Who are the all-time best NHL players -- by position?

 Who are the all-time best NHL players -- 

 by position?

My selections may not match yours. 
And, they may not be in your age wheelhouse but I'm sure they will all be familiar to you. If you need additional info on their respective resumes, I encourage you to Google everyone to help you understand why they top my list. I purposely stayed away from discussing or comparing points but a player wouldn't be in this conversation if they didn't have the numbers.

                                                           

                                                 Here are my selections

Centre:

Many participating in this would select Phil Esposito with good reason.

He was a horse.

Captain Espo

He did something that nobody ever did before or since in the NHL. He anchored the top of the slot in front of the net, owned the position, and scored. Nobody had ever taken that space on the ice before and nobody has ever done it since he retired.

I remember him in one of the NHL contests at ALL STAR weekend. He was supposed to hit plastic targets in the four corners of a net ... he missed them all. He could only perform in a game situation and simply couldn't do his thing unless he had a huge defenceman hammering him or butt ending him or slew footing him or holding him from behind.

If you need proof of his power and dominance, look 

to the greatest tournament ever, Canada vs Russia 1972.

For most Canadians, it was less about a hockey tournament and more about a war …us against the Russians. On ice, "we'll show them whose boss". 

As you may know, it wasn't quite the romp we thought it would be.

Espo, as Canadian team captain and leader had 89 shots on goal during the 8 game series while facing some of the best players in the world. He scored 7 times...and, he did it with a very heavy wooden stick -- I have one -- it's a log. 

Take a look at shots on goal in an important game by your favourite present-day centreman ... it would be a surprise if he had 3 or 4 shots in a single game. Espo was spectacular. He was in the same company as Lemieux and Beliveau and Bobby Clark and Mikita and Keon and you wouldn't be wrong if you chose any one of them ... or, what about tiny Henri Richard who earned 11 Stanley Cups while playing that position but, as mentioned, Espo did something in his game, owning the slot, that has never been repeated.

     However, my selection for the center position is Gretzky.

 Cup Win 1984

He surprised everyone … when he entered the league from the WHA.  #99 -- nobody had a number that high ... who does he think he is? Incidentally, he wasn’t the 1st player to wear #99 in post-expansion … there were 2 others and several others in the Original Six.

I have a friend who played against Gretzky in Junior hockey. My pal was a grizzled defenceman, very tough, very hard, very motivated, and willing to do anything his coach asked. 

The coaching team paid special attention to Gretzky in their pre-game meetings even though Gretzky was only 16 or 17 years old. My pal played against him twice (again, my pal was a defenceman) ... he said he never saw Gretzky in either game.  In the first game, Gretz got a goal and four assists and in the second game, he scored four.

Gretzky saw the ice better than anyone before him or after him.

He made everyone who played with him, play better.

He was so good, not many players were able to claim the left winger position on his line -- there were dozens who tried. It was very difficult -- he played at an elevated level. Kurri, his forever right-winger was the only one who seemed to be completely simpatico with Gretzky's style, tempo, and creative thinking.

One of the best descriptions of Gretzky I've ever read was by Leaf Stanley Cup winner, Brian Conacher ... "If there was a league above the NHL, Gretzky would be an all-star"

We all know about "Gretzky's office". 

No player ever, in the 100+ year history of the league, took the puck behind the opposing team's net …waited for one of his player's to either crash the net or sneak in behind the confused defence and slide a perfect flat pass or saucer to his waiting teammate. 

When I first saw the play, it seemed to me that Gretzky's own players were a bit confused by his set-up. But, they all learned quickly how to adjust for a perfect scoring chance. Now every centreman playing shinny to beer league to the NHL regularly imitates the fabulous move that was created by Gretzky. 

He's called "The Great One" for a reason. 

"The Michigan": Before leaving the discussion on Gretzky, we've all seen the recent YouTube replay of the NHL player who set up behind the net, lifted the puck with his stick, and threw it over the crossbar to his teammate who scored ... it's called a "high wrap" or "the lacrosse move" or "The Michigan".

The move should be called "The Gretzky".

During a televised 1980s game between the Oilers and St. Louis, Gretzky set up behind the net and before the defence could make a move, he took the beavertail-blade shaped TITAN wooden hockey stick, folded the puck, flipped it off the back of the goalie, Mike Liut's helmet, and it rolled into the net. The Blues building was silent -- "did somebody score?". The announcer couldn't comment until he and viewers got to see the replay 3 times. "He put it off Liut's head" screamed the TV colour guy -- nobody had ever seen anything like that before.

