Alex Burrows 14 Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Not even close. Every player that ever played the game had a weakness, even Gretzky and Howe. But not Orr. Orr did everything well, at top speed, all the time. Here's a guy that won an Art Ross, outscoring top 25 players of all time like Lafleur, Dionne, Esposito, Clarke, and Mahovolich, and played the stingiest defense in the league. He was also as tough-as-nails. Orr changed the game. Lidstrom just played it really well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Aerosex Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Lidstrom. Best all around d man ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Absent Canuck Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 I thought Lidstrom was a far better defender than Bourque was. Ray had better offensive instincts but in my view Lidstrom was good enough offensively to overtake Ray as the second best ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Burrows 14 Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 I thought Lidstrom was a far better defender than Bourque was. Ray had better offensive instincts but in my view Lidstrom was good enough offensively to overtake Ray as the second best ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Aerosex Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 I thought Lidstrom was a far better defender than Bourque was. Ray had better offensive instincts but in my view Lidstrom was good enough offensively to overtake Ray as the second best ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl's Jn Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 lidstrom for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl's Jn Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 Far better? Helllll no. Better, yes. Like I said, he wasn't a gambling man and he did things by the book to a point. Didn't have the physical ability Bourque had to take guys out of the play, but it didn't matter too much. Offensively, he didn't have crap on Bourque. Ray had 11 80 point seasons on some pitiful Boston teams when it came to scoring, Lidstrom played for a dynasty his whole career...granted, he was a very very big cog, but playing your career with Yzerman, Fedorov, Murphy, Coffey, Robitaille, Hull, Fetisov, Larionov, Shanahan, Datsyuk, Zetterberg (just to name) a few doesn't hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHodgson9 Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 Lidstrom in my opinion is the greatest Dman of all time, and by extension certainly is ahead of Niedermayer. For starters, he may be the most cerebral player to ever play the game, and as a result of how smart he was, he never needed to be the fastest, biggest, or strongest guy on the ice. Instead, he just made the right plays, at the right time, and was always in the right position. His first pass was perfect, his body of work was almost flawless, and he had an egoless maturity that is easy to follow in a leader. His durability as a player was undeniable, his consistency was unbelievable, and his character was uncompromising. I'm so happy to have been able to watch him throughout his career, because he truly was a gentleman of the sport. The Perfect Human, a generational talent, and as good a role model athlete as has ever existed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Putgolzin Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 The most telling stat may be in the OP's breakdown. Beside Niedermayer's Norris count of 1 he put (surprising). It's not all that surprising; he only won once because Lidstrom was winning it every year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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