OK Canadians. Who's the best hockey player of all time?

[MikeG]

Since you're voting anyway today, I want answers.

[Deja Q]

1. Why is he called "Rocket"?

Just curious... :9

[MikeG]

3. According to ESPN he had a burst of speed like a rocket

http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00016409.html

[Magrittes Pipe]

2. I am not Canadian.

But I voted anyway.

[MikeG]

4. No problem. Orr would make the others look like they were standing still.

But Lemieux was a one of a kind. He humiliated Ray Bourque in his first shift, and then in 1992 in the playoffs, stickhandling between Bourque's legs.

I've seen Lemieux do things on ice I never saw anyone else do.

[KPN08]

5. Mark Messier

Crashing the Poll too. I'm not Canadian. I just couldn't help myself.

[Forkboy]

6. I'm crashing this poll!

I'm not Canadien (I wish I was often,though).

I voted Orr.While both Gretzky and Lemiuex were two of the most exciting and talented players ever,neither one changed the game the way Orr did.Before Orr defensemen rarely even thought "offense".There were a few exceptions (the great Bobby Hull for one),but it was a rarity to see a defensemen venture far into the offensive zone.Defensemen would rarely even carry the puck past thier OWN blueline,let alone past the opponents.Now it's not just commonplace but expected.Everyone wants that defensemen that can carry the puck cleanly out of thier zone and through center ice.That was nearly unheard of before Orr.


He lead the league in scoring twice-no defensemen has ever topped that (I believe Paul Coffey missed Orrs single season record of 139 points by just a single point in the Oilers heydays).

He won 8 (EIGHT!!) straight Norris Tropheys as the best defensemen.

In the 70-71 season his plus/minus rating was a whopping +124!

I'm in no way trying to claim that Gretzky and Lemieux aren't two of the greatest players ever.Like you,I've seen both make plays that seem beyond us mere mortals.But Orr changed the game in a way those two legends didn't.

On top of that,having spoken to him on occasion I can say he's also one the true class acts in all of sports.Humble,soft spoken.

Here's a couple of quotes from one of my many hockey books;

Milt Schmidt said it best, "If there is ever another as great as Bobby Orr, I hope the good Lord sees fit to keep me on this earth, because he will be something special."


"I've been gifted. The world is full of people who not only haven't been gifted, but have had some thing taken away from them. All I have to do is see one of them, some little girl who can't walk, and then I don't think I'm such a hero anymore. I think that compared to them, I'm a very small article."

[Kat45]

9. Orr was also largely responsible for Americans getting into hockey

Before him, not many people in the US paid attention to hockey. With a player of Orr's caliber, on an American team, more people started paying attention. That's also when American kids started seriously playing hockey. I was in high school, in the Boston area, when the Bruins were winning the Stanley Cup with Bobby Orr. Everyone was going nuts over hockey. Hockey leagues for kids came into being. And eventually, a lot more Americans made it into the NHL. I trace that all back to Bobby Orr.

[x-g.o.p.er]

7. No goalies???

Ken Dryden or Patrick Roy would have shut down any of those guys.

PS--I'm not Canadien, I'm Minnesotan. Close enough?

[KPN08]

8. Mike Richter??

[kodi]

11. yeah, if i have first choice in a pick up game, dyrden is my top pick

.

[Kat45]

10. Why is this poll just addressed to Canadians?

Hockey is an international sport; the NHL has players from a shitload of different countries. And we Americans are into hockey (well, some of us, anyway). Heck, I used to subscribe to "Hockey News."

I'm an American who remembers every player in your poll, and they were all great players. I always loved watching Gretzky because he would always be doing something you couldn't believe. Lemieux had a similar kind of talent. I was a major fan of the "Big Bad Bruins," cheering their 2 Stanley Cup wins, skipping school to go to the Stanley Cup parades. Bobby Orr was everyone's favorite in Boston, but I particularly loved Phil Esposito. Man, those were great days for hockey in Boston. I often wonder if we'll ever have a team that good again.