10 fun questions for HoH members to answer! (Fun little exercise)

[MS]

Messier actually wasn't a great leader through much of the 80s. His transitional years were probably 1984-85 and 1985-86, during which he morphed from young firebrand with a short fuse to veteran team leader in waiting. He didn't become team captain until his 10th NHL season.

This is semantics. Substitute 1987 (Kent Nilsson thing, which is actually kinda terrible in retrospect) or 1990 and the same point holds. No Canuck fans EVER try telling Oiler fans that Messier wasn't a great player or great leader during his time with them.

But Oiler fans can't recognize their own biases and help themselves from commenting on shit they know absolutely nothing about.

Sorry, this is a massive straw man you're building. Literally no Oiler or Ranger fan has ever (that I've seen on this forum) told Canucks' fans they're wrong because Messier was great on other teams. That's just nonsense. What many of us have said is that Canucks' fans go overboard in blaming Messier for things he's not responsible for, and that the real culprit of that era in Canucks' history was incompetent management.

Oiler and Ranger fans spew absolute rubbish about things they know nothing about and didn't experience because Messier was great on their team. Period. End of story.

No Canuck fan has ever denied that there was incompetent management at this point. The problem is that Messier was part of that incompetent management and was acting as an AGM for the team during the 97-98 season. And even outside of that, 'the team had bad management' doesn't excuse his bizarre behaviour, enormous ego, or laughable lack of effort on the ice during his tenure with the team.

One thing Canucks' fans have never answered for me is, if this is all true, how did Canuck fans vote Messier team MVP in 2000?

Weird shit and politics comes up in this stuff. I was a season ticket holder that year and can tell you that I didn't have a vote in the matter.

Keenan pet Brian Noonan was voted the team's 'Unsung Hero' in 1998 after a season where he was absolutely crap and never played another NHL game again afterward, and fans were laughing about it from the second it was announced. Barry Pederson was suspiciously named the team MVP the year after the Neely trade in a seeming attempt to mitigate fan outrage. The Messier MVP thing was likewise a running joke from the instant it happened.

 

[The Panther]

Barry Pederson was suspiciously named the team MVP the year after the Neely trade in a seeming attempt to mitigate fan outrage.

Or maybe he was actually team MVP. He outscored Neely in 1986-87. (Not exactly a great year in Canuck-land -- the team had its worst fan attendance ever that season.)

 

[notDatsyuk]

So are you saying Bobby Orr is simply a product of Don Cherry hype?

No, I did not say that. Please read what I wrote.

 

[decma]

1. What are your earliest hockey memories?

Watching: HINC during the 75/76 season. The 9:30 starts were a killer for a 4-5 year old, but I could usually stay up for the first period and change. As much as the games themselves, I remember the intermission content. Peter Puck and Showdown were great.

Playing: street hockey. We had a lot of kids in the neighborhood and played pretty much everyday after school. Such a contrast with how kids today (including my kids) grow up.

2. If you had the ability to time travel and witness (live and in-person) ANY single game or event in hockey history..what would it be?

Tie between 84 Canada Cup Canada-USSR semifinal and 86 Stanley Cup finals game 3.

3. If you could spend 1 hour talking to and interviewing ANY player in hockey history, who would it be?

Can it be a coach instead of a player? If so, Tikhonov.

4. Who is your single favorite player of all-time? Pick just one!

Mats Naslund

5. Name one player you personally consider highly overrated historically, and one player you consider highly underrated historically. Could be in terms of the HoH or just generally speaking.

Overrated: Martin Brodeur
Underated: Pierre Turgeon

6. If you could watch full-game replays of any and all games from one specific NHL season in history..which season would you choose?

79/80

7. Name a player you barely knew anything (or nothing) about before joining HF Boards and the HoH, but you now respect as an all-time great and an important part of history?

Earl Seibert

8. You’re coaching a team in game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals and it’s overtime. You could have any goaltender in hockey history in your crease, who do you choose?

Hasek

9. Same as above. Game 7, Cup finals and OT. Which single player in hockey history do you trust the most with the puck on his stick in that moment to win the game for you?

Gretzky

10. As a GM, which non-star player would you ALWAYS try to have on your team? Could be a do-it-all utility forward, a heart and soul grinder, or a rock solid D etc..which player in history would you always try to make sure was a part of your clubs no matter how many teams you managed?

