I've always felt there was another play for that tournament that no one other than Mario could make. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it on youtube.
In the round robin portion, though, Canada was struggling and they were playing Hasek and the Czechs. That was still when Hasek was HASEK: almost unbeatable and capable of psychologically beating a team before the puck was even dropped.
Through the first two periods, Canada was frustrated by the Czech team defense and, even when they broke though, Hasek was there. You could see Hasek was in their heads, again, just like he was in 98.
Then Mario grabs the puck and breaks in on a two-on-one and, almost lazily, he flicks a wrist shot from the top of the faceoff circle at Hasek. No faking the pass, no deke, no mad traffic in front. Just a clean, unobstructed wrist shot. And, of course. . .it goes in.
Now, scoring on a wrist shot is no big deal. But to have the confidence and the sheer power of will to take that shot and beat Hasek and deflate that aura that he had going at that time. . . not sure anyone but Mario does that. I think even Gretzky looks to make a pass there.
Yes, I know which goal that was. The round robin game vs. the Czechs that ended in a 3-3 tie. Canada got the opening goal. Mario was on the far left side when what looked like a bad pass came his way. I have no idea how he did this and can't really explain it either but he almost slowed down the pass to his level and it bounced off the left boards after he deflected it and landed right there in front of him. Then he goes in on a partial breakaway. It wasn't really a two-on-one either. The Czech defenseman was just almost too scared to approach him. The other Canadian (Kariya?) was being covered so it was really just Mario on not the best angle in the world vs. Mario and a Czech defenseman. I remember just how slow Mario walked into the zone which just shows you the ability that guy had to have the game go at his own pace. Then just with such ease he flicks a wrist shot five hole on Hasek. 1-0 Canada. Then got another goal later.
I've always felt the only player in NHL history to make Hasek have a deer in the headlights look was Mario.
I remember just how slow Mario walked into the zone which just shows you the ability that guy had to have the game go at his own pace. Then just with such ease he flicks a wrist shot five hole on Hasek. 1-0 Canada. Then got another goal later.
I've always felt the only player in NHL history to make Hasek have a deer in the headlights look was Mario.
I remember that goal! Would love to find a youtube clip of it because I always thought Hasek was somehow frozen or didn't see/expect a shot for some reason. Mario, even more than Wayne, seemed to play in slow motion, made opponents look slower or that they weren't trying.
On breakaways, he was unstoppable and the ONLY PLAYER who looked like he had 3-4 options open at all times, that he could choose any one of those and score at will. I don't ever recall any player who was that good at beating a goalie who was ready for the shot.
Brett Hull, Ovechkin, Mogilny, Kovalev (many others) could beat ANY goalie with sheer power and accuracy - but Mario seemed to make goalies uncomfortable or confused all the time.
Maybe a bit of revisionist history but maybe not...I'm tired. And watching the ANA-VAN game, wondering how bad the VAN fans will react if Luongo loses ONE playoff game.
Crosby possesses unheralded athleticism and speed, Ovechkin will overpower you, Stamkos is a pure goal-scorer... but there's no player in the NHL with Jordan Eberle's panache.
I won't post "the goal", but here's another that's arguably as famous among Oilers fans:
How many players in their very first NHL game push the play against a veteran defenceman with that degree of confidence and dead calm? As if he's spring-loaded, Eberle explodes laterally and curls the puck in the opposite direction at the precise moment White dives. In one fluid motion, he disorients both defenceman and goaltender. That he maintained control through the entire sequence to finish it off is something else entirely.
Gretzky and Mario both did things fairly routinely that no one else could do. Best one I remember was in Edmonton one night against theCanucks.....A vancouver defenseman had it along the right wing boards...he had two vancouver players and Gretzky on that side. Out of nowhere Gretzky goes straight to the lleftboards and the Van defenseman backhands it around the boards right to him, he either scored or set up a goal off that play, I cannot remember. Either Gretzky knew that player's nickname or he was ......using his freaky powers of anticipation.
I recall The Magic Man, Kent Nilsson, in a game in 1980 or 81 carrying the puck around the Islanders goal in the old Calgary Corral with the high boards. Potvin was pursuing him. Nilsson switched from right handed to left handed while carrying the puck to elude Potvin and set up a scoring chance. Now I've heard Gordie Howe did this on occasion, but I've never seen it. Does anyone remember this play or saw Gordie pull this maneuver?
I've always thought that this was the goal that defined Peter Forsberg best. He dekes past one guy, then uses his incredible lower body strength to lean on the defender while eating several hooks and holds on his way to the net and beats Vanbiesbrouk on the second effort. The only player today I could see doing this is Crosby.
