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(Discussion) Best player of all time?


Who is the best player of all time?  

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What the hell is Malkin doing over guys like Richard, Beliveau, Shore, Bourque, Harvey, etc.? I get Crosby simply because of his phenomenal potential, but Malkin isn't quite on the same level as Sid and there are legends being snubbed here.

Anyhoo, I always say the greatest of all-time is Gretzky, the most gifted or talented or what have you is Lemieux, and Bobby Orr was the most dominant.

The term 'best' is difficult to define for me, but I'll say this: if I could pick any player in history for a team I was building, my first choice would be Bobby Orr.

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Orr, a dominant force at BOTH ends of the ice, wins the scoring title as a defense-man, won Norris, Art Ross, Hart, and Conn Smythe IN THE SAME SEASON. Revolutionized the game, before him defensemen rarely if ever carried the puck or joined the rush. EIGHT CONSECUTIVE Norrris Trophies.

  • First and only defenceman to score nine hat tricks

  • First defenceman to score 30 goals (1969–70) and 40 goals in a season (1974–75) in a season.

  • First player to record 100 assists in a season (1970–71)

  • Only defenceman to lead the league in scoring (1969–70, 1974–75)

  • Only player ever to win the Norris Trophy, Art Ross Trophy, Hart Trophy, and Conn Smythe Trophy in one season (1969–70)

  • Second all-time in career plus-minus rating (+597) (retired as the overall leader; never finished a full season less than +30 since +/- became a statistic beginning with the 1968–69 season)

  • Fifth in league history in career point-per-game average, all-time, (1.393) (highest among defencemen)

  • Fifty-ninth overall in league history in career assists and 90th in career points

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What the hell is Malkin doing over guys like Richard, Beliveau, Shore, Bourque, Harvey, etc.? I get Crosby simply because of his phenomenal potential, but Malkin isn't quite on the same level as Sid and there are legends being snubbed here.

Anyhoo, I always say the greatest of all-time is Gretzky, the most gifted or talented or what have you is Lemieux, and Bobby Orr was the most dominant.

The term 'best' is difficult to define for me, but I'll say this: if I could pick any player in history for a team I was building, my first choice would be Bobby Orr.

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1. Orr's career was cut short, thus making his career overrated. Ie. We didn't witness his decline. Cut Gretzky's career in half and his status as best ever would be quite undebatable.

2. Gretzky won more cups than Orr. If Orr was as dominant over the rest of the league, then he should've won more cups. It's not like he had no help at all.

3. Gretzky's dominance over the rest of the league, incl. his own teammates, was unmatched. Like, twice as good at points. Was Orr as dominant? No.

4. Gretzky's longer career and ownership of the recordbook is a huge plus. He also popularized hockey in previously untapped markets. Orr just piled it on in the established east coast.

5. Orr might not even the best defenseman. Yes, he owns +/-, but that's a worthless stat. Some consider Doug Harvey the best ever. Lidstrom is there too. Meanwhile, The Great One is undeniably the best ever. Lemieux perhaps being the most-talented, but not best. Howe. Richard. Also not best ever.

Forget about 'it was easy to score in the 80's', too, because it was also easy to score in the 70's. Gretzky just took it to another level. He changed the game so much that goalies had to balloon their equipment, coaches had to devise team-wide defensive strategies to contain one player, and the league as it stands today would be completely different with no Gretzky. Would've gotten by with no Orr. Rushing defenseman? Harvey did that well before Orr.

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