Datsyuk - Bergeron - Hossa vs Kariya - Kopitar - Guy Lafleur

[Coffees]

First option to 100 votes wins? I need this late summer thread to end in my favor to satisfy my ego and boredom.

First one to 125

 

[Nico Cauzuki]

Looks like alot of people here havent seen Lafleur in his prime hes easily the best player outta that group and he also has Kariya

2 wins

 

[DowJones]

Datsuyk > Kariya
Bergeron = Kopitar
Hossa < Guy

Close, but in a real world match up I think Dats & Co wins because of a higher lowest level and consistent disciplined defense.

Guy line could fit that description as well, but Dats line does it better imo

 

[psycat]

LaFleur is a S tier player the others are all A:s so voted for his group. Now it's close enough that synergy etc would matter so who knows but the logical choice is group 2.

 

[Coffees]

CHANGE

first option to 180 @x Tame Impala

 

[x Tame Impala]

CHANGE

first option to 180 @x Tame Impala

My ass! You’ll close it when Line 2 pulls ahead after you make 15 burner accounts

 

[Bouboumaster]

Guy Lafleur was a great player but wasn’t dominant when better younger players start entering the NHL . He’s a pre Modern era player. Sorry that fact may hurt your feelings but that’s true.

What am I reading lol

Lafleur had to be dethroned by f***ing Wayne Gretzky, as the best player in the World

He's like 1 or 2 tiers above anybody else in this thread AINEC

 

[Tupu]

Lafleur is the best player here, but Datsyuk tips the scales for me easily. He was strong af, very physical when needed and could basically level anyone with a hit without the puck. Sometimes I've got a feeling that people think he was only skilled with the puck and otherwise soft.

 

[Gordon Lightfoot]

Lafleur is the best player here, but Datsyuk tips the scales for me easily. He was strong af, very physical when needed and could basically level anyone with a hit without the puck. Sometimes I've got a feeling that people think he was only skilled with the puck and otherwise soft.

This is how I see it as well.

 

[Golden_Jet]

I’ve seen all these players play, line 1 for me.

 

[Tupu]

This is how I see it as well.

He had the abilities that most of the players didn't to be a complete package which makes him more awesome.

 

[67 others]

Datsyuk cranked out two 97 point, Selke-winning seasons. Bergeron is a 70pt Selke dominator. Hossa is in his prime was a 40 goal scorer and later turned into a 60+pt dominant shutdown forward with formidable physical presence.

They'd be shutting down the other line and outscoring them

I am not arguing how good defensively they were. Because I agree. I have huge respect for the defensive players in this discussion.

But Prime Lafleur was able to go against some pretty damn good defensive forwards and nobody could stop him. He was fast, dynamic and hard to predict and he could score with anyone on his line. He was a McDavid with a short peak. Bobby Clarke is probably the GOAT defensive forward and he couldn't always stop Lafleur anymore than someone could stop Orr or McDavid.

Bergeron went head to head with McDavid less often than a decent sample size as the only played each other once or twice a year, but McDavid scored 4 goals and 12 assists in 11 games, and Edmonton won 7 out of 11 games. Im not holding that against bergeron. I am just saying, some dynamic guys can't be stopped. Forsberg and Bure used to undress Lidstrom, but that doesn't mean Lidstrom wasn't amazing defensively.

 

[Tupu]

I am not arguing how good defensively they were. Because I agree. I have huge respect for the defensive players in this discussion.

But Prime Lafleur was able to go against some pretty damn good defensive forwards and nobody could stop him. He was fast, dynamic and hard to predict and he could score with anyone on his line. He was a McDavid with a short peak. Bobby Clarke is probably the GOAT defensive forward and he couldn't always stop Lafleur anymore than someone could stop Orr or McDavid.

Bergeron went head to head with McDavid less often than a decent sample size as the only played each other once or twice a year, but McDavid scored 4 goals and 12 assists in 11 games, and Edmonton won 7 out of 11 games. Im not holding that against bergeron. I am just saying, some dynamic guys can't be stopped. Forsberg and Bure used to undress Lidstrom, but that doesn't mean Lidstrom wasn't amazing defensively.

Well Bergeron aint no Datsyuk, but Barkov can be at this moment for sure and in the future.

 

[ponder]

Lafleur is easily the greatest of these players, in terms of career accomplishments/legacy. However, if we're talking about them literally playing each other in a best of 7 series, as this question asks, he'd be completely outclassed. Hockey changed dramatically from the 70s/80s to the 2000s, and you will not convince me that this guy would compete well with Datsyuk/Bergeron/Hossa:



Obviously the film quality and the old school gear does players of this era no favours on the eye test, but it's not just that. Hockey also evolved a lot since then, and the skill level is just a lot higher today. Punch turns, curl and drag snap shots, small area puck control, mohawks and other crazy edge work, etc. - these are skills players back then simply didn't have, and add them all up, modern stars have much deeper toolboxes and would dominate the stars of the 70s/80s. While the 2000s/2010s, much much closer to the modern game. 2000s/2010s stars could do everything the 70s/80s stars could do, and much, much more. Also team tactics improved so much - the 70s/80s features very weak forechecking, poor d-zone pressure, and even offensively so little in terms of puck control/possession, so much just crossing the blue line and taking a slapper. Players who grew up with these modern tactics, straight up superior strategies that have evolved over time, they'd have a massive edge.

If we're just teleporting all these guys straight out of their prime onto an ice surface today, Datsyuk/Bergeron/Hossa easily.

 

[67 others]

Lafleur is easily the greatest of these players, in terms of career accomplishments/legacy. However, if we're talking about them literally playing each other in a best of 7 series, as this question asks, he'd be completely outclassed. Hockey changed dramatically from the 70s/80s to the 2000s, and you will not convince me that this guy would compete well with Datsyuk/Bergeron/Hossa:



If we're just teleporting all these guys straight out of their prime onto an ice surface today, Datsyuk/Bergeron/Hossa easily.

is this a "Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky would suck today" mentality?

 

[ponder]

is this a "Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky would suck today" mentality?

If they were born 25-30 years ago, with the same genetics/mentality, but learned modern skills and tactics? I'm sure they'd be amazing. But if you plucked them out of their respective primes, and put them on the ice against modern versions of themselves, like McDavid and Makar, I think they'd be outclassed, yes.

 

[Tupu]

If they were born 25-30 years ago, with the same genetics/mentality, but learned modern skills and tactics? I'm sure they'd be amazing. But if you plucked them out of their respective primes, and put them on the ice against modern versions of themselves, like McDavid and Makar, I think they'd be outclassed, yes.

Which line would be winning then?

 

[authentic]

Lafleur is the best player here, but Datsyuk tips the scales for me easily. He was strong af, very physical when needed and could basically level anyone with a hit without the puck. Sometimes I've got a feeling that people think he was only skilled with the puck and otherwise soft.

This is how I see it as well.

Make that 3 of us

 

[ponder]

Which line would be winning then?

As mentioned above, I think if you plucked these guys out of their prime, put them all on the same ice, I’ve got Datsyuk/Bergeron/Hossa beating Kariya/Kopitar/Lafleur.