Best player in the world: 2015

[Nathaniel Skywalker]

The poll is literally asking who the best player in the world was in that given year though. Crosby definitely had the reputation as the best player in the world during that time period, but that year in particular, he just wasn't.

So like another post said. Rename these polls too "best player that season" then I'd have voted for Price.

 

[blundluntman]

So like another post said. Rename these polls too "best player that season" then I'd have voted for Price.

I have a hard time believing you guys don't understand what the poll is getting at; this is the 13th part of this series. As far as I can tell, you just don't like the semantics that comes with saying someone else was a better player.

 

[GreatGonzo]

Yet again, people seem to be handing out the "Best Season" award. Crosby finished three points shy of the Art Ross, after missing a bunch of games due to the mumps and having a bumpy recovery after that. He was still clearly a better player than Benn or Tavares, especially coming off a season where he lapped the field the year prior.

Price had an amazing year but didn't finish as a Vezina finalist the year after or in any year prior and only ever placed as a finalist one other time in his career. Does this really sound like the best player in the world vs. a guy who had an all-world season?

Price was Olympic goalie MVP for 2014, he also finished 4th in Vezina voting in 2014. He got injured in 2016 and then finished 3rd in Vezina voting the year after. Price was one of the best goalies in the world prior to 2015 and after.

Crosby simply didn’t separate himself enough that year. No forward did. Like it was said before, he was one of the pack.

 

[Video Nasty]

Yet again, people seem to be handing out the "Best Season" award. Crosby finished three points shy of the Art Ross, after missing a bunch of games due to the mumps and having a bumpy recovery after that. He was still clearly a better player than Benn or Tavares, especially coming off a season where he lapped the field the year prior.

Price had an amazing year but didn't finish as a Vezina finalist the year after or in any year prior and only ever placed as a finalist one other time in his career. Does this really sound like the best player in the world vs. a guy who had an all-world season?

He missed 3 games due to the mumps. The reality is that he created zero separation between himself and the rest of the pack, which for the most part, is what has happened throughout most of his career. Check out his stats before the mumps. Tied in points in the same number of games as Seguin who had 21 goals to his 9. A handful of players right behind them. No separation whatsoever 1/3 of the way in.

The guy missed a few games because of the mumps and may have felt some lingering effects for about a week after coming back (speculation or just another excuse why he underperformed?). The talent that he and the fantasy that others see him as, should have had him winning that Art Ross missing at least 10 games. He was 27 years old going against some of the weakest competition ever and he underwhelmed.

The mumps. Every excuse in the book always trotted out. What a farce.

 

[David Suzuki]

Fair enough. Then we should just change this poll to "Who had the Best Season", leave it at that and save us all the trouble.

Oh and, "allergies", lmao.

You can use this logic to argue Wayne Gretzky should win every one of these votes.

 

[CanadienShark]

Price.

 

[CanadienShark]

Yet again, people seem to be handing out the "Best Season" award. Crosby finished three points shy of the Art Ross, after missing a bunch of games due to the mumps and having a bumpy recovery after that. He was still clearly a better player than Benn or Tavares, especially coming off a season where he lapped the field the year prior.

Price had an amazing year but didn't finish as a Vezina finalist the year after or in any year prior and only ever placed as a finalist one other time in his career. Does this really sound like the best player in the world vs. a guy who had an all-world season?

Uhhh... You doubt Price being the best player in 2015 because he wasn't the best in different years. Years that have no bearing on the question. That's a really strange take.

 

[wetcoast]

I do indeed. It's called Hyperbole, or in other words: a joke.

Well you did start off your post correctly it seems.

They're basically the same thing if you don't rely on reputation to judge a player in a given year. Barring injuries that year anyway.

Past performance, ie where players are on the best player in the world spectrum of course should dictate some of the valuation right?

Like nowhereman said it seems like many people are just voting for best season and that's it.

 

[norrisnick]

Past performance, ie where players are on the best player in the world spectrum of course should dictate some of the valuation right?

Like nowhereman said it seems like many people are just voting for best season and that's it.

Not at all, no.

Best season is a better approach than who was the most popular that year.

 

[wetcoast]

The poll is literally asking who the best player in the world was in that given year though.

Sure but maybe that's where people are diverging here, the question is being asked at a certain time "who is the best player in the world" and then most people start thinking about right now and recent past as often there isn't a clear-cut picture say between 05-06 and 06-07 and 07-08.

If one wanted to know who was having the best season that year then they would probably world it that way don't you think?

Crosby definitely had the reputation as the best player in the world during that time period, but that year in particular, he just wasn't.

Sure mainly because of that mono thing and it lingering.

It's not like he was leading the nHL in scoring going into December or anything....oh wait he was.

NHL Stats

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I get that some people are going to be picking Price here but I honestly leave goalies out of the equation as their performances are too team dependent IMO.

 

[wetcoast]

Not at all, no.

Best season is a better approach than who was the most popular that year.

That's a pretty insulting comment and I'm pretty sure most posters in here are being honest in their answers.

You can agree to disagree but comments like that are just a bad look and bring nothing to the conversation.

 

[norrisnick]

That's a pretty inuslting comment adn I'm pretty sure most posters in here are being honest in their answers.

You can agree to disagree but comments like that are just a bad look and bring nothing to the conversation.

If you want to consider it insulting, whatever, sure.

