Best prime/peak: Chara vs Stevens vs Doughty
- Thread starter amnesiac
- Start date
Took a pill in Sbisa
2showToffoliIwascool
Very hard comparison because they all had such different styles to each other.
My instinct is to vote for Doughty as he had an ability to take over a game the way in a way that the other two didn't.
My instinct is to vote for Doughty as he had an ability to take over a game the way in a way that the other two didn't.
Chara getting massively underrated here
Chara 2002-14 (prime years):
Norris voting: 1,2,2,3,3,3,4,5,7
AS Team: 1,1,1,2,2,2,2
Stevens 1987-01:
Norris: 2,2,3,4,4,5,6,7
AS team: 1,1,2,2,2
Conn Smythe
Doughty 2009-20:
Norris: 1,2,2,3,6
AS Team: 1,1,2,2
Chara 2002-14 (prime years):
Norris voting: 1,2,2,3,3,3,4,5,7
AS Team: 1,1,1,2,2,2,2
Stevens 1987-01:
Norris: 2,2,3,4,4,5,6,7
AS team: 1,1,2,2,2
Conn Smythe
Doughty 2009-20:
Norris: 1,2,2,3,6
AS Team: 1,1,2,2
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SillyRabbit
Trix Are For Kids
- Jan 3, 2006
- 8,943
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Chara
Stevens
Doughty
Stevens had the toughest competition in terms of his peers, but I still take prime Chara over prime Stevens.
Stevens
Doughty
Stevens had the toughest competition in terms of his peers, but I still take prime Chara over prime Stevens.
HugeInTheShire
You may not like me but, I'm Huge in the Shire
Stevens had much harder competition, the other 2 are great but the fact that he was in the conversation for the Norris with the guys he was competing against speaks to just how good Stevens was.
I think I like Doughty for peak. He was also a lock down defender but a better puck mover than Chara and Stevens once he entered his defensive prime. He didn’t win the Smythe like Stevens but I think his 2014 cup run might have been the best of the three. I think Chara had the better and more consistent prime though. And Stevens probably had the best career.
Rorschach
Who the f*** is Trevor Moore?
I voted Stevens but I'm going purely by era. Stevens wouldn't be as impactful now like Doughty in Doughty's era but Doughty would be just as impactful in Stevens era.
I was thinking the same question, glad you already answered.
HeadLiceHatty
Registered User
the 90s definitely had more HOF dmen overall, but Stevens really only got narrowly beat by Bourque in 93-94 for the Norris (by 4 vote pts!)... Otherwise, his best "Norris years" (from 90-01), he was beat by the likes of: Leetch, Blake, Housley, Konstantinov, Ozolinsh in Norris voting
Chara still competed against his share of HOF Dmen, and was beat by guys like: Lidstrom, Niedermayer, Karlsson, Weber, Phaneuf in Norris voting during his prime
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Genuinely great poll. Arguments can be made for each. Prime Doughty was an animal, but I went with Chara. Huge Lindros fan so I had to shade Stevens
Stevens played 22 seasons
Stevens # of times he finished the season with a negative +/-, Zero
Stevens # of times he finished the season with a negative +/-, Zero
Chara is the best at shutdown defense and still adding offense.
Doughty the best all around defenseman perhaps.
Have to vote Chara here. Pronger would be the tougher decision.
Doughty the best all around defenseman perhaps.
Have to vote Chara here. Pronger would be the tougher decision.
A bit irrelevant.
DitchMarner
TheGlitchintheSwitch
I mean, Leetch was way better than Phaneuf and arguably better than all the defensemen in the bottom list except Lidstrom.
Blake and Housley are in the HHOF (albeit not the strongest inductees).
The point was just to show that Stevens wasnt constantly being beat out by the great Dmen: Bourque, Chelios, Coffey, MacInnis, Leetch etc. Was only really "beat" once in 93-94..... So his Norris finishes wouldnt have changed any more than Chara.
FWIW, peak Phaneuf was still one of the best of the past 20 years, very peculiar career as to how he dropped off.
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NyQuil
Big F$&*in Q
Stevens’ offensive game can be underrated.
He put up some big seasons in Washington but obviously was asked to play a different role in New Jersey.
Had a few years in a more offensively oriented NHL but absolutely lapped Chara in terms of career offensive numbers.
HugeInTheShire
You may not like me but, I'm Huge in the Shire
Why do you mention what you consider the worst players to beat Stevens in voting and only the best players to beat Chara. With no mention of him being beat by legends like, Carney, Visnovsky, Ryan Whitney, Brian Campbell, Bowmeester, Souray, Timonen, Philipppe Boucher and Tom Preissing?
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Those I mentioned were when Stevens and Chara were in the running for the Norris (in their primes). Point was that Stevens wasnt always beat out by the great Dmen of the 90s. No more than how Chara was beaten out by the likes of: Lidstrom, Karlsson, Niedermayer etc.
So when one mentions that Stevens had "tougher competition" than Chara, in reality he was only beat out once by Bourque in 93-94. If you still take out say: Bourque, Chelios, MacInnis, Leetch, Coffey..... Stevens wouldnt have had THAT much better Norris finishes.
I think theyre definitely both very close, personally.
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I don't like the discounting of Stevens years in Washington, He put great offensive numbers with them and then came to the Devils and changed his whole playstyle to be what team needed him to be.
I guess Chara sort of needed to reinvent himself later in his career but that's because he was getting older and needed to.
I guess Chara sort of needed to reinvent himself later in his career but that's because he was getting older and needed to.
I understand but its like a totally different "prime" and different era. I wanted to compare these 3 Dmen mainly for their defensive prowess.
The Nuge
Some say…
It’s pretty much a coin toss for me between Doughty and Stevens. Leaning Doughty because of his ability to dominate at both ends of the ice
Doughty has his two 59 and 60 point seasons, but both him and Chara put up similar points over the course of their respective primes in the 45-50 point range on average (per 82).... Chara being the better goalscorer, and Doughty the better passer.
Stevens' style obviously changed dramatically when Lemaire came in after putting up a 78P season in 93-94 and 59P in 68GP in 91-92 (with NJ). Dont think he played the PP much under him.
