I was thinking about posting an all-time list but that seems lofty, how about your top ten *right today*?



1. Price
Hard to argue right now after the season he had. Montreal was essentially a mediocre team in almost every regard and yet they had one of the league's best records. One of the most dominant seasons we have seen in a while from a goaltender, with all due respect to Thomas, Quick, Miller, et al.

2. Doughty
It's so hard to quantify what he does but statisticians are coming close. With him on the ice and without him on the ice the Kings are two different teams. They can pair him with anyone, honestly he hasn't had a partner he wasn't carrying since Willie Mitchell. He sacrifices a ton of offense but he's every bit as dynamic as Subban or Karlsson.

3. Ovechkin
He may not have the team success of other guys I considered here but he is still a force on offense and now he is back to going balls out, back-checking hard and just being the consummate threat that his talent allows him to be. I've never seen a player have so much confusion around him but now the Caps' situation seems way more stable.

4. Keith
A workhose, a greyhound, a cheetah, whatever cheesy animal comparison you want to make, it probably fits. He's everywhere forwards want to be. Look at the way he performed all playoffs and the way his timely plays swung things. Consistency and clutch. Ask Corey Perry. He's not afraid of anyone and yet Keith probably visits him in his nightmares.

5. Toews
The forward version of Doughty. He does everything and can do more. He's won everything and will win more. He's won the important stuff multiple teams. He's the most complete center in the game today, with all due respect to Kopitar, Giroux, Getzlaf, et al.

6. Crosby
Still an incredible production machine with an ever-expanding hockey imagination. He has the talent to be number one on this list and maybe well back to that point. Just incredible hands and decision-making, plus he has worked on areas where he was just OK. If he can find his groove as a leader, he will elevate himself to an all-time great.

7. Lundqvist
Still a rock in net and a clutch performer. He's someone who stands out as meticulous even among a field of staunch perfectionists. He's one of very few goalies (Price, Quick, Rinne, maybe no one else) that you can lean on to win 2-1 as often as the Rangers do. He sucks at guitar though.

8. Weber
Perhaps lost in a shuffle of an oddball schedule and the general obscurity of Nashville, he is still a beast and more. In any given game he will provide booming shots, crunching hits and a level of fastidious attention to detail matched perhaps only by his old partner Ryan Suter. He is the total package and another guy who could find himself higher on this list with just some minor improvements. Robinson, Chelios, he is cut from their cloth.

9. Giroux
Every year he gets better and more well-rounded. He's got speed, incredible passing ability, keen vision and he can shoot the puck. He and Voracek are probably the best tandem in the Eastern Conference today and are right there with the stud Western duos (Benn/Seguin, Getzlaf/Perry, et al). He loves big games and he is tough for his size. Just a bedrock of a franchise, and deserves more support around him.

10. Datsyuk
He's getting older and his body hurts but he is still one of the greatest players on the planet. Of late I think he has assumed Forsberg's position as a guy who, when he's on physically, is the best player on the planet. Unfortunately he does miss time and he does show wear sometimes when he does play. But overall he is an absolute joy to watch, incredible imagination, coordination and slickness in all areas of the game.

Honorable mentions in no particular order:

Kane- Showtime, clutch player, catch him if you can.
Getzlaf- Classic No. 1 center, big, skilled, rangy
Perry- Ultimate jerk with all the talent to back it up. Fearless.
Rinne- Incredible combination of size and agility, hockey's Big Cat.
Stamkos- Still an incredible threat at all times with the puck.
Malkin- Impossible to knock off the puck, knows what to do with it.
Kopitar- A 200-foot player that's quite similar to Toews.
Karlsson- Improving defensively, absolutely an offensive dynamo.
Subban- Flashiest player in the business, could soon be the best.
Benn- Humble, stuck in a less prominent market but a scoring machine.
Pavelski- Perhaps the most versatile star in the league if not ever.
Zetterberg- Like his teammate Datsyuk, epic when he's on.
Tavares- Probably should be in the top 10, legit superstar center.
Tarasenko- Skills for days and a true game-breaker.
Quick- Freakish athlete, ruthless competitor and big winner.
Kessel- Laser passes, lethal shot, double chin.
Giordano- Every year he gets better and now he is elite.
Parise- First-line stud with a fourth-line grinder's work ethic.
Bergeron- Two-way stud, beacon of consistency.
Suter- Eats minutes, always makes the smart play, textbook DMan.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

Kopitar in, giroux out

And im leaning toward Ovechkin at #1. Ive been a vocal member of his hate parade but he took away every ounce of ammo i had over the last year. If he does it again im sold.

