Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - Iginla vs. Nieuwendyk: Who was the better player?

Huntingwhale · 10-25-2013, 11:05 AM

I'm genuinely surprised that Nieuwendyk has so much support. IMO, its Iggy all the way.

If people are going to mention Joe's Conn Smyth as a tipping point, you then also have to take into consideration Iggy's Hart votes. I don't buy the argument at all the Neiuwendyk had a better peak. Certainly more team success, but not a better personal peak.

Iggy was a 3 time Hart finalist. He was 15th in Hart voting in 2007. It's hard to find information on Hart voting, but from what I can see, Joe only had a 13th place finish in 1998. Never any top 10 votes. Regardless of his Conn Smyth win, I think it's easy to see who had the higher peak relative to their peers. And I don't think there is any debate that Iggy might very well have won a Smyth in '04 (although I think Kipper deserved it).

Also it should be taken into account that Iggy has 3 1st-team allstar selections, and 1 2nd-team selection. The only allstar selection Joe had is a all-rookie selection in 1988 (Iggy has that same selection as well). That means for 3 seasons, Iggy was the best RW in the game. He was in the debate for best player on the planet for a number of years. Joe never reached that peak, or even came close to it.

I think it's an interesting debate as to who had the better career. But I'm genuinly shocked that Joe has gotten so much support, especially considering the teams he played on. Iggy's feats during the dead puck era are pretty darn remarkable. Not to mention the consistent amount of Hart voting he has received. I wish there was a site that had a detailed listing of all award votings, as I think that is a great way to judge just how high a players peak was. But IMO it's Iggy all the way.

10-25-2013, 11:05 AM	#138
Huntingwhale Franchise Player Join Date: Sep 2008 Exp:	I'm genuinely surprised that Nieuwendyk has so much support. IMO, its Iggy all the way. If people are going to mention Joe's Conn Smyth as a tipping point, you then also have to take into consideration Iggy's Hart votes. I don't buy the argument at all the Neiuwendyk had a better peak. Certainly more team success, but not a better personal peak. Iggy was a 3 time Hart finalist. He was 15th in Hart voting in 2007. It's hard to find information on Hart voting, but from what I can see, Joe only had a 13th place finish in 1998. Never any top 10 votes. Regardless of his Conn Smyth win, I think it's easy to see who had the higher peak relative to their peers. And I don't think there is any debate that Iggy might very well have won a Smyth in '04 (although I think Kipper deserved it). Also it should be taken into account that Iggy has 3 1st-team allstar selections, and 1 2nd-team selection. The only allstar selection Joe had is a all-rookie selection in 1988 (Iggy has that same selection as well). That means for 3 seasons, Iggy was the best RW in the game. He was in the debate for best player on the planet for a number of years. Joe never reached that peak, or even came close to it. I think it's an interesting debate as to who had the better career. But I'm genuinly shocked that Joe has gotten so much support, especially considering the teams he played on. Iggy's feats during the dead puck era are pretty darn remarkable. Not to mention the consistent amount of Hart voting he has received. I wish there was a site that had a detailed listing of all award votings, as I think that is a great way to judge just how high a players peak was. But IMO it's Iggy all the way.