Stars retire Jere Lehtinen's No. 26

[ck26]

it seems like he was a career 4th line player. maybe thats why i havent heard his name

*plays devil's advocate*

514 points in 875 games. Hall of Fame? No way. Even Plekanec has more points. The dude was a good player on a great team, that's about it. His number would have never been retired on a lot of other teams.

500 points=retired, cmon now, you can honor the guy, but RETIRING?

I guess he played defense as a forward, so it's all good (lmao).

Lehtinen was a fine player and all but ... certainly not number-retirement quality on merit alone.

Lehtinen was at least a champion, more that what anybody on the Sharks roster can say. But Lehtinen was a passenger. He was great but never was the driving force to deliver anything important.

I wouldn't retire his number.

You don't know what you're talking about. You didn't watch the games. You don't know what happened. You think you know, but you really don't know. And unless you drop this nonsense and do the research, read contemporary sources, listen to informed opinions, you never will.

If you think Lehtinen was a passenger, or just a good player on those great Stars teams, you are wrong. I'm not saying "I disagree." I'm saying "you are wrong."

Lots of talented former teammates and coaches and kind words at the ceremony Friday night. The two that impressed me the most were recorded videos from Steve Yzerman and Joe Sakic, two guys who saw a lot of Jere in the playoffs back in the 1990's and who knew exactly what a mother****er Lehtinen was to play against.

2008-2010, as Modano's and Lehtinen's time in Dallas wound down, Modano slid down to the third line. Lehtinen didn't. From about 1998 until about 2010, Lehtinen, not Modano, was always on the top line for Dallas.

Selke is the biggest reputation driven Award the NHL has to offer.

Not sure if serious. You're saying North American hockey media has a big bias for Sun Belt players who barely speak English?

 

[mja]

1. Shocked and saddened that there are hockey fans who don't know who Jere Lehtinen is. I'm freaking old.
2. He won 3 Selkes and was a key player on a cup-winner. Entirely deserving of having his number retired.
3. To the poster who commented on the old Stars' jerseys: Yes, they were a thing of beauty, and it's a damn shame that they've fumbled around with inferior sets ever since.

 

[glovesave_35]

To address this extremely disingenuous point ... 5 years (actually 6 in this case, don't try to sneak another year in there) is an eternity in major league competitive sports particularly between years 14 and 20. Marleau is 7th IN LEAGUE HISTORY in games with one team. Lehtinen is nowhere on the list.

Sorry but longevity with the team is a negative point here for Lehtinen. He didn't even play a thousand games. It's just a low-bar jersey retirement. No need to get mad about it, the stars are an expansion team in a nontraditional market.

No more low bar than Marleau would or will be considering the atmosphere of failure that pervaded his time in a Sharks uniform. On "merit", Marleau shouldn't be anywhere close to the HOF (which is your bar for jersey retirement). If he gets in it will be due to his longevity rather than excellence in anything in particular.

Don't be sour that another team in a non-traditional hockey market (glass house much?) had success to a degree that your Sharks haven't had. Once a team wins a championship there is free reign to honor those deemed most crucial to that team success.

 

[glovesave_35]

You don't know what you're talking about. You didn't watch the games. You don't know what happened. You think you know, but you really don't know. And unless you drop this nonsense and do the research, read contemporary sources, listen to informed opinions, you never will.

If you think Lehtinen was a passenger, or just a good player on those great Stars teams, you are wrong. I'm not saying "I disagree." I'm saying "you are wrong."

I second this. No matter how much that poster may argue they watched the games there's just no way. You don't know thing one about those Stars teams and casually call Lehtinen a passenger.

 

[Maurice Del Taco]

Well deserved. A class act.

 

[Unspecified]

Lehtinen was a fine player and all but ... certainly not number-retirement quality on merit alone.

Of course the team can retire whatever the heck it wants.

Yea 3 Selke's, a Stanley cup and loyalty his entire NHL career to one team mean shit. Go away!

 

[sr edler]

Did he win a cup in Dallas?

Yes!

 

[sr edler]

Is it possible to unlike a post?

No!

 

[sr edler]

Jere Lehtinen was your archetypical "watch paint dry"-player. Did very little individual noise but was a very effective team player both in Dallas and on Finnish national teams. More of a scorer in Dallas because of quality time with quality linemates like Modano. He actually first made a splash on the Huey Dewey & Louie-line with Saku Koivu and Ville Peltonen. He also always looked 10 years older than he actually was.

