64 replies to this topic

[Elshupacabra]

Correct

so I was almost right!

[pornstar]

yzerman is the man end of discusion.

[wingslogo19]

yzerman is the man end of discusion.

Thanks for clearing that up

[Drake_Marcus]

He played 600 more games! Mario came pretty close to averaging 2 pts a game over his career...thats SICK. Lemieux was better than Gretzky imo.

And im certainly not knocking Yzerman before anyone throws a hissy fit...theres nothing wrong with saying he's 5th best all time!

Heck I'd settle for 6th, personally.

And Mario was DEFINITELY better then Wayne. I used to argue that when I was like 9 and they were both in their semi-prime-declines. I'm pretty sure my arguements were less articulate then the ones above, but I did include some pretty sweet name-calling (I'm guessing).

[Lou_Siffer]

Heresy! I'd put Howe and Lemieux in front of Gretzky. Lemieux was a beast.

I kinda go back and forth as to who's #1 between Howe and Lemieux. As far as ability, theres no question its Mario. But the fact that Howe was more complete in that he brought a physical game makes me lean towards Gordie. But Gretzky is definitely #3 i think as well.

[pornstar]

lemieux was one way player if felt like playing a little defense he would and that was like swiss cheese at best.

[Drake_Marcus]

I forgot about the games factor. I think Lemieux is betetr then Gretzky too.

Smart man

Did anyone mention that man battled through CANCER too? I'd say that's some Stevie Y toughness- you gotta admit it takes a huge heart to battle the most hated of all C-words.

lemieux was one way player if felt like playing a little defense he would and that was like swiss cheese at best.

And a 14 year old girl could lay Wayne out with a check.

[wingslogo19]

lemieux was one way player if felt like playing a little defense he would and that was like swiss cheese at best.

And Gretz wasn't

[Drake_Marcus]

I kinda go back and forth as to who's #1 between Howe and Lemieux. As far as ability, theres no question its Mario. But the fact that Howe was more complete in that he brought a physical game makes me lean towards Gordie. But Gretzky is definitely #3 i think as well.

Oh I definitely agree with you there. I really think Y was an able successor to Howe in Hockeytown. Howe was a masterful all-around player and Hockeytown likes their heroes to play great hockey on both ends of the ice. For me at least, I experienced Y's later years, so I remember him as the gladiator who played god-like two-way hockey and still made goalies cry.

[pornstar]

And Gretz wasn't

yes you can say that wayne did so much on the offense side of the puck like lemieux there defense was't what people talked about,90% of the fans like scoring.Its all about balance for me.Steve had that balance.

[wingslogo19]

yes you can say that wayne did so much on the offense side of the puck like lemieux there defense was't what people talked about,90% of the fans like scoring.Its all about balance for me.Steve had that balance.

Well the only reason why i said that was because you only put Mario there and not Gretz, and yes your right that stevie had everything, but it wasn't the pure goal scoring like Gretz or Mario

[SweWings]

I think it's a privilege that Detroit has had two great players like Howe and Yzerman. If there's anybody who symbolizes the greatness that was brought back to the Wings to the levels of Howe it is Yzerman. And the game of hockey has rarely if ever had a better captain. When looking for complete players and leaders both these guys far outweigh Gretzky. On the other hand who can argue with his point totals and Lemieux's game average or Orr's offensive qualities. These guys all brought something special to the game and made it more enjoyable for all fans.

[gowingsgo]

One more thing about Steve Yzerman, I cried all 3 times he was handed Lord Stanley's Cup. He epitomizes what Detroit Red Wing hockey is all about. I know for generations past they have Howe and co. But for our generation, we have Steve Yzerman. And everything I associate with this team starts with The Captain.

[eva unit zero]

Yzerman is the 5th best player ever, behind Howe, Orr, Gretzky, Lemieux.
He is also the greatest two-way player ever, and had the single greatest two-way season (1988-89, when he scored 155 points and was a Selke contender)

However, If I were building a team of all-time all-stars to play in a tournament with other like teams, Yzerman would be my first choice. Offense is plentiful no matter where you pick. Yzerman's combination of offense, defense, and intangibles was rarely ever seen in any era.

