Who is the best goal scorer of all time and who are the top 10 all time in order?

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The Panther

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Mar 25, 2014
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It's very hard to isolate a particular skill and rank it -- and of course there's a lot more that goes into volume of goals scored than just the player's ability -- but anyway, I'll try (this is just NHL based, btw, if that wasn't obvious):

1. Mario Lemieux
2. Alex Ovechkin
3. Bobby Hull
4. Maurice Richard
5. Wayne Gretzky
6. Gordie Howe
7. Brett Hull
8. Mike Bossy
9. Phil Esposito
10. Jaromir Jagr / Pavel Bure / Auston Matthews

I feel like Charlie Conacher's and Jari Kurri's periods as elite goal scorers were just a tad too short to make the top 10.

It's still early days on Matthews, but if he can get another 60-ish goal season this year, maybe he kicks aside Jagr and Bure and starts to climb up the list further...
 

rmartin65

Registered User
Apr 7, 2011
2,830
2,390
It's very hard to isolate a particular skill and rank it -- and of course there's a lot more that goes into volume of goals scored than just the player's ability -- but anyway, I'll try (this is just NHL based, btw, if that wasn't obvious):

1. Mario Lemieux
2. Alex Ovechkin
3. Bobby Hull
4. Maurice Richard
5. Wayne Gretzky
6. Gordie Howe
7. Brett Hull
8. Mike Bossy
9. Phil Esposito
10. Jaromir Jagr / Pavel Bure / Auston Matthews

I feel like Charlie Conacher's and Jari Kurri's periods as elite goal scorers were just a tad too short to make the top 10.
A six year span as the top goal scorer in the league is a tad too short? I can't get behind that.
 

The Panther

Registered User
Mar 25, 2014
20,053
17,025
Tokyo, Japan
A six year span as the top goal scorer in the league is a tad too short? I can't get behind that.
Talking about Conacher? You may be right, and I'm certainly more prime than I am longevity (more than most on here, in my experience).

But... with Conacher, yes, he's got 5 out of 6 years as the #1 goal scorer. But he falls off the cliff at age 26, which is rather young. For the next five years (mostly in his late-20s), he was 45th in goals scored, and was at 0.20 goals per game.

It's not a stick to beat him with because his 1931 to 1936 seasons are amazing and speak for themselves. I would be interested in the thoughts of others who know more about Conacher / this era than I do...
 

rmartin65

Registered User
Apr 7, 2011
2,830
2,390
Talking about Conacher? You may be right, and I'm certainly more prime than I am longevity (more than most on here, in my experience).

But... with Conacher, yes, he's got 5 out of 6 years as the #1 goal scorer. But he falls off the cliff at age 26, which is rather young. For the next five years (mostly in his late-20s), he was 45th in goals scored, and was at 0.20 goals per game.

It's not a stick to beat him with because his 1931 to 1936 seasons are amazing and speak for themselves. I would be interested in the thoughts of others who know more about Conacher / this era than I do...
Conacher, like Bure, dealt with a lot of injuries. Conacher fell off a cliff due to a broken wrist in 1937 and a dislocated shoulder in 1938, which limited him to just 34 games over the two seasons. Modern medicine likely would have seen him return to his high-scoring days.

In any case, here is how Conacher stacks up with several other bubble players mentioned in this thread. I'm only looking at top 5 finishes, since we are looking at the cream of the crop here.

ConacherBureJagrStamkosBossySelanneMatthews
Raw Goals, Leader5302233
Raw Goals, Top 55566855
Goals/Game, Leader5112123
Goals/Game, Top 55476956

Conacher doesn't seem out of place in terms of number of seasons a top-tier scorer, and he clearly peaked higher (as of now; Matthews could change that moving forward).
 

TheBig08

Registered User
Sep 28, 2024
157
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can i get some of yhalls opinions on who the best goal scorer of all time is and your top 10 best goal scorer of all time order and if you have a reason/explaination or stats share them, whole point of why I made the thread.
 

wetcoast

Registered User
Nov 20, 2018
24,656
11,546
Lemieux is 1 for me because of the variety of ways that he was an elite finisher. Wrist shot, one timer, backhand, breakaways, penalty shots, mid-long range/in close, early adapter to low angle and bank shots 20+ years before it became popularized, etc.