And youre right about my Euro Twins. Their spots are entirely dependent on their health levels. Ive seen each of them look like top 5ers at times over the last 18 months, and other times they look like its taking everything they have just to take the ice. Fingers crossed for 75 games each this year and a feather Cup in their caps with help from the young guns

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

>Kopitar in, giroux out

I could see that but my gripe with both Kopitar and Getzlaf is that they are not assertive enough offensively. I realize that they both score a lot of points while almost never cheating for them, but to varying degrees they have been unable to come up with the big points in the big games. That's what I think separates Toews from them and also what I think separates Giroux from them. I think most would agree if not for the bipolar management of the Flyers recent years. Get older, get younger, get older, get younger, and accumulate bad contracts in the process.

>And im leaning toward Ovechkin at #1. Ive been a vocal member
>of his hate parade but he took away every ounce of ammo i had
>over the last year. If he does it again im sold.

If I were doing it over more time I would have him ahead of Price and he and Doughty would slug it out for number one. There is no one who possesses more skill and physically imposing qualities. He could easily be No. 1 this time next year for me and I considered him this time for sure.

>And youre right about my Euro Twins. Their spots are entirely
>dependent on their health levels. Ive seen each of them look
>like top 5ers at times over the last 18 months, and other
>times they look like its taking everything they have just to
>take the ice. Fingers crossed for 75 games each this year and
>a feather Cup in their caps with help from the young guns

Datsyuk is one of these guys who needs close to his full capacity, if not he really drops off although he doesn't hurt you. Hank has really been fighting it with his back, too. I can't see things aligning right, they have a lot of talent but they need everyone to grow up over night. Obviously Franzen's setback is big. Goaltending situation is not exactly rock solid. They are kind of two teams in one, a young up-and-comer and a bunch of very seasoned veterans. Normally that would sound great but I think the disparity is too big.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

there's really 3 main reasons i think they will make a serious run this year

1) Green gives them 4 legit top 4 defenseman (while lacking that one "elite" guy). Havent had that since Stuart and Rafalski were around.

2) Brad Richards will FINALLY let Pav and Z skate together every night with Justin Abdelkader (who im close to moving to honorable mention territory)

3) Tomas Tatar is about to become a star. Ppl here were all about Nyquist for the last year or 2, but Ta-STAR is having his coming out party this year.

The goaltending situation im not that worried about. Id actually like them to trade Mrazek while they are still operating from a position of strength. Jimmy Howard wont bring back even half of his equivalent value if he doesnt win the job.

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

I mean Tatar was practically a 30-goal scorer, I don't think he is sneaking up on anyone. I really like him and I love Pulkkinen, he seemed to go from chic to forgotten. He always had a steep curve and in a couple years I think he will be a stud or at least a semi-stud.

Still I just don't see them winning this race against time. Green is a decent addition but not a difference-maker, and of course they are undergoing a significant but not total transition behind the bench. It doesn't really matter because I think they can keep building and have a contender with the young guys as the core 3-4 years down the line.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

dont care who goes 9 or 10. Also I am knocking Price down a lot further. Yes it was an insane season. But it was a season.

November 8th, 2005 The greatest night in the history of GD!

"The best compliment I can give (Kopitar) is that I think he's like Pavel Datsyuk." Willie Mitchell.

I couldn't take Pav's spot away, not til he's dead lol. Kopitar and Tavares will both be super concrete on this list soon.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

i dont watch hockey much but im surprised how many people i recognize.

so ovie really better than crosby now?

<--- Big Baller World Order

.

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

(Excluding backup goalies)

So the top 10 is really only the top seventh of the top 1%

And yeah for my money RIGHT TODAY Ovie > Sid

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

<--- Big Baller World Order

23 players on a roster, 20 that dress, 19 of whom will play on a given night. but the guys on the fourth line and in some cases the third defensive pairing don't play much (between 5 and 15 minutes a game).