Pierre Mondou

 

[Midnight Judges]

1. What are your earliest hockey memories?

Got a hockey stick for Christmas. Was in Pittsburgh at the time. 6 or 7 years old? Not sure. Playing roller hockey.

2. If you had the ability to time travel and witness (live and in-person) ANY single game or event in hockey history..what would it be?

Miracle on ice.

3. If you could spend 1 hour talking to and interviewing ANY player in hockey history, who would it be?

Gordie Howe

4. Who is your single favorite player of all-time? Pick just one!

Alex Ovechkin

5. Name one player you personally consider highly overrated historically, and one player you consider highly underrated historically. Could be in terms of the HoH or just generally speaking.

Overrated: Mike Bossy
Underrated: Alex Ovechkin

6. If you could watch full-game replays of any and all games from one specific NHL season in history..which season would you choose?

The present.

7. Name a player you barely knew anything (or nothing) about before joining HF Boards and the HoH, but you now respect as an all-time great and an important part of history?

Phil Esposito

8. You’re coaching a team in game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals and it’s overtime. You could have any goaltender in hockey history in your crease, who do you choose?

Roy

9. Same as above. Game 7, Cup finals and OT. Which single player in hockey history do you trust the most with the puck on his stick in that moment to win the game for you?

Gretzky

10. As a GM, which non-star player would you ALWAYS try to have on your team? Could be a do-it-all utility forward, a heart and soul grinder, or a rock solid D etc..which player in history would you always try to make sure was a part of your clubs no matter how many teams you managed?

Non-star? Johnny Boychuk - I think you can win with guys like that rounding out your roster.

 

[The Panther]

6. If you could watch full-game replays of any and all games from one specific NHL season in history..which season would you choose?

The present.

Just sayin'.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

No, I did not say that. Please read what I wrote.

"Don Cherry was super-hyping Bobby for years and years, for example always talking about him scoring the Cup winning goal after being tripped, until it was pointed out to him that he wasn't tripped, but jumped after scoring (at which point Don stopped showing that video)."

So what was the point of this then?

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

1. What are your earliest hockey memories?

Got a hockey stick for Christmas. Was in Pittsburgh at the time. 6 or 7 years old? Not sure. Playing roller hockey.

2. If you had the ability to time travel and witness (live and in-person) ANY single game or event in hockey history..what would it be?

Miracle on ice.

3. If you could spend 1 hour talking to and interviewing ANY player in hockey history, who would it be?

Gordie Howe

4. Who is your single favorite player of all-time? Pick just one!

Alex Ovechkin

5. Name one player you personally consider highly overrated historically, and one player you consider highly underrated historically. Could be in terms of the HoH or just generally speaking.

Overrated: Mike Bossy
Underrated: Alex Ovechkin

6. If you could watch full-game replays of any and all games from one specific NHL season in history..which season would you choose?

The present.

7. Name a player you barely knew anything (or nothing) about before joining HF Boards and the HoH, but you now respect as an all-time great and an important part of history?

Phil Esposito

8. You’re coaching a team in game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals and it’s overtime. You could have any goaltender in hockey history in your crease, who do you choose?

Roy

9. Same as above. Game 7, Cup finals and OT. Which single player in hockey history do you trust the most with the puck on his stick in that moment to win the game for you?

Gretzky

10. As a GM, which non-star player would you ALWAYS try to have on your team? Could be a do-it-all utility forward, a heart and soul grinder, or a rock solid D etc..which player in history would you always try to make sure was a part of your clubs no matter how many teams you managed?

Non-star? Johnny Boychuk - I think you can win with guys like that rounding out your roster.

All good.

But why Bossy for overrated?

 

[Midnight Judges]

All good.

But why Bossy for overrated?

Bossy gets routinely injected into the greatest goal scorer discussions, but he really has no business being there.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Bossy gets routinely injected into the greatest goal scorer discussions, but he really has no business being there.

Bossy has the highest goals per game average in the regular season. He's 2nd in the playoffs.

How could you say he has no business in the discussion of greatest goal scorers?

 

[Midnight Judges]

Bossy has the highest goals per game average in the regular season. He's 2nd in the playoffs.

How could you say he has no business in the discussion of greatest goal scorers?

Because the ONLY reason either one of those stats are true is

A) He played exclusively in the highest scoring era
B) His career was cut short before he inevitably declined.

