Most interesting NHL player of all time?

[sandysan]

bob baun

player, coach, farmer, car salesman, tim hortons franchisee, pilot and the " best dressed man in canada"

I also think that ( although this might be wrong) that after he left the game he went to culinary school.
oh and he scored on a broken leg.

 

[bigbuffalo313]

Grattoony the Loony

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilles_Gratton

 

[LeBlondeDemon10]

Ya, I agree about The Flower. The passion he played with on the ice. The enigma he was on and off of it. His career pattern from 3rd liner to superstar to slowly wilting. As one announcer put it, Lafleur was like a "comet". Suddenly arriving and shining brightly for what seemed like a very short time and then burning out.

As for others, Bobby Hull has always fascinated me. I'd love to sit down with Dennis Hull in a bar though.

 

[KMart27]

Eddie Shore

Ken Dryden has accomplished a lot in his life but I don't know if that really makes him interesting.

 

[revolverjgw]

This guy might be the LEAST interesting player ever, he's an automaton, a faceless create-a-player Mary Sue with all the stats bumped up to max

Surprised Joe Murphy hasn't been mentioned yet. I'd like to pick his brain about the lizard people

 

[bigbuffalo313]

Did you mean interesting as decorated or as insane?

 

[thom]

How about Mark Messier dating Madonna for a period of time.Eddie Shore even though he was a jerk and every body seemed to hate him seemed to be interesting.Maybe even Con Symthe owner of leafs who went to fight in WW 1 then as owner went to battle in WW 2 While Frank Selke controlled the reigns back in Toronto

 

[The Panther]

If Ken Dryden is most interesting guy in NHL we have a serious problem.

Agreed. For me, Dryden is the most boring, pretentious windbag the NHL has yet produced. (I have read parts of his book... it was okay but not as good as everyone says).

Some European players that we knew little about back in the day seemed interesting, such as Peter Klima.

As coaches go, Jacques Demers seems interesting.

As pro-hockey is the sport of the ultra-bland personality, it's rare that an elite player seems very interesting... guys like Brett Hull and Roenick at least had a personality.

 

[Crosbyfan]

Eddie Shore

Ken Dryden has accomplished a lot in his life but I don't know if that really makes him interesting.

For the win...even in "The Don Cherry Story" his antics seem bizarre by comparison.

My favourite on him (can't remember where I heard/read it)...as a passenger enroute to a hockey game he desperately wanted to play in, ripping into the dash and manually operating the windshield wipers for a couple hundred miles to make it to the game, after the wiper motors failed during a snowstorm.

Dryden was/is by comparison, equally brilliant...but pretty Dry...

 

[Cursed Lemon]

This guy might be the LEAST interesting player ever, he's an automaton, a faceless create-a-player Mary Sue with all the stats bumped up to max

Yeah you're probably right.

 

[RangerBlues]

Mike Milbury.

 

[Sprague Cleghorn]

Gary Smith, Billy Coutu, Sprague Cleghorn

 

[Killion]

Gary Smith, Billy Coutu, Sprague Cleghorn

Geebus Sprague. Might not live through a conversation with Billy Coutu. What if he takes exception to something you say or ask, doesnt like the glint in your eyeball or your haircut, your shoes? BAM! Wake up in Emergency.... if yer lucky.

 

[kmad]

Theoren Fleury or Phil Esposito

 

[Rebuilt]

I was going to mention Gary Unger as being quite a character or even Derek Sanderson but Don Cherry is probably the all time most interesting hockey guy.

Certainly the most entertaining. Whether that is a good thing or bad thing depends on your preference.

 

[VMBM]

Ken Dryden, hmmm. Let's just say that in my opinion Ingmar Bergman's Laterna magica is a zillion times more fascinating read than Dryden's the Game, although that might be slightly unfair comparison, and the Game is also a good book. I'm not a great fan of Dryden's color commentating either (e.g. 1976 CC, 1980 & 1984 WOG).

Phil Esposito? I don't like him at all, but he is not dull. Bobby Hull seems to be a true 'sack of stories'.

 

[mmssd]

Career wise Tim Thomas. Drafted way back in '94 by Quebec, doesn't become an NHL regular until 05 - 06 when he's 32 years old. Wins two Vezinas and a Conn Smythe to go along with a Cup. He could have the latest peak of any big star NHL player ever.

 

[adsfan]

Phil Esposito. Scored 76 goals one year. First NHL player to score 100 points in a season. Criticized fans for booing during the Summit Series. Retired as the #2 all time NHL scorer behind some guy named Howe. Wore a fur coat off the ice. Hard to believe that was all the same man.

Played for Chicago, Boston and New York. Coached and was a GM for the Rangers. HOF member as is his younger brother Tony. Won 2 Stanley Cups and 3 regular season championships.

 

[Terry Yake]

forgot about ron duguay

that guy lived one interesting life outside hockey

 

[adsfan]

I was going to mention Gary Unger as being quite a character or even Derek Sanderson but Don Cherry is probably the all time most interesting hockey guy.

Certainly the most entertaining. Whether that is a good thing or bad thing depends on your preference.

You could say that about Mike Keenan too.

Keenan, Cherry and Bieber may be the only Canadians not well liked in the USA.

I remember when an 80 year old lady won a drawing in Boston for a date with Derek Sanderson. Now that was an interesting story!

 

[Sentinel]

In today's NHL -- easily Pavel Datsyuk. Especially if you read his interviews in Russian. Wisecrack after wisecrack, and a genuinely nice person.

I hope some day somebody writes a Pavel Bure bio with all his BHS stories. I'm sure it will sell well.

 

[VanIslander]

It has to be Ken Dryden.

- Went to an Ivy League school after he was drafted and got a degree
- Won the Conn Smythe before he won the Calder
- Held out over a contract dispute when it was unheard of back then
- Took that time to get a Law degree
- Won 6 Cups overall and 4 in a row
- Wrote one of the best sports books ever written
- Could be prime minister of Canada one day lol

Who can beat that?

This should be the most devastating critique ever:

1. He was my first hockey hero EVER;
2. I cried when he retired early;
3. He shook my hand firmly when I met him in Ottawa during the playoffs (when he managed Toronto over Ottawa);
4. I thought him a big guy who wasted his time in politics when hockey history was his path to all-time glory. (He is NEVER... I mean never mentioned among the top-5 goalies of all time and that's a shame).

 

[Pavelski2112]

Gotta second the vote for Link Gaetz.

 

[The Panther]

(He is NEVER... I mean never mentioned among the top-5 goalies of all time and that's a shame).

(I'm off-topic here, but...) I think it's a bit dubious to interpret Dryden as one of the greatest goalies of all-time. Why?

He played only 7 (and a bit) seasons, every one of them behind probably the greatest team of all time. He couldn't have looked bad even if he'd tried.

When he moved to Team Canada '72, against top competition, he looked very average (GAA 4.75).

I tend to think NHL-level goalies are kind of over-rated in general, but I don't believe Dryden is the elite-type who elevated his team from 'good' to 'great' or 'great to champion' the way a Brodeur or a Hasek did.

But based on winning and results, he's certainly top 5, I'll give you that.

 

[mrhockey193195]

How about Mark Messier dating Madonna for a period of time.Eddie Shore even though he was a jerk and every body seemed to hate him seemed to be interesting.Maybe even Con Symthe owner of leafs who went to fight in WW 1 then as owner went to battle in WW 2 While Frank Selke controlled the reigns back in Toronto

AND he dated Tyra Banks.