Greatest Defenceman of All Time #1

[canucksfan]

Since there wasn't many votes on the last polls I decided to start the defenceman. I will only put seven defenceman on the list. Remember to add someone. I am voting for Bobby Orr add Paul Coffey.

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[God Bless Canada]

Bobby Orr in the biggest no-brainer of this list. Add one of the most dominant all-round defencemen of all-time: Chris Chelios.

If this round is as lopsided as it should be, might I suggest that we move on to Round 2 (aka Eddie Shore's coronation) ASAP?

Good work on the forwards list, canucksfan. I think, though, that if we try this again, we should attempt it on an invitational basis.

 

[Murphy]

This will be good.......

Add Coffey

 

[doublejack]

Gotta go with the obvious, Orr. Add Nick Lidstrom, the quietly efficient one.

 

[Hockey Outsider]

Canucksfan, thanks for organizing these "best of" polls, they've definitely sparked some good discussions. I'm pretty happy with how the best forwards list turned out.

Orr should be unanimous for this poll.

Add Chris Chelios, a player who could dominate in nearly every aspect of the game.

 

[NOTENOUGHJTCGOALS]

Orr then add Stevens or Chelios cant decide. I'll go Chelios just to make it unanimous.

 

[Evilo]

Good work on the forwards list, canucksfan. I think, though, that if we try this again, we should attempt it on an invitational basis.

And obviously, you'd be invited?

Orr, add Chelios.

 

[#66]

Orr. Add Earl Seibert.

 

[jamiebez]

I'm probably not qualified to vote for anyone from before 1980 (since I didn't see them play), but I'm pretty confident in choosing Bobby Orr here.

Add Lidstrom.

 

[Darz]

Orr, is a no brainer.

add: Chris Chelios

 

[MakoSlade]

Dennis Potvin. Great offense, rock solid defense, a true leader and nasty as hell. I only saw him play toward the end of his carreer though, but from what I saw and hear he would be a great choice.

My favorite though is Scott Stevens. Gotta love the intimidation/fear factor. Plus he had great skills and was one of the most intense players EVER. He was as much an impact player as Coffey or Orr or anyone.

 

[vitogor]

Orr.

Add Lidstrom.

 

[sonnyisles]

Bobby Orr was the greatest that I've ever seen play. I put Potvin at number two. His all around game was awesome. Anyone who was too young to see him play missed out on someone very special.

 

[Bluesfan1981]

Orr obviously. Add Coffey.

 

[12# Peter Bondra]

Orr.

Add Chelios.

 

[Snap Wilson]

Brad Marsh!!!!

Add Willie Huber.

 

[espo*]

ORR.There should'nt even be a vote for anyone else at the number one spot.

totally dominant.

 

[flair]

Where is Aki Berg?

 

[PurpleShamrock]

Orr in a landslide. The only defenseman ever to lead the league in scoring, he feat he accomplished twice. Orr was the only defenseman ever to crack the 100 assist mark, and the first player ever to do so. To this day, the feat has only been replicated by Messrs. Gretzky and Lemieux. Moreover, he revolutionized his position, and the game itself, by ushering in the era of the "offensive defenseman". I may also add that for pure, electrifying, edge-of-your-seat panache, one would be hard-pressed to top one of Orr's end-to-end rushes.

Stan Fischler's opinion to the contrary notwithstanding, Orr was also an asset defensively. A tremendous shot blocker, Orr also frequently killed off many valuable seconds at a time on the penalty kill, simply by not letting the opposition's power play unit touch the puck. While not a big open-ice hitter, Orr was a very willing combatant in the corners and in front of the net. He was also quite willing and able to stand up for himself and his teammates. In a nutshell, he was great defensively and a great teammate to boot, in addition to being the most offensively gifted defenseman ever.

 

[weaponomega]

Orr. Add Chelios, or Aki Berg.

 

[c-carp]

Since there wasn't many votes on the last polls I decided to start the defenceman. I will only put seven defenceman on the list. Remember to add someone. I am voting for Bobby Orr add Paul Coffey.

I voted Bobby Orr. Add Al MacInnis

 

[norrisnick]

Orr.

Add Lidstrom.

 

[Canucks5551]

Orr, add Coffey.

 

[Sens Rule]

add Coffey

 

[doc5hole]

Orr in a landslide. The only defenseman ever to lead the league in scoring, he feat he accomplished twice. Orr was the only defenseman ever to crack the 100 assist mark, and the first player ever to do so. To this day, the feat has only been replicated by Messrs. Gretzky and Lemieux. Moreover, he revolutionized his position, and the game itself, by ushering in the era of the "offensive defenseman". I may also add that for pure, electrifying, edge-of-your-seat panache, one would be hard-pressed to top one of Orr's end-to-end rushes.

Stan Fischler's opinion to the contrary notwithstanding, Orr was also an asset defensively. A tremendous shot blocker, Orr also frequently killed off many valuable seconds at a time on the penalty kill, simply by not letting the opposition's power play unit touch the puck. While not a big open-ice hitter, Orr was a very willing combatant in the corners and in front of the net. He was also quite willing and able to stand up for himself and his teammates. In a nutshell, he was great defensively and a great teammate to boot, in addition to being the most offensively gifted defenseman ever.

Excellent job. The thing that always gets overlooked with Orr is how he played through the game, not around it. He fought, he went down in front of shots. The only aspect of his game that was never elite was open-ice hitting, and the combination of his skating ability and his toughness lead me to believe he didn't look for big hits only because he was so capable to taking away the puck instead ... can't fault the younger fans for not realizing what a through-the-wall player he was because his skill set causes associations with contemporary players who are typically non-physical. But Orr was a great teammate. He'd be right there with the tough guys, ready to drop 'em and throw. He had running feuds with famous players and nobodies. There's a picture in one of my books with him and Schultz - Schhultz ! - in the clutch.

If reinventing his position so as to maximize his talent disqualifies Orr as a "defenseman" (Pat Quinn says he wasn't a great defenseman but a great puck stripper), then Bruins fans should be happy he disqualified himself into a player that could go plus-80 on one knee in the final full season of his career on a decaying team.