Also because of his elite playmaking prowess, as a balanced attacker, goalies can't purely commit to his shot.
I don't disagree although to play Devils advocate wouldn't a one dimensional player like say Ovi, Bure or Richard have a potentially harder time scoring goals since the other parts of their game weren't as developed?

Part of me when I see questions like this is to say and pick players who were known primarily for their goal scoring rather than overall play.

That's why it's hard to place all around elite players like Gretzky, Mario and Howe on these lists.
 

TheBig08

Registered User
Sep 28, 2024
157
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I don't disagree although to play Devils advocate wouldn't a one dimensional player like say Ovi, Bure or Richard have a potentially harder time scoring goals since the other parts of their game weren't as developed?

Part of me when I see questions like this is to say and pick players who were known primarily for their goal scoring rather than overall play.

That's why it's hard to place all around elite players like Gretzky, Mario and Howe on these lists.
who do you think is the best and your top 10 in order.

Also i think ovi is the best and here is my top 10 al time in order can you rate it.

1. Alex ovechkin
2. Mario lemuiex
3. Mike Bossy
4. Pavel Bure
5. Wayne Gretzky
6. Bobby Hull
7. Brett Hull
8. Maurice Richard
9. Gordie Howe
10. Auston Matthews
 

wetcoast

Registered User
Nov 20, 2018
24,656
11,546
Who's arguing anyone over anyone else because of style?

Variance isn't about style it's the ability to score in multiple different ways, which is of great help if someone manages to lock one of your lanes down.

If whipping the puck like Devo works like a clockwork in the RS against bottom half teams, then yay that's great, but perhaps it is, I dunno, harder to do that in the playoffs against better and tighter teams.
Gave you a like because of this,

 
Last edited:

wetcoast

Registered User
Nov 20, 2018
24,656
11,546
who do you think is the best and your top 10 in order.
I don't have a definitive list but all of your guys would be on my list of top 10ish with some projection for Matthews.

while I don't have an order and Bure would be on my list he certainly wouldn't be 4th in terms of "greatest" best is really hard to define and isolate IMO.

Also i think ovi is the best and here is my top 10 al time in order can you rate it.

1. Alex ovechkin
2. Mario lemuiex
3. Mike Bossy
4. Pavel Bure
5. Wayne Gretzky
6. Bobby Hull
7. Brett Hull
8. Maurice Richard
9. Gordie Howe
10. Auston Matthews
 

TheBig08

Registered User
Sep 28, 2024
157
47
I don't have a definitive list but all of your guys would be on my list of top 10ish with some projection for Matthews.

while I don't have an order and Bure would be on my list he certainly wouldn't be 4th in terms of "greatest" best is really hard to define and isolate IMO.
who do u think is the best

Conacher, like Bure, dealt with a lot of injuries. Conacher fell off a cliff due to a broken wrist in 1937 and a dislocated shoulder in 1938, which limited him to just 34 games over the two seasons. Modern medicine likely would have seen him return to his high-scoring days.

In any case, here is how Conacher stacks up with several other bubble players mentioned in this thread. I'm only looking at top 5 finishes, since we are looking at the cream of the crop here.

ConacherBureJagrStamkosBossySelanneMatthews
Raw Goals, Leader5302233
Raw Goals, Top 55566855
Goals/Game, Leader5112123
Goals/Game, Top 55476956

Conacher doesn't seem out of place in terms of number of seasons a top-tier scorer, and he clearly peaked higher (as of now; Matthews could change that moving forward).
who do you think is the best and your top 10 in order and if you have a reason/explaination or stats share them.

Also i think ovi is the best and here is my top 10 all time in order can you rate it.

1. Alex ovechkin
2. Mario lemuiex
3. Mike Bossy
4. Pavel Bure
5. Wayne Gretzky
6. Bobby Hull
7. Brett Hull
8. Maurice Richard
9. Gordie Howe
10. Auston Matthews


Talking about Conacher? You may be right, and I'm certainly more prime than I am longevity (more than most on here, in my experience).

But... with Conacher, yes, he's got 5 out of 6 years as the #1 goal scorer. But he falls off the cliff at age 26, which is rather young. For the next five years (mostly in his late-20s), he was 45th in goals scored, and was at 0.20 goals per game.

