Who do you think is the best hockey player ever?

Question

Just want to know.

Answer 1

Ronnie Francis is up there, butI'd say Mario Lemieux. Put up some crazy numbers when the NHL started to stinge-up on goaltending (gigantic equipment) and defense

Answer 2

I really am amazed at some of the names some of the people upstairs are coming up with. It would be nice if somebody would edit their answer to either say they were not serious or tell me how they reached that conclusion.

And please folks, knock it off with Sidney Crosby. Let him get 150 points a year for 5 years (and I'm not saying it's not possible, just that it hasn't happened yet), then we'll talk.

Orr, Howe, and Lemieux are reasonable picks, but I have to go with Gretzky. Nobody else, not even Lemieux had 200 points in a season and the great one did it 4 times.

I admire and agree with what is said about Lemieux: yes he had very little help at the start of his career, yes he was injured a lot a battled courageously, and yes he was more of a physical presence than the great one.

I just do not see how those arguments prove he was BETTER. Gretzky had years when he was on bad teams too, he was hurt at times as well, and he had better passing skills and anticipation than Mario.

In fact, it's interesting to note that the year Mario had the most points, GRETZKY who had about 30 less points was chosen as the league's MVP. And rightfully so, because he got those points playing nightly with "superstars" like Mike Allison, Paul Fenton and Sylvain Couterier.

Lemieux -> easily the SECOND best player of all time.

But Gretzky was the best.

Answer 3

You have got some really good choices out there and I will also vote for #4, Bobby Orr. Unlike Gretzky Bobby could take care of himself. Bobby's first NHL game was against the Detroit Red Wings and Mr. Gordie Howe. Bobby hit him on the back of the neck with his stick. Later in the game Mr. Howe caught Bobby with his head down and leveled him to the ice. Gordie wanted the kid to know that he wasn't finished yet. Bobby's teammates came to his rescue but the future hockey GOD replied with an I deserved that. His first goal came against Gump Worsley and the Montreal Canadians. The roar of the crowd was deafening. Over the next 13 years Bobby Orr set almost every imaginable record for defenseman. He changed the game of hockey, forever. One astonishing feat of Bobby's his his +/- ratio. Bobby finished his career with a +/- ratio of 597. His best season was 1970-71 when he finished with an NHL record of 124. Just so you know Wayne Gretzky's best +/- season was 98. In his career Bobby never had a negative +/- season. Just a few facts for you to consider. Bobby lead the league in scoring twice. Take a guess how many other defenceman have recorded such a feat. He won the Norris trophy for 8 consecutive seasons. He was on the first all-star team from 1968-1975. He was the Conn Smythe trophy winner in both the 70 and 72 finals. He amassed so much in such a short and brilliant career. He was the most gracefull player I have ever seen play the game. He rarely celebrated after scoring. He did not want to embarass the other players. He spent some of his spare time at the hospital visiting sick children and didn't tell anyone. It wasn't until Don Cherry went in one day and one of the nurses said Bobby was there 2-3 times a week. There is a story of a gentleman leaving a Bruins game whose car was stuck in the snow. A kind stranger helped push his car out of the snow. That stranger was Bobby Orr.

Answer 4

Gretzky or Lemieux?Gretzky had so much passion for the game like none other player.He taught his teammates how to win and molded a lot of his teammates into superstars as well..Gretzky elevated Lemieux's playing ability to stratospheric level during the 1987 Canada Cup which before was regarded as lackluster and lazy.Gretzky not only taught Lemieux leadership and how to win but also the importance of taking care of himself by eating right and going to bed early the night before a game.Lemieux's career never looked back after that and I think his 2 stanley cup wins were because of what he learned from Gretzky.Although Lemieux became a legend alongside Gretzky I have to give the nod to Gretzky as the best hockey player ever because of the way he inspired Lemieux.

Answer 5

I am a fan of Mario Lemieux. I did not grow up in the Pittsburg area and so I did not see a lot of his games but from a stats point of view he outscored Gretsky during the years he played. Mario was also a little more well-rounded as a player, he even did his own fighting when needed. No need to waste a slot on a McSorley in the lineup.

In addition to outscoring Gretsky over the same years they were in the league, Lemieux played with serious health problems and even hodgekings diesease. How do you come back from a year of being bed-ridden and still lead the league. He was amazing.

Answer 6

Wow, hard question really.
For pure passing skills and on ice vision Wayne Gretzky. Best two way player Bobby Orr. The first true power forward Gordie Howe. Greatest scoring threat Mario Lemieux. Best shot Bobby Hull.
When Gretz and Mario teamed up for the Canada Cup in 1984 you saw the game's best passer feeding the game's best scorer and every time they started up ice you knew they had a chance to score. It was absolute magic.
It will be interesting to see just what legacy Sid the Kid ends up with.
Keep your stick on the ice.

Answer 7

1. Gretzky - called the Great One for a reason
2. Howe - Hockey's Babe Ruth
3. Orr - Greatest Defenseman ever
4. Messier - Consumate captain and leader
5. Lemieux - didnt have a full career
6. Broduer - Greatest goalie ever
7. Richard - The Rocket
8. Roy - Second greatest Goalie ever
9. Andreychuk - Most PPG and SHG career
10. Dave Williams - 4421 PIM - highest career total ever

Note: while I love current NHL players, besides Broduer I cannot pick any of them at this time, its like the Hall of Fame there has to be a cooling off period when they retire.

Answer 8

Bobby Orr, Bobby Hull, Wayne Gretzky
Gretzky could not skate or shoot with these two guys. Orr and Hull played when the game was defensive and niether of them needed someone to protect them, let alone making his protector a condition of a trade. If numbers alone are the decision maker, how about Orr's plus minus record? Do some math and interpolate the scoring records according to the number of goals scored in the years when the records were made.

Answer 9

I can see reasons for choosing Gretzky. He changed his position with his passing, and his play from behind the net. He also played with perennial all-stars and future HOFers for a good chunk of his career. I'm not taking anything away from him, but another man from the same era also changed his position, with his size, strength, vision, and touch in spite of his size. Mario Lemieux. What makes Lemieux great is how he made other people on his team better. Terry Ruskowski was on a line with Lemieux for one season, and never had more than 16 goals in the NHL, and he had 26 that season. Rob Brown had 49 and 33 goals his two seasons on Lemieux's line, and was never again able to match those totals. It is just making the players around you better.

Answer 10

Wayne Gretzky