NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

Re: 2007 NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

Rank them.

Orr
Bourque
Coffey
Niedermayer
Lidstrom
Chelios
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Pronger

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

Where would you put Aki Berg?

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

It's probably my NY bias/Rangers fanboyism coming into play, but Leetch should be ahead of Pronger.

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

I swear to God I was going to ask about Berg.

Something about Coffey being up that high just rankles me. Maybe it's dropoff in numbers when he didn't play with Gretzky or Lemieux. Maybe it's how often he bounced around toward the end of his career. It's something, though.

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

On a plane to the ECHL.

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

When I originally posted those three names (in relation to Harvey), it was the idea (whick I admit I didn't state) of offensive defensemen.

Orr is in his own universe but Coffey & Niedermayer moved the puck through the neutral zone better than anyone else I can think of. And Scott led all defenseman in scoring last year.

The othe rquestion: who's the better skater, Niidermayer or Coffey?

And I agree with you about the end of Coffey's career.

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

Early Coffey.

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

Niedermayer's done it all. I think he should stay retired. I'd heard he's a guy who aspires to try a new career and after interviewing him for a story last year and finding out what really good guy he is, I hope he choses to do it. He's got 4 Cups, got one with Rob and gave the Ducks fans exactly what they needed whenever they see Kings fans -- the chance to gloat.

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

There weren't many players whose skating could compare to Coffey in his prime, and I'd say Niedermayer doesn't come close to that. Unfortunately, Coffey hung around far longer than he should have and he isn't remembered as the great player he was. He also played on strong teams most of the time in his prime, so he maybe didn't stand out as much as some.

As for Leetch and Pronger, they're incredibly different players and I'm not sure they're comparable.

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

Where does Phil Housley fit in the offensive-defensemen category -- and a U.S.-born player too.

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

Housley I don't think is even in the conversation.

As far as Pronger goes, I would argue he's a better player than Niedermeyer is, and any of you who know me even in the slightest know how hard that is for me to say. I have watched them both a ton over tha past 15 years. Pronger makes as nice an out let pass as anyone in hockey. He is one of the few defencemen who can actually control the game from the backend. He has a physical presence that Neids doesn't have. And he is the only defenceman since Orr to win the league MVP. True he doesn't skate as well as Neids but he is a better skater than what most make him out to be. He is very efficeint in his stride, but when he needs to get on his horse he has no problem finding a faster gear. Anyone who doubts what he is capable of only needs to watch film on Pronger from the second half of the 2005-06 season and the playoffs. In my opinion, those months were one of the greatest performances by a defenceman that I have wittnessed - keep in mind I'm not old enough to have watched Orr. He carried that team and is the single biggest reason the Oilers made it to the cup. When they played Anaheim in the semi-finals Neids absolutely disappeared, he was a non-factor, and Pronger shone.
I'm not going to take away anything that Neidermeyer has done, he absolutely desereves all of the accolades he's received, he is certainly one of the greatest defencemen of the last 20 years and bound for the hall of fame, but he's also been on some terrific teams that were either stacked to the hilt or backed by hall of fame goaltending. Pronger hasn't always been that lucky.

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

Thought this would be the most suitable place to post this.
I may be a bit of a ghost on here for the next week or two. I got a new job at a daily paper - finally making the jump up - and I will be in the process of moving and getting adjusted to my new surroundings. Also would like to thank you guys, most of whom have helped influence my career in one form or another.
So after today, the next time you all hear from me may be a while down the road.
Thanks again, and I'll be talking to you all later.
Keep your sticks on the ice,

Beef