|
Having said that, one of the problems with Redden is that he never appeared "dominant" on the ice. He was not the kind of player who could noticeably take over a hockey game. Alfredsson, Spezza, Heatley, Karlsson, Chara and Yashin have all had games like that. Even at his best, Redden never had that ability.
The closest Redden ever came to looking that good was in the first round of the 2006 playoffs against Tampa Bay after his mother died. He was absolutely sensational in that series. I remember thinking that he had finally hit that next level. There was real passion in his game.
I would not have guessed that would he would not only never match that level of play again, but that he would begin a speedy decline and be out of the NHL by his 33rd birthday.
|