Most Agree ... 99 saw the game differently.

The Gretzky Signature/Jersey Fraud

One of the earliest versions of his signature

The above signature must have been created very early in his career. it's super clean but looks a little suspicious when it's compared to the one he uses today. I've had him sign so many things while I stood beside him that I think I'm a bit of an expert on his signature. However, on one occasion, I was uncertain and turned a bunch of signatures over to a friend who is like a Gretzky forensic expert.  He confirmed the signatures had an odour. Be very careful if you buy a signed Gretzky/anything ... however, if you meet him, he'll happily sign anything! 

Also, a friend told me he bought an authentic Gretzky jersey for $1,000 ... it was a fake.

When 99 went to LA, the Kings jerseys were made by CCM. The company logo was prominently displayed on the back/bottom of every jersey. But, you'll remember that 99 used to tuck his jersey in ... as it so happened ... on the same side as the CCM logo ... so it wasn't visible. The CCM solution was to add the logo to both sides of the hem of the Gretzky jersey only -- problem solved. However, my friend's $1000. jersey had only one logo - a $1000. mistake for him  - he should have just spent $89 at Walmart for the same jersey with one logo. 

Left-Wing:

"OV" has certainly earned the distinction of all-time best NHL left-winger because he's currently on pace to catch one of Gretzky's most coveted records Most Goals -- something I didn't think would be possible in my lifetime. At 6' 2" & 240 lbs., Ovechkin is a force. As of this season, he's logged more than 3,000 hits/body checks in his career. Nobody else can claim that much damage and, can you imagine standing in front of him at the net while he's enjoying a 5 on 4 penalty advantage as he loads up his canon?  Me neither.

I think he got all-of-it!

 

Incidentally, you won't find any other current players like Crosby or McDavid or any other new kids on the block mentioned in this essay because the final chapters of their sensational careers haven't been written yet. 

But, "OV", a left-wing player who actually shoots right has to be compared to other sensational left-wingers like Luke Robitaille, Andreychuk, and Johnny Bucyk, and don't forget the "Big M" ... all honoured Members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

                                              My selection for Left-Wing is Bobby Hull.

Bobby on the farm
getting ready for another
hockey season

He had flash and flare, skated 28 MPH, and had a slap shot that was clocked over 100 MH. When he played during the Original Six, the old Chicago Stadium held 18,000 seats ... there were only 25,000 hockey fans in the entire city of Chicago at the time and the building was full for every game because people wanted to see  "The Golden Jet". He never disappointed them. Bobby Hull was the reason people went to hockey in Chicago.  

How many times were the left-wingers (mentioned above) on the cover of Sports Illustrated? Bobby Hull was there four times when NHL hockey rarely got any media attention whatsoever in US cities. Oh ya, Hull also signed an unheard-of million-dollar contract to leave Chicago for the World Hockey Association and raise the salaries of every hockey player in the world at that time.

Incidentally, Bobby Hull went on record to say, in his opinion, the greatest left winger of all time was Detroit Red Wing, Ted Lindsay.  Lindsay was selected to the HHOF immediately on retirement instead of waiting 3 years which is the normal wait period. During his era, he was the only HHOF member who'd amassed more than 2,000 penalty minutes. 

Right Wing:

"Guy" "Guy" "Guy"! 

There was nobody like him. At the top of his game, he may have been the best in the league. He owned Quebec.  He was adored by Montreal fans and his 5 Stanley Cup rings are a nice exclamation mark for a fabulous career. But, there was also Jagr and Bossy and Brett Hull, and don't forget Kurri.

    My selection for Right-Wing would be Gordie Howe.

His teammates called him "Blinky" (he blinked a lot because he couldn't get used to contact lenses) but everyone knows he was "Mr. Hockey". 

He earned that title for playing professional hockey for 26 NHL seasons and 6 more in the WHA.  Howe was the complete package; very tough -- he could cut a player down with his elbows and nobody in the rink, including the officials,  ever saw it happen. He had superior hockey IQ, was an effortless skater and he used a straight stick because he was ambidextrous and could score from the right or left - and he did - a lot. Howe was selected 23 times to the All-Star game representing his right-wing playing position.

How would you defend 
against Mister Hockey?

I had a Toronto friend who was drafted by the Red Wings in the 1950s. Following the on-ice drills at his first training camp, he removed his equipment and proceeded to the showers. He stopped abruptly before entering. There, in front of him, in the shower mist, was naked Gordie Howe. Have you ever seen a photo of Howe with his shirt off?. My friend was stymied. "What am I doing playing in a league with guys who look like that"? He left the team and became an elementary school teacher and a watercolour artist. 

