Gnredwing 10 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 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
Xitium 272 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 1.Yzerman 2.Lidstrom 3.Datsyuk 4.Fedorov 5.Shanahan 6.Zetterberg 7.Hasek 8.Osgood 9.Cleary 10.McCarty Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Barrie 900 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 I don't know, maybe it's because I'm 33 and 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
wingsaroundtheworld 3 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 ahhh, great thread. I started to think about it but I can't rank these guys I've been cheering so much for in all these years, they're all my heroes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Lidstromboli Report post Posted March 31, 2010 hudler Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eva unit zero 271 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 (edited) 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 March 31, 2010 by eva unit zero Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Echolalia 2,961 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 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. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Xitium 272 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 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
titanium2 867 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 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 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 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
Wings_Dynasty 267 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 (edited) 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 March 31, 2010 by Wings_Dynasty Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wings_Dynasty 267 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 (edited) 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 March 31, 2010 by Wings_Dynasty Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Reds4Life 51 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 (edited) 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 March 31, 2010 by Reds4Life Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Buppy 1,720 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 1. Lidstrom 2. Yzerman 3. Fedorov 4. Shannahan 5. Osgood 6. Datsyuk 7. Zetterberg 8. Chelios 9. Draper 10. Holmstrom Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Travis 576 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 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 1 Xitium reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
b.shanafan14 733 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 (edited) 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 March 31, 2010 by b.shanafan14 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Travis 576 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 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. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eva unit zero 271 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 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
wingfanatic4alltime 32 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 My top 10 Wings are: 1. Lidstrom 2. Yzerman 3. Fedorov 4. Shanahan 5. Osgood 6. Datsyuk 7. Zetterberg 8. Homer 9. Konstantinov 10. Vernon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Uncle Danny 155 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 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
Barrie 900 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 (edited) 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 April 1, 2010 by Barrie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjlegend 155 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 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
germanwing 154 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 (edited) 1. Yzerman 2. Lidstrom 3. Fedorov 4. Shannahan 5. Osgood 6. Datsyuk 7. Zetterberg 8. Holmstrom 9. Konstantinov 10. Draper ... 11. Krupp Edited March 31, 2010 by germanwing Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mad dingo 6 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 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) 1 F.Michael reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Motown4013 350 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 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