Bossy's adjusted stats are nowhere near the all-time greats. And this is vindicated by the fact that Bossy's greatest seasons were dwarfed by multiple players in his own era (Gretzky, Lemieux, Brett Hull). Even Mogilny, Selanne, Kurri, and Nichols topped Bossy's best raw totals.

7 different players topped Bossy's peak season during his same era. And it happened 17 times.

 

[notDatsyuk]

"Don Cherry was super-hyping Bobby for years and years, for example always talking about him scoring the Cup winning goal after being tripped, until it was pointed out to him that he wasn't tripped, but jumped after scoring (at which point Don stopped showing that video)."

So what was the point of this then?

Try reading what I wrote.

I suggested that might be one factor to consider. I did not say he was simply a product of Cherry's hype

 

[MeHateHe]

Thought this could be a fun little exercise. 10 questions to answer, and I’m sure it’ll be fun to read everyone’s answers.

C’mon, it’ll be fun. I’ll come back with my answers shortly.

1. What are your earliest hockey memories?

In my parents' farmhouse in northern Alberta, waiting for 6 p.m. Saturday to watch Hockey Night in Canada.

2. If you had the ability to time travel and witness (live and in-person) ANY single game or event in hockey history..what would it be?

Moscow, 1972. Game 8.

3. If you could spend 1 hour talking to and interviewing ANY player in hockey history, who would it be?

Vladislav Tretiak

4. Who is your single favorite player of all-time? Pick just one!

Yvan Cournoyer

5. Name one player you personally consider highly overrated historically, and one player you consider highly underrated historically. Could be in terms of the HoH or just generally speaking.

Overrated: Brett Hull. Underrated: Darryl Sittler

6. If you could watch full-game replays of any and all games from one specific NHL season in history..which season would you choose?

1975-76

7. Name a player you barely knew anything (or nothing) about before joining HF Boards and the HoH, but you now respect as an all-time great and an important part of history?

8. You’re coaching a team in game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals and it’s overtime. You could have any goaltender in hockey history in your crease, who do you choose?

Billy Smith. Even if we lose, the other team would leave on crutches.

9. Same as above. Game 7, Cup finals and OT. Which single player in hockey history do you trust the most with the puck on his stick in that moment to win the game for you?

Rocket Richard

10. As a GM, which non-star player would you ALWAYS try to have on your team? Could be a do-it-all utility forward, a heart and soul grinder, or a rock solid D etc..which player in history would you always try to make sure was a part of your clubs no matter how many teams you managed?

Guy Carbonneau

 

[ResilientBeast]

1. Watching the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals in my parents bed while being babysat by my grand parents
2. 1907 when the Kenora Thistles were successful in their cup challenge
3. Lester Patrick
4. Alexander Ovechkin
5. Frank Nighbor & Cyclone Taylor (Par for the course for me hey)
6. Weird Answer, but the 1909 NHA season. I hope this counts, I would want to see what Renfrew played like. Lalonde, Taylor, Patrick and Patrick. And they failed to win the cup.
7. Cyclone Taylor
8. Dominik Hasek
9. Sidney Crosby (barf)
10. I'll need to think on this.

 

[mrhockey193195]

Bossy has the highest goals per game average in the regular season. He's 2nd in the playoffs.

How could you say he has no business in the discussion of greatest goal scorers?

Bossy 100% deserves to be in the class of "greatest goal scorers ever", but when it comes to THE greatest goal scorer ever, his claim is one of the easiest to refute: in the eight seasons they both played (1979-80 to 1986-87), Gretzky out (goal) scored Bossy in six of them while being a pass-first player.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Because the ONLY reason either one of those stats are true is

A) He played exclusively in the highest scoring era
B) His career was cut short before he inevitably declined.

Bossy's adjusted stats are nowhere near the all-time greats. And this is vindicated by the fact that Bossy's greatest seasons were dwarfed by multiple players in his own era (Gretzky, Lemieux, Brett Hull). Even Mogilny, Selanne, Kurri, and Nichols topped Bossy's best raw totals.

7 different players topped Bossy's peak season during his same era. And it happened 17 times.

Mogilny, Selanne, Hull and Nichols all played after Bossy was retired.

Kurri, Gretzky and Lemieux were the only players to top Bossy's peak season while Bossy was in the league.

And not even The Great One scored 0ver 50 for 9 straight seasons like Bossy did.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Try reading what I wrote.