It's not a stick to beat him with because his 1931 to 1936 seasons are amazing and speak for themselves. I would be interested in the thoughts of others who know more about Conacher / this era than I do...
who do you think is the best and your top 10 in order and if you have a reason/explaination or stats share them.

Also i think ovi is the best and here is my top 10 al time in order can you rate it.

1. Alex ovechkin
2. Mario lemuiex
3. Mike Bossy
4. Pavel Bure
5. Wayne Gretzky
6. Bobby Hull
7. Brett Hull
8. Maurice Richard
9. Gordie Howe
10. Auston Matthews
 

TheBig08

Registered User
Sep 28, 2024
157
47
Why is Kurri overlooked
who do you think is the best and your top 10 in order and if you have a reason/explaination or stats share them.

Also i think ovi is the best and here is my top 10 all time in order can you rate it.

1. Alex ovechkin
2. Mario lemuiex
3. Mike Bossy
4. Pavel Bure
5. Wayne Gretzky
6. Bobby Hull
7. Brett Hull
8. Maurice Richard
9. Gordie Howe
10. Auston Matthews

One name is missing that should definitely be there which is Boris Mikhailov.
who do you think is the best and your top 10 in order and if you have a reason/explaination or stats share them.

Also i think ovi is the best and here is my top 10 all time in order can you rate it.

1. Alex ovechkin
2. Mario lemuiex
3. Mike Bossy
4. Pavel Bure
5. Wayne Gretzky
6. Bobby Hull
7. Brett Hull
8. Maurice Richard
9. Gordie Howe
10. Auston Matthews

Greateast goal-scorers ever: (greatest is a mix between pure ability and actual accomlishments):

Tier 1:

1. Ovechkin
2. Gretzky
3. Lemieux
4. Bobby Hull

Tier 2:

5. Maurice Richard
6. Goride Howe

Tier 3:

7. Mike Bossy
8. Brett Hull
9. Phil Esposito
10. Auston Matthews
11. Pavel Bure

If we were ranking "best" instead, I'd have Lemieux #1. Bossy might go up too (if not for injuries/half a career, he'd rank highest on greatest too). Ovchkin is probably #2.

Regarding Auston Matthews - I'm not sure exactly how high he will reach. But he's off to a fantastic start. I used to think his ceiling was tier 3 - now I think he could reach tier 1. You can never predict decline - some players fall off a cliff unexpectedly, and some dont, so we'll see how his career shapes out.
who do you think is the best and your top 10 in order and if you have a reason/explaination or stats share them.

Also i think ovi is the best and here is my top 10 all time in order can you rate it.

1. Alex ovechkin
2. Mario lemuiex
3. Mike Bossy
4. Pavel Bure
5. Wayne Gretzky
6. Bobby Hull
7. Brett Hull
8. Maurice Richard
9. Gordie Howe
10. Auston Matthews

Lemieux is 1 for me because of the variety of ways that he was an elite finisher. Wrist shot, one timer, backhand, breakaways, penalty shots, mid-long range/in close, early adapter to low angle and bank shots 20+ years before it became popularized, etc.

Also because of his elite playmaking prowess, as a balanced attacker, goalies can't purely commit to his shot.
your top 10 in order and if you have a reason/explaination or stats share them.

Also i think ovi is the best and here is my top 10 all time in order can you rate it.

1. Alex ovechkin
2. Mario lemuiex
3. Mike Bossy
4. Pavel Bure
5. Wayne Gretzky
6. Bobby Hull
7. Brett Hull
8. Maurice Richard
9. Gordie Howe
10. Auston Matthews

I'm not sure I'd have Matthews above Stamkos or Selanne yet.


Top ten finishes in goals:

Matthews: 1, 1, 1, 2, 3

Selanne: 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 10

Stamkos: 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 4, 7, 9


Ovechkin is the most accomplished. Best is more subjective - I personally don't care at all about things like shot volume and diversity of goals when assessing goal scoring, but some do.
who do you think is the best and your top 10 in order and if you have a reason/explaination or stats share them.

Also i think ovi is the best and here is my top 10 all time in order can you rate it.

