I didn't follow hockey much during the beginning of his career but I recall he had 2 back to back monster playoff performances. I imagine Boston felt his career didn't progress as they had hoped.
He also was swapped for Oates and while his numbers weren't that bad for St. Louis it is clear that Boston got the better of that deal (I also read that his ex-wife is currently married to his former teamate with the Blues, Brendan Shanahan. I wonder how awkward that locker room got).
His numbers towards the end of his career certainly trailed off but weren't too bad for what was the start of the dead puck era. I also remember his reputation as the softest player in the league.
For those of you that followed him more closesly, how would you rate his career?
He didn't live up to expectations and Brendan Shanahan is to blame
I won't go into the details of what I heard because of site rules regarding hearsay, but from what I have heard about that whole Janney/Shanahan thing, Janney would be at least somewhat responsible for his own predicament.
i think he did live up to his expectations. smallish one-dimensional skill center with little-to-no defensive game or grit, playmaker who doesn't shoot, weren't these all things they knew about him going into the draft?
given his playoff record, janney might have actually exceeded expectations, being that i see a guy with his very good but sub-elite playmaking skills and red flags everywhere else and don't see him putting up 73 playoff points (in 69 games) in his first four years, especially as the top center on a one line team facing the opposition's best checkers. i probably would have expected him to be more of a tim connolly, not a guy who scored 100 points or finished top 10 in assists four times in an unbelievably tough era (his competition was gretzky, mario, oates, yzerman, lafontaine, gilmour, sakic, francis, coffey, bourque, recchi, leetch, etc, and it was janney who finished fourth in total assists over his four year regular season peak).
he was a 16th overall pick in a very weak draft. certainly, no one who went later than him in the first round that year outshone him. janney became basically marc savard, which i think is about right.
i think he was better than sub-elite passing. But I agree that he exceeded expectations, as he had NOTHING else going for him. He couldn't even skate, to top it all off.
I am probably the only person on the planet who had Janney as his favorite player. As a kid, man did i get made fun of every time he got pushed down, but I also watched the guy like crazy...and, for what my meager, little opinion is worth - I can't honestly say anyone (ya, seriously) could feather a more accurate pass than him. He was a perfect passer. And really, how else do you break 100 points without having any other good skills?
He was obviously being 'bought high' going for Oates- I remember people thinking he would click with Hull, but i knew better, because neither one of them wanted to do the dirty work. He absolutely needed a powerforward to be effective.
The other two "great" passers at the time, in my eyes, were Oates and Gretz - both of whom had better vision, and used all 4 of their linemates. With Janney, you knew he was always just aware of Neely, and later Shanahan... but, he would have destroyed the skills competition they have know for passers.
Janney was an outstanding playmaker. One of the very best. He just didn't have a lot else going for him.
And while he got a reputation for being extremely soft, I recall one playoff he was playing hurt but I forget the specifics. I just remember being impressed by it at the time because it was completely the opposite of his reputation in that regard.
Can't deny his talent, though. 5 80+ point seasons is nothing to scoff at. Especially when guys could pretty safely play the pass on him.
Janney was an outstanding playmaker. One of the very best. He just didn't have a lot else going for him.
And while he got a reputation for being extremely soft, I recall one playoff he was playing hurt but I forget the specifics. I just remember being impressed by it at the time because it was completely the opposite of his reputation in that regard.
Can't deny his talent, though. 5 80+ point seasons is nothing to scoff at. Especially when guys could pretty safely play the pass on him.
good stuff. I can't remember the injury thing, but i have seen softer players. The thing is, softer guy don't play in the league as long. He might be the softest guy that was tough enough to hang around for a pretty full career, if that makes sense.
I remember him as someone who would take a hit to make a pass. He just never threw a hit, and, i think his foot speed, especially off the line was very weak - which sometimes makes guys look even lazier/softer than they are. I know Jumbo Joe gets that rap, but I feel he has a lot of heart, it's just he's a little step behind the highest end guys in quickness, whom he always matches up with come playoff time.
He exceeded his expectations imo. He was a better skater than some here would admit but other than that his skills, other than passing, were not great. He would definitely take a hit to make a play. He just wouldn't hit and could not be effective when he did. I will say I think he should have been in better shape. I remember Tikanen skating him into dehydrartion in the finals but I think he got what he should have out of his talent. He could have lasted longer and been more productive but on the whole he got what he should have out of it.