And, although this has nothing to do with hockey, the new Gordie Howe Bridge, to link Windsor ON with downtown Detroit is currently under construction. 

Defence:

I belong to the "I hate the Habs" organization so it pains me to give one of them a nod but "Big Bird" Larry Robinson was the anchor of a Montreal defence corp that were all inducted into the HHOF.  He was the foundation that helped create their dynasty of the 1970s. During one season, he had a +/- of +99 -- tied for the second-best plus/minus ever. He could check, hit, score and although he wasn't mean or overly aggressive, not many would challenge him physically. But, you wouldn't be wrong if you chose; Potvin or Lidstrom or Doug Harvey or Bourque.

                                                         My choice is Paul Coffey. 

He was "Orr-Like"
End to End

I mentioned Robinson's +99. Coffey shared the same +99 with Robinson but he was dazzling to watch. He had another gear.  

Forward or Defence, in any era, have you ever seen a player who could skate like Coffey? He controlled the rhythm of the game. 

That in itself is very noteworthy because 6 of his teammates from the Oilers glory years of the 1980s, were all selected to the HHOF -- Coffey gave their game dimension. He created openings for each of them to become Hall-worthy.

But, mostly, I remember the way he could fly, effortlessly end to end and if his team lost possession, in a flash, he'd be back to his own blue line waiting for the opposing team's rush. He had defensive skill, an unmatched touch in the opponent's zone and his speed just embarrassed the other team.

He owns 33 NHL records and was a scoring machine who earned 4 Stanley Cup rings. During his fabulous career, Montreal's Yvan Cournoyer was called "speedy" (not "roadrunner") by his teammates for a reason - "he had lots of jump". I would love to have seen a Cournoyer/Coffey one on one confrontation because, for me, in hockey, speed trumps everything.

These days, I play hockey with a downtown Toronto group. Coffey lives in Toronto and if he is slated to play in a charity game, he'll join us to get some ice time before he plays for real. Even now, with his best-before-date long past, he still moves quickly and can turn on a dime -- his edges are remarkable. During a game with him, I have to remind myself not to be mesmerized by his skates -- the blades hardly touch the ice -- he's like a water bug.

Gravity?
What's gravity?

The "other" choice,  Bobby Orr 

Maybe Coffey watched Orr's end-to-end rushes on TV and said to himself ... "I can do that".  But, no other defensemen in the history of the game did it before Orr.

Actually, to me, it appeared that most teams in the Original Six era had the worst skaters on their team playing the defence position.

"The Kid" who'd own Boston

I remember reading a report of Orr's first Bruins training camp. He was touted as a phenom so all eyes were on the 18-year-old  to see if he could live up to the hype.  An on-ice coach reported that he didn't think Orr would have a very long career. He claimed that during the practice scrimmage, Orr was rushing the puck along the boards with hard rock Bruin defenseman, Leo Boivin starring him down.

"Boivin gave Orr 10 inches of space along the boards and he took it". "Boivin crushed him" "If he plays that way during an NHL game, his career will be short". 

Sadly, that prediction came to pass and we only had the opportunity to witness Orr magic for 10 short years with Boston + 26 games with the Blackhawks (where he basically played on one leg). But, during his shortened career, he earned the Best Defenseman trophy 8 times. 

That's the ref, Bruce Hood's elbow on the right.
He was very proud to be on the ice for this most 
an important moment in NHL history

And, if you were wondering about Robinson and Coffey sharing 2nd place with the fabulous +99 plus/minus and wondered who was the #1 position, it was Orr with +124. 

Nobody in the NHL will ever, ever, ever have a +124 plus/minus.

And, one final item about Orr. I never cheered him -- he was a hated Bruin and I am a Leaf. But, when the subject of the "best hockey player ever" comes up, I vote Bobby Orr because he could play every position on the ice -- Lemieux couldn't, Gretzky couldn't, Howe couldn't and Lafleur couldn't. Would you have liked to see Orr play the left-wing position for a season with Esposito as his centerman?

One last thing before leaving Bobby Orr. On the eve of Guy Lafleur's signing his first NHL contract with the Canadiens, Orr was asked ... "what advice would you give to Guy?" He said, just four words ... "Get yourself a lawyer". Sadly, Bobby followed his own advice and hired the lawyer from hell who bankrupted him and went to prison for the damage he caused Orr and dozens of other NHL players.

