Players In Other Sports Who Remind You Of Hockey Players
Kinda odd topic, but I was thinking back to Brodeur as kinda like CY Young. You know, all time leader in wins, but also losses.
Hasek, Walter Johnson went through the same. Terrible Washington Senators team he pitched for. He was the only guy on the team that saved them. Kinda like what Hasek did in Buffalo.
Gretzky, I'd say Pele, but he didn't have Pele's amazing exciting style
Howe, probably Jabbar in basketball. Longevity, amazing stuff past 35 years old.
Orr, Mickey Mantle. Both were amazing and could do it all, but both had injuries, that had they not occurred, could both have gone down as the best ever without debate.
Shore, probably Ty Cobb. Both played with unmatched ferocity.
Kinda odd topic, but I was thinking back to Brodeur as kinda like CY Young. You know, all time leader in wins, but also losses.
Hasek, Walter Johnson went through the same. Terrible Washington Senators team he pitched for. He was the only guy on the team that saved them. Kinda like what Hasek did in Buffalo.
Gretzky, I'd say Pele, but he didn't have Pele's amazing exciting style
Howe, probably Jabbar in basketball. Longevity, amazing stuff past 35 years old.
Orr, Mickey Mantle. Both were amazing and could do it all, but both had injuries, that had they not occurred, could both have gone down as the best ever without debate.
Shore, probably Ty Cobb. Both played with unmatched ferocity.
Any others?
I always associated Mickey Mantle more with Bobby Hull than with Orr. Other than the knee injury, I don't think mantle and Orr had much in common.
Both Hull & Mantle were physical adonis'. Very naturally strong guys. Hull had the hardest shot ever and Mantle hit the longest home runs. Both were charismatic but both supposedly had a dark side.
Michael Owen with Paul Kariya. Both diminutive talents who were world class, elite when they first started, but faded with injury. Essential utility players by the end of their careers.
Michael Jordan and Mario Lemieux. Both made professional debuts in 1984, both unimaginably talented, both immensely popular. Both experienced championship success in the 1990s after being overshadowed by a dynasty team and then surrounded with other talent. Both are now considered one of the greatest all-time in their sport.
Michael Jordan and Mario Lemieux. Both made professional debuts in 1984, both unimaginably talented, both immensely popular. Both experienced championship success in the 1990s after being overshadowed by a dynasty team and then surrounded with other talent. Both are now considered one of the greatest all-time in their sport.
Both also retired for a period of time before coming back and continuing to dominate.
Martin Brodeur with Iker Casillas - great goalies who have been consistently good over a long career, and have set numerous longevity records. Both have played their entire career for one team. Both have won pretty much every major trophy in their sport. Also, both have benefitted from playing on teams where they haven't had to face a lot of shots.
Maurice Richard with Zinedine Zidane - Great players who had a habit of scoring the "big goal" to win a game or tournament for their team. Both came from an ethnic group that was a minority in their country, and encountered some discrimination for that reason. However, both lost their temper at a critical moment (Richard in 1955, Zidane at the 2006 World Cup) which contributed to their team missing out on a major prize.
Phil Esposito with Gerd Müller - Great goal scorer who peaked in the early 70s as a teammate of the greatest defender of all time in their sport. Both had a habit of getting "garbage goals" from right in front of the net. Both led their nations to a great international triumph (Summit Series, 1974 World Cup).
Jean Beliveau and Lou Gehrig: Quiet, classy, humble, a bit dull if you want to get critical, handsome if in a bit of a bland sort of way, played for one of the all time great dynasty teams, a talented player in his own right but overshadowed by his teammate who was both more talented and more volatile and exciting (Maurice Richard and Babe Ruth).
Gretzky and Babe Ruth because they both dominated their sport statistically in a way no one else has, they were also larger than life.
Lemieux and Jordan based on sheer talent
Mantle and Hull for a lot of reasons as mentioned before. But another thing, heck, the looked like each other in a way. And yeah, both may not have been the best husbands in the world. Mantle was a serial philanderer, something he felt very sorry for at the end of his life and Hull at least has the allegations of being abusive although I'll leave it at an "allegation".
Brett Hull and Ali. Both had big mouths. Both seemed to back it up. Both were loathed to an extent because of their mouths.
Bobby Orr and Sandy Koufax. Both were incredible at their positions. Both won championships and were the key ingredient to winning. Both retired very early due to injuries. If there was a defenseman you'd want on your team for one game it is Bobby Orr. If there is a pitcher to pitch for just one important game, many take Koufax, including me.
Paul Henderson and............Roger Maris? Okay, here me out. Both did something that transcended their game. Neither is in their Hall of Fame but each did a thing that I don't think can ever be duplicated (honestly, Maris still hasn't had his single season HR record broken by a non-steroid user. Thanks for that Bug Selig and Donald Fehr, yes, Donald Fehr).
