Most perfect career in hockey?

Isn't the Stanley Cup the hardest trophy to win in all major sports?

The goal of a career is to win as many championship as possible. Some of the best players in history went on their entire career without lifting the Cup.

This question has many way to approach it. It's again about individual or team awards.

There is also NHL and international career etc.

If I were a player, I would want to win as many Stanley Cups as possible. It's the Holy Grail. The memories and bonds you make going through the hardship of the series with your teammates and friends. Win it all and the celebrations that come with it.

I would take any of the Habs Legends careers over Gretzky's. Especially when Gretzky lost to the Canadiens. That's a fond memory for sure.

For me, a player like Larry Robinson had a perfect career:
1384 games played
20 seasons in the NHL
Never missed the playoffs
6 Stanley Cups as a player
3 Stanley Cups as a coach (head coach/assistant coach)
1 Stanley Cup as scout
2 Norris Trophies
1 Conn Smythe
Ended the Broad Street Bullies dynasty
Integral Part of a 4 straight Stanley Cups dynasty
10x All Star
Finished 1st in history with a +722
1st in +/- in single season with +120
2x Canada Cup winner

I would take that over Gretzky anytime. Gretzky's goal scoring record will be beaten. Then most impressive would be his points. But I would give away his points to have 2 more Stanley Cups. Players play to win the Cup.

Money not withstanding I would rather win Olympics(especially in best on best).

Also winning in a low parity league wouldn't feel as good id imagine, like the Habs were so stacked it must have felt abit like beating children in boxing.
 
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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.

Seems to be a magic recipe for athletes, atleast around the 90s-00s. Watch Cancer Jesus(Lance Armstrong) himself for example.
 
Good list.

To me it’s Messier. He was such a force on the ice. Good play maker, better goal scorer, excellent skater, very physical, strong fighter, above average defensively. For the era, he was probably the perfect player.

Respected and feared by opponents and teammates alike.

Won 5 Cups. Some early in his career and one later in his career. Won 4 Cups in his hometown and then one in the biggest market in the NHL, a franchise that hadn’t won in 50 years. Played a key role in every Cup run.

Captained 2 different teams to a Cup win.

His individual trophy case has him winning a Conn Smythe, 2 Harts and 2 Pearsons (Lindsays).
 
Crosby has had an amazing career but it is far from perfect, especially if Orr and Lemieux aren't options. The guy is one of the most unlucky stars ever. He's lost out on so much hardware because of injuries and would have likely doubled his trophy case if not for high-ankle sprains, concussions, the mumps and random pucks to the face. It's kind of miraculous that he had as good of a career as he's had, given that it looked like he may never play again in the early 2010s.

After Gretzky, who is the obvious answer, its a toss-up between Howe and Beliveau. Another guy to consider is Doug Harvey. Dryden is another... he's basically the John Cazale of hockey.
 
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.
Might I interest you in the career of one Ken Dryden.


6 Cups...5 Vezinas...1 Conn Smythe (which he won before being named Rookie of the year the NEXT YEAR). All in only 7 full seasons + 6 GP in his first year.

And before you say that he was surrounded by HOF'ers...

Winning percentage of 74.3%, a goals-against average of 2.24, and a save percentage of 92.2%. He recorded 46 shutouts and 258 wins in just 397 NHL games, losing only 57 games and tying 74.
 
Jack Eichel. He was in Buffalo, now he isn’t.

Srsly though, it’s a subjective thing, but I’d say getting your neck fixed (with full mobility!) and winning a cup is pretty sweet. He didn’t have to flip Pegula the double birds and moon him during the celebration, but that woulda been icing on the cake.
 
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Yeah IMO there's a difference between greatest career and perfect career. IMO perfect career means you did everything you wanted to and left on your own terms plus no regrets.

Injury shortened careers I'd say are unlikely "perfect" for those players.

Howe is easily near the top IMO for perfect.

I'm thinking Jagr in the same vein too where he was drafted and played with his idol, won awards, played NHL and other leagues as he wanted.

Maybe via other metrics, even someone like Regehr? One whose career could have been considered lost before it started, but he overcame and had a very fruitful career at a high level and even won a cup?
 
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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.
Best career? Gretzky, full stop. Who's skates would I rather step into and experience though? Crosby.

Runner up: Ovechkin winning the goal scoring record.
 
The hardest championship to win in major sport is the FIFA World Cup. No teams won more than 5. Historically I’d say the Super Bowl was harder than the Stanley Cup as well. No one is even close to having 24, even though I think today the Stanley Cup is harder to win than the Super Bowl
Cause you know it's hard to win often when it's once every 4 years
 
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I really don't get people picking guys who lost significant time to injury or retired early.

Bossy? Crosby? Lemieux? Orr? How is having career altering/ending injuries perfect?
I wouldn’t put Crosby in the same bracket as them. Crosby still have over 1300 games. Top 60 all time in games played.

Will most likely end up top 25 all-time in games played with 1500+ GP

He missed some time early but after that he was pretty good at keeping himself out of the emergency room
 
"perfect" career to me means you both 1) accomplished a lot and 2) had very few significant setbacks in your career.

Crosby/Orr/Lemieux all very obviously have 1) but their significant injury issues would lead me to say they actually all had very imperfect careers. A guy like Ovi has the NHL trophies, about to have the record, and no injuries but had some major disappointments with Russia and for years lacked the (team) playoff success, finally getting over the hump later in his career. More "perfect" but still not exactly what you would want if you were writing a career from scratch.

As many others have pointed out, the obvious number 1 answer to this is Dryden. Jagr, Howe, Gretzky up there as well.
 
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