Most perfect career in hockey?

[NVious]

Lane Hutson, broke all of Gretzky's records in his rookie year, became the first active player to win 100 cups, achieved world peace (all combatants agreed to put down their arms so they had more time to watch him play)

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

It’s Gretzky.

what non-star, Non-HOFer has had the perfect career?

Gonchar? Zetterberg (prob technically a star though)?

 

[Sasha Orlov]

Lane Hutson, broke all of Gretzky's records in his rookie year, became the first active player to win 100 cups, achieved world peace (all combatants agreed to put down their arms so they had more time to watch him play)

I’m from 2035, can confirm this actually happens

 

[GirardSpinorama]

If perfect means checking off a lot of boxes (arbitrarily defined)


Cup,
Conn Smythe
Olympic Gold/major international (i.e. summit series)
Olympic MVP/first team

All likely individual awards
Hart
Lindsey
Art Ross and Rocket for Forwards
Norris/Vezina etc
Long ass career, without major drop off for multiple years

Very hard,
Sakic was close
Lidstrom/Pronger kind of close.

 

[Gordon Lightfoot]

Mike Bossy with nine straight 50 goal seasons. Only missed his final year and IMO would have gotten there if not for his back.

 

[GirardSpinorama]

Mike Bossy with nine straight 50 goal seasons. Only missed his final year and IMO would have gotten there if not for his back.

I feel like injury shortenning a career makes it hard to call "perfect".

Its hard to differentiate perfect from best career but i think that was the attempt from OP.

 

[Larry Hanson]

Get to play at a top level, healthy, for decades. Get to play with your kids. People literally call you "Mr. Hockey".
Sounds pretty good to me.

 

[GirardSpinorama]

Get to play at a top level, healthy, for decades. Get to play with your kids. People literally call you "Mr. Hockey".
Sounds pretty good to me.

Ya Gordie is probably my pick.

 

[dr robbie]

I guess it depends on how you define perfect. If it's "having no down years and being at the best" Dryden would be my pick. If it's winning, probably Roy or Beliveau.

However, I'm viewing the perfect career more like the perfect story. People like heroes with faults that have to overcome obstacles. In that sense, I would have to go with Lemieux. It's hard to beat what he did, what he accomplished, and what he had to go through. Then the comeback. Then the saving of the franchise. Then the continued commitment to the city. Maybe not the perfect set of circumstances, but I would label it as the perfect career.

 

[GirardSpinorama]

Can we also include post playing career. sakic winning the cup as player and GM for the same team is pretty perfect.

 

[JWK]

Whoever made the most money

 

[Lshap]

Ken Dryden:

Played 8 seasons
6 Stanley Cups
Calder
Smythe
5 Vezinas

On a per-season basis I don't know that Dryden can be beaten. Showed up, won the cup and the Conn Smythe, then the Calder and 5 more cups, plus 5 Vezinas, then retired.

Ridiculous efficiency.

In addition to Dryden's ridiculous Cup-to-seasons ratio, there's more:

After winning two Cups in three years, he took a year off from hockey in 1973/74 to work as a legal clerk and articled for a law firm. Without Dryden, the Habs lost in the 1st round.

He came back the following season, the Habs lost in the 3rd round, but then went on to win four straight Cups.

Dryden retired after the 1979 Cup, and the Habs lost in the 2nd round.

Post-career, Dryden wrote what many consider the best hockey book of all time, The Game. He was 35. He continued on as a politician, author, teacher at McGill, and political commentator.

 

[Nathaniel]

So we're only grading careers by hardware earned?

What about those who came, played for several years, banked enough money to live the rest of their life comfortably (perhaps even setting up future generations), & retired with their body/brains intact without the chronic health issues that many players develop.

I'd consider that a real successful career.

/a lot harder to quantify than 'x' & 'y' awards earned, I'll certainly grant

Didnt lemieux make like 300 million dollars after his playing days selling the penguins on top of his career earnings. Also won 3 more cups as an owner on top of all his individual glory.

 

[MS]

I say Beliveau.

