Is Thornton the most underrated generational talent?

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

Ah yes, the well known Caps fan is a Leafs fan now.

Ah shoulda done my fact checking! And it’s just one poster, unfair to pretend like that’d actually represent all of leafdom or caps nation

 

[HookKing]

More like geriatric talent.

 

[Spektre]

One of the dirtiest players of his generation. Does that count as generational?

 

[illpucks]

Ah shoulda done my fact checking! And it’s just one poster, unfair to pretend like that’d actually represent all of leafdom or caps nation

Leafs have best fanbase in the NHL. Everyone is very passionate and they don't seem to dislike any teams, they just love the Leafs.

 

[Evincar]

He's small but clear gap above a guy like Adam Oates who isnt close to generational.

 

[KoozNetsOff 92]

92 assists say otherwise. 56 goal Cheechoo says otherwise. It was out of this planet. He's the best playmaker of the generation like Ovi is the best goal scorer of the generation. If Ovi is generational then Jumbo should be too.

Might want to compare their trophy cabinets before you say something like that.

 

[KoozNetsOff 92]

No he is not generational. Neither is Malkin. Neither is Draisaitl. There can't be 6 generational players playing at the same time lol. If Thornton and Drai are generational then what about Kane, Stamkos, Kucherov, etc? 10 generational players at once?

 

[Dondini]

Not generational overall. He is a Generational playmaker if anyone counts that as a thing. He’s about to hit 1100 career assists, only 6 others have done that. Pretty insane considering the era he has played in.

 

[pcruz]

We definitely don't hear Drai as "generational".
Thornton isn't really either, although he's at the very top of the next tier.

Just what does Draisaitl have to do with Jumbo Joe?
Why is his name even relevant here?

 

[McAsuno]

Just what does Draisaitl have to do with Jumbo Joe?
Why is his name even relevant here?

Draisaitl is as relevant as Thornton when it comes to being generational.
aka fact: Neither of them are generational.

 

[Cotton]

Considering the NHL has been around for >100 years, chances are there are more than 3 'once-in-a-generation' players, basically by definition.

Like I said, outside of those three you can debate any name you’d like. The fact nobody needs to debate Mario, Wayne and Bobby is exactly why the Generational title is so rare - it’s obvious.

If you want to add Crosby than you need to add guys like Yzerman and Sakic, if you want to add Ovechkin (which would be silly) you would need to add Bossy, Bure, Richard and possibly a few more.

You would also need to consider the NHA/Early NHL - Clancy, Shore, Malone, Morenz ect. And then there’s goaltenders. Basically your generational list could be 100 names deep, which wouldn’t be very special and would still require some catagory to set Wayne, Mario and Bobby apart.

 

[Breakers]

92 assists is post lockout record. Serious generational playmaking there. Combined with a 56 goal Cheechoo Rocket win over a 123 pt- 54 goal Jagr, and a 52 goal Ovi. Those guys didn't do anything like that. I know they are amazing players Sakic and Yzerman but I mean not like that stat.

So you're basing you're argument of a single stat.

 

[ThisIsMyAlibi]

Toronto fans and media- ignore West coast for 15 years.

Older Thornton plays 20 games for leafs- “hey this guy is generational!”

Too true

 

[jetsforever]

Just what does Draisaitl have to do with Jumbo Joe?
Why is his name even relevant here?

First line of the OP: "As for generational talents we commonly hear Crosby Ovi Malkin McDavid maybe Drai"
I was disputing that.

 

[razor8]

He's small but clear gap above a guy like Adam Oates who isnt close to generational.

He's 6'4, so he's not really that small.

 

[jetsforever]

Like I said, outside of those three you can debate any name you’d like. The fact nobody needs to debate Mario, Wayne and Bobby is exactly why the Generational title is so rare - it’s obvious.

If you want to add Crosby than you need to add guys like Yzerman and Sakic, if you want to add Ovechkin (which would be silly) you would need to add Bossy, Bure, Richard and possibly a few more.

You would also need to consider the NHA/Early NHL - Clancy, Shore, Malone, Morenz ect. And then there’s goaltenders. Basically your generational list could be 100 names deep, which wouldn’t be very special and would still require some catagory to set Wayne, Mario and Bobby apart.

Well at this point it's semantics but I'd argue those 3 guys are a tier above "generational" - use whatever term you want
The word "generational" implies regular generations of say ~10 years.

 

[Voight]

Like I said, outside of those three you can debate any name you’d like. The fact nobody needs to debate Mario, Wayne and Bobby is exactly why the Generational title is so rare - it’s obvious.

If you want to add Crosby than you need to add guys like Yzerman and Sakic, if you want to add Ovechkin (which would be silly) you would need to add Bossy, Bure, Richard and possibly a few more.

You would also need to consider the NHA/Early NHL - Clancy, Shore, Malone, Morenz ect. And then there’s goaltenders. Basically your generational list could be 100 names deep, which wouldn’t be very special and would still require some catagory to set Wayne, Mario and Bobby apart.

Its facetious not to include Howe in that group. Pretty much everyone does and there is no need to debate him either.

 

[daver]

OPs that mention the word's "generational", or "underrated/overrated" should be banned.

 

[Shareefruck]

The misuse of the term generational is ridiculous. If a player is generational, there's no need to ask if they are "underrated generational".

Based on what? Generational just means "player that comes along once in a generation" or "the best of his generation." It's entirely possible for that player to not be appreciated as such. Being underrated and being generational aren't incompatible, IMO (just unlikely).

It's plausible to argue that someone like Niklas Lidstrom is underrated generational, for example.

 

[Civetty]

Would Peter Forsberg be considered generational if it wasn't because of injuries?

 

[rfournier103]

Gordie Howe was a generational talent.

Bobby Orr was a generational talent.

Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux were generational talents.

Alex Ovechkin is a generational talent.

Does anyone feel comfortable putting Joe Thornton in this group? If so, why?

 

[supsens]

No he is not generational. Neither is Malkin. Neither is Draisaitl. There can't be 6 generational players playing at the same time lol. If Thornton and Drai are generational then what about Kane, Stamkos, Kucherov, etc? 10 generational players at once?

Generational means your achievement is outstanding when its put up against all generations. Its not a group of guys from every generation.

 

[chauron]

He’s not a generational player at all, not necessarily a franchise center either anymore. Great talent with great career anyhow.

 

[SPLBRUIN]

If he was generational he would have led the Sharks to at least 1 Stanley Cup win. It wasn't as if he was playing for an average team, the Sharks had several years where their chances to win were as good as anyone else's and he couldn't get it done.

 

[Ivo]

He’s a great player, a hall of famer and I wish him well, but don’t be silly. If you want to claim that he is generational, at least try to make a convincing argument. Point-per-game in 8 games, out of which 5 were against Ottawa (actually all of his points were against Ottawa so far) is not convincing anyone.