Any catcher could be equated with a hockey player, specifically goalies, based on the sheer amount of abuse they take over the course of a season. Foul tips, blocking pitches, catching hard throwers, physical confrontations at the plate and the toll of crouching for 9 months of the year can have devastating effects on the body. Plus, they usually are the quarterback/director of the team.
Gretzky and Greg Maddux. Both employed immense skill, finesse and the ability to outsmart their opponents while not having the greatest physical attributes.
Barry Sanders/Bobby Orr/Sandy Koufax/Mike Bossy/Joe Dimaggio. Medium length careers with very high peaks and they all left when there seemed to be so much gas left in the tank. Orr and Koufax retired because their injuries.
I always associated Mickey Mantle more with Bobby Hull than with Orr. Other than the knee injury, I don't think mantle and Orr had much in common.
Both Hull & Mantle were physical adonis'. Very naturally strong guys. Hull had the hardest shot ever and Mantle hit the longest home runs. Both were charismatic but both supposedly had a dark side.
Absolutely. I always associated these two players together for the same reason.
Messier and Kobe. Players who were very well regarded in their early years, where they enjoyed much team success while being second fiddle to their superstar teammate. In their late 20s/early 30s saw more team success in the absence of their former teammate, and became better regarded as individual players and leaders. Both show extraordinary determination and physical strength, as well as longevity.
Dominik Hasek and Pedro Martinez. They had the highest peak of any recent goalie/pitcher, sustaining that level of play for around 6 seasons. However, both were unable to win any championships during their peak years. Both Hasek and Martinez finally won a championship in the year after their period of dominance ended. And both suffered several injuries over the last few years of their career, and went out with a whimper getting pulled early in a playoff game.
I always thought Messier and Magic Johnson were similar. Intense competitors in game and fun, happy guys outside of it.
Jari Kurri and Scottie Pippen too. Both were great players on great teams that were overshadowed by one of the greats to play the game.
Bob Probert and Mike Tyson. Both were great scrappers, but due to substances could be erratic. Probert when he was taking cocaine and Tyson when he stopped taking his meds before a fight.
Harold Ballard and George Steinbrenner as owners. Both were tempermental and seemed to enjoy firing coaches. They seemed to be cheap as far as how they operated their facilities too. I also think they both fought putting names on the backs of jerseys due to the perceived loss of revenue from programs.
Dominik Hasek and Pedro Martinez. They had the highest peak of any recent goalie/pitcher, sustaining that level of play for around 6 seasons. However, both were unable to win any championships during their peak years. Both Hasek and Martinez finally won a championship in the year after their period of dominance ended. And both suffered several injuries over the last few years of their career, and went out with a whimper getting pulled early in a playoff game.
I really like this one. The difference being that Hasek ranks higher relatively on all-time lists at his position.
I often have thought of hockey as a lot like football.
Bernie Federko used to remind me of Joe Montana: cool and accurate in decision making.
Joe Thornton for years was a lot like Warren Moon in his patience and long passing skill.
Niklas Kronwall harkened back to Mike Singletary in his lined-up hits with its momentum-shifting impact.
Dominik Hasek I used to say was the Barry Sanders of hockey: unanticipated, original moves to get out of trouble.
Whenever I talk about Barry, I can't make a comparison in regular running to any runner in other sports. I mean, someone like Ben Johnson - short and so explosive - would make sense, but, that's a run in a line, no imagination, no art.
I always end up comparing him to Pavel Bure. explosive, out of nowhere, ultra creative, nearly desperately creative, like a fox getting chased by hounds... and every time the ball/puck went to either, conversations in living rooms stopped, and everyone watched.
If Ray Lewis was a couple inches taller, he'd be Lindros to me. Such a high level of physical dominance to go with a ridiculous stat line and both were truly intimidating presences on their respective playing fields
If Ray Lewis was a couple inches taller, he'd be Lindros to me. Such a high level of physical dominance to go with a ridiculous stat line and both were truly intimidating presences on their respective playing fields
in that case you could go with lawrence taylor who was closer to lindros's height.
Joe Mauer. He has an American hockey player name, from Minnesota, and he played hockey in HS. He's also a catcher, the position that reminds me of goalies.
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"Trust me I'm an expert, I watched 13 rangers games on NHL center Ice this year through streaming." -Starburst
"I don't even understand what the point of all this arguing is. Are you guys hoping that the other side is going to have an epiphany and go 'Oh, OH! You're right, we ARE going to lose this series!'" -Crease
Lousy at these cross sport analogies but here it goes.
Orr with Koufax Yep, both demanded a ton, probably too much of their bodies but it was inextricably linked to their greatness too.
Bobby Hull and Mantle Yep.......both a little before my time, but I see the comparison as they were both physical phenoms with dark sides.
For one of my own Ray Bourque and Carl Yazstrzemski......Longevity with some all around mastery...They are.different personality types but the longevity and the all around talent is similar.
