Quote:
Originally Posted by feffan
Would have been nice to see what Renberg and the Legion could have accomplished if he got to "keep" his skating and shot for a couple of more seasons. Never really could replace him, even if Lindros and LeClair were crazy good as a duo.
He played some with Lindros but as I remember it he mostly had Brind'Amour as a center his rookie year, permantly moving to Lindros wing about the same time as LeClair arrived. During at least the start of Renbergs rookieseason I remember it as that the Crazy Eights (Lindros, Recchi, Fedyk) still existed. Canīt say I remember the Calder Tropy debate, canīt even remember why Arnott got the centerspot in the rookie team instead of Yashin. Seems weird looking back.
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i don't cry north american bias very often. but that was almost certainly at least partly north american bias; yashin was easily the second best rookie in the league that year, with an argument for best over even brodeur. renberg was where he should have been in third, arnott fourth.
another factor is that guys who step right in at 18 usually get extra consideration for the rookie awards. jagr, for example, should in no way shape or form have gotten any calder votes his rookie year, but people were dazzled at what he could do at such a young age. but in a year with belfour, fedorov, rob blake (all worthy calder winners in less competitive years), plus richter stealing the starting job from beezer and finishing as a vezina finalist and a crazy year by ken hodge jr., how could anyone have put jagr in their top three?
arnott getting more calder votes than renberg was probably an age thing too. renberg was 21, with three years experience in the SEL.
also rumoured was the senators organization sent highlight compilation tapes of daigle, not yashin, to calder and ART voters in order to hype the "face of the franchise" and get him into the top three (daigle received zero calder votes). i've heard sens fans say that yashin never forgot this slight, on top of being low-balled come contract time while daigle was making bank and that soured his relationship with the organization-- hence always holding out and trying to bleed them dry during contract negotiations. now that i think about it, if all that is true, it makes yashin's behaviour a little more excusable (given that many of us extend similar excuses to bure vs. quinn/burke). not totally excusable, but at least a bit.