Best Defending Defensemen All Time

[norrisnick]

One good trick is to also take a look at who these guys were partnered with and what role they played on their pairings. Are they the safety net? Or are they the tight-rope walker?

 

[Silky Johnson]

Bobby Orr is the best at everything. It's hard to tease out his pure defending but his defensive impact, like his offensive and transition, is the best.

In 1970 he was +124 (best non-teammate was +51) while putting up 100+ assist and almost 140 points. This is a comparable scoring era to now...

When we rank defencemen, there is no big 4, there is Bobby Orr and then the..............the rest. The only thing stopping him from being the absolute GOAT is injuries.

When is comes to anything regarding playing defence in Hockey...you are not as good as Robert Gordon Orr.

 

[ESH]

Prime Giordano was a beast both ways.

And by prime I mean like 33 haha

Giordano is a solid 2nd for me

 

[JaegerDice]

I'm bored rn and this is kinda born out of the pet peeve of mine that nobody voting for the norris seems to care about defensive play anymore. Maybe I'm just stuck in a time long past, but I like my defenders being able to shut down top opponents - and not by just by way of having the puck. So who were the best when the opponent had the puck/when their team was in the d-zone? So basically exclude offensive play (passing, shooting etc.)

80s onward, cuz I don't know many players before that. Just of the top of my head, so order is subject to change:

1. Pronger
2. Bourque
3. Lidström
4. Chelios
5. Langway
in the discussion: Potvin, Stevens, Hatcher, Chara, .........

How do you shut down top opponents without taking and keeping the puck away from them?

Strong language and menacing looks?

There's no elite defensemen that's like 'no, no, I would prefer you have the puck in my zone, I'll just gap up in front of you and try to block as many shots as possible'

 

[Winged Wheel Willy]

How do you shut down top opponents without taking and keeping the puck away from them?

Strong language and menacing looks?

There's no elite defensemen that's like 'no, no, I would prefer you have the puck in my zone, I'll just gap up in front of you and try to block as many shots as possible'

Most ppl in here understand what I mean by that. You seriously do not or are you just trying to be cute?

 

[JaegerDice]

Most ppl in here understand what I mean by that. You seriously do not or are you just trying to be cute?

No, I'm curious. What is a better way of defending than taking the puck, getting it out of your zone and into the other team's zone ASAP

 

[Winged Wheel Willy]

No, I'm curious. What is a better way of defending than taking the puck, getting it out of your zone and into the other team's zone ASAP

That was never the arguement. What I am asking is the best defensemen at breaking up attacks, getting puck posession. Not what comes after that (transition/passing etc). Leetch for example was mesmerizing in transition, but certainly not an all time great in breaking up plays/getting posession.

 

[Winged Wheel Willy]

A quick (and completely subjective) top ten list:

1. Doug Harvey
2. Tim Horton
3. Larry Robinson
4. Denis Potvin
5. Ray Bourque
6. Scott Stevens
7. Chris Chelios
8. Nicklas Lidstrom
9. Chris Pronger
10. Zdeno Chara

Each of those defensemen was excellent defensively, and also good to great offensively.

If the question is the best "pure" defensive defensemen (ie their focus was almost entirely on defensive play) - Rod Langway would be a good choice. Other candidates - Valeri Vasiliev, Serge Savard, Rod Langway, Craig Ludwig, Vladimir Konstantinov, Derian Hatcher, Adam Foote.

Pronger that low?

Foote and Ludwig are good mentions!

 

[Hockey Outsider]

Pronger that low?

Foote and Ludwig are good mentions!

I was going in (roughly) chronological order for my list.

 

[Bouboumaster]

Robinson

 

[golgoXIII]

the ones you don't wan to play agains is a stanley cup serie

-Chara
-Pronger
-Scott Stevens

 

[JackSlater]

Hard to say the best overall. Lidstrom is the best I've seen in transition, Langway probably the best near his own net.

 

[Mr Positive]

I like prime Pronger for this. I could see someone picking Lidstrom because he played defense so perfectly. As a skill position, no one was better and smarter. But, when you get a guy like Pronger who was still high end in that regard but was also a physical beast who cleared the crease and brought that mean edge, I got to admit I'd take him in his prime over Lidstrom. Chara and Chelios are right there too

 

[lakeshirts37]

In his prime Chara woud be a worthy choice.

Right now I would go with Slevin, Ekblad, or Pietroangelo.

Ekblad?!

 

[the_fan]

Marek Malik

 

[Garbageyuk]

There’s one poster on here that will legit tell you that it was Erik Karlsson in his prime.

 

[Albatros]

Lidström for his overall defensive ability, maybe someone like Pronger was better at certain things but he also had bigger weaknesses in others.

 

[Mike C]

Orr
Guy was the best offensively and defensively.

With you on number 4--Serge Savard checking in too! Underrated and never mentioned nod to Dave Langevin

 

[CanadienShark]

In his prime Chara woud be a worthy choice.

Right now I would go with Slevin, Ekblad, or Pietroangelo.

Ekblad!?!?

 

[shakes the clown]

Where does Mike Ramsey stack up on these lists? I always remember his name coming up when people were talking about the best defensive d-men during the 80s.

 

[Fatass]

With you on number 4--Serge Savard checking in too! Underrated and never mentioned nod to Dave Langevin

There have been a lot of great defensive minded D. Many mentioned in this thread were fantastic.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

In his prime Chara woud be a worthy choice.

Right now I would go with Slevin, Ekblad, or Pietroangelo.

I'm assuming you meant to say Ekholm instead of Ekblad?

 

[bambamcam4ever]

Most ppl in here understand what I mean by that. You seriously do not or are you just trying to be cute?

He's one of the shot-attempt stats cultists, so he's being serious unfortunately.

 

[hurdemz]

I'm bored rn and this is kinda born out of the pet peeve of mine that nobody voting for the norris seems to care about defensive play anymore. Maybe I'm just stuck in a time long past, but I like my defenders being able to shut down top opponents - and not by just by way of having the puck. So who were the best when the opponent had the puck/when their team was in the d-zone? So basically exclude offensive play (passing, shooting etc.)

80s onward, cuz I don't know many players before that. Just of the top of my head, so order is subject to change:

1. Pronger
2. Bourque
3. Lidström
4. Chelios
5. Langway
in the discussion: Potvin, Stevens, Hatcher, Chara, .........

I feel like Rob Blake needs a mention here.

 

[mondo3]

Would Scott Neidermayer belong on this list?