1. Alex ovechkin
2. Mario lemuiex
3. Mike Bossy
4. Pavel Bure
5. Wayne Gretzky
6. Bobby Hull
7. Brett Hull
8. Maurice Richard
9. Gordie Howe
10. Auston Matthews
 

wetcoast

Registered User
Nov 20, 2018
24,656
11,546
who do u think is the best


who do you think is the best and your top 10 in order and if you have a reason/explaination or stats share them.

Also i think ovi is the best and here is my top 10 all time in order can you rate it.

1. Alex ovechkin
2. Mario lemuiex
3. Mike Bossy
4. Pavel Bure
5. Wayne Gretzky
6. Bobby Hull
7. Brett Hull
8. Maurice Richard
9. Gordie Howe
10. Auston Matthews



who do you think is the best and your top 10 in order and if you have a reason/explaination or stats share them.

Also i think ovi is the best and here is my top 10 al time in order can you rate it.

1. Alex ovechkin
2. Mario lemuiex
3. Mike Bossy
4. Pavel Bure
5. Wayne Gretzky
6. Bobby Hull
7. Brett Hull
8. Maurice Richard
9. Gordie Howe
10. Auston Matthews
Are you a bot?

I mean you can ask all you want but for myself I don't have a definitive list or order and frankly there is some fluidity to it as well since you are asking us to isolate just one metric out of many that we use to evaluate hockey players.
 

TheBig08

Registered User
Sep 28, 2024
157
47
Of my awareness, Lemieux and Brett Hull the best, Gretzky and Ovechkin have more right to be called greatest given records and longevity and all that but at their bests, shift by shift, can't top Brett Hull and Mario
who do you think is the best and your top 10 in order and if you have a reason/explaination or stats share them.

Also i think ovi is the best and here is my top 10 all time in order can you rate it.

1. Alex ovechkin
2. Mario lemuiex
3. Mike Bossy
4. Pavel Bure
5. Wayne Gretzky
6. Bobby Hull
7. Brett Hull
8. Maurice Richard
9. Gordie Howe
10. Auston Matthews

Variance of how and when you score your goals is obviously absolutely crucial. I saw a stat from some season back where Auston Matthews had 6 hat-tricks in the RS, all of them on non-playoff teams.

Hate on Bure as a fun player all you guys want, but guy scored multiple hat-tricks on Patrick Roy and had streaks in the playoffs where he was an absolute beast. This is not something either Matthews or Stamkos has been even close to replicate.

For all the stereotypes of Brett Hull being just a big shot, guy actually had a sneaky ability to score in all kinds of different ways, whether Brian Holzinger was dancing by the play or not.

I agree with Mike up thread about Lemieux being the best all-time goal scorer, btw.
your top 10 in order and if you have a reason/explaination or stats share them.

Also i think ovi is the best and here is my top 10 all time in order can you rate it.

1. Alex ovechkin
2. Mario lemuiex
3. Mike Bossy
4. Pavel Bure
5. Wayne Gretzky
6. Bobby Hull
7. Brett Hull
8. Maurice Richard
9. Gordie Howe
10. Auston Matthews

I'd say that Lemieux is the best, Ovechkin and Bobby Hull are in the conversation and possibly Richard too if I squint.

As this is about who is best at a skill and not just comparing resumes, I have no problem with Bure ranking pretty high on someone's list. I wouldn't put him at 4 but he's among the best ever at this particular thing.
your top 10 in order and if you have a reason/explaination or stats share them.

Also i think ovi is the best and here is my top 10 all time in order can you rate it.

1. Alex ovechkin
2. Mario lemuiex
3. Mike Bossy
4. Pavel Bure
5. Wayne Gretzky
6. Bobby Hull
7. Brett Hull
8. Maurice Richard
9. Gordie Howe
10. Auston Matthews
 

TheBig08

Registered User
Sep 28, 2024
157
47
Goalscoring lists always seem very skewed to the 90s. Lemieux and Hull, no argument. Bure, Selanne, Jagr. 5 of the top 15 all in their prime within 10 years? If you go back to 1985 and add Gretzky and Bossy too. Does it make sense that 50% of the top 15 have their primes from 1985-2000? Does it make sense to only have one pre 1950 prime player? 1890-1944 produces no one, 1995 has 5, and 2005-2025 only has 3?

