Forsberg vs Sakic

[Pokecheque]

Still in Sakic's glass-walled corner. He is still the best Av of all time as far as I'm concerned.

 

[The Abusement Park]

Still in Sakic's glass-walled corner. He is still the best Av of all time as far as I'm concerned.

I think that’s pretty obvious. It’s the per game peak that makes things interesting to me imo. At their absolute best for peak I think Foppa slightly edges Sakic, but idk it’s tough. Can’t really go wrong with either.

 

[Mac2Rants]

Can't pick both were great, yeah Foppa was more dynamic but to me its to close.

 

[Pokecheque]

I think that’s pretty obvious. It’s the per game peak that makes things interesting to me imo. At their absolute best for peak I think Foppa slightly edges Sakic, but idk it’s tough. Can’t really go wrong with either.

Agreed. I think I mentioned it before but it's the Gretzky/Lemieux debate to me. IMO Gretzky is the best player of all time, but I think Lemieux would've been had he stayed healthy. It may not be fair to use longevity/durability as such a major factor but I think it should be considered.

To this day Sakic has totally screwed up how I view aging players because he was elite right up until the very end. I always envisioned him as eventually regressing to a third line/defensive guy, a la Bryan Trottier in Pittsburgh, but that didn't happen. He remains the oldest player ever to hit 100 points. Now we're learning via analytics that players don't hit their prime like Joe did at 31, they hit it much earlier than that, and their decline also hits much sooner, to the point where guys entering their 30s don't usually get huge paydays, and guys at 35 are practically radioactive.

Also...total tangent here....I had to break out the snowblower for the first time this season and the snow was so slushy/icy it kept jamming up the auger. I nearly reached my hand in to clean it out but then remembered what happened to Super Joe and opted to use a garden trowel to dig it out.

So once again...

 

[Sea Eagles]

Totally different players. Totally just as amazing. But Super Joe was always my heart of hearts favorite

 

[Iceberg]

Opposing coaches feared Forsberg the most. Easy call for me.

 

[22FUTON9]

Agreed. I think I mentioned it before but it's the Gretzky/Lemieux debate to me. IMO Gretzky is the best player of all time, but I think Lemieux would've been had he stayed healthy. It may not be fair to use longevity/durability as such a major factor but I think it should be considered.

To this day Sakic has totally screwed up how I view aging players because he was elite right up until the very end. I always envisioned him as eventually regressing to a third line/defensive guy, a la Bryan Trottier in Pittsburgh, but that didn't happen. He remains the oldest player ever to hit 100 points. Now we're learning via analytics that players don't hit their prime like Joe did at 31, they hit it much earlier than that, and their decline also hits much sooner, to the point where guys entering their 30s don't usually get huge paydays, and guys at 35 are practically radioactive.

Also...total tangent here....I had to break out the snowblower for the first time this season and the snow was so slushy/icy it kept jamming up the auger. I nearly reached my hand in to clean it out but then remembered what happened to Super Joe and opted to use a garden trowel to dig it out.

So once again...

I agree, Sakic scoring a 100 in his late 30s and having a career year at the age of 31 really screwed up how I think about older players

 

[LieutenantDangle]

Gonna go with Sakic here. He left a bigger impression on my young adolescent brain. Probably because he was in the lineup more often and making an impact for the team every game and playoff run.

 

[Puckstuff]

The Avs are truly spoiled with franchise players like Mackinnon, Forsberg, Makar, Sakic, Rantanen etc. It’s hard to think of many teams that have had better players, maybe just the Oilers and Penguins.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

 

[Tommy Shelby]

The correct answer is Sakic. Yes Forsberg was nearly impossible to contain, and could take over games, but Sakic not only remained healthier, he was also more clutch in important games. I don't think you can find another player who had the 2001 SCF run combined with the 2002 gold medal game clutchness.

 

[CobraAcesS]

Thank you Eric Lindros

The correct answer is Sakic. Yes Forsberg was nearly impossible to contain, and could take over games, but Sakic not only remained healthier, he was also more clutch in important games. I don't think you can find another player who had the 2001 SCF run combined with the 2002 gold medal game clutchness.

The poll went appropriately for the question IMO.

 

[RoyIsALegend]

The correct answer is Sakic. Yes Forsberg was nearly impossible to contain, and could take over games, but Sakic not only remained healthier, he was also more clutch in important games. I don't think you can find another player who had the 2001 SCF run combined with the 2002 gold medal game clutchness.

The question was “prime and healthy.”

So, think about the very best version of Forsberg and then think about the very best version of Sakic.

I would have a hard time suggesting the best version of Sakic was superior to the best version of Forsberg.