Saw an interesting article in a Facebook post a while back (it asked 'who were the best hockey goalies of all time'), and it got me thinking about who were the actual best hockey players ever. So here it is - The Mount Rushmore of hockey - Who were the greatest four hockey players in hockey history?
How do you quantify the best players? There are forwards who are counted on to do the scoring, defense who are responsible mostly to defend, and goalies who have to stop the puck. I am arbitrarily eliminating goalies from the top-4 list because the top players need to be compared in some similar ways. Plus, I was a goalie, so I'm comfortable with it.
The numbers that I think matter are goals scored in a season, scoring championships, and league MVP honors. The best players should really be scoring a lot of goals, and should be voted as most-valuable in their best years. Only makes sense.
So who are the players?
I wanted to include Rocket Richard in this list due to his big-game presence, and his record 50 goals in 50 games. His super intensity also carries weight (see this image of him in a game against the Rangers). It took almost 20 years for another player to score 50. Some might say that he got his 50 when the league was watered down - many star players were absent during the war. But it was still a big deal. Digging into the stats, we see that he led the league in goals scored five times, but he never won a scoring race. He also won the league MVP only one time.
Compare Rocket's numbers to contemporary star player Gordie Howe - Mr. Hockey also led the league in goals scored five times, but also won the scoring race six times. He was also voted MVP six times. Howe was the first five-tool hockey player - he was very fast, he was very good with his stick, he was a heck of a shooter, he scored big goals, and he was big and tough. So tough that even the fighters didn't want to fight him, let alone non-fighters, or other star players (see this image of Howe with Richard). I think Howe's numbers put him significantly ahead of Richard.
Bobby Hull
I also wanted Bobby Hull on the list of four greatest players - I was always a huge fan of the Golden Jet. He led the league in scoring seven times (eight if you count his WHA years), and won the scoring race three times.
Hull also revolutionized the game by making the slap shot the most devastating shot in the game. He didn't invent it, but he perfected it, and scored so often with the slap shot, that after Hull, all players could shoot using the slap shot. Arguably, one could say that the emphasis on the slap shot resulted in less emphasis on other very important aspects of the game, like skating, stick handling, etc. Young players would work on the slapper before perfecting their skating and stick handling skills. He was also hockey's golden boy - he was the Robert Redford or Brad Pitt of hockey. Either way you look at it, Bobby Hull made a huge impact on the game of hockey.
Mario was maybe the most dynamic and skilled player ever. He had speed, size and skill - all three more than most other platers. Some were bigger (very few), some were faster (even fewer), and nobody had as much skill in terms of stick handling, making teammates look good, and embarrassing opposition players. Mario was the original highlight-reel player; it was almost like he specialized in embarrassing opposition players. No defenseman wanted to be faced with a one-on-one against him. No goalie wanted to face him on a breakaway, or even worse - shudder - a penalty shot... Mario led the league in goals three times, won the scoring title six times, and was MVP three times. He battled cancer during his playing career, and led the league in goals twice after that. Mario, too, had impressive longevity. He retired for three years, and came back to finish second in MVP voting at age 35.
These are the 'bubble' players (as if you can count any of these great players anything else but great). However, there are two players who are locks in the top four.
One, Bobby Orr, never led the league in goals, but won the scoring race two times - AS A DEFENSEMAN. If Bobby Hull revolutionized the game with his shooting, Bobby Orr revolutionized the game by making the position of defenseman a dangerous offensive weapon. It didn't matter which Bruins players were on the ice -- if Orr was on the ice, the opposing team HAD to focus on him. He was a feared puck handler - more than any defenseman before or after him. Many people will say that he was the greatest player of all time; and it would be tough to argue against that. As if that weren't enough, he was also a pretty tough customer - if you wanted to drop the gloves with Bobby, you'd better be ready, because he didn't lose many fights... In his injury-shortened career, he was MVP three times, and was voted the best defenseman eight times - failing to win it only once, as a rookie (and he finisher third in voting that year).
The other lock is 'The Great One' - and his numbers are unparalleled. He led the league in goals five times (and holds the season record of 92 goals in 82 games), and won the scoring title 11 times. (Yes, 11 times.) He was league MVP nine times. His numbers put him at the top of the list, and it's not close. Gretzky was an enigma. There were faster skaters (at least three on his own team!!); there were harder shooters (plenty); there were bigger players (again, plenty); there were niftier stick handlers, but there was nobody better. He was in on big goals all the time. Few could break a game open like he could. Nobody could control a game like he could. Nobody could pass the puck like he could. Nobody could see the ice like he could. Experts say that in his prime, he could see plays developing before they happened. It wasn't fair!
Here is a numbers summary:
Rocket 5 0 1
Gretz 5 11 9
I surprised myself by rating the top 4 players in hockey history - I always said Orr was the best, and that Bobbly Hull had to be there too, but the numbers are convincing.
The hockey Mount Rushmore players:
1. Wayne Gretzky
2. Gordie Howe
3. Bobby Orr
4. Mario Lemieux