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

Subban could easily have been in the top 10 (incidentally he is my favorite player), I would say if I had to rank the HMs he'd probably be like #12 or #13. He is still putting together his defensive game. He and Karlsson would both be in a lot of top 10s as defensemen go. They are both young and IMHO not as complete as Doughty, Weber and Keith yet. To me defense is still about defense first.

Crosby and Ovechkin have jockeyed over the years and at almost any given time you could find people arguing one over the other. There was a stretch where Sid was clearly playing better. This past season, Ovechkin was clearly the best forward in the league. He is also really chugging toward a high pace on the all-time goals list, having an A-Rod type start to his career.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

> To me defense is
>still about defense first.

do you vote for the Norris? If not you need to.

November 8th, 2005 The greatest night in the history of GD!

I would have voted for Doughty this year but I was certain Karlsson would win.

The Norris voting this year I thought had six legit candidates, the three nominees plus Keith, Weber and Giordano.

Some people have become so sick of the points-total-driven Norris Trophy that they want a separate award for the best defensive defenseman. The Rod Langway Trophy or something. If they add that, I think it should be voted on by the GMs.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

Good for you

You have shitty breath in general but are stellar
homo sapien when it comes to hockey

please link us to your work

also you would be surprised how easy it is to get a vote on awards and crap, in any league. you pretty much just have to belong in the writers' association of that particular sport.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

Despite the fact that you have awful breath, I'm willing
to be a finger you're an outstanding hockey writer because
you know so much about a lot of different sports, so you know
what to emphasize in your writing

I've been looking for a good hockey writer to follow, so
lemme get that

I can also send you some Listerine

Eric Duhatsek is a great writer, Pierre LeBrun is super connected, Adam Proteau writes from a more progressive perspective and Lisa Dillman is really good out west.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

Inbox, hoe




----------------------------



O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_MLKn4kNPM

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

so many voters left him out of his top 5 they should lose their privileges. Like okay it was close at the top. So put him 1 or 2. Shit I am fine with you putting him at 3. But to just be like yeah we arent voting for him at all. Shows how little attention these fucks pay to the west coast.

November 8th, 2005 The greatest night in the history of GD!

I think he is overlooked in a relative way but I think overall people know how good he is now. The Olympics certainly helped his profile.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

then we can retroactively give Mike Green one for 2008-09

But that aside, I do think it really makes sense these days for it to be two different awards.

Then it would be hot if a guy swept both in one season.


>Some people have become so sick of the points-total-driven
>Norris Trophy that they want a separate award for the best
>defensive defenseman. The Rod Langway Trophy or something. If
>they add that, I think it should be voted on by the GMs.

and that would be the big achievement, for one guy to sweep both.

some people also think the awards should be renamed but to that i say bah! i already think it would be better if they went back to the old names of the divisions and conferences.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

I don't watch enough to have a valid opinion. But if I was starting an expansion team and had my druthers....I would take Kopitar over every forward in your top ten other than Toews and Crosby. That's just me though. And I agree that Doughty should be up where you put him. He's just simply the 'best hockey player' in the world imo. I'm sure it would be controversial amongst alot of hockey people but it's the truth.

It's tough to balance out though....cause the most 'exciting to watch' players would be guys like Ovechkin, Kessel, Subban.

For similar reasons as Kopitar but the difference to me is that Kopitar is steady whereas Doughty is both steady and dynamic. He can turn it out and steal a game. Kopitar is also overlooked, he just covers so much ground and is so good defensively. How he has not won a Selke is beyond me. Getzlaf is also very rangy. If both guys were more aggressive shooting the puck, I think they'd be better players and get recognized more.

I am very excited to see Kessel in Pittsburgh, I feel like he seldom had linemates who could really keep up with him and obviously last year he phoned in a good portion of the season. He's kind of like the David Wells of right wingers, looks out of shape but is generally very durable and very consistent.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

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And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

And I'd have to account for the fact that your average center is more valuable than a comparable winger.

It's like QB vs WR almost.

Like on a "right today" list I am comfortable mashing everything today but on an all-time list I feel like skaters and goalies should be separate, if not a separate list for each position.

All-time list is very tough. Two guys I struggle to rank are Jagr and Marcel Dionne. I think I would have them higher than most lists do but I am not sure how high.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.