Disregarding what occurs in the given season that is being discussed in favor of a feeling of who was "considered better" in that general time frame is somewhat insulting to those voters that are actually looking at the years in question to base their decisions on who was actually better on the ice and not who happened to be considered better the year(s) before or after.

 

[filinski77]

Crosby had the ~5th best season this year. There are natural ebbs and flows of how good a player performs year in and year out. I personally don’t believe in a grace period of being the best player in a couple of the prior years makes you the best player in the next year even though you had the 5th best season.

 

[norrisnick]

Crosby had the ~5th best season this year. There are natural ebbs and flows of how good a player performs year in and year out. I personally don’t believe in a grace period of being the best player in a couple of the prior years makes you the best player in the next year even though you had the 5th best season.

That and who actually was the best player any given year is a far more compelling discussion than who the most people at the time thought was the best player any given year.

 

[Bouboumaster]

Price had an amazing year but didn't finish as a Vezina finalist the year after

He was on fire but got and season ending injurie
Price was so good that he hid a lot of flaws for the Habs. Once he was gone, the Habs sucked and they missed the playoffs

 

[Regal]

Crosby had the ~5th best season this year. There are natural ebbs and flows of how good a player performs year in and year out. I personally don’t believe in a grace period of being the best player in a couple of the prior years makes you the best player in the next year even though you had the 5th best season.

But those ebbs and flows are why the best player might not have the best year. If you played that season over again 1000 times, it’s likely Crosby would be better than 5th more often than not

 

[TheGuiminator]

Did I say he was the better player that year? He was the better player for 10 straight years before and 10 years after. Crosby was the best player in 12-13 and 13-14 by a huge margin then finished third in scoring 3 points back of the lead. He was still the best player in the world and will only strengthen that the next 2 years with h2b smythes and cups

You surely wouldn’t call McDavid the best player in the world if he loses the Art Ross fair and square to Elias Pettersson or Matthew Tkachuk this year, wouldn’t you?

 

[norrisnick]

But those ebbs and flows are why the best player might not have the best year. If you played that season over again 1000 times, it’s likely Crosby would be better than 5th more often than not

Those ebs and flows are precisely why the games are played. So you discover who actually is the best and not who people think is the best. It's no different than teams. The Avs were the best team in 2022 even though Tampa came off of back to back cup wins and made the final again. You'd get your ass laughed off the boards if you tried to proclaim the Lightning the best team of the '21-'22 season on the basis of the '19-'20 and '20-'21 seasons.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

I think I understand what people are getting at with best season vs best player. If this year McDavid gets outplayed by MacKinnon and we're asked who the best player in the world is we won't say MacKinnon, we'll still say McDavid despite the better season.

However the problem is 8 years down the line it's really hard to choose who was literally the best player of the world in a particular year because it would require remembering how good every player was not only that year but the years before and after.

 

[Nathaniel Skywalker]

You surely wouldn’t call McDavid the best player in the world if he loses the Art Ross fair and square to Elias Pettersson or Matthew Tkachuk this year, wouldn’t you?

After the 19-20 season or after the 2021-22 season wasn't mcdavud still known as the best player in the world after both? Even though he wasn't the best (drai, matthews)? It's the same thing with crosby. Anyways I'm not gonna further go into it as it's a known fact crosby was the best player in the world in 2015 but yes price had the best season

 

[Midnight Judges]

I think I understand what people are getting at with best season vs best player. If this year McDavid gets outplayed by MacKinnon and we're asked who the best player in the world is we won't say MacKinnon, we'll still say McDavid despite the better season.

However the problem is 8 years down the line it's really hard to choose who was literally the best player of the world in a particular year because it would require remembering how good every player was not only that year but the years before and after.

JMO but 82 games is a lot. It's plenty of time to establish a trend and therefore show a change in position.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Crosby was still considered the best player in the world at the time. And he did lead the league in ppg.

 

[norrisnick]

JMO but 82 games is a lot. It's plenty of time to establish a trend and therefore show a change in position.

Yeah, I'm really confused by the hesitation to accept the actual outcome of the season vs the preconceived notion prior to the season being played.

Be like awarding the cup to whichever team won a poll during preseason.

 

[wetcoast]

I think I understand what people are getting at with best season vs best player. If this year McDavid gets outplayed by MacKinnon and we're asked who the best player in the world is we won't say MacKinnon, we'll still say McDavid despite the better season.

However the problem is 8 years down the line it's really hard to choose who was literally the best player of the world in a particular year because it would require remembering how good every player was not only that year but the years before and after.

Sure but we also have clear information and data to draw on here but some people have other narratives to push here so it is what it is.

 

[Nadal On Clay]

He missed 3 games due to the mumps. The reality is that he created zero separation between himself and the rest of the pack, which for the most part, is what has happened throughout most of his career. Check out his stats before the mumps. Tied in points in the same number of games as Seguin who had 21 goals to his 9. A handful of players right behind them. No separation whatsoever 1/3 of the way in.

The guy missed a few games because of the mumps and may have felt some lingering effects for about a week after coming back (speculation or just another excuse why he underperformed?). The talent that he and the fantasy that others see him as, should have had him winning that Art Ross missing at least 10 games. He was 27 years old going against some of the weakest competition ever and he underwhelmed.

The mumps. Every excuse in the book always trotted out. What a farce.

You know you can just say you don’t like Crosby.