He exceeded his expectations imo. He was a better skater than some here would admit but other than that his skills, other than passing, were not great. He would definitely take a hit to make a play. He just wouldn't hit and could not be effective when he did. I will say I think he should have been in better shape. I remember Tikanen skating him into dehydrartion in the finals but I think he got what he should have out of his talent. He could have lasted longer and been more productive but on the whole he got what he should have out of it.
where would you rate his skating? I am really only going off of memories as a 12-16 year old... so, i'd like to know what you think. Skating was something i didn't focus on, but i seem to remember him being slow, in general, at least for a star player, but even worse as far as 'jump'. Like, I would call him a C-, but i'd like to know your thoughts.
where would you rate his skating? I am really only going off of memories as a 12-16 year old... so, i'd like to know what you think. Skating was something i didn't focus on, but i seem to remember him being slow, in general, at least for a star player, but even worse as far as 'jump'. Like, I would call him a C-, but i'd like to know your thoughts.
He had good balance and decent speed after his first few steps. No he did not have jump but really did not think he was a bad skater at all.
I remember Janney as a very poor skater, very weak on his skates, has yet to win a puck battle and generally a lazy player who played smaller when the games mattered most. Though he did have some nice playoff series with the Bruins and the Blues.
What I liked about Janney was his vision and passing - top notch. He complemented Neely, Hull, Shanahan very well - they produced some good numbers. I never thought he provided much in terms of leadership and never felt he was a core player that wins big games - but he had a pretty decent career nonetheless.
Janney was an outstanding playmaker. One of the very best. He just didn't have a lot else going for him.
And while he got a reputation for being extremely soft, I recall one playoff he was playing hurt but I forget the specifics. I just remember being impressed by it at the time because it was completely the opposite of his reputation in that regard.
Can't deny his talent, though. 5 80+ point seasons is nothing to scoff at. Especially when guys could pretty safely play the pass on him.
His "softness" wasn't as much about playing through injuries as it was about avoiding physical contact at all costs, never took a hit to make play and his reluctance to stand up for himself, let alone for a teammate in any way.
Also for the record, he was not a small player. He was 6'1" and his playing weight was around 210.
He just played very small.
His "softness" wasn't as much about playing through injuries as it was about avoiding physical contact at all costs, never took a hit to make play and his reluctance to stand up for himself, let alone for a teammate in any way.
Also for the record, he was not a small player. He was 6'1" and his playing weight was around 210.
He just played very small.
Right. Janney sure didn't go looking for contact but I do remember him as being willing to take a hit to make the play.
Right. Janney sure didn't go looking for contact but I do remember him as being willing to take a hit to make the play.
Latter in his career though.
Not in Boston or for most of his time in St. Louis.
I don't think it was a coincidence that he didn't start doing it until the DPE began. He would of been out of paycheck quickly if he hadn't.
Just a player who can best be described as someone who didn't age well. He was an afterthought at 30 years old. Put it this way, his last good season was 1995-'96. He was only 28 then. He scored 82 points but wasn't even in the running for the USA World Cup team. I know he didn't make the roster. That shouldn't have been the case for him, but that's how he was, not a guy you went to war with.
he got 6 points in 8 games in the 91 Cup, and his playoff numbers are damned fine. I stopped following him after St. Louis, but notice his numbers really didn't fade that bad, when you consider that his numbers drop fairly relatively to the onset of the DPE. I had forgotten he went to Winnipeg, and how decently he produced. Earlier I said he RELIED on powerforwards (Neely and Shanny)...well, there was a pretty good one of those in Winnipeg at the time.
I thought he could have been more. His playmaking and puck skills were top notch. He could have been a top-5 or top-10 playmaker for a decade. But I was never impressed with his attitude or his professionalism, and he needed the big, strong power winger to succeed.
He was magnificent with Neely and he was magnificent with Shanahan. He brought Shanahan's production to another level. But he was acquired by St. Louis to play with Hull, and for whatever reason, they never meshed. I don't think either guy brought the extra ingredients for a Janney-Hull tandem to thrive.
When Vancouver acquired him as the compensation in the Petr Nedved signing, Janney sulked. He opted not to report to Vancouver, so the Canucks dealt him back to St. Louis for Jeff Brown, Bret Hedican and Nathan Lafayette. (Ron Caron should have learned in 1991 to never do a deadline deal with the Canucks ever again). The Canucks went to Game 7 of the Cup final; the Blues were swept by Dallas. (Who were quickly disposed of by the Canucks).
Then Mike Keenan arrived in St. Louis. The Keenan-Janney relationship lasted eight games in a lockout-shortened season. Janney goes to San Jose. Bad idea. Winnipeg was a better fit, but still, this is a guy who had the potential to have a lot more than 53 points in 68 games. (Especially when you consider than Keith Tkachuk is exactly the type of player who should bring out the best in Janney).
