Who is the best player you saw live?

[JianYang]

In terms of aligning a great player with their absolute prime.... probably Joe Thornton

I'm not including other names where I saw someone play who had either not built their name yet (price) or were at the end of their rope (Gilmour)

 

[Hollowmoon]

Jari Kurri

 

[Mike C]

Bossy and Trottier in 1983.

Gretzky in his last game against Nashville where he had a 5 assist night if memory serves.

Lidstrom many a time.

Peter Forsberg many a time too.

First guy that came to mind was Bossy

 

[Perfect_Drug]

Prime Gretzky live was something else.
He did shit you can not see on those 320x240 resolution TVs.

The direction he looks really f***ed everyone up. These tiny headfake motions, or shoulderdrops you didn't see would cross Dmen over, and then he would make passes that made absolutely no sense to anyone on the ice but him and the soon-to-be goalscorer.

This is the most Gretzky-esque pass I had seen in HD.

Another sport, but Gretzky did shit like this SOO many times a game, which you couldn't see on TV's back then.

 

[57special]

Saw the Habs play the Oilers in the mid-80s at the Montreal Forum. So Gretzky, at his peak, though both clubs had recently won Cups and the game had the likes of Robinson, Gainey, Carbonneau, Chelios, Naslund, Bobby Smith and Roy in addition to the Boys on the Bus. Take your pick of hockey luminaries.

Every game at the Forum was incredible, when you're a kid and you grew up worshipping the Habs.

Couldn't agree more. Passionate, knowledgeable, classy fans, back in the day.

 

[jellybeans]

Gretzky but the most impressive for a game i went because of his skating Mike Modano.

 

[Skidooboy]

Gretzky Lemieux

 

[rfournier103]

Wayne Gretzky
Ray Bourque
Connor McDavid

Outside of hockey…

Tom Brady
Larry Bird
David Ortiz

 

[notDatsyuk]

Saw live in a game - Gretzky.
Played hockey with - Frank Mahovlich.
Met and chatted with away from a rink - Johnny Bower or Wendel Clark.

 

[Ghost of Murph]

Orr and Crosby are the two best I've seen live. Most imposing player live without a doubt was Chara. I haven't been to a lot of NHL games, though. Would love to see McDavid and Drai live at some point. Missed the boat on prime Ovi.

 

[Ice9]

Saw Gretz at 17 with the Indy Racers and Hull with the Jets. Saw Howe with the Houston Aeros too (actually all of them) Saw so many I can’t recall them all. All at the Cleveland Coliseum…

 

[Armourboy]

I mean I was a Preds season ticket holder in the early 2000's so just about anyone still playing back then I would have seen at some point. I wasn't as big into things back then so I was still learning the game, players, and even rules, so knowing who was what was beyond me at that time.

I do have a Scottie Hartnell Preds Bobblehead from back then

 

[Draisaitl]

Easy answer for me:
Patrick Kane at the global series game vs Eisbären Berlin and he didnt really care as it was like a preseason game

 

[Number8]

Bobby freaking Orr.

There are some benefits to being old, but not too old.

Never saw Howe on live TV or in person. But my joints thank me for that fact every time I workout.

But… Live??? All those miserable it outrageously talented Habs like Lafleur, Cornoyer, Robinson — all those miserable Flyers like Clarke — those damn Islanders like Bossy, Trotier, Potvin, Smith — the miserable bastards like Gretzky, Messier, Coffey, Fuhr……… that prick Crosby and Malkin — on and on and on.

Hated them all.

On the plus side I did like Bobby, Phil, Cheesie, Chief, O’Reilly, Wensink, Jonathan, Neely, Bourque, Big Z, Bergie and on and on and on.

Lucky hockey fan.

 

[Crow]

Easy answer for me:
Patrick Kane at the global series game vs Eisbären Berlin and he didnt really care as it was like a preseason game

Was that during the lockout?

 

[eXile3]

Definitely Lemieux and it’s not close.

Crosby, prime Jagr, Malkin. Pretty lucky as a Pens fan.

 

[HeussLenfoire]

Insaw Ovi, Sid, Mcdavid, Draisatl live…

But the most impressivr one was Kucherov. He dominates the ice when he is on it, absolute monster

 

[Draisaitl]

Was that during the lockout?

I dont quite remember the year, but before covid, Like 2019 i guess, the year the Blackhawks played in Berlin

 

[Bradely]

Wayne Gretzky
Ray Bourque
Connor McDavid

Outside of hockey…

Tom Brady
Larry Bird
David Ortiz

Outside hockey: Dennis Martinez

 

[HisIceness]

Crosby.

Used to think he was overhyped and was being carried by Malkin. Then I saw him in Raleigh in 2010? I realized I was so very wrong. The Penguins lost the game but Crosby was far and away the best player on the ice, Canes included.

 

[Johnnybegood13]

Gretzky aside, Kent Nilsson was crazy good, even watching him practice was nuts, had he had half the drive of Gretzky it would have been a close race.

 

[FunkySeeFunkyDoo]

I think I saw Gretzky the year he played for the Canadian WJC team. We went to a game in Cornwall and my dad mentioned a young guy who was breaking all the records in Junior. I was only 11 or 12 and didn’t know at the time who he was referring to.

Then saw Gretzky live against the Leafs in about 1984 or 1985.

Saw Hawerchuk get a hat trick in his rookie year for the Cornwall Royals.

 

[LeveilleFan19]

Hands down, Bobby Orr!

 

[Hockeypete49]

Mario
The great one
Orr
Most favorite player: Bobby Clarke, His play in the 72 series was his coming out party for the world to see.