Who are some of the smartest hockey players you have ever watched

[karltonian]

What little I've seen of Celebrini so far has him as up there as a prospect. But I sure wish I had more to f***ing go on.

 

[Brookbank]

Marty Turco was no fool



That was just a joke but he used to go to the bench at weird times for the team to go up a skater. And he was the only one who did it. He did it in the 07 series vs Vancouver.

Don Cherry also said Turco was the smartest goalie in the NHL

 

[Brookbank]

I didn't want to say Bedard because he's so young but some ppl are mentioning Mitchkov , a guy with a grand total of 3 NHL games. Not that i doubt hes intellegent

 

[BenningHurtsMySoul]

Andrei Markov and Sergei Gonchar. Two Russian defensemen.

Both absolute generals from the backend who controlled the game with their mind more so than their physical talents.

Their eloquent manipulation of the opposition was always a treat to watch.

It's a joy to see players dissect and make plays from nothing. Those two were top 10 defenseman of their era.

Hockey at its best is not speed of feet or speed of hands, it is the speed of the mind that shines brightest.

Sergei Zubov is another one

 

[cjm502]

Datsyuk, he was in a league of his own when it came to watching guys behind him in the reflection in the glass. The king of creativity in so many ways. Jack of all trades, master of many.

 

[nbwingsfan]

In any area of the game, really, offensively, defensively. Anything either it's a defender , or a sniper who finds spots or a two way player who's always a step ahead of the play

Datsyuk was an absolute magician on the ice IQ off the charts

 

[Rompane]

Barkov reads game extremely well.

 

[HabzSauce]

Price

Crosby

Datsyuk

Markov

Sedins

Kucherov

Marty St Louis

Hasek

No order

 

[Colt.45Orr]

David Krejci was up there but was usually saddled with awful wingers the 2nd half of his career.

 

[Kshahdoo]

Elias Pettersson. Got 11.6M/year and now feels himself relaxed. Isn't it smart?

 

[biturbo19]

David Krejci kind of epitomized this to me. He wasn't big or fast or particularly dominant physically in any way...but he was always just "in the right spot" and had bonkers anticipation, reading the play and being ready to make those passes through seams that weren't even there yet, before they came open for a second and just threading it through.

 

[ValeriKamensky]

Since I’ve been starting to watch hockey: Patrice Bergeron, Mark Savard, Sean Couturier, Claude Giroux, Pavel Datsyuk, Sidney Crosby, Ryan Suter.

 

[PabloT]

Surprised no one has mentioned Zuccarello in their list

 

[Bounces R Way]

Somebody who's smarts kind of went under appreciated was Chris Pronger. Weren't exactly his main standout feature but he was a very savvy and cerebral defenseman.

Not many guys average over 26 minutes in their career, especially one as long and as storied as Pronger's was. He really was the full package; size, smarts, skating, edge, skill.

Stone is probably the smartest forward I've watched.

Leading the league in takeaways for years despite not being able to skate says it all really.

Always had an appreciation for wingers who could stand out in all three zones. Jere Lehtinen, Milan Hejduk, Patrick Elias, Marian Hossa.

 

[lordtrillson]

Kevin Fiala

 

[Ned Bouhalassa]

I’m old, so I’ll add Dryden, Phil and Tony Esposito, Orr, Perreault, Potvin, Gordie Howe, Stan Mikita, Marc Savard, Ray Bourque, Roy, Brodeur.

 

[Stive Morgan]

Started watching in 08-09 so nobody can beat Crosby.

I'll throw Plekanec's name into the ring though. Probably the smartest defensive forward I've ever watched besides Bergeron. But he had the turtleneck going on so he's better

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Craig Janney.

 

[River Meadow]

Lane Hutson

 

[crump]

So many

Orr, Jaques Lemaire, Dave Keon, Gretzky, Lidstrom, Mark Howe, Bergeron.

Usually 2 way players who are elite both ways. I think Gretzky just because he knew he could score more than the other team combined. Self awareness is a thing.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

Jack eichel

Demanded a trade out of that quicksand that is Buffalo, maybe the smartest move in nhl history

Now playing his best hockey of his career, and getting to showcase his talents in the playoffs…. Unlike matthews, eichel is a gamer and his stats get better in the post season.