All of my position selections mentioned here come out of my own preferences. Who would I like to have on my team? 

And maybe more importantly, who would I hate to play against?

                                  Hey! What about goalies?

Dryden

That's a very tough call. There are so many great ones and we all have our personal favourite due to something spectacular they did during a crucial game or series. Some might pick Montreal's Ken Dryden -- he was outstanding as he anchored the Habs Glory Years. But, when he was called on to play for Canada vs Russia in 1972, he was mediocre. Of the tournament ... Canadian defenceman, Serge Savard said "the Russians shoot the puck where Dryden isn't". 

Tony "O" Canada's Best Goalie

Tretiak

In fact, the goalie in that tournament who had the best goals-against average wasn't the Russian, Tretiak, it was Canada's second goalie, who played the same 4 games as Dryden ... Tony Esposito.

And, when the fabulous Tretiak played against the Americans in the 1980 Olympic Games, he was pulled at the end of the first period. The coach thought he was a bit porous.

 How do you say porous in Russian? Porouski?

When I asked HHOF member, Ted Lindsay "who was the best goalie during the Original Six era ... without hesitation, he said, the Canadiens' Bill Durnhan (who also captained that team) even though Lindsay's teammate, Terry Sawchuck is considered by many to have been the best.

The "Best" according to Lindsay,
 Montreal captain, Bill Durnhan.
Here beside Leaf great "Turk" Broda 

If you agree that selecting the best goalie all-time is too difficult, I can still add a little controversy to the discussion ... In my opinion, in today's NHL game, the goalie has to be the best-conditioned athlete on the team. How else could that player, with all that equipment, play as vigorously and focussed in the 3rd period of overtime in a Stanley Cup final game as he does in the first 5 minutes of the first period?

                                                                         Coaches?

Bird

The great basketball player, Larry Bird, said "coaches are only effective for three years ... after that, the players have heard it all from him and simply stop listening."

When a new coach is announced for our favourite team we applaud the announcement with hope. "Maybe this guy can get our team to the finish line". We all give the new guy lots of room to show his stuff. But, when cracks start to form in the team and rumours start about coach/player disagreements we all assume the player is right and we consciously start looking around for the coach replacement. 

"Grapes"

It's amazing that "The Coach" Don Cherry ever manufactured a job for himself analyzing the game. He was a forever minor leaguer who got a coaching job with the Bruins and opened the gate for Bobby Orr for a few years. The same can be said of the Canadiens Claude Ruel (who?) ... he opened the gate for the Habs when they won the 1968 Stanley Cup.

Cue the stare!

How would you like to be a fresh, young NHL player with some real talent sitting on the bench and look over your shoulder only to see "coach" John Tortorella staring at you?   If you asked 100 NHL players ... "who was the worst to play for?" ... guaranteed ... "Torts" tops the list with "Mad Mike" Keenan firmly in second place - tied with Babcock.

But, I have to give a special tip-of-the-coaching fedora to Winnipeg Jets 9 year coach, Paul Maurice.  

Paul Maurice
So long ... for now.

In the midst of the 2021 - 2022 season with a team filled with talent and possibility, Maurice quit. He claims ... "there's a shelf life for what we do" ... "they need a new voice and I know that".

Have you ever heard of something like this? A coach with courage and understanding for what his team needs? 

Maurice is a special person.

He's a special coach. The NHL is less without him but, for the most part ...

Coaches?  Who needs em?

Babcock ... The $50 million dollar man ...
He got $30 million upfront &
the guy who hired him is still working?

               And, by the way, don't ever give an NHL coach a $50 million dollar contract.

How about a little more controversial discussion?

Which 4 players would you select if there was a Mount Rushmore of Hockey?

(My choice: Orr, Gretzky, Howe, Rocket) ... Not because they were my faourite pIayers, I  selected them because they were all BUILDERS ... they all had a significant impact on the game, they all had superior personal accomplishments and they all brought awareness, acceptance, entertainment and enjoyment to new fans to help build the sport I love.

A final bonus to those that may be new to the blog or are just bored to tears - below are standalone articles related to several players/personalities mentioned in this article. 

 Just click a title.

The Ted Lindsay Award

Hating the Canadiens comes easy to me

 Gretzky #99 ... but he wasn't the only one

 All about Henri ... The PocketRocket

 27 Days in September ... 48 years ago

 The Maple Leaf Forever ... CalGardner

 Did I tell you the one about GuyLafleur and me?

 Tell me the truth ... are you BobbyHull?

Bruce Hood Obituary