WillieH

WillieH: Forsberg is better on one leg than most are on two... If he actually takes the time necessary to rehab from surgery, and actually WANTS to play for Detroit... and we get him at a discounted rate because he doesnt join the team till the new year... well... I say SIGN the boy! He is a gritty, hustling, incredible puck-magnetic set up man... and would allow some freedom and distraction for our two budding superstars Dats & Zetts... In fact... we may possibly have access to Federov as well... I for one would love Forsberg and Federov to join an already POWERFUL cast of characters... Neither would have pressure upon them, and that I believe would spell even MORE trouble for opponents... which already has them looking over their shoulders... With just a TAD of luck last season, we would've hoisted the CUP... and with Anaheim's roster getting picked on (penner), and adding their share of "over the hills" ...I think we're lookin pretty doggone good... Bert & Schneider or Forsberg & Federov... you do the math... I come up with...

willieH: Hi RollWings! Joe Sakic is another, that just isn't considered because GLAM is all that is noted when considering the BEST... The "who scored the most points" parameter deciding who was the best... Let's not discount the 'Great One's" credentials as meaningless, but scoring isnt the only consideration when deciding who was the best PLAYER... And once, the "Great One" left Edmonton, his scoring diminished, his value diminished and though he remained elite... he no longer had the surrounding distractions which contributed greatly to that "scoring touch".... Gretzky had quite a supporting cast from his beginning playing with the likes of Jari kurri, Paul Coffey, Mark Messier, Glen Anderson... and had the primier goalie in the game, so he could play with reckless abandon... knowing his butt was covered... could basically do anything he wanted to, without regard to anything other than putting the biscuit in the basket, which, no arguement, ...he did quite well... Yzerman, came into the league to play for the DEAD WINGS... and His Inspiriation and play was the KEY that turned the Detroit Red Wings back into the winners they once were when Howe, Delvecchio, Lindsay, Sawchuck, Kelly & Pronovost were roaming the rink! :beerbuddy: He had no "Jari Kurri's" or "Mark Messier's" or "Paul Coffey's" to distract the goalies... No... Instead, ...He had the BEST DEFENSEMEN in the LEAGUE surrounding HIM in every game... the game plan against the WINGS: Stop YZERMAN and win... the game plan to stop the OILERS: Which one of these guys is gonna beat us tonite? And once YZERMAN gained a few "distractions" like Federov, Larionov, and Lidstrom.... His leadership flowered into CHAMPIONSHIPS, just one short of GRETZKY... To really determine who was best, is only a matter of opinion, and cannot be done in reality... it is like determining who is the best SINGER or who is the best ACTOR or who is the best FOOTBALL player.... its just not possible... GLAM=greatest in most minds... In my mind, the most ROUNDED talent which comparitively EXCELLS WITH THE BEST in ALL AREAS, determines the BEST... JMHO

WillieH: Having personally watched ALL players on my list, (I'm 62) ...HANDS DOWN... (1) STEVE YZERMAN, is the best NON-goalie to ever play the game of HOCKEY... He has been the consumate LEADER since He was a BOY, ...He won endless awards, was unequalled when ALL aspects of His game are considered such as: OFFENSIVE scoring ability, DEFENSIVE positioning and tact, Break-away feared, unselfish, face off dominating, conditioning, leading by example, quiet, sincere, strong, fast, deceptive, and ...in the end, ...an ARMY of a PLAYER... If ALL things are considered... then OFFENSE, DEFENSE, Leadership, Speed, Athleticism, desire, work ethic, consistency, and Public Persona all must be considered... (BTW Goalies must be ranked by themselves, for their game is entirely different, 99% of their game is involvement in DEFENSE, [we'll give'em credit for a good pass here & there! ) whereas all other players must be part of BOTH Offense and Defense, at ALL TIMES...) (2) Mark Messier in my opinion is the ONLY player to come close to STEVE YZERMAN... He was a great scorer, played in all situations, at all times during his entire career. He was a great leader, gritty, strong, deceptively fast, tricky, won titles, ...showed and paved the way for the organizations he played for... leading by exemplifying the game of HOCKEY with ALL his heart, toughness and athletic ability... (3) Wayne Gretsky was the greatest scorer, but certainly not the best all-around player ever... (4) Bobby Orr might have been the best had he had just a "bit" of better luck with his anatomy... (5) Gordie Howe was a scorer, scrapper, arrogant, selfish, forcefully great player... (6) Mario Lemieux was a great scorer, captain, strong, injury prone, publicly strong, ...dominating player (7) Maurice Richard unstoppable offensive talent, fast, consistent, Hall of Fame dominator... However, I believe ALL from #3 on down will FALL a notch when Sidney Crosby is done with his career... Like Yzerman, ...He is leading the way from his youth... He will not only continue to get better OFFENSIVELY (which in itself is scary), but he will become a dominating DEFENSIVE forward, and rake in trophy after trophy until everyone is quite sick of it...

I watched Brad play as a junior... and he was one of the best and most character filled players at that level... Maybe he just needs a chance, and his career didn't take off because too much was expected of him early-on Some guys are "crosby" or "kobe" type atheletes that are so great they could jump from high school into professional ranks, ...others need time to develop... and all of a sudden one day: VOILA! You got a Dan Cleary! Let's hope Brad dominates in the AHL... and provides us with further injury insurance! Go Wings!