I suggested that might be one factor to consider. I did not say he was simply a product of Cherry's hype

Having seen both Harvey & Orr, and knowing Don Cherry's reputation, do you really think Cherry's hype of Orr made any difference?

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Bossy 100% deserves to be in the class of "greatest goal scorers ever", but when it comes to THE greatest goal scorer ever, his claim is one of the easiest to refute: in the eight seasons they both played (1979-80 to 1986-87), Gretzky out (goal) scored Bossy in six of them while being a pass-first player.

But in that same time frame, Bossy scored more playoff goals.

Bossy had 3 consecutive 17 goal playoffs. Gretzky only had one.

Only Reggie Leach and Jari Kurri have scored more in a playoff year.

As you said, Gretzky is a pass-first player, so not even seen as a goal scorer. Simply the best offensive player ever. That is why Bossy can put up more goals in the playoffs while Gretzky is still seen as the very best playoff player ever.

 

[Midnight Judges]

Mogilny, Selanne, Hull and Nichols all played after Bossy was retired.

Kurri, Gretzky and Lemieux were the only players to top Bossy's peak season while Bossy was in the league.

And not even The Great One scored 0ver 50 for 9 straight seasons like Bossy did.

Again, all of these statements are merely due to Bossy's lack of durability and his having played in only the highest scoring seasons. Bossy's 50 goal seasons would be equivalent to roughly 38 goals in the 2010s NHL. It's sleight of hand.

Here's some more numbers. Bossy doesn't stack up with the other guys here. Not close either.

Greatest Goal Scorers of all time
*As of 3/26/20	Ovi*	Brett	Mario	Gretz	Bossy	Espo	Bobby	Howe	Richard
Career Total Goals	706	741	690	894	573	717	610	801	544
Career Tot. Goals Rank	8	4	11	1	22	6	18	2	31
Career Tot. Adjusted (adj.) Goals	798	738	616	758	461	671	644	925	653
Career Tot. Adj goals Rank	3	6	17	4	63	9	12	1	10
Goal Scoring Titles	9	3	3	5	2	6	7	5	5
Peak Season goals	65	86	85	92	69	76	54	49	50
Peak adjusted Season	72	78	71	69	58	65	57	65	54
Peak Adjusted Season Rank (All time)	2	1	3	6	45	4	54	13	84
Peak Season relative to next best of the era^^	8.30%	-6.5%	-8%	7%	-25%	10%	8%	4%	2%
Same as above, adjusted^^	5.9%	10.0%	-9.0%	-12%	-26%	12.0%	6.6%	9.0%	-17%
Lead over next best, 1st 5 yrs	17.0%	-15%	6.8%	21.0%	19.0%	-53%	-3.3%	-36%	24.0%
Lead over next best, 1st 10 yrs	40.0%	2.8%	11.0%	41.0%	6.0%	-6.0%	25.0%	-11%	53.0%
Lead over next best, 1st 15 yrs	53.0%	10.0%	4.6%	30.0%	-23%	45.0%	30.0%	9.0%	40.0%
Lead over 10, first 5 seasons	59.0%	17.0%	53.0%	80.0%	56.0%	-6.0%	22.7%	15.0%	77.0%
Lead over 10, first 10 seasons	60.0%	41.0%	32.0%	79.0%	79.0%	59.0%	72.0%	107%	108%
Lead over 10, first 15 seasons	86.0%	44.0%	35.0%	70.0%	31.0%	85.0%	105%	149%	166%
*As of 3/26/20	Ovi*	Brett	Mario	Gretz	Bossy	Espo	Bobby	Howe	Richard
Career GPG	0.61	0.58	0.75	0.6	0.76	0.56	0.57	0.45	0.56
Career Adj GPG	0.692	0.582	0.673	0.510	0.613	0.523	0.606	0.523	0.668
All time rank Adjusted GPG***	1	6	2	9	4	7	5	7	3
**GPG lead over next best, 1st 5 yrs	17%	-16%	11%	18%	-5%	-50%	-19%	-34%	22%
**GPG lead over next best, 1st 10 yrs	13%	-19%	8%	0%	-12%	-15%	17%	-13%	41%
**GPG lead over next best, 1st 15 years	15%	-27%	21%	16%	-4%	-13%	4%	-9%	16%
**GPG lead over 10, first 5 yrs	45%	36%	44%	60%	44%	0%	19%	9%	50%
**GPG lead over 10, 1st 10 yrs	50%	45%	49%	52%	38%	41%	47%	55%	68%
**GPG lead over 10, 1st 15 yrs	52%	28%	64%	34%	41%	44%	61%	60%	87%
**Times Led NHL in GPG	9	3	6	3	1	5	8	3	5
50 goal seasons	8	5	6	9	9	5	5	0	1
Quanity of NHL 50 goal seasons in their 1st 15 yrs	22	78	90	110	68^	30	10	1	1
*As of 3/26/20	Ovi*	Brett	Mario	Gretz	Bossy	Espo	Bobby	Howe	Richard
% of 50 goal seasons / 1st 15	36%	6.40%	6.70%	8%	13%	16.7%	50%	0%	100%
Adjusted 50 goal seasons	11	5	5	5	2	5	5	5	7
Playoff Goals	65	103	76	122	85	61	62	68	82
Playoff GPG	0.51	0.51	0.71	0.59	0.66	0.47	0.52	0.43	0.62
Playoff Adj. Goals	68.5	98.8	68	98.71	64.75	53.8	55.8	65.2	71.4
Playoff Adjusted GPG	0.535	0.489	0.636	0.475	0.502	0.414	0.469	0.415	0.541
Playoff Adj. GPG Rank***	3	5	1	6	4	9	7	8	2
**Minimum ~ half the games played
***Among the players on this list
^ 10 seasons only
^^ERA definition for each player (this varies depending on when scoring changed significantly)
^^Ovechkin: 2005-present
^^Bobby Hull: Just included pre-1967 expansion. Expansion would include Esposito's 76 goal season, but I don't think that was humanly possible pre-expansion
^^Esposito: I counted '67 to 79-80. Includes expansion but not the 1980s GPG explosion
^^Howe: For raw totals, didn't include Richard's '44-45 because NHL scoring differed too much
^^Richard: For adjusted and league wide, the sample includes Howe's '52.

