JackSlater
Registered User
- Apr 27, 2010
- 19,052
- 14,306
Even if you want to equate it to the playoffs, is it more impressive than Messier's actual Conn Smythe or his excellent playoff performances in 1990 or 1994?
I mean, I know what the Summit Series meant politically. But in terms of "raising one's game," does it add more to a player's "greatness" than a legendary playoff run would?
I personally wouldn't usually put much stock into performance at international events, but that's mainly because there are usually a bunch of games against weak nations which distort numbers and also because the teams rarely have time to gel. There is also the issue of players being punished for playing on deep teams. Those weren't really issues in the summit series though, so I would consider Esposito's performance, in what was an event bigger than the Stanley Cup finals, equal to many of the best Conn Smythe performances. It's certainly over Messier's Conn Smythe... which really belongs to Gretzky anyway.