Top 10 Players Of The Last Decade

[up2here 41]

Article

[Echolalia 2,961]

Overall I don't have any real beef with the picks.

[skyphoenix 153]

Lidstrom deserves it. He is hands down the best defenseman in the NHL and while it seems he is on a decline offensively, he certainly still plays excellent defense.

[EuroTwin 240]

Nick = god or maybe superman.

"When you've won so many Norris Trophies than you can play a game of Jenga with them, I'd say that warrants inclusion on this list."

[FunkedUp 29]

Nick is undoubtedly the best player of the decade, and he would have 7 if it wasn't for the lockout and could be in a position to tie Bobby O. Quite simply, it's an honor to exist on this planet during his hockey career.

Edited November 24, 2009 by FunkedUp

[Carman 387]

Pretty damn good list. Can't really argue any. It's been awesome to grow up seeing Lidstrom play every single game. One of the greatest players ever.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Pretty damn good list. Can't really argue any. It's been awesome to grow up seeing Lidstrom play every single game. One of the greatest players ever.

Agreed. I just wish I could relive it. It's going to be hard to see him decline and retire. About as hard as it was to see Stevie go through that.

[Carman 387]

Yeah, can't imagine having yet another captain of the Wing's.

Btw nice sig. I love Cyanide and Happiness

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Yeah, can't imagine having yet another captain of the Wing's.

Btw nice sig. I love Cyanide and Happiness

Thanks. I've been on a Cyanide and Happiness binge lately after forgetting to read it for a few months.

At least we know Zetterberg's transition to captain will be smooth. Just like Lidstrom was, Zetterberg's been the heir apparent to the C for quite some time now. And just like Lids, he backed it up with a Conn Smythe

[LidstromIsASuperhero 29]

Call me a homer here but I don't think Crosby or Ovechkin have really played enough seasons to be on that list. Plus, it's hard to overlook the 540 or so points Pavel Datsyuk has put up in the past decade... I think players who have consistently put up huge numbers deserve to be on that list more than two players who have been in the league since 2004-05. Players like Lecavlier (sp?), Kovalchuk, and even Martin St. Louis had a huge season or two. If you're going to put Crosby and Ovechkin that high, you should consider putting Malkin on there too.

[akustyk 84]

I'm not sold on Croby and Ovechkin on this list either. they played only half of the decade whatsoever

I'd say Vinny Lecavalier, Daniel Alfredsson, Danny Heatley, Ilya Kovalchuk or Mats Sundin deserve the honors before.

Edited November 24, 2009 by akustyk

[hooon 1,089]

I dont mind seeing crosby and ovechkin on this list, even though their role is entirely post-lockout. Call me crazy, but the only person who I think should not be on this list is Scott Niedermeyer, thats just me. I understand why guys like Lecavalier and crew don't make the list, they have had good seasons, and they also had some just OK seasons (which is also my argument for Niedermeyer).

Sundin makes some sense to me, but overall, a pretty good list I think.

[dropkickshanahans 463]

I'm not sold on Croby and Ovechkin on this list either. they played only half of the decade whatsoever

I'd say Vinny Lecavalier, Daniel Alfredsson, Danny Heatley, Ilya Kovalchuk or Mats Sundin deserve the honors before.

The list is best players of the decade, and Crosby and Ovechkin have played in this decade, so they obviously belong on the list. I don't know how you can argue that they should be off the list in favor of who you mentioned.

[RedWingsRox 614]

So glad to see Lidstrom on top

AND Crosby somewhat further down the list .

[akustyk 84]

The list is best players of the decade, and Crosby and Ovechkin have played in this decade, so they obviously belong on the list. I don't know how you can argue that they should be off the list in favor of who you mentioned.

with the similar logic Grant Fuhr makes this list, because he did play in this decade.

or Wendel Clark or Ray Borque

Crosby and Ovechkin are a marketing strecht in this list. I'd rather see a list compiling

guys who played essential majority of the decade in the NHL.

and no, I'm not arguing if Crosby or Ovechkin are worse than Lecavalier, Alfredsson, ...

I only say that a list of best players of the decade (and I don't mean: somewhere

between 2000 and 2009 but through the entire decade) there's better guys to choose.

[RedWings Gone Wild 6]

The list is best players of the decade, and Crosby and Ovechkin have played in this decade, so they obviously belong on the list. I don't know how you can argue that they should be off the list in favor of who you mentioned.

