• Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

Sign in to follow this  
Gnredwing

Top 10 Red Wings

Rate this topic

Recommended Posts

Curious to see who you guys think are the top 10 Wings over the past 20 years. Enjoy!

Top Ten

1.Lidstrom (Yes I picked Nick over Yzerman)

2.Yzerman

3.Fedorov

4.Shanahan

5.Datsyuk

6.Zetterberg

7.Osgood

8.Hasek

9.Larionov

10.Draper

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I don't know, maybe it's because I'm 33 and :wub: the 1997-2002 teams, but I'd put Yzerman, Lidstrom, Fedorov, and Shanahan all ahead of Datsyuk and Zetterberg.

I'd have to take a day or two to think of my top 10, so I'll get back to you.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The top 10 Wings from 1990-91 until 2009-10?

Steve Yzerman

Nicklas Lidstrom

Chris Osgood

Sergei Fedorov

Dominik Hasek

Henrik Zetterberg

Pavel Datsyuk

Vladimir Konstantinov

Brendan Shanahan

Tomas Holmstrom

That took some doing for my last few inclusions. Hard to cut out guys like Chris Chelios, Ray Sheppard, Slava Kozlov, Igor Larionov, and others. One thing I will say is that including McCarty, Draper, Maltby, or Kocur on this list is a ridiculous idea. Yes they have been around and yes they have been important at times. But this is basically about "Who was the most important Wing the most often over the past 20 years" and to be dreadfully honest, Draper and the others were RARELY the most important guys on the team, especially with so many skilled defensive forwards on the team then and now. They brought grit, yes...but their defensive presence was and is redundant.

Edited by eva unit zero

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

By top ten Red Wings do you mean the best raw hockey talent, or the players that most exemplify what being a Wing is all about? Because those two lists would be completely different for me.

I took it for the latter, which is why I have Cleary and McCarty on my list.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

By top ten Red Wings do you mean the best raw hockey talent, or the players that most exemplify what being a Wing is all about? Because those two lists would be completely different for me.

Fedorov would undoubtedly be my #1 for your first list idea.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest Crymson

That took some doing for my last few inclusions. Hard to cut out guys like Chris Chelios, Ray Sheppard, Slava Kozlov, Igor Larionov, and others. One thing I will say is that including McCarty, Draper, Maltby, or Kocur on this list is a ridiculous idea. Yes they have been around and yes they have been important at times. But this is basically about "Who was the most important Wing the most often over the past 20 years" and to be dreadfully honest, Draper and the others were RARELY the most important guys on the team, especially with so many skilled defensive forwards on the team then and now. They brought grit, yes...but their defensive presence was and is redundant.[/font]

They were necessary parts of the championship runs in 1997, 1998 and 2002, and they were extremely helpful roleplayers. The team cannot have a superstar in every roster spot. That they were not amongst the all-time greats does not mean that they did not contribute a ton.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Wow, this is tough. Ok, here are my much thought over picks.

1. Lidstrom

2. Yzerman

3. Fedorov

4. Datsyuk

5. Shanahan

6. Osgood

7. Zetterberg

8. Draper

9. McCarty/Holmstrom

10. Konstantinov

Edited by Wings_Dynasty

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

They were necessary parts of the championship runs in 1997, 1998 and 2002, and they were extremely helpful roleplayers. The team cannot have a superstar in every roster spot. That they were not amongst the all-time greats does not mean that they did not contribute a ton.

I agree with this. I have McCarty and Draper on my list of 11. Mac for his playoff performances and his regualar season role as enforcer. Draper at one point was both the best face-off man and part of the best PK tandem in the NHL. Between 1998-2009 if there was a faceoff in the defensive zone in the playoffs, odds are Draper was taking it. And that may still be true today.

Edited by Wings_Dynasty

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Lidstrom is easily no.1 on the list. Only a blind Steve Y fan would claim otherwise.

Lidstrom

Yzerman

Fedorov

Datsyuk

Zetterberg

Shanahan

Osgood

Holmstrom

Vernon

Konstantinov

Edited by Reds4Life

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Lidstrom is easily no.1 on the list. Only a blind Steve Y fan would claim otherwise.

Lidstrom

Yzerman

Fedorov

Datsyuk

Zetterberg

Shanahan

Osgood

Holmstrom

Vernon

Konstantinov

Maybe I'm a Stevie fanboy, but I can't imagine not putting him at the top of the list. The Captain, the Cups, the face of this organization for his entire career - how is this stuff not worthy of a #1 spot?

Aside from that, these lists are so subjective that you couldn't possibly claim someone has to be a Stevie Y fanboy to list him at #1. There hasn't even been a criteria established as to what it is we're basing this on.

1. Yzerman

2. Lidstrom

3. Shanahan

4. Federov

5. Zetterberg

6. Datsyuk

7. Osgood

8. Holmstrom

9. Draper

10. Chelios

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

1. Yzerman

2. Lidstrom

3. Datsyuk

4. Fedorov

5. Zetterberg

6. Shanahan

7. Osgood

8. Konstantinov

9. Holmstrom

10. Larionov

As with others, I had trouble defining "top" Red Wings, so I went on overall impact on the team. Yzerman and Lidstrom are non-negotiable at the top, but could be interchangeable considering Yzerman had a lot of his better seasons in the 80s and Lidstrom took about 4-5 years to really come into his own. But either way, their impact on the team is unmatched.

