What happened to Keith Primeau?
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JoeSakic13
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Cursed Lemon
Registered Bruiser
Injuries and also not being as good as he apparently thought he was.
Rabid Ranger
2 is better than one
JianYang
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- Sep 29, 2017
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He had his moments. I thought he was pretty good. I never heard of "Ontario Lemieux" before but if that was the hype, then nobody was going to live up to that.
But yeah, concussions did play a role. I think his final game in the league was one where he suffered a concussion as well.
But yeah, concussions did play a role. I think his final game in the league was one where he suffered a concussion as well.
He was a solid 60-80 point 2 way center during the dead puck era. Nobody ever really thought he could be Lemieux.
Jumptheshark
Rebooting myself
SomeDude
Registered User
He had one of the more documented cases of post concussion syndrome and was one of the first players to become vocal about his issues.
His top 3 seasons in his career: 62pts, 63pts and 73pts. I wouldn't call that a solid 60-80 point guy, wouldn't even call it 60-70 point guy as he was only in that range for a very minor part of his career. This isn't a knock, he just wasn't that good....about a 50pt guy.
I never heard this Ontario Lemieux hype either.....is that true? I remember hearing all the hype about Lindros, which was only a year or two later, so I would have thought I would have heard about Primeau. I guess the other thing.....with that type of hype, why wasn't he selected #1 in the draft?
He had 73 points twice, once in 71 games and once in 78 games. He also had 42 in 45gp during the lockout year.
During his prime (8 year window from 1993-2001) he scored at a 68 point pace.
NordiquesForeva
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- May 30, 2022
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He was a good player, but never lived up to the hype of being the 3rd overall pick in a famously deep draft. Also got buried a bit on those early-90s Detroit teams behind Yzerman and Fedorov, then demanded a trade which netted Detroit Shanahan. Detroit won the Cup that season. A few years later, he again held out and demanded a trade (from Carolina) which netted Carolina Brind'Amour. Carolina went to the Cup finals in 2002 and won the Cup in 2006. So, a valuable asset given he fit the mold of a top-flight DPE center, but not an integral part of any championship teams and if he's your #1 center, you're probably in big trouble. Very weak playoff record. I wonder what his career would have been like if he was just asked to focus on defensive play, I thought that would have been a role that suited his size, speed and skillset a lot more; he just didn't have great offensive instincts. But he always struck me as selfish and not a great teammate so hard to say if he'd sacrifice offensive production for the good of the team.
When he hit his stride later in his career, he suffered through some concussions.
Overall, not a fan.
When he hit his stride later in his career, he suffered through some concussions.
Overall, not a fan.
- Nov 12, 2021
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It was more of a Ontario thing started, and not a true comparison to #66.
But he was expected to be hitting above PPG though
@NordiquesForeva @JianYang
Yeah he was incredibly brutal in the playoffs for Detroit and a big reason for the lack of success right before the Cup wins
NordiquesForeva
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The first time I've heard of him referred to as the Ontario Lemieux was in this thread. He had a massive season with Niagara in his draft year - 127 points (leading the OHL in scoring), while being a 6'5", 200+ pound center. The top-4 prospects in 1990 were really close, basically a toss-up in terms of who would get picked where - primeau could have gone anywhere from #1 to #4 in that draft.
JianYang
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- Sep 29, 2017
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He was too up and down for a point per game, and injuries probably had something to do with that.
However, I've seen him at his best, and he could downright dominate games from time to time. He was an animal in that last playoff he played before ultimately retiring.
NordiquesForeva
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He was inconsistent, but that was true even early in his career before the injuries/concussions piled up. Topping-out at 73 points seems about right for him, though if you were to tell Detroit that in 1990 when they drafted him that probably would be seen as a disappointing outcome, even without considering the player drafted two selections later.
I agree with you that he was very good in the 2004 playoffs, particularly in the Toronto and Tampa series, but a lot of Detroit fans were probably left wondering why he didn't play at that level from ~1994 to 1996.
Stickpucker
Playmaka
- Jan 18, 2014
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He was a big son of a bitch when size was valued even more than now.
Aside from that he seemed like a diva and never lived up to the hype of his draft position.
Aside from that he seemed like a diva and never lived up to the hype of his draft position.
BruinsBtn
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- Dec 24, 2006
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What's all this draft position talk? He was picked 3rd between Nedved and Ricci. Those are basically three equal players and I'd probably take Primeau. If you were to redo the draft, he's still top-10 but a lot of the guys who would be ahead of him were way of the radar from the top-10, like Bondra, Zubov and Brodeur.
No one ever called him the Ontario Lemieux.
No one ever called him the Ontario Lemieux.
Cromster
Registered User
I'll never forget his retirement speech. I don't remember the exact words but he said you didn't have to be the best or score the most points, but if you came out and played hard and never quit no matter what that the city of Philadelphia would always have your back. That was a tear jerker.
Concussions ruined him. He was a much better player and leader than the stats and this thread are making him out to be. I wasn't a fan of trading Brindy away, but man that goal in the 5th overtime against the pens....dude's a Philly legend. Haters gonna hate, it's whatever.
Concussions ruined him. He was a much better player and leader than the stats and this thread are making him out to be. I wasn't a fan of trading Brindy away, but man that goal in the 5th overtime against the pens....dude's a Philly legend. Haters gonna hate, it's whatever.
- Mar 4, 2004
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He was a good player but even before the concussions and injuries, he never lived up to the hype. On the Wings a classic Primeau move would be barreling through 3 guys with the puck only to fall down and slide into the net without getting a shot off.
He had a lot of tools, but wasn't quite the finisher to everyone hoped he'd become.
He had a lot of tools, but wasn't quite the finisher to everyone hoped he'd become.
- Sep 28, 2014
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His 2004 Playoff Run with the Flyers was nothing short of incredible. He was dominant at both ends. Would have easily won the Conn Smythe had the Flyers gotten past Tampa in Game 7 of the ECF and won the Cup.
CanadienShark
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- Dec 18, 2012
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Yes, I missed that one....same point though. I actually think the guy was a pretty good player, just don't understand the hype about being the Ontario Lemieux....which I doubt ever existed.....I mean....I was called Lemieux when I was a teenager, but not by scouts thinking I'd actually be comparable to Lemieux.
My point wasn't to suggest we wasn't good, because he was.....he probably didn't totally live up to his hype, but I also don't think the hype was as great as some might suggest.
CanadienShark
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- Dec 18, 2012
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