The numbers weren't horrible in Phoenix, but when a guy gets traded for Louie Debrusk and a fifth round pick, it tells me that his team wasn't keen on having him around, and he wasn't that good, even though he had 53 points in 68 games.
Playoffs? I think the success in Boston had a lot to do with playing on Neely's line. Cam Neely's one of the great playoff goal scorers in a long, long time. Yes, Neely benefitted from having Janney on his line. But I think Janney benefitted a lot more.
When I see a guy with Janney's talents bounce around like he did (traded four times in a little more than four seasons, and awarded as compensation), it makes me wonder why. He wasn't signing one-year contracts in an effort to win the Cup late in his career. He was getting traded, and in the case of St. Louis and San Jose, he was traded by teams that needed a skilled playmaking centre. He became a suitcase. And he was out of the NHL at age 31, because nobody wanted anything to do with him.
i think he was better than sub-elite passing. But I agree that he exceeded expectations, as he had NOTHING else going for him. He couldn't even skate, to top it all off.
I am probably the only person on the planet who had Janney as his favorite player. As a kid, man did i get made fun of every time he got pushed down, but I also watched the guy like crazy...and, for what my meager, little opinion is worth - I can't honestly say anyone (ya, seriously) could feather a more accurate pass than him. He was a perfect passer. And really, how else do you break 100 points without having any other good skills?
He was obviously being 'bought high' going for Oates- I remember people thinking he would click with Hull, but i knew better, because neither one of them wanted to do the dirty work. He absolutely needed a powerforward to be effective.
The other two "great" passers at the time, in my eyes, were Oates and Gretz - both of whom had better vision, and used all 4 of their linemates. With Janney, you knew he was always just aware of Neely, and later Shanahan... but, he would have destroyed the skills competition they have know for passers.
I always loved janney. He was a passing center who rarely shot the puck. Yeah he was soft but was smart and a fluid skater. Underrated player who obviously wasn't imitated Oates class. But Oates wasn't a great goal scorer either
I thought he could have been more. His playmaking and puck skills were top notch. He could have been a top-5 or top-10 playmaker for a decade. But I was never impressed with his attitude or his professionalism, and he needed the big, strong power winger to succeed.
He was magnificent with Neely and he was magnificent with Shanahan. He brought Shanahan's production to another level. But he was acquired by St. Louis to play with Hull, and for whatever reason, they never meshed. I don't think either guy brought the extra ingredients for a Janney-Hull tandem to thrive.
When Vancouver acquired him as the compensation in the Petr Nedved signing, Janney sulked. He opted not to report to Vancouver, so the Canucks dealt him back to St. Louis for Jeff Brown, Bret Hedican and Nathan Lafayette. (Ron Caron should have learned in 1991 to never do a deadline deal with the Canucks ever again). The Canucks went to Game 7 of the Cup final; the Blues were swept by Dallas. (Who were quickly disposed of by the Canucks).
Then Mike Keenan arrived in St. Louis. The Keenan-Janney relationship lasted eight games in a lockout-shortened season. Janney goes to San Jose. Bad idea. Winnipeg was a better fit, but still, this is a guy who had the potential to have a lot more than 53 points in 68 games. (Especially when you consider than Keith Tkachuk is exactly the type of player who should bring out the best in Janney).
The numbers weren't horrible in Phoenix, but when a guy gets traded for Louie Debrusk and a fifth round pick, it tells me that his team wasn't keen on having him around, and he wasn't that good, even though he had 53 points in 68 games.
Playoffs? I think the success in Boston had a lot to do with playing on Neely's line. Cam Neely's one of the great playoff goal scorers in a long, long time. Yes, Neely benefitted from having Janney on his line. But I think Janney benefitted a lot more.
When I see a guy with Janney's talents bounce around like he did (traded four times in a little more than four seasons, and awarded as compensation), it makes me wonder why. He wasn't signing one-year contracts in an effort to win the Cup late in his career. He was getting traded, and in the case of St. Louis and San Jose, he was traded by teams that needed a skilled playmaking centre. He became a suitcase. And he was out of the NHL at age 31, because nobody wanted anything to do with him.
Overall a great post but he was traded straight up for Adam Oates and ironically in the Brown trade you alluded to in which Brown got into similar martial problems with a wife of another Canucks player a couple of years later and was moved suddenly in 96 (in what would be Brown's last productive season).
For a guy drafted 13th in a weak draft class he finished 4th in total points and has arguably top 10 career value of that draft class, I think it's fair to say that he fulfilled his expectations IMO.
