Who is the most "manliest" player (in a broad sense)?

[Killion]

Mats Sundin is Sweden's most manly man. Solemn confidence extra ordinaire, who took his manly responsibilities when the herd called upon him.

.... my vote goes to Borje Salming DY. The King.

 

[blood gin]

Mats Sundin is Sweden's most manly man. Solemn confidence extra ordinaire, who took his manly responsibilities when the herd called upon him.

Only late career Mats Sundin when he looked like a grizzled balding old viking. Early Mats Sundin was too blonde and peach fuzzed.

 

[takehisheadoff]

 

[Supreme King]

Mark Messier-"Manly" men don't sucker punch or always take liberties with smaller opponents

 

[tarheelhockey]

Read the title and an image of Mark Messier popped up immediately. I'll trust my gut on that one. I haven't always been a fan of his for various reasons, but there's no question that he's a man's man.

Mats Sundin is Sweden's most manly man. Solemn confidence extra ordinaire, who took his manly responsibilities when the herd called upon him.

Nah. I don't think of Sundin as being especially manly at all tbh. Just in the recent past I'd easily take Zetterberg over him as a "viking" type.

Salming was also a good choice.

 

[The Panther]

Mark Messier-"Manly" men don't sucker punch or always take liberties with smaller opponents

Gimme a break. He mixed it up with Larry Robinson when he was like, 20, battled Trottier into submission, knocked down Potvin in '84 (major inspiration to the young Oilers who then won), fought Roberts a few times, fought McSorley twice, and generally was a fierce presence. Yeah, he flipped the switch a few times and laid some elbows into helpless opponents, but let's not pretend he was Claude Lemieux.

 

[Big Phil]

Messier did stuff like that his entire career...he was just lucky nothing ever snowballed into a Steve Moore like incident. It certainly could have with some of the crazy elbows and stick attacks to the head he would launch. If the Modano dropped stretcher hit happened today Messier would catch a lot of hell.

There were so many incidents far far worse than Steve Moore with guys really trying to mess somebody up in the 70's and 80's. It wasn't as well publicized though because there was no social media

Yeah, and so would the paramedics that dropped him! haha.

Oh of course, he's right there. Any guy that is so scary that even his own wife is scared of the look in his eyes come playoff time has got to get a vote here.

.... my vote goes to Borje Salming DY. The King.

Yes. Fought Dave Schultz right off the bat and held his own. Got instant respect.

Gimme a break. He mixed it up with Larry Robinson when he was like, 20, battled Trottier into submission, knocked down Potvin in '84 (major inspiration to the young Oilers who then won), fought Roberts a few times, fought McSorley twice, and generally was a fierce presence. Yeah, he flipped the switch a few times and laid some elbows into helpless opponents, but let's not pretend he was Claude Lemieux.

I remember Denis Potvin saying that if he had a battle with Mark Messier along the boards and lost it that it made him mad! I remember that interview, it was long after his career was over and he didn't mention a Rangers player, or a Bruins or Habs player, he mentioned Mark Messier.

 

[Sentinel]

Chris Chelios?

 

[blood gin]

doesn't get much manlier than sporting a skullet.

Ha, I remember that. One guy who's starting get a ridiculous look is Shattenkirk who was afflicted with some awful looking premature balding. I mean when you have this going on you have to shave it all off or keep it short.

 

[Whaleafs]

All time, I would say Howe. But in my lifetime, I would say Wendel.
It's easy to be a Leafs homer but look up the heights & weights of the guys he fought compared to his own. Probert, McSorely, etc.

 

[seventieslord]

Okay, a player who is a man's man. Who is he? The John Wayne of hockey. The Clint Eastwood, the Chuck Norris type. You tell me. I'll start it off.

Gordie Howe - You have to think of him right off the bat. Not an ounce of femininity in the man yet he was a class act off the ice, a true gentleman. Played until he was 52, owned the ice when he was on it and once fought a black bear with his bare hands. Okay I made the last part up...........I think.

Bobby Hull - Built like a greek god. The things his ex-wife said about him weren't good and I am not getting into that but the stories of Hull from players are staggering sometimes. The speed of his shot for instance, his brute strength, that topless picture of him bailing hay, etc. I'll let it slide that he lost a fight badly to John Ferguson once as this is something Howe doesn't have the history of. But as close to a cartoonish Hulk as they come.

Mark Messier - Never dove, never lay on the ice like he was hurt and here is a testament to him, the man is a self-admitted emotional wreck at ceremonies. He'll openly admit to crying and we see that all the time with Mess. But no one will ever poke fun at him for it, now that is a man's man for you. It's like seeing Chuck Norris cry, you figure that if he can do it so can I. Brute strength as well, for whatever reason, like Howe, he wouldn't get challenged even after cheap shots.

You literally started with the first three players I thought of.

 

[seventieslord]

Looked much more manlier with the helmet:

Did you mention Gill specifically because he beat the **** out of Otto?

One of the most surprisingly one-sided fights I ever saw. Right up there with Stan Jonathan and Pierre Bouchard.

 

[Neutrinos]

 

[MXD]

I'd go with Marcel Bonin, who did fight significantly hairier creatures than the ones named in this thread.

 

[VanIslander]

sidney crosby because he succeeds at sport and sport is manly for some reason

... No. By that reasoning, 8-time gold medalist figure skater Kurt Browning would be one of the most "manly" players in sport history; Crosby in that pink jersey Sid wore fits aptly.

Few match up to Lanny...

But seriously, there is a clear benchmark: one of the physically strongest players in hockey history was manly to the very end. I mean, just look at Gordie in his old age. That is a man, by any criteria. Clint Eastwood's demeanor is California faux fur in comparison!

As a friggin' 51 year old he was still knocking guys around when needed! See here:

And as a young man he was the very definition of manly.

 

[DustyMartellaughs]

Glenn Hall. The man played SEVEN YEARS without missing a game, the majority without a mask.

 

[Killion]

Joe Hall, Cyclone Taylor, Newsy Lalonde....

 

[VanIslander]

Joe Hall, Cyclone Taylor, Newsy Lalonde....

OMG... there are dozens of pre-NHLers and early era NHLers more manly than any from the O6 era onward.

Fighting from the arena, onto the street, across railroad tracks and through restaurant windows after a game was NOT a Nike ad but something two hockey legends did. One was mentioned on this thread. If you dunno, then read more hockey history, especially if manliness is at all important to you.

 

[sr edler]

I watched this one on my phone and smalled down it looked like Clark had a gleeful smile om his face, so when I zoomed it in I got a little disappointed to see there was no smile. Real men always smile when they beat someone up.

 

[Pharrell Williams]

... No. By that reasoning, 8-time gold medalist figure skater Kurt Browning would be one of the most "manly" players in sport history; Crosby in that pink jersey Sid wore fits aptly.

this kurt browning guy sounds really manly

 

[Leafsdude7]

Did you mention Gill specifically because he beat the **** out of Otto?

Pretty much.

Though he does look like a badass mofo with that helmet.

 

[skip1]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EXLoC7DwXg

At 4:04 5"9 Doug Gilmour with an epic takedown of a 6"5 out of control Stu. Between both teams the greatest combination of manliness assembled on ice at one time in the past 35 years.

 

[Don'tcry4mejanhrdina]

Bobby Hull is hardly what I'd consider a "manly" man. Beating women isn't manly, he's a cowardly piece of human trash. As for the shirtless bailing hay picture, nice photo op pretending to work. Real farmers don't bail hay without a shirt on for obvious reasons.

 

[GMR]

 

[billybudd]

Steve McIntyre, if he still counts.