[Yzermania19]

Yzerman is the 5th best player ever, behind Howe, Orr, Gretzky, Lemieux.
He is also the greatest two-way player ever, and had the single greatest two-way season (1988-89, when he scored 155 points and was a Selke contender)

However, If I were building a team of all-time all-stars to play in a tournament with other like teams, Yzerman would be my first choice. Offense is plentiful no matter where you pick. Yzerman's combination of offense, defense, and intangibles was rarely ever seen in any era.

That's exactly it...Stevie's got the intangibles that no one else has. That alone puts him right up there. His leadership was second to none, and his ability to inspire was, well...inspiring. And the way he played in the 2002 playoffs on nothing but sheer guts and determination is one of the greatest efforts ever in sports. I'd agree with putting him at 5th best ever. He would be the first player I would choose for my all-time all-star team, too.

Just a couple more cents here - one of the reasons Stevie never got the recognition he deserved in his prime (the years he was scoring all those goals and racking up 100+ points a season) was that Gretzky and Lemieux were doing the same thing, plus they were winning Stanley Cups, too. G and L had better teams around them, whereas the Wings were still building a winning team. They were better, but they weren't quite Stanley Cup material yet. By the time the Wings were Cup bound, Stevie had changed his game to a more defensive style, thanks to one Mr. William Scott Bowman. As a result he wasn't scoring goals at nearly the same pace he had for the six seasons prior to Bowman's arrival, yet the team was winning more and eventually did win the Cup.

Add to that the fact that Stevie has always been a rather low-key person and definitely not a media *****, and you've got a fantastic player who pretty much flew under the radar for most of his career. It really wasn't until after the Wings won the Cup in 1997 that Stevie finally started to get some of the recognition he deserved, and by then he was scoring less than 40 goals a season.

[haroldsnepsts]

why are people getting bent out of shape because not everyone gives Yzerman the respect we think he deserves?

The thing about homerism is that part of it is because it's your favorite team, so you're biased. But there's a legitimate part of it because you actually get to see the players more than most other hockey fans and have a more informed opinion.

I'm just thankful that we drafted Stevie and I got to watch him play for the Wings his entire career. He's everything that's good about the NHL.

[Hank]

I kinda go back and forth as to who's #1 between Howe and Lemieux. As far as ability, theres no question its Mario. But the fact that Howe was more complete in that he brought a physical game makes me lean towards Gordie. But Gretzky is definitely #3 i think as well.

I still think both Wayne and Mario were better than Howe. If my team is down a goal with 1 minute left I'd take both Gretzky and Lemiuex over Howe on the ice. And I'd probably even take Yzerman over Howe in that situation too. Howe was awesome, no question about that, but I saw some games where Yzerman was able to take over games with this offensive skills.

Does anyone else remember a game in the 92-93 season where Stevie showed up to a game against the Hawks on crutches because of a bad groin? He went on to record a hattrick and 2 assists. He was absolutely dominating that game and that entire season. Man he had a sweet pair of hands and incredible vision.

[TheLegend19]

At ease Cap'n Giant Text, all is forgiven.

You're right, though, the edit is on the fritz.

EDIT: But not for long.

I also did realize the text was going to be that giant. I was really batting 1.000 yesterday

One more thing about Steve Yzerman, I cried all 3 times he was handed Lord Stanley's Cup. He epitomizes what Detroit Red Wing hockey is all about. I know for generations past they have Howe and co. But for our generation, we have Steve Yzerman. And everything I associate with this team starts with The Captain.

[Houdini]

At ease Cap'n Giant Text, all is forgiven.

You're right, though, the edit is on the fritz.

EDIT: But not for long.

Did I just hear a Firefly reference?


- Houdini

[Heroes of Hockeytown]

Did I just hear a Firefly reference?
- Houdini

As sure as I know anything I know this: I didn't aim to make any reference.

I must be so good at it I keep on doin' it accidentally.