLose]

Same reason center backs are more important than fullbacks in soccer.

 

[JeremyTB]

Canadian thing. Best players for Russia, USA and Finland have been usually wingers.

And this is why Canada usually dominates in Olympic Hockey. How strong they are down the middle compared to other countries.

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

And this is why Canada usually dominates in Olympic Hockey. How strong they are down the middle compared to other countries.

They've had better defensemen than those teams as long as I remember.

 

[Seanaconda]

They've had better defensemen than those teams as long as I remember.

Canada's team tends to be stacked at every position they just move centers to wing Sweden might have better dmen but not by much and Russia has comparable forward

They do only seem to send two natural wingers the and just send a team of mostly centers
Last Olympics the nhl went to the only wingers were like benn and marchand all the other wingers were just centers

 

[Bustedprospect]

And this is why Canada usually dominates in Olympic Hockey. How strong they are down the middle compared to other countries.

Canada are usually strongest on all positions except goaltending these days.