Your top 10 playoff performers of all-time

[Sidney BrOSSby*]

Very solid list. I will add: Yzerman, Fedorov, Ozzie, Vernon, Belfour, Fuhr, Richter, Gilmour, Trottier, Recchi, Chelios. Murphy, Robinson, Potvin, Bourque

Perhaps undervalued playoff goalies:

Cujo
Kolzig
Vanbiesbrouck
Lalime

I don't believe Cujo was that great. Lalime was one of the b however. Goalies get hot though, then they get overpaid.

 

[Dreakmur]

Frank Foyston
Ted Kennedy
Jean Beliveau

 

[DisgruntledGoat*]

Gretzky, Roy, Richard, and Beliveau top the list for me

Add Messier and that's my top five. I feel like that there's a little seperation between that group and anyone else.

 

[FakeKidPoker*]

Gretzky
Roy
Lafleur
Sakic
Lemieux(Mario)
Robinson
Lidstrom
Trottier
Yzerman
Lemaire
Messier


So many honorable mentions

Yzerman should not be on the list.

 

[Rhiessan71]

Yzerman should not be on the list.

Why not?
He has extremely strong Playoff performances dating back to the late 80's, including the domination of Gretzky head to head in '87.
Then, not even talking about his performances in the 90's, how about still being one of the best players on his team in '02 while skating on one knee, a knee that barely had anything left itself.

 

[tjcurrie]

Brett Hull needs mention.

Tops all time among non-Oiler players (who obviously were great, but padded stats) in points (190).

Only Gretzky (122), Messier (109), and Kurri (106) have scored more goals than Hull (103).

Tied with Gretzky an all time game winners (24)

 

[Yamaguchi*]

Billy Smith

Patrick Roy

Bob Nystrom

Sergei Fedorov

Wayne Gretzky

Bryan Trottier

Mario Lemieux

Al Macinnis

Paul Coffey

Geoff Courtnall

 

[Hardyvan123]

Gretzky doesent hold the record for goals in a playoff season.


anyway:

Drury
Briere
C Lemiuex
M Lemiuex
W Gretzky
M Messier
Francis
Hunter
Scott Niedermayer
Nicklas Lidstrom
Scott Stevens
Brian Leetch
Bobby Orr
Jagr
Ovechkin
Crosby
Malkin
Brodeur
Hasek
Roy
Giguere
Thomas
Sakic
Forsberg
Eric Staal
Sykora



many more

that's a huge top 10 list.

anyways will just post my post 67 top 10 forwards and 5 Dmen(career wise) list for position players in the playoffs and the first few are really rock solid.

Forwards in no particular order

Wayne Gretzky
Peter Forsberg
Joe Sakic
Mark Messier
Sergei Federov
Doug Gilmour
Bryan Trottier
Mike Bossy
Henrik Zetterberg
Mario Lemieux

Defense

Potvin
Lidstrom
Stevens
Chelios
Robinson

 

[Hardyvan123]

Brett Hull needs mention.

Tops all time among non-Oiler players (who obviously were great, but padded stats) in points (190).

Only Gretzky (122), Messier (109), and Kurri (106) have scored more goals than Hull (103).

Tied with Gretzky an all time game winners (24)

I'm not really sure that Brett Hull makes many peoples top 10 list nor should he really.

I'm sure that if someone adjusts the stats for scoring in the playoffs that Brett falls off his top 4 in goal scoring perch.

Also being consistency good to great in the playoffs, something like Feds or Forsberg, and others, did should matter for more than counting stats IMO.

 

[DisgruntledGoat*]

I'm not really sure that Brett Hull makes many peoples top 10 list nor should he really.

I'm sure that if someone adjusts the stats for scoring in the playoffs that Brett falls off his top 4 in goal scoring perch.

Also being consistency good to great in the playoffs, something like Feds or Forsberg, and others, did should matter for more than counting stats IMO.

Well, the thread is 'top 10 playoff performers ever' so Fedorov doesn't really belong either. Surely to God, even this board realizes that.

 

[Rhiessan71]

I'm sure that if someone adjusts the stats for scoring in the playoffs that Brett falls off his top 4 in goal scoring perch.

It's not possible.
The weaker teams who tend to allow more goals are not there to be taken advantage of. Checking is much tighter, Ref's tend to put their whistles away more.

In 88/89 goal scoring dropped by almost a full goal per game in the playoffs.
Last season it only dropped by a little more than half a goal per game.

You can't adjust for the playoffs, nor would you want to.

Besides who are you going to say has been better than Hull, Crosby???
A guy that has garnered almost a 1/3 of his playoff points in just 3 series with the Sens?

 

[tazzy19]

I'll be the f to diagree. While success had followed both players, neither raises their respective game to a level I would describe peer-to-peer as a playoff performer. They can be described only as success.

Reaaaaally?