10 cup wins, was a huge part of all of them, was team captain for many of them, in a high pressure situation for basically his whole career and handles himself with nothing but grace, and he even lead the playoffs in assists in his last run at 39.

Yeah, that would be my call.

There are ‘better’ careers but not any that are quite as ‘perfect’.

One of the best final seasons in history to cap one of the best careers in history with basically zero controversy or reason for criticism at any point.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Gordie Howe not only did it all, but played with his sons before hanging them up. Circle of life and all that.

 

[iBlameGriff]

I feel like injury shortenning a career makes it hard to call "perfect".

Its hard to differentiate perfect from best career but i think that was the attempt from OP.

yes indeed

 

[PaulD]

Ken Dryden
8 seasons. 6 Cups.
Cup and Con Smythe first season.
Rookie of Year.
Took a year off to article at law firm. Came back won 4 more Cups.

Slam Dunk. It's over.

 

[amnesiac]

Who do you think have the best career in hockey ? The most obvious answer is Gretzky, but I tried to make a top 10. Best career ≠ Best players

1. Wayne Gretzky (4 Cups, 9 MVP, 2 Playoffs MVP)
2. Sidney Crosby (3 Cups, 2 MVP, 2 Playoffs MVP)
3. Gordie Howe (4 Cups, 6 MVP, 2 Playoffs MVP)
4. Jacques Plante (6 Cups, 3 FT, 1 MVP, 3 Playoffs MVP)
5. Patrick Roy (4 Cups, 3 Vezina, 3 Playoffs MVP)
6. Mark Messier (6 Cups, 2 MVP, 1 Playoffs MVP)
7. Jean Béliveau (10 Cups, 1 MVP, 1 Playoffs MVP)
8. Nicklas Lidstrom (3 Cups, 7 Norris, 1 Playoffs MVP)
9. Maurice Richard (8 Cups, 1 MVP, 1 Playoffs MVP)
10. Howie Morenz (2 Cups, 3 MVP, 3 Playoffs MVP)

For the pre 1965 Playoffs MVP , I use the retroactive list.

For pre 1981-82 goalies , I use All-Star First Teams instead of Vezina.

Sakic and Yzerman 10-15 considering the era

 

[jigglysquishy]

I say Beliveau.

10 cup wins, was a huge part of all of them, was team captain for many of them, in a high pressure situation for basically his whole career and handles himself with nothing but grace, and he even lead the playoffs in assists in his last run at 39.

Beliveau is my answer too.

One of the few guys to have the privilege to be a legend for their childhood team.

Imagine being a kid and dreaming of raising the Cup for your favourite team? And then getting to actually do it?

 

[BenningHurtsMySoul]

On a per-season basis I don't know that Dryden can be beaten. Showed up, won the cup and the Conn Smythe, then the Calder and 5 more cups, plus 5 Vezinas, then retired.

Ridiculous efficiency.

It's for sure this guy.

 

[Bouboumaster]

Béliveau hands down

10 Stanley Cup as a player (top 10 all time), 7 more as an executive

In terms of "career in hockey", this is pretty much unbeatable


If "career in hockey" means "only on ice", it's either Gretzky or, like someone else said before, Ken Dryden

 

[Garbageyuk]

How does OP not have Bobby Orr on his list?

Calder
8x Norris
2x Art Ross
3x Hart
2x Cup
2x Conn Smythe

All in 12 years. That’s about as good as it gets.

 

[Matty Sundin]

If not counting individual awards and teams accomplishment’s while not just being a passenger, Mike Richard and Toews accomplished a lot before they hit age 30.

 

[psycat]

Bobby Orr really should be part of this conversation.

Near the top.

No he got half the career of some of the others, perfect peak/prime perhaps but his career is what holds him down(compared to Gretzky/Howe). Like on a per game basis he might very well be the best ever, relative to his competition atleast, but having career ending injuries in his prime doesn't really match my idea of perfect. Else it's basically just the 10 best players, as per usual.

Messier had close to a perfect career in my book but ruined it with the Canucks debacle, same for Brodeur and his stint with whatever team it was actually.

 

[boredmale]

Could it be anybody else?