The early era guys definitely get missed. Conacher leading 5 times in 6 years.

Bill Cook came to the NHL at 30 and still lead the league in goals twice while finishing second twice. He lead the WCHL twice too. By contemporary opinion, an absolute goal scoring monster.

Edit: that's not even getting into Russell Bowie, who should absolutely be in the conversation
who do you think is the best and your top 10 in order and if you have a reason/explaination or stats share them.

Also i think ovi is the best and here is my top 10 all time in order can you rate it.

1. Alex ovechkin
2. Mario lemuiex
3. Mike Bossy
4. Pavel Bure
5. Wayne Gretzky
6. Bobby Hull
7. Brett Hull
8. Maurice Richard
9. Gordie Howe
10. Auston Matthews

Ovechkin / Gretzky
Hull Sr / Howe / Richard
Lemieux / Bossy / Esposito / Hull Jr
Bure / Selanne
who do you think is the best and your top 10 in order and if you have a reason/explaination or stats share them.

Also i think ovi is the best and here is my top 10 all time in order can you rate it.

1. Alex ovechkin
2. Mario lemuiex
3. Mike Bossy
4. Pavel Bure
5. Wayne Gretzky
6. Bobby Hull
7. Brett Hull
8. Maurice Richard
9. Gordie Howe
10. Auston Matthews

I feel like not something they replicated was about the playoff (or Olympics...) beast part, not scoring hat trick on Roy.

Greatest Ovechkin, the one you want to receive that Gretzky pass in 1987 Mario Lemieux, the one you want to be able to send in an playoff overtime Maurice Richard.

Pavel Bure feel perfectly legitimate to have in this conversation, eye test, numbers, "longevity" in the sense 1988 world junior, 1992 rookie season, the 2000 panthers to the 2002-2003 Rangers, it is not a short amount of time to be really good at scoring goal at that level.
who do you think is the best and your top 10 in order and if you have a reason/explaination or stats share them.

Also i think ovi is the best and here is my top 10 all time in order can you rate it.

1. Alex ovechkin
2. Mario lemuiex
3. Mike Bossy
4. Pavel Bure
5. Wayne Gretzky
6. Bobby Hull
7. Brett Hull
8. Maurice Richard
9. Gordie Howe
10. Auston Matthews

I gotta go with Ovechkin for his consistency of production in a very hard to score goal scoring era (big pads, defensive systems, etc.) and how badly he ran away from his own era in terms of goal scoring.
who do you think is the best and your top 10 in order and if you have a reason/explaination or stats share them.

Also i think ovi is the best and here is my top 10 all time in order can you rate it.

1. Alex ovechkin
2. Mario lemuiex
3. Mike Bossy
4. Pavel Bure
5. Wayne Gretzky
6. Bobby Hull
7. Brett Hull
8. Maurice Richard
9. Gordie Howe
10. Auston Matthews
 
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TheBig08

Registered User
Sep 28, 2024
157
47
Nothing to do with "style", everything to do with adaptability. Then we have to balance the juxtaposition of player evaluation and the team concept.

Example: Teams would sometimes just shadow Ovechkin in his one-timer spot to not allow it. Creates basically a 4 on 3 (bigger offensive advantage). Doesn't necessarily make Ovi a better goal scorer, might make the Caps more productive though.
who do you think is the best and your top 10 in order and if you have a reason/explaination or stats share them.

Also i think ovi is the best and here is my top 10 all time in order can you rate it.

1. Alex ovechkin
2. Mario lemuiex
3. Mike Bossy
4. Pavel Bure
5. Wayne Gretzky
6. Bobby Hull
7. Brett Hull
8. Maurice Richard
9. Gordie Howe
10. Auston Matthews

Are you a bot?

I mean you can ask all you want but for myself I don't have a definitive list or order and frankly there is some fluidity to it as well since you are asking us to isolate just one metric out of many that we use to evaluate hockey players.
no im not a bot. i was just asking it doesn't have be definitive but u can at least make general list of where u think people are at on the list. also it popped up multiple times because im asking everybody who replied but didn't answer the question.
 
