Pat Verbek and Ron Francis are the most underrated players
This is what I came here to post (only with correct spelling (Verbeek) ).
-4 40+ goal seasons
-8 30+ goal seasons
-13 20+ goal seasons
-500 goal club with 522
-1000 point club with 1063
-2905 career penalty minutes
-NHL All-Star team
-Hartford Whalers team MVP (1991)
-lost thumb in accident in 1985, came back and scored 25 goals the next season
-never really played along side any other star players
All that and most hockey fans don't know he exists.
michel goulet comes to mind as well. 4 consecutive 50 goal seasons, and after that, seasons of 49 and 48 goals! respect.
Those are indeed awesome stats.
...and yet Mike Bossy had NINE consecutive 50 goal seasons.
That's right, more than DOUBLE the great numbers of Goulet.
If it weren't for injury, Bossy would have the goal scoring record, not Gretzky. Think about that, he was on pace to beat Wayne Gretzky in career goals.
In Bossy's worst, injury-plagued season, he scored 38 goals. Then retired.
Peter Stastny strikes as me as particularly underrated. I knew he was a great player but was blown away when I was looking at his milestones on Wikipedia, particularly the last section listing that he was the fastest to milestones after Gretzky, Lemieux, and Bossy:
Second-most points in the 1980s after Gretzky. That is a stat that everyone who watches hockey should know.
This is what I came here to post (only with correct spelling (Verbeek) ).
-4 40+ goal seasons
-8 30+ goal seasons
-13 20+ goal seasons
-500 goal club with 522
-1000 point club with 1063
-2905 career penalty minutes
-NHL All-Star team
-Hartford Whalers team MVP (1999)
-lost thumb in accident in 1985, came back and scored 25 goals the next season
-never really played along side any other star players
If you consider that Bobby Orr recieves the accolades and mention he deserves based on essentially 9 seasons in the NHL, I'd say the most undeservedly overlooked/underrated players on the HFboards "Greats" lists, probably due to short careers, are Bossy and Dryden. For a long career, Brett Hull.
To me it seems funny that 2 of the greatest goal-scorers ever and and goalie with untouchable stats comared to any other's 7 best seasons (let alone consecutive) are left off of most opinion lists.
Of course there's a myriad of Chelios's, Cicarellis, Robatailles, Savards out there who probably don't get the mention they deserve.
It was cut off by an auger in a farming accident. Luckily he was able to have it sewn back on after being rushed to the hospital by his dad and brother.
He holds the record for best career shooting percentage (minimum 800 shots) with 23.66% & the record for best career playoff shooting percentage (minimum 80 shots) with 33.65%.
Marcel Dionne (basically Lafleurs equal minus the team and playoff success), Denis Savard (I always remember thinking he was the best forward in the 80's besides Gretzky and Lemieux), and Zigmund Palffy (one of the best players on the dead puck era).
Bossy was on pace to beat Gretzky's goal scoring total before his injuries, as I said in another post. That's pretty much game set match right there.
If Bossy had continued and had even a 15-year NHL career, he'd be the #1 goal scorer of all time.
Bossy was behind Gretzky's pace at pretty much every comparable point of their careers. I don't know why people think Bossy would have kept up his scoring pace if he hadn't retired when most players (including Gretzky) drop off
Bossy was behind Gretzky's pace at pretty much every comparable point of their careers. I don't know why people think Bossy would have kept up his scoring pace if he hadn't retired when most players (including Gretzky) drop off
I think Bossy's one of the most overrated players of all time. He played on a dynasty team in a high scoring era. He got the puck off his stick very fast before the goalie was ready and scored a lot of goals. He was not a great all around player.
As underrated I'd say Rogie Vachon who was great on lousy teams and is almost forgotten today.
Bossy was behind Gretzky's pace at pretty much every comparable point of their careers. I don't know why people think Bossy would have kept up his scoring pace if he hadn't retired when most players (including Gretzky) drop off
Trottier - Today many consider him a product of Bossy and Potvin, but when he actually played most considered him a better player than Bossy with the great Al Arbour even saying he wouldn't even trade him for Gretzky.
Another one is Marcel Dionne. One of the most incredible hockey players off all time who was widely considered superior to Lafleur (who often goes top 15 in all time great lists today while Dionne is usually top 35) but was never given an opportunity on a strong hockey team.
Does anyone else hold up to Gretzky's stats that well, including beating him in goals scored during 3 of Gretzky's 10 best seasons?
If you watched a random game during these years, you'd have an 83% chance of seeing Gretzky score a goal and a 79% chance of seeing Bossy score.
Yesterday they replayed the final game on NHLnetwork of the 1982 Stanley Cup finals, Islanders vs. Canucks and Bossy ironically did have a goal in that game. He scored off a rebound of a Potvin shot. Anyways, the announcer was talking and said (paraphrasing): "In my opinion, Mike Bossy could be the best goal scorer ever... people might say Bobby Hull, Gordie Howe, or Rocket Richard but Bossy can score in so many different ways" or something like that. But I do think the announcers were highly biased towards the Islanders.
Either way, with that goal by Bossy that gave him 17 goals in 19 playoff games and the Conn Smythe.
Lead the NHL playoffs in goals 3 straight years while winning the Cup those years. Gretzky only score 17 or more goals 1 time in the playoffs when he scored 17 goals in 1985-86. Certainly he was a better playmaker and racked up way more assists but if we are talking about straight goal scoring I think they are comparable. Career wise in the playoffs, Mike Bossy scored .659 goals per game, while Gretzky scored .587 goal per game pace.
Mike Bossy lead the NHL playoffs in goals 3 straight years while winning the Cup those years. Gretzky only score 17 or more goals 1 time in the playoffs when he scored 17 goals in 1985-86. Certainly he was a better playmaker and racked up way more assists but if we are talking about straight goal scoring I think they are comparable. Career wise in the playoffs, Mike Bossy scored .659 goals per game, while Gretzky scored .587 goal per game pace.
Yep, Bossy is the top goal scorer in the playoffs percentage wise, of all time.
No question Gretzky is the better player overall but for pure goal scoring, I put Bossy slightly ahead of the Great One and head and shoulders above Dionne, Lemieux, LaFleur, and the rest. The stats don't lie.
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