I think it's a legit argument to say Ovie and Crosby shouldn't be on the list, because if you look at Puck Daddy's criteria and explanations, everything on there is cumulative for the entire decade, and playing half of it should be considered. He had a post already where he named the top 10 individual seasons of the decade, and Ovie and Crosby deserve to be on there, but not on the all-decade list.

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

Of course, Sid only needs 4 years to be a player of the DECADE.

[chrisdetroit 189]

Call me a homer here but I don't think Crosby or Ovechkin have really played enough seasons to be on that list. Plus, it's hard to overlook the 540 or so points Pavel Datsyuk has put up in the past decade... I think players who have consistently put up huge numbers deserve to be on that list more than two players who have been in the league since 2004-05. Players like Lecavlier (sp?), Kovalchuk, and even Martin St. Louis had a huge season or two. If you're going to put Crosby and Ovechkin that high, you should consider putting Malkin on there too.

I'm with you. How can either one be a "player of the decade" when they only played in half the decade?

Maybe I don't get it but shouldn't one of the requirements be that they actually played the whole decade?

[Carman 387]

Of course, Sid only needs 4 years to be a player of the DECADE.

He only needed 4 years to be a Stanley Cup champion.

[RedWings Gone Wild 6]

He only needed 4 years to be a Stanley Cup champion.

Datsyuk only needed one year... no love?

[EuroTwin 240]

The list is best players of the decade, and Crosby and Ovechkin have played in this decade, so they obviously belong on the list. I don't know how you can argue that they should be off the list in favor of who you mentioned.

Well if that's your argument, where the hell is Yzerman on this list? He played in this decade, why isn't he on this list? Or Hull? Or Robitaille? Or Hasek? Or Larionov? Or... do you really need me to go on?

[Carman 387]

Datsyuk only needed one year... no love?

Let me know when Datsyuk becomes a PPG playoff performer. You would of been better served to say Zetterberg.

[dropkickshanahans 463]

with the similar logic Grant Fuhr makes this list, because he did play in this decade.

or Wendel Clark or Ray Borque

Crosby and Ovechkin are a marketing strecht in this list. I'd rather see a list compiling

guys who played essential majority of the decade in the NHL.

and no, I'm not arguing if Crosby or Ovechkin are worse than Lecavalier, Alfredsson, ...

I only say that a list of best players of the decade (and I don't mean: somewhere

between 2000 and 2009 but through the entire decade) there's better guys to choose.

I knew you or someone else would use that logic response. I guess by your logic, Sakic and Jagr shouldn't be on the list either, right?

The last four years that Crosby and Ovechkin have played in the league, Ovechkin has won 5 different trophies (Hart twice, Calder, Ross, Richard twice, and Pearson twice) and Crosby has 3 (Hart, Ross, and Pearson) and a Stanley Cup. Only Heatley has a measly Calder and Kovalchuk/Lecavalier both have a Richard (and Vinny also has a SC too).

Since playing in their first four years in the league, they've both accumulated 100+ points in 3 seasons out of their 4 played.

As a total in their first 4 seasons:

Ovechkin - 420 points (4 seasons) 105 point average

Crosby - 397 points (4 seasons) 99.3 point average

Other players on your list since the beginning of the 2000 season:

Lecavalier - 574 (8 seasons) 71.8 pt. avg.

Kovalchuk - 557 (7 seasons) 79.6 pt. avg.

Alfredsson - 652 (8 seasons) 81.5 pt. avg.

Heatley - 543 (7 seasons) 77.6 pt. avg.

Sundin - 561 (8 seasons) 70.1 pt. avg.

So I believe Ovechkin and Crosby do deserve to be on that list, since they have been the most dominate players in the league next to the other players already on that list. But you obviously think they don't because they have played half a decade and because they're marketed?

Again, it's best players of the last decade, and no doubt they deserve to be on the list.

Edited November 25, 2009 by dropkickshanahans

[dropkickshanahans 463]

Well if that's your argument, where the hell is Yzerman on this list? He played in this decade, why isn't he on this list? Or Hull? Or Robitaille? Or Hasek? Or Larionov? Or... do you really need me to go on?

Did those players have better seasons than Crosby and Ovechkin have had this decade?

[Theophany 110]

Let me know when Datsyuk becomes a PPG playoff performer. You would of been better served to say Zetterberg.

Let me know when Crosby and Ovechkin become mainstays of their PK, then I'll start caring about their PPG.