Last edited:

MadLuke

Registered User
Jan 18, 2011
10,663
6,173
who do you think is the best and your top 10 in order and if you have a reason/explaination or stats share them.
I would have no ground to judge Conacher vs peak Richard vs Bobby Hull, modern day my feeling would be Mario, but unlike Gretzky playmaking or Orr for 2 way defenseman play, no one really stand out enough to say.

Number wise career last time I looked it, would be around

Ovechkin
Richard
Lemieux
Hull and hull

When talking peak, Gretzky-Matthews-Bure would enter the conversation, for 2 others to round it to 10, Bossy-Selanne maybe, Esposito scored a lot and hard to keep out but so did Jagr, those 2 can be a bit underrated as goalscorer specially Jagr.
 

TheBig08

Registered User
Sep 28, 2024
157
47
I would have no ground to judge Conacher vs peak Richard vs Bobby Hull, modern day my feeling would be Mario, but unlike Gretzky playmaking or Orr for 2 way defenseman play, no one really stand out enough to say.

Number wise career last time I looked it, would be around

Ovechkin
Richard
Lemieux
Hull and hull

When talking peak, Gretzky-Matthews-Bure would enter the conversation, for 2 others to round it to 10, Bossy-Selanne maybe, Esposito scored a lot and hard to keep out but so did Jagr, those 2 can be a bit underrated as goalscorer specially Jagr.
so u got ovechkin as the best and then your top 10
1. ovi
2. richard
3. lemuiex
4/5. brett/bobby
6. wayne
7. matthews
8. bure
9. bossy
10. selanne


if im reading right, is there a reason howes not up there?
 
Last edited:

MadLuke

Registered User
Jan 18, 2011
10,663
6,173
if im reading right, is there a reason howes not up there?
Does not stand out enough:


But like Jagr he is easy to dismiss because of everything else he did so well, I can see him up there, 801 goals is 801 goals
 

TheBig08

Registered User
Sep 28, 2024
157
47
Does not stand out enough:


But like Jagr he is easy to dismiss because of everything else he did so well, I can see him up there, 801 goals is 801 goals
so u got ovechkin as the best and then your top 10
1. ovi
2. richard
3. lemuiex
4/5. brett/bobby
6. wayne
7. matthews
8. bure
9. bossy
10. selanne


Im I reading it right. And i will say this jagr and howe had about the same amount of games played. jagr had 1733 games played, gordie howe had 1767, and jagr played in a higher scoring era but howe still had more goals than jagr. and even if jagr played an extra 34 he wouldnt have passed howe. now howe vs esposito and selanne for 10th is tough but i think either one of them over howe for 10th is agreeable but me personally i still got howe over them.
 
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sr edler

gold is not reality
Mar 20, 2010
12,125
6,597
Is it hate to call a player "fun" or to say he isn't a top 10 goal-scorer?

The first part. I don't care where anyone here ranks anyone, but I do find it a bit odd that the first thing that comes to mind regarding a player of Bure's calibre is that pre-season goal, i.e. essentially something that happened in practice.

This is a guy that was voted best forward at the first professional Olympics in 1998, against a ridiculously strong peer group. Someone with the 3rd highest point scoring streak (16 games) in SC playoffs history (and the highest all-time outside of the goofy/sloppy 80s). Someone who averaged 50+ goals over his first three seasons in North America, and then came back from serious knee injuries and scored 59 goals on a craptastic DPE squad. Et cetera. There's a lot more to this player than a practice goal.

Always when "fun" and "style" gets brought up with this player, it's always his detractors bringing it up (in what seems like vague attempts at trying to diminish the accomplishment). I've been on this board for a long time, so I've seen a lot of this.
 
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rmartin65

Registered User
Apr 7, 2011
2,830
2,390
who do you think is the best and your top 10 in order and if you have a reason/explaination or stats share them.

Also i think ovi is the best and here is my top 10 all time in order can you rate it.

1. Alex ovechkin
2. Mario lemuiex
3. Mike Bossy
4. Pavel Bure
5. Wayne Gretzky
6. Bobby Hull
7. Brett Hull
8. Maurice Richard
9. Gordie Howe
10. Auston Matthews

I've already posted mine here. And then you replied. And then you asked me again to post it. And then you responded again. Are you even reading the thread?