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Again, all of these statements are merely due to Bossy's lack of durability and his having played in only the highest scoring seasons. Bossy's 50 goal seasons would be equivalent to roughly 38 goals in the 2010s NHL. It's sleight of hand.

Here's some more numbers. Bossy doesn't stack up with the other guys here. Not close either.

Greatest Goal Scorers of all time
*As of 3/26/20	Ovi*	Brett	Mario	Gretz	Bossy	Espo	Bobby	Howe	Richard
Career Total Goals	706	741	690	894	573	717	610	801	544
Career Tot. Goals Rank	8	4	11	1	22	6	18	2	31
Career Tot. Adjusted (adj.) Goals	798	738	616	758	461	671	644	925	653
Career Tot. Adj goals Rank	3	6	17	4	63	9	12	1	10
Goal Scoring Titles	9	3	3	5	2	6	7	5	5
Peak Season goals	65	86	85	92	69	76	54	49	50
Peak adjusted Season	72	78	71	69	58	65	57	65	54
Peak Adjusted Season Rank (All time)	2	1	3	6	45	4	54	13	84
Peak Season relative to next best of the era^^	8.30%	-6.5%	-8%	7%	-25%	10%	8%	4%	2%
Same as above, adjusted^^	5.9%	10.0%	-9.0%	-12%	-26%	12.0%	6.6%	9.0%	-17%
Lead over next best, 1st 5 yrs	17.0%	-15%	6.8%	21.0%	19.0%	-53%	-3.3%	-36%	24.0%
Lead over next best, 1st 10 yrs	40.0%	2.8%	11.0%	41.0%	6.0%	-6.0%	25.0%	-11%	53.0%
Lead over next best, 1st 15 yrs	53.0%	10.0%	4.6%	30.0%	-23%	45.0%	30.0%	9.0%	40.0%
Lead over 10, first 5 seasons	59.0%	17.0%	53.0%	80.0%	56.0%	-6.0%	22.7%	15.0%	77.0%
Lead over 10, first 10 seasons	60.0%	41.0%	32.0%	79.0%	79.0%	59.0%	72.0%	107%	108%
Lead over 10, first 15 seasons	86.0%	44.0%	35.0%	70.0%	31.0%	85.0%	105%	149%	166%
*As of 3/26/20	Ovi*	Brett	Mario	Gretz	Bossy	Espo	Bobby	Howe	Richard
Career GPG	0.61	0.58	0.75	0.6	0.76	0.56	0.57	0.45	0.56
Career Adj GPG	0.692	0.582	0.673	0.510	0.613	0.523	0.606	0.523	0.668
All time rank Adjusted GPG***	1	6	2	9	4	7	5	7	3
**GPG lead over next best, 1st 5 yrs	17%	-16%	11%	18%	-5%	-50%	-19%	-34%	22%
**GPG lead over next best, 1st 10 yrs	13%	-19%	8%	0%	-12%	-15%	17%	-13%	41%
**GPG lead over next best, 1st 15 years	15%	-27%	21%	16%	-4%	-13%	4%	-9%	16%
**GPG lead over 10, first 5 yrs	45%	36%	44%	60%	44%	0%	19%	9%	50%
**GPG lead over 10, 1st 10 yrs	50%	45%	49%	52%	38%	41%	47%	55%	68%
**GPG lead over 10, 1st 15 yrs	52%	28%	64%	34%	41%	44%	61%	60%	87%
**Times Led NHL in GPG	9	3	6	3	1	5	8	3	5
50 goal seasons	8	5	6	9	9	5	5	0	1
Quanity of NHL 50 goal seasons in their 1st 15 yrs	22	78	90	110	68^	30	10	1	1
*As of 3/26/20	Ovi*	Brett	Mario	Gretz	Bossy	Espo	Bobby	Howe	Richard
% of 50 goal seasons / 1st 15	36%	6.40%	6.70%	8%	13%	16.7%	50%	0%	100%