Top 5 (playoff) points seasons of all time:

1. Wayne Gretzky - 47 points (only 18 games)
2. Mario Lemieux - 44 points (23 games)
3. Wayne Gretzky - 43 points (only 19 games)
4. Wayne Gretzky - 40 points (24 games - LA Kings)
5. Wayne Gretzky - 38 points (only 16 games)

I dunno....looks a little bit "peerless" to me

 

[tombombadil]

Just because no one has mentioned him - Johan Franzen. I wouldn't have him very close to an All-time top 10, but as far as guys who elevate their games when it matters, he's up there with the Briere's, Lemieux's, and Barry Pederson's magic run!

 

[Hardyvan123]

Well, the thread is 'top 10 playoff performers ever' so Fedorov doesn't really belong either. Surely to God, even this board realizes that.

Well Feds might not make it all time, I just referenced it for forwards from 67 and given Feds consistency and 2 way play yes he is a top 10 forward easily IMO.

Feel free to disagree and list your top 10 post 67 if you wish.

 

[tjcurrie]

I'm not really sure that Brett Hull makes many peoples top 10 list nor should he really.

I'm sure that if someone adjusts the stats for scoring in the playoffs that Brett falls off his top 4 in goal scoring perch.

Also being consistency good to great in the playoffs, something like Feds or Forsberg, and others, did should matter for more than counting stats IMO.

Since the only guys ahead of him would have to be adjusted much much more, I'm not sure that's accurate. Hull played most of his career in the DPE so I don't know if you can really take a lot away from him. I'll bet you that many wouldnt even realize it but he, not Modano (one point back), led the Stars and the entire playoffs in scoring in 2000 when they lost to the Devils.

Hull has about as good a playoff resume as anybody. Some years outstanding, some just consistent. And I would really argue that consistency in the playoffs should be a lot more regarded than the credit some players get (Gartner for ex.) for being just consistent in the regular season.

 

[tombombadil]

Reaaaaally?

Top 5 (playoff) points seasons of all time:

1. Wayne Gretzky - 47 points (only 18 games)
2. Mario Lemieux - 44 points (23 games)
3. Wayne Gretzky - 43 points (only 19 games)
4. Wayne Gretzky - 40 points (24 games - LA Kings)
5. Wayne Gretzky - 38 points (only 16 games)

I dunno....looks a little bit "peerless" to me

i'm not disagreeing with the overall point, but era context, please.

 

[quoipourquoi]

I struggle with Joe Sakic here. On the one hand, he's at minimum the third best player in the history of NHL overtime and has one of the better Conn Smythe runs we've seen. On the other hand, his face was on the back of milk cartons in some of the most important series in 1999, 2000, and 2002 - which was his prime. Can we really shoehorn a fifth player into the top-ten from just a quarter-century of hockey (1980-2004)? Gretzky, Roy, Lemieux, and Messier are on virtually everyone's list, and while the four-round era has given us better sample sizes, there was a lot of hockey prior to 1980.

And is he even next in line among four-round era players after those guys?

 

[tazzy19]

i'm not disagreeing with the overall point, but era context, please.

I was replying to ILoveLuci's point about Gretzky/Lemieux not dominating their peers. Their peers obviously existed in the same era as they did, so I don't understand why we need to talk about "era context".

 

[Eisen]

Gretzky - 4 Cups, 2 CS
Patrick Roy - 4 Cups, 3 CS
Kurri - 5 Cups, 92 goals in 10 playoffs with the Oilers
Messier - 6 Cups, nearly 300 pts in playoffs
Rocket Richard - 82 goals in 133 playoff games
Sawchuk - 4 Cups. He even managed to win one for the Leafs.

Current:
Crosby - He's been above 1P/G every playoff he's played. Cup and another final.
Zetterberg - 51 playoff goals in 109 games. Cup, Conn Smythe.
Pronger - finals with 3 different teams.

It took 25 posts for the name Rocket Richard to pop up. That guys whole legacy is his crunch time play.

 

[Cadienhomme]

Jean beliveau in 65 I believe

 

[Crosbyfan]

Jean beliveau in 65 I believe

56 he was even better. Dominated the playoffs as well as the regular season

Henri Richard was very clutch as well in the playoffs throughout his career...

...and his older brother was not too bad either

 

[tombombadil]

I was replying to ILoveLuci's point about Gretzky/Lemieux not dominating their peers. Their peers obviously existed in the same era as they did, so I don't understand why we need to talk about "era context".

are you joking?

 

[Hawkey Town 18]

Gretzky, Roy, Richard, and Beliveau top the list for me

Agree with this...I see no way to leave any of those guys off. I also don't think Lemieux, Orr, or Howe can be left off. Even if you think one or two of these guys had their level of play decrease a little in the playoffs, it was so high to begin with it's still good enough to make the top 10. The only way one of these guys don't make your list is if your list is based on players stepping up/exceeding expectations.

I think Mark Messier deserves to be on there too.

Not sure about the last two spots...there are several good candidates. Harvey, Sakic, Kennedy, Broda are some of my favorites, but there are plenty more deserving of mention.

 

[tazzy19]

are you joking?

No. Are you?

 

[Crease]

Top 10 of All-Time, going only on playoff performance

Just like the title states, who are the top 10 of all-time if we only consider playoff performance?