The first part. I don't care where anyone here ranks anyone, but I do find it a bit odd that the first thing that comes to mind regarding a player of Bure's calibre is that pre-season goal, i.e. essentially something that happened in practice.

This is a guy that was voted best forward at the first professional Olympics in 1998, against a ridiculously strong peer group. Someone with the 3rd highest point scoring streak (16 games) in SC playoffs history (and the highest all-time outside of the goofy/sloppy 80s). Someone who averaged 50+ goals over his first three seasons in North America, and then came back from serious knee injuries and scored 59 goals on a craptastic DPE squad. Et cetera. There's a lot more to this player than a practice goal.
So... I don't like the right goal? That's a problem now?

I, personally, don't see how calling him a fun player is hate. He was fun to watch. He was a great goal-scorer. He was a great goal-scorer who was fun to watch.

I mean, he even scored goals that made pre-season fun to watch. That's pretty amazing.
Always when "fun" and "style" gets brought up with this player, it's always his detractors bringing it up (in what seems like vague attempts at trying to diminish the accomplishment). I've been on this board for a long time, so I've seen a lot of this.
Bure is not on my top ten because, in my opinion, he doesn't have the resume for it, not because I think he's fun or because he scored a cool pre-season goal. I'll re-post the table I made earlier showing some finishes of a couple of the bubble players mentioned earlier in the thread-


ConacherBureJagrStamkosBossySelanneMatthews
Raw Goals, Leader5302233
Raw Goals, Top 55566855
Goals/Game, Leader5112123
Goals/Game, Top 55476956

Looking at both the raw stats and the per game stats, Bure looks worse (to me) than just about every other player on the list.

Here is the 7-year goal VsX:

Player7 YEAR
Bobby Hull70.2
Maurice Richard67.2
Gordie Howe65.5
Phil Esposito62.1
Alex Ovechkin59.5
Wayne Gretzky59.0
Brett Hull56.3
Mario Lemieux54.5
Jean Beliveau54.4
Charlie Conacher54.3
Mike Bossy52.9
Bill Cook52.7
Steven Stamkos52.6
Bernie Geoffrion51.2
Frank Mahovlich50.8
Nels Stewart50.7
Jaromir Jagr50.4
Pavel Bure50.3
Auston Matthews50.3

Unless I messed up my counting, Bure is at 18.

And here is the 10 year-
Player10 YEAR
Bobby Hull64.9
Maurice Richard61.2
Gordie Howe61.1
Alex Ovechkin57.1
Phil Esposito56.3
Wayne Gretzky53.9
Brett Hull51.1
Jean Beliveau50.4
Mario Lemieux49.9
Mike Bossy49.4
Frank Mahovlich47.3
Nels Stewart47.3
Steven Stamkos47.3
Jaromir Jagr46.7
Bernie Geoffrion45.9
Ted Lindsay45.5
Stan Mikita45.2
Bill Cook45.0
Marcel Dionne44.5
Teemu Selanne44.4
Charlie Conacher43.7
Ilya Kovalchuk43.5
Norm Ullman43.3
Jarome Iginla43.1
Steve Yzerman42.9
Luc Robitaille42.7
Roy Conacher42.7
Pavel Bure42.6

Bure is at 28 (again, barring a counting error).

I just struggle to see a good case for him in the top 10.
 
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DitchMarner

TheGlitchintheSwitch
Jul 21, 2017
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Brampton, ON
who do you think is the best and your top 10 in order and if you have a reason/explaination or stats share them.

Also i think ovi is the best and here is my top 10 all time in order can you rate it.

1. Alex ovechkin
2. Mario lemuiex
3. Mike Bossy
4. Pavel Bure
5. Wayne Gretzky
6. Bobby Hull
7. Brett Hull
8. Maurice Richard
9. Gordie Howe
10. Auston Matthews

I don't really have a top ten. I guess I can make one. I may get back to you with that. Like I said, Ovechkin is the most accomplished goal scorer. He would be my pick for greatest. As for best, it's between him, Lemieux and maybe Bobby Hull.

Your list contains the usual suspects. I assume you put much more emphasis on raw scoring ability than on goal finishes and times leading the League in goals (otherwise Bossy and Bure wouldn't be in the top five).
 

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