Adjusted 50 goal seasons	11	5	5	5	2	5	5	5	7
Playoff Goals	65	103	76	122	85	61	62	68	82
Playoff GPG	0.51	0.51	0.71	0.59	0.66	0.47	0.52	0.43	0.62
Playoff Adj. Goals	68.5	98.8	68	98.71	64.75	53.8	55.8	65.2	71.4
Playoff Adjusted GPG	0.535	0.489	0.636	0.475	0.502	0.414	0.469	0.415	0.541
Playoff Adj. GPG Rank***	3	5	1	6	4	9	7	8	2
**Minimum ~ half the games played
***Among the players on this list
^ 10 seasons only
^^ERA definition for each player (this varies depending on when scoring changed significantly)
^^Ovechkin: 2005-present
^^Bobby Hull: Just included pre-1967 expansion. Expansion would include Esposito's 76 goal season, but I don't think that was humanly possible pre-expansion
^^Esposito: I counted '67 to 79-80. Includes expansion but not the 1980s GPG explosion
^^Howe: For raw totals, didn't include Richard's '44-45 because NHL scoring differed too much
^^Richard: For adjusted and league wide, the sample includes Howe's '52.

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

No slight of hand from you, though, eh?

Career totals when Bossy played only 1/2 of a career?

Adjusted goals, a joke of a stat that no one here uses.

Leader over next best when prime Gretzky is his competition?

 

[mrhockey193195]

But in that same time frame, Bossy scored more playoff goals.

Bossy had 3 consecutive 17 goal playoffs. Gretzky only had one.

Only Reggie Leach and Jari Kurri have scored more in a playoff year.

As you said, Gretzky is a pass-first player, so not even seen as a goal scorer. Simply the best offensive player ever. That is why Bossy can put up more goals in the playoffs while Gretzky is still seen as the very best playoff player ever.

I don't disagree with your last statement, but the bolded is a little disingenuous. From 1980 - 1987, Gretzky scored 69 playoff goals in 101 games (0.683 GPG). Bossy scored 77 goals in 112 playoff games (0.688 GPG). Bossy was a better goal scorer in the playoffs by the slimmest of margins (e.g., if Gretz had literally 1 more goal, he would have the higher GPG). That isn't enough to contradict the stark difference in goal scoring in the regular season over those same 8 seasons (Gretzky with 0.859 GPG, Bossy with 0.753).

I'll leave it there, since I think we're derailing this thread quite a bit! But happy to continue to debate on a separate Gretzky/Bossy thread.

 

[buffalowing88]

Thought this could be a fun little exercise. 10 questions to answer, and I’m sure it’ll be fun to read everyone’s answers.

C’mon, it’ll be fun. I’ll come back with my answers shortly.

