Rank 5 best players in NHL today excluding goalies

[thegreat66 19]

And yes, being a 2 way player counts and this is not strictly about scoring.

[Wings_Dynasty 267]

1. Ovechkin

2. Datsyuk

3. Tie between Zetterberg and Crosby

4. Lidstrom

5. Malkin

[Echolalia 2,961]

Casey Borer

Bryan Allen

Dennis Gauthier

Chris Kelly

Mikkel Boedker

[Theophany 110]

No goalies? Hm.

Lidström

Datsyuk

Crosby

Getzlaf

Malkin

IMO. If we added goalies, I'd probably slot Lundqvist in at #3. Carrying a team to the playoffs is pretty impressive as a 'tender.

Z was a close 6, BTW.

Edited June 5, 2009 by Theophany

[Guest EZBAKETHAGANGSTA]

1. Ovechkin

2.Malkin

3.Lidstrom

4.Getzlaf

5.Datsyuk

Say what you want, but Getzlaf was the most impressive player i'd seen for a long time in the anaheim series.

Z and Crosby are in top, prob 7th and 8th respectivily

[thegreat66 19]

1. Ovechkin

2. Datsyuk

3. Tie between Zetterberg and Crosby

4. Lidstrom

5. Malkin

1. Malkin

2 tie between Zetterberg and Crosy

3. Iginla

4. Ovechkin

5 Parise

[Lovin Jiri Fischer 147]

1. dats

2. ovechkin

3. lidstrom

4. malkin

5. z/crosby/iginla

[Echolalia 2,961]

you guys are all way off base

[Guest Shoreline]

Alex Ovechkin

Evgeni Malkin

Sidney Crosby

Nicklas Lidstrom

Pavel Datsyuk

[Guest Shoreline]

Casey Borer

Bryan Allen

Dennis Gauthier

Chris Kelly

Mikkel Boedker

Oh, good list!

As an alternative, I'll pick:

Derek Boogaard

Sean Avery

Jared Boll

Riley Cote

Krys Barch

[Mikeal 60]

I'm leaving out defense men since everyone did (excluding lids)

Ovechkin

Getzlaf

Malkin

Datsyuk

Crosby

[kegacide 0]

Ovechkin

Malkin

Datsyuk

Iginla

Crosby

[Echolalia 2,961]

Oh, good list!

As an alternative, I'll pick:

Derek Boogaard

Sean Avery

Jared Boll

Riley Cote

Krys Barch

Hmm tough match up, but I'd take Casey Borer over any of them in a heart beat. Boogaard definitely deserves mad props, but putting Krys Barch behind Riley Cote and Jared Boll is just crazy

[Flintstone Cicarelli 0]

TOP 5 PLAYAS

Jay Z

Pootie Tang

Puffy

Sinatra

Will Smiff

[Echolalia 2,961]

Good call, Flinstone Cicarelli. I forgot all about Pootie Tang, but I think Sinatra retired...

[Guest Shoreline]

[Psychlone 0]

According to a Sports Illustrated survey administered to 324 NHL players (about half the league), the Top 5 players are:

1. Ovie- 51% of the vote

2. Lidstrom-11% of the vote

3. Malkin and Datsyuk- Tied for 7%

4. Iginla and Zetterberg- Tied for 5%

Crosby finished 8th.

[thegreat66 19]

According to a Sports Illustrated survey administered to 324 NHL players (about half the league), the Top 5 players are:

1. Ovie- 51% of the vote

2. Lidstrom-11% of the vote

3. Malkin and Datsyuk- Tied for 7%

4. Iginla and Zetterberg- Tied for 5%

Crosby finished 8th.

Wow goes to show me how much rest of league must hate Cros- I think it's absurd to have him ranked no higher than 8th.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

1. Malkin

2 tie between Zetterberg and Crosy

3. Iginla

4. Ovechkin

5 Parise

You're absolutely crazy to put 08-09 Ovechkin below 08-09 Iginla, and same goes for putting Iginla and Parise above Datsyuk. Dats has been injured the entire playoff run- not just his foot... something was wrong with him going back to the last few regular season games- his shot and stick handling haven't looked right since then. It boggles my mind that you failed to include a guy who walked out of the regular season nominated for the Hart, Pearson, Selke and Byng.

Based on the 08-09 regular season (so I'm ranking as if I were voting on an award):

1. Ovechkin (goals scored and most importantly- game winning goals scored)

2. Datsyuk (top 4 in offense, number 1 in defense, when you scale his PP and 5-on-5 time up to Malkin, Crosby or Ovechkin's, Datsyuk ends up being the top scorer, go ahead- calculate it for yourself, I did)

3. Malkin (coudn't carry the Pens over 500 when Gonchar was down, it was really Gonchar that saved their season)

4. Crosby

5. Parise

Iginla's year just wasn't great. And I can't get over the people who think he's a "complete player". Being able to score, fight and hit doesn't mean you're "complete", being excellent at scoring AND not being scored on makes you complete (in other words- you're proficient in both facets of hockey- offense and defense).

Edit: (Torry) Spelling

Edited June 5, 2009 by Drake_Marcus

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Wow goes to show me how much rest of league must hate Cros- I think it's absurd to have him ranked no higher than 8th.

Really? You think the players didn't rank their peers fairly!?! In a survey of half the friggin' league that kind of bias wouldn't make sense. These are professional athletes, I have a hard time believing that they all have a juvenile hatred of Crosby. Crosby won the Pearson after his season of diving and complaining, so that just proves that the players aren't holding that against him in a vote on who's the best player. Ever since his first few seasons, Crosby hasn't really been terrible for diving nor has he been as much of a complainer... to an extent that's a reputation that stuck with him even when he stopped deserving it.

Dude- there's no NHL wide conspiracy against Crosby amongst his fellow players- that's as absurd as the Flyers fans that though the refs threw the series between your team and theirs.

[Lovin Jiri Fischer 147]

Wow goes to show me how much rest of league must hate Cros- I think it's absurd to have him ranked no higher than 8th.

And you just proved Pens fans bias against Ovechkin when you ranked him below Iginla, Z, and Crosby when he scored the most goals this year. Cry me a river.

[Guest mindfly]

1. Ovechkin

2. Malkin

3. Crosby

4. Datsyuk (only at 4th place when he's playing at the best of his abilities)

5. Lidstrom

[Mithros 0]

1. Datsyuk (IMO he is the best two way forward in the game)

2. Ovechkin

3. Malkin

4. Lidstrom

5. Getzlaf

[puertoricanWingsfan 5]

1. Ovechkin (best scorer in the league)

2. Datsyuk (best two-way player)

3. Lidstrom (best Dman)

4. Malkin (best offensive quarterback)

5. Getzlaf (even though I hate his guts)

I'd put Crosby somewhere in the top 10, but not even a chance would I put him before those guys.

[OsGOD 3]

Oh, good list!

As an alternative, I'll pick:

Derek Boogaard

Sean Avery

Jared Boll

Riley Cote

Krys Barch

love that one!!!

also want to add Ryan Kesler