Re-reading the OP, the inclusion of Justin Schultz actually raises the bar for me a bit...I think I can dip to that level (he was fine in Pittsburgh), plus I don't want you to leave empty handed (also, I'm irrationally interested in the thread's concept)...so, relative to the expectations of the time AND factoring in the prominence of the player...I'm going to throw you Bill Gadsby.
I'll leave it to the better researchers to see if they can read in between the lines a bit on the newspaper stuff, but there's some patterns in his game that mimic some of the modern names that you had listed in the OP.
CHI4 (dark jersey, LHS) briefly, he's way up in the play and trying hard to get back. He is a competitor, I'll give him that. But not well versed in fundamental defense. Gadsby is caught flat footed here and DET15 glances his triangle before taking it wide around the missed pokecheck. Gadsby shows fairly weak recovery ability here and DET15 protects well. Gadsby is unable to even knock him off stride slightly, allowing DET15 to take it to hole unmolested.
In the immediate cut after this, Gadsby fails to box out or pick up the stick of DET8 (who has beaten Gadsby to his own net). DET8 is mighty
mouse - the diminutive Tony Leswick. Gadsby tries to come through his back with Leswick digging away, and it's
Gadsby that folds before his attempted kneeling tackle of DET8.
NYR4 (white jersey, still a LHS)...if you didn't know any better, you'd think the puck was chipped into the corner, but no...once again, we have some poor rush absorption techniques from that particular spot. I actually don't mind turn-and-go d-men, I helped teach a lot of offensive d-men how to play from that position...but this is a different time, and this isn't actually steeped in fundamental principles. He gets a chunk of the Leaf, but...I mean, what the ****, right? haha pardon my French...
NYR4 (still white, still lefty)...again, we got gap issues, we have rush absorption issues. Freeze it as TOR9 approaches the attack line, look at the gift runway that Gadsby gives (screenshot below), Not only that, but TOR9 is bracketed pretty good, where you should have the confidence to step up here...not that you need a kill shot, but just a tighter gap, shut this thing down at the line while you have the extra "half" d-man because of offside, or right after he crosses the line...
That's not very good. Then let it roll...
Again, Gadsby gets his triangle violated, yields an unearned "A" scoring chance, and commits what ought to be a foul.
Since he gets to stay out there, the very next sequence is just as tough...
He's over on the right side now (
still left handed)...the challenge gets much tougher upgrading the rush from Duff to Mahovlich. This is peak Mahovlich too, and he's a load to handle. A couple elements here...Mahovlich is outside the dots and Gadsby has a chance to own them...Mahovlich makes quick work of remedying that. Next step is the arc to the net, which carries through Gadsby's triangle. Gadsby tries to hang in there...but he misses the pokecheck (once again) and then is on all fours.
Later in the same shift, more clues...
Pretty good at the line here this time because there's commotion and expectations are lower, but when he gets uncomfortable and has to sort, he just plants and drops in place to a block a shot. I think he gets newspaper-cred for his shot blocking and that's all well and good, but there's tactical shot blocking and "I have no idea what's going on, I'll be a surrogate goaltender" shot blocking. Same thing with physicality...there's tactical "remove man from puck" physicality, and there's "let me chase a hit way over here" physicality...one has more use than the other.
But look who comes flying into frame with the puck to start the rush? All of a sudden, we have engagement and confidence. Look who drives the back post - in this era - it's Gadsby. And look who passed back in the direction of where he came from that led to a would-be Mahovlich breakaway...now, look at the names that people are listing off from the last 30 years, tell me that's not something you'd see from some of these guys...
Last man back here with backtrackers...and his answer for this rush is, uhhhh, the same response one would give with a broom if a raccoon was on their back porch...
It looks a little better in Detroit...but I wouldn't take a clinic from this guy certainly.
I'm a process guy. Results can break either way, but a consistently good process usually leads to consistently better results. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't, but good process expands your platform luck. So you look at the technique. Freeze it at 0:49. MTL6 is basically on the wall. You have inside position. You're in good shape gap wise. You should be able to rub this out with your eyes closed, this is your 20th season in the league...and, with all due respect, that's not Beliveau, it's Ralph Backstrom.
Instead of taking the easy route, Gadsby has his stick at hip height and loads up to swat this puck away. And, look, that IS a way to do it. It's not the smartest thing in the world because it's super inefficient. BUT, watch someone like Erik Karlsson...he does that too because he loads an edge into the motion. So it's sort of a sweep check and then he jumps around you for the steal for sudden change hockey. Gadsby played in an era where you accumulated your years in dog years, right? Tough league, he played for some dog**** teams...does a 64 year old Gadsby need to be doing that, up 1-0 midway through game 1 of the Final...? Meh, probably not. But this is what he does, he's not a very effective defensive player.
And as much as he had some "calmer" moments...there was still a lot of this kind of stuff mixed in (he's pinching on the right side at the attack line here and it's pretty feckless).
"All offense, no defense" ehhhh...that's probably a little strong. But relative to his peers, I think this is as good (err...) as you're gonna get for this entire era.