1. What are your earliest hockey memories?
Went to a Sabres-Bruins game in 1992 where the Sabres won 7-2. That was exciting for me as a young kid and the next game we listened on the radio as the Sabres beat Hartford 8-2 and Rick Jeanneret was losing his mind. Caught the fever ever since.

2. If you had the ability to time travel and witness (live and in-person) ANY single game or event in hockey history..what would it be?
1964 Stanley Cup Playoffs. All three series were incredible, the star power is amazing, and the arenas were like something out of a movie. I can't pick a single game but if I had to narrow it to one series, it would be the Blackhawks-Red Wings semifinals.

3. If you could spend 1 hour talking to and interviewing ANY player in hockey history, who would it be?
I bet Eddie Shore has some interesting stories.

4. Who is your single favorite player of all-time? Pick just one!
Tim Connolly (i'm weird, I know), with Pat LaFontaine as a close second.

5. Name one player you personally consider highly overrated historically, and one player you consider highly underrated historically. Could be in terms of the HoH or just generally speaking.
Overrated = Lidstrom. I love the guy but he's become something of an enigma. Underrated = Jagr. I don't remember an offensive player that dominant since Gretzky.

6. If you could watch full-game replays of any and all games from one specific NHL season in history..which season would you choose?
1992-1993. What a year for scoring and the league was really peaking as a big draw in the sports world in general.

7. Name a player you barely knew anything (or nothing) about before joining HF Boards and the HoH, but you now respect as an all-time great and an important part of history?
I wasn't all that familiar with any of the Soviet players when I joined in 08 and this board gave me a ton of insight, particularly on Fetisov who I have gained a big appreciation for.

8. You’re coaching a team in game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals and it’s overtime. You could have any goaltender in hockey history in your crease, who do you choose?
I think Hasek is the better goalie, but if it's a big game, I take Roy.

9. Same as above. Game 7, Cup finals and OT. Which single player in hockey history do you trust the most with the puck on his stick in that moment to win the game for you?
Crosby

10. As a GM, which non-star player would you ALWAYS try to have on your team? Could be a do-it-all utility forward, a heart and soul grinder, or a rock solid D etc..which player in history would you always try to make sure was a part of your clubs no matter how many teams you managed?
Mikita

I’m looking forward to reading some answers!

 

[Voight]

1. What are your earliest hockey memories?

- Going to hockey practice at 5am with my father. Also getting hockey cards - that was the easiest way to see a players stats at the time.

2. If you had the ability to time travel and witness (live and in-person) ANY single game or event in hockey history..what would it be?

- Game 8, 1972

3. If you could spend 1 hour talking to and interviewing ANY player in hockey history, who would it be?

- Scotty Bowman. Pretty much Coached or played in every major NHL era.

4. Who is your single favorite player of all-time? Pick just one!

- Tough call but I will go with Joe Sakic.

5. Name one player you personally consider highly overrated historically, and one player you consider highly underrated historically. Could be in terms of the HoH or just generally speaking.

- Overrated - Crosby, Underrated - Dionne

6. If you could watch full-game replays of any and all games from one specific NHL season in history..which season would you choose?

- 1966-1967

7. Name a player you barely knew anything (or nothing) about before joining HF Boards and the HoH, but you now respect as an all-time great and an important part of history?

- Slava Fetisov. I certainly knew about him as an NHL player, but was unaware of just how good he was in the USSR.

8. You’re coaching a team in game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals and it’s overtime. You could have any goaltender in hockey history in your crease, who do you choose?

- Patrick Roy

9. Same as above. Game 7, Cup finals and OT. Which single player in hockey history do you trust the most with the puck on his stick in that moment to win the game for you?

- Sakic

10. As a GM, which non-star player would you ALWAYS try to have on your team? Could be a do-it-all utility forward, a heart and soul grinder, or a rock solid D etc..which player in history would you always try to make sure was a part of your clubs no matter how many teams you managed?

- Claude Lemieux

 

[notDatsyuk]

Having seen both Harvey & Orr, and knowing Don Cherry's reputation, do you really think Cherry's hype of Orr made any difference?

Having seen the number of people who seem to be willing to accept his most outrageous statements as gospel, yes.

 

[Hockey Outsider]

Bossy gets routinely injected into the greatest goal scorer discussions, but he really has no business being there.

Where would you rank Bossy as a goal-scorer?

(For the record, I agree that Bossy has zero case for greatest goal-scorer all-time. But I think he's a lock for somewhere between roughly 6th and 8th).