 

[sr edler]

Lehtinen was a fine player and all but ... certainly not number-retirement quality on merit alone.

Of course the team can retire whatever the heck it wants.

Come on, Rangers retired Adam Graves #.

 

[strictlyrandy]

People calling Jere a passenger and a 4th liner didn't watch him. Jere won the Selke 3 times not off of reputation. He earned that. What Jere did was special. Shame that there's a bunch of people in here who never saw him play saying he doesn't deserve any of this. He was a special player and he earned every bit of having this honor from the Stars.

 

[macleod50]

I think the poster that said the youthfulness of this board is showing, hit it on the head. The quote from Hitchcock up there speaks volume. Lehtinen was a very, very good player, and well deserving of having his number retired.

 

[yangmang]

You don't know what you're talking about. You didn't watch the games. You don't know what happened. You think you know, but you really don't know. And unless you drop this nonsense and do the research, read contemporary sources, listen to informed opinions, you never will.

If you think Lehtinen was a passenger, or just a good player on those great Stars teams, you are wrong. I'm not saying "I disagree." I'm saying "you are wrong."

Lots of talented former teammates and coaches and kind words at the ceremony Friday night. The two that impressed me the most were recorded videos from Steve Yzerman and Joe Sakic, two guys who saw a lot of Jere in the playoffs back in the 1990's and who knew exactly what a mother****er Lehtinen was to play against.

2008-2010, as Modano's and Lehtinen's time in Dallas wound down, Modano slid down to the third line. Lehtinen didn't. From about 1998 until about 2010, Lehtinen, not Modano, was always on the top line for Dallas.
Not sure if serious. You're saying North American hockey media has a big bias for Sun Belt players who barely speak English?

i disagree

 

[Dr Pepper]

i disagree

Excellent rebuttal. You sure put him in his place.

 

[Bronson]

Jere was a f***ing god. Easily my favorite Finnish player of all time and the nicest hockey player I've ever met. All you naysayers are either uninformed or really stupid or both. Watch some damn games instead of spreadsheets.

 

[Jugitsu]

i disagree

Irrelevant. As irrelevant as disagreeing Earth being round. There are opinions and there are facts. You can disagree with both, but with facts you need something to back it up.

 

[Refuse]

i disagree

And no f***s were given

 

[Its a Trap]

i disagree

Why.

 

[Borlag]

Selke is the biggest reputation award? Yet this guy won it three times with what most of you deem as insignificant passenger grade production. Just think about it a little, what was his reputation that warranted those awards?

Maybe because he was far from a passenger, he was a big time contributor to the success in Dallas, much like guys like Fedorov and Shanny were in Detroit, just in a different way. Lehtinen was pretty much the perfect player when it came to defense and team play. Smart playing shift after shift, game after game, much like Lidström. The only reason he's not talked as an all time great by EVERYONE here, is because he didn't do it with world class production as well. Still without a doubt HOF worthy career, both on NHL and international resume.

 

[Peen]

Is there an active comparison for Lehtinen for someone who plays currently?

I only started watching hockey in 2007 and can't recall his game.

 

[Snowsii]

Is there an active comparison for Lehtinen for someone who plays currently?

I only started watching hockey in 2007 and can't recall his game.

A winger version of Matthews, with a little better defense, little worse offense. That's just one quick answer.

 

[Dr Pepper]

A winger version of Matthews, with a little better defense, little worse offense. That's just one quick answer.

Saying Jere Lehtinen is "a little better" defensively than Auston Matthews, is kind of like saying Nathan Gerbe is "a little shorter" than Zdeno Chara.

 

[DJN21]

He wad an absolute beauty to watch. I was a huge fan and modeled my play after him as a youngster. Good for him!

 

[glovesave_35]

Is there an active comparison for Lehtinen for someone who plays currently?

I only started watching hockey in 2007 and can't recall his game.

I'll go with another Stars player I'm most comfortable referencing. They looked very different playing however... if you think of prime Loui Eriksson with better defense and less offensive polish you get somewhat close. Lehtinen's feet were always moving a million miles an hour though.

 

[Kuhta]

What was special in Lehtinen was his balance and engine. He just kept going and going until he got the puck. Then delivered it to Modano and boom. Like retriever with endless energy and wit.