For me, 3-6 are relatively interchangeable as well, with Datsyuk and Fedorov being the most talented offensively and defensively in the regular seasons especially and Zetterberg's already legendary play in the post-season and we all know what Shanahan did for this team on and off the ice over the years.

Osgood gets the nod over the others in the last group because of long-term success with the Wings, the past two marvelous playoff runs helping a lot and influence on the locker room. Konstantinov could have easily been at the top if his career hadn't ended so tragically soon. Holmstrom gets the 9th spot because of long-term success with the Wings and sacrificing just about as much as anyone I've ever seen to get his goals.

Finally, Larionov gets the last spot because even though he was considerably lesser of a player late in his career with the Wings, he still played a vital role in secondary scoring for his whole tenure and was completely invaluable in the maturation of our Russian contingent, starting with guys like Fedorov, Konstantinov, and Kozlov and continuing on to mentor someone like Datsyuk who came here without speaking a word of the language and really without any family around him for support. I honestly think that without the help of Larionov and to a degree Hull in those first few years, Datsyuk may not be the player he is today, talent aside.

Edited by b.shanafan14

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

One thing I will say is that including McCarty, Draper, Maltby, or Kocur on this list is a ridiculous idea. Yes they have been around and yes they have been important at times. But this is basically about "Who was the most important Wing the most often over the past 20 years" and to be dreadfully honest, Draper and the others were RARELY the most important guys on the team, especially with so many skilled defensive forwards on the team then and now. They brought grit, yes...but their defensive presence was and is redundant.

They were necessary parts of the championship runs in 1997, 1998 and 2002, and they were extremely helpful roleplayers. The team cannot have a superstar in every roster spot. That they were not amongst the all-time greats does not mean that they did not contribute a ton.

maltscover.jpg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

They were necessary parts of the championship runs in 1997, 1998 and 2002, and they were extremely helpful roleplayers. The team cannot have a superstar in every roster spot. That they were not amongst the all-time greats does not mean that they did not contribute a ton.

We're not building a roster. We're picking the ten best players.

If we go by your logic, Helm would be in the top-ten Wings over the past two seasons. And that is, well, an insane suggestion. He's very popular, but nowhere near the top ten.

If we were building a roster from the best wings over the past five or ten or twenty years, sure we'd include guys like Draper and such. But that's not the topic.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

1. Yzerman

2. Lidstrom

3. Fedorov

4. Shannahan

5. Zetterberg

6. Osgood

7. Datsyuk

8. Larionov

9. Vernon

10. Mac

Pretty similar to some others' lists, but a few points of clarification:

- Yzerman and Lidstrom are quite obviously the top two on any sane list. I give a slight edge to Yzerman, as had he not adopted and preached (with his play) the defensive style Bowman was after, we wouldn't have seen any of the cups we did. No other player on the team could have had that large of a cultural impact in the dressing room.

- If Bowman had laced them up for even one game, I'd have given him the #2 spot.

- Shanny comes in at #4. You could make a decent argument for Dats, Ozzie or Z. I gave #14 the nod because of the mentoring he gave to Mac and Lapointe, which I don't think anyone would argue raised their overall game. The fact that he was a hall of fame scorer who willingly played the role of our only fighter for awhile also pushed up his stock in my view.

- Osgood... this was a tough one, as it's very much a love/hate relationship I have with him as a fan. You cannot argue with his success or his career numbers, though. No way, no how.

- Larionov: someone already called this out, but he was more "papa bear" than papa bear ever was (and that's no knock on Fetisov, mind you). His presence alone raised the average IQ in that dressing room by 10 pts.

- Mac gained my #10 spot for a number of reasons. He was never that talented, never an elite fighter and never put up true all star numbers. What he did, though, was cauterize that 96/97 team into world champions by avenging Draper and scoring perhaps the biggest goal of that season in OT on March 26. He was a consistently clutch player, and The Ultimate Team Guy for a long time.

IMO, this contribution goes beyond numbers, talent or simply playing a less than glamorous role very, very well for a long time (see: Draper). To my mind, his dressing room presence was almost like Yzerman's less gifted, louder, brasher, drunker younger brother -- the kind of guy you definitely want on your side.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Ok I thought about it, here's my list. I went with guys who I think have had the most impact on the franchise's success, not necessary the most talented (Edit: Which explains having Draper #5).

1. Yzerman

2. Lidstrom

3. Fedorov

4. Shanahan

5. Draper

6. Zetterberg

7. Datsyuk

8. Osgood

9. Holmstrom

10. Larionov

Edited by Barrie

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

maltscover.jpg

If I had to do it all again, I'd marry that cover of Sports Illustrated. One of the best hockey pictures ever taken, also a SI hockey cover (!) signifying a great albatross getting removed from the franchise.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Since you never specified Top 10 Red Wing Players. Here is my take

1. Mike Ilitch

2. Marion Ilitch

3. Jimmy D

4. Steve Yzerman

5. Nick Lidstrom

7. Scotty Bowman

8. Ken Holland

9. Brendan Shanahan

10. Gordie Howe (Ambassador for team and NHL)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Since you never specified Top 10 Red Wing Players. Here is my take

1. Mike Ilitch

2. Marion Ilitch

3. Jimmy D

4. Steve Yzerman

5. Nick Lidstrom

7. Scotty Bowman

8. Ken Holland

9. Brendan Shanahan

10. Gordie Howe (Ambassador for team and NHL)

You forgot the knitting lady- she has gotta make the list as a Wings icon <_<

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this