Who in your opinion is the most overrated player of all-time?

[Looch City]

Originally Posted by PaperBagger'14

For the current era of players, I'd have to nominate PK Subban.

For current era, I'd also like to add the entire Leafs roster.

[Fire of the Phoenix]

Lidstrom isn't usually overrated but calling him the second best dman in NHL history is a bit much. Bourque and Pronger were better for starters. Niedermayer, Leetch, Stevens were all in his tier as well imo. That's not counting guys that I never saw play but have all the accolades like Potvin, Harvey, Pilote, Park. Saying Lidstrom is top 5 behind the big 4 or clearly the second best dman ever is overrating him in my eyes. Amazing player but not heads and shoulders above like Gretz, Orr and Lemieux. I do think he was helped by playing with all that talent too. Put him in Calgary during the dark years and I'm not sure he carries the team the same way a guy like Pronger could.

[flamesrule_kipper34]

In no specific order:

Andreychuk
Phaneuf
Kunitz
Ryan Smyth
Morgan O'Reilly
Tavares (since he left the Island)
Subban
Rolston

[Coach]

Ryan Smyth. Now there’s the type of name we’re looking for. The games greatest plug.

[Fire of the Phoenix]

Originally Posted by flamesrule_kipper34

In no specific order:

Andreychuk
Phaneuf
Kunitz
Ryan Smyth
Morgan O'Reilly
Tavares (since he left the Island)
Subban
Rolston

Morgan Reilly is a legit top pairing dman. Not sure how many people think he's leagues above that. Needs to repeat last year to achieve star status but even then, he's solid. Too young to write the book on yet but his career is trending in the right direction.

Tavares is the same Tavares he was on the island, overrated I will agree with that for sure

[Fire of the Phoenix]

Originally Posted by Coach

Ryan Smyth. Now there’s the type of name we’re looking for. The games greatest plug.

Might take heat for this but Ryan Smyth was a beauty. Hate the Oilers but he played the game the right way and was pretty productive playing for some ass teams. Not an Iginla, but a Linden for sure

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

J
But Clarke is seriously underrated when great players are discussed. Same amount of Hart wins as Lemieux and Orr.

Clarke's reputation has been hurt by his dickish reputation as a GM, and by the cultural shift in the sport away from his approach to the game. But he was an elite two-way center and tremendous leader. Joe Sakic with the demeanor of Matthew Tkachuk. Jonathan Toews who regularly challenged for the scoring title in his prime. And to think the guy played the way he did in the most vicious era of the NHL, and he was only 5'10" and 176 lb.

[Fire of the Phoenix]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Clarke's reputation has been hurt by his dickish reputation as a GM, and by the cultural shift in the sport away from his approach to the game. But he was an elite two-way center and tremendous leader. Joe Sakic with the demeanor of Matthew Tkachuk. Jonathan Toews who regularly challenged for the scoring title in his prime. And to think the guy played the way he did in the most vicious era of the NHL, and he was only 5'10" and 176 lb.

Yeah breaking someone's ankle in order to win isn't looked at as fondly these days. I wasn't alive at the time but he sounds dirty af. Good looking stat sheet but I wouldn't want to win like that.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Clarke's reputation has been hurt by his dickish reputation as a GM, and by the cultural shift in the sport away from his approach to the game. But he was an elite two-way center and tremendous leader. Joe Sakic with the demeanor of Matthew Tkachuk. Jonathan Toews who regularly challenged for the scoring title in his prime. And to think the guy played the way he did in the most vicious era of the NHL, and he was only 5'10" and 176 lb.

And he suffered from diabetes IIRC.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

Top 5 all time:

Orr
Lemieux
Gretzky
Howe
Jagr

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Fire of the Phoenix

Yeah breaking someone's ankle in order to win isn't looked at as fondly these days. I wasn't alive at the time but he sounds dirty af. Good looking stat sheet but I wouldn't want to win like that.

Assistant coach of Team Canada 72 John Ferguson asked Clarke to take care of Kharlamov.

Years later, assistant coach John Ferguson admitted: “I called Clarke over to the bench, looked over at Kharlamov and said: ‘I think he needs a tap on the ankle.’ I didn’t think twice about it. It was Us vs. Them. And Kharlamov was killing us. I mean, somebody had to do it, and I sure wasn’t going to ask Henderson.”

On his part, Clarke always has insisted he doesn’t recall Ferguson telling him this, but added: “If I hadn’t learned to lay on a two-hander once in a while, I’d never have left Flin Flon.”

http://www.montrealgazette.com/sport...054/story.html

[Fire of the Phoenix]

Originally Posted by Dion

He got the order wrong but the group is probably right. It really is a top 3 imo and then figure it out from there

Gretzky
Orr
Lemieux

[Fire of the Phoenix]

Originally Posted by Dion

Assistant coach of Team Canada 72 John Ferguson asked Clarke to take care of Kharlamov.



http://www.montrealgazette.com/sport...054/story.html

Still absolutely brutal. Hockey culture back then was ####ed. Clarke was probably good enough to still have a massive impact without the dirty play, even if he doesn't think so.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by Wood

I've always thought Brodeur was more a product of the Devils boring, defensive team play

I like Brodeur, but I don't think he's the best ever. I'd put Roy and Hasek ahead of him

Came into this thread to say Brodeur. He always played for defence-first boring trap teams that made him look better than he was. His backups always had shiny good stats too. He's great, just not as great as some say.

People think Lidstrom is over-rated?!? Must be people who never acually WATCHED him-he wasn't physically dominating, but he was always the BEST defensive D-man in the league, and often had the best offensive stats too.

[rohara66]

Lidstom and Jagr overrated... lol. Terrible take right there.

[codynw]

Originally Posted by Yamer

Gordie Howe is the definition of hockey. Tough, skilled, relentless, and a leader with tremendous longevity. No matter how much the game evolves, these are the core tenets of the game and he embodied them all as a complete package that no other player has ever done, IMO.

I wouldn't say that no player has ever done. Maybe nobody has ever done it better, but there are a few other players who had that complete package. One of them has his jersey number hanging in the Saddledome.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Cobra

Matt Stajan.
Have never seen a guy on his ass so much.
So bad on short-handed faceoffs.
1003 games played and 17 playoff games and Calgary gave him a letter on his sweater.

He did score a series winning goal for the Calgary Flames...not many names on that list

[N-E-B]

Some of my personal picks:

Vlasic
Quick
Toews
Klefbom
Boeser
Marleau

[Johnny Makarov]

Luongo. I don't care how funny you guys think he is on twitter. ....
He was a pathetic goalie and i can't believe he gets a pass on here because he is a funny guy. Forever hate.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Fire of the Phoenix

Lidstrom isn't usually overrated but calling him the second best dman in NHL history is a bit much. Bourque and Pronger were better for starters. Niedermayer, Leetch, Stevens were all in his tier as well imo. That's not counting guys that I never saw play but have all the accolades like Potvin, Harvey, Pilote, Park. Saying Lidstrom is top 5 behind the big 4 or clearly the second best dman ever is overrating him in my eyes. Amazing player but not heads and shoulders above like Gretz, Orr and Lemieux. I do think he was helped by playing with all that talent too. Put him in Calgary during the dark years and I'm not sure he carries the team the same way a guy like Pronger could.

I saw all those players play. Lidstrom was better than all of them as an all around player. I have no issue with him being considered the 2nd best defenseman all time because he was IMO.