This one demonstrates his ridiculous vision. He dekes past a Sabre defenseman at center ice then goes around their net and essentially makes a 360 around their zone while drawing all the defenders to him and then passes to Dejardins at the point who is completely open and blasts it home. This was in the playoffs too!
Last edited by Sleeping Dragon 81: 04-04-2012 at 07:16 PM.
One thing I never saw again was Neely straight going through a Scott Stevens direct hit. He did not score on the play so I can't find it on youtube, but Stevens was going for his trademark freight train hit and rather than avoid the hit, Neely flipped the puck in front of him , braced himself for the head on collision and literally had Stevens bounce off of him and fall to the ice. Neely barely kept his feet, yet somehow kept his forward momentum, although pushed off to the side a bit, regained the puck, and shot the puck into the Washington goalie
Chara-McCabe, for sure. Could anyone else fling a grown man around in the air like he was a child? It's not like it was Nathan Gerbe or something. McCabe was a big strong guy (6'2, 220).
One thing I never saw again was _____ straight going through a _____ direct hit. He did not score on the play so I can't find it on youtube, _____ flipped the puck in front of him , braced himself for the head on collision and literally had _____ bounce off of him and fall to the ice. _____ barely kept his feet, yet somehow kept his forward momentum, although pushed off to the side a bit, regained the puck, and shot the puck into the _____ goalie
Ovechkin did exactly this against Anaheim in a January game of his sophomore season. It is very rare.
Also that goal Ovechkin scored while on his stomach with the puck behind his head against Phoenix.
That will always be Ovechkin's flagship goal, but you know, as skilled as it was I'm not sure he could do that again if he tried. The goalie (Boucher) would have to let that one go past him and inside the post again. There are goals like Afinogenov's in 2004 or about a million ones from Robitaille where players are either on their stomach or got a goal that had a lot of luck going their way.
For Ovechkin I have never seen someone do his move bursting down the left wing, cutting inside to the middle and wristing a shot in the net quite like him. Every time he uses the defenseman as a screen. Does anyone remember that goal he scored vs. Montreal in 2008 during a 4 goal game? It was just like that, his wrist shot was a bullet. And earlier this year, maybe a month ago the Islanders were in Washington and in overtime Ovechkin burst down the left wing with one defender back. In my head I said "he's going to score" and he did. Except he put the goal five hole rather than top corner. But no one has ever done that move time and time again using the defenseman for his own purpose. Even though he's slumped this year, Ovechkin still gives you the vibe that he is going to score every time he touches the puck.
Quote:
Originally Posted by arrbez
Chara-McCabe, for sure. Could anyone else fling a grown man around in the air like he was a child? It's not like it was Nathan Gerbe or something. McCabe was a big strong guy (6'2, 220).
I know I never saw something like that before. Not even from Probert who was 6'3" and probably on crack half the time he was on the ice. That shows you Chara's sheer strength. In another thread we are talking about "jump the shark" moments of a player's career. Well, to me at least, that was the opposite of that for Chara. From my standpoint that's when he became the feared player he is today when people saw that. McCabe is a capable fighter too, an old WHL boy who wouldn't have crawled around the ice either. I never saw Lindros do that. Or Robinson. Or Gillies. I think Pierre Bouchard was trying to do that to Jonathan during their fight in the 1978 final before he ended up on the losing end of it. You can see Bouchard try and lift Jonathan up in the beginning.
I have never seen another player purposely shoot the puck off the far side of the goalie for a perfect rebound "pass" to a teammate like Mario Lemieux. I missed Gretzky's prime tho
Wasn't the Production Line very famous for that as well?
How about Derek Boogaard's one-punch on Todd Federko? I'm not sure that no one else could do that, but I don't think I've ever seen such a cartoonish punch-out.
How about Derek Boogaard's one-punch on Todd Federko? I'm not sure that no one else could do that, but I don't think I've ever seen such a cartoonish punch-out.
No one but Bure could have done this. Fastest player of all time. First time I saw this I thought the video was in fast forward. No one should be able to out rush people like this.
Honestly, nobody does it quite like Sid. Here's another one a lot like it, just a little less impressive:
I actually think this one is more impressive, and this was the play I thought of when I first saw this thread. The edgework and strength on his skates in this is amazing, and is pretty much pure Crosby.
No one but Bure could have done this. Fastest player of all time. First time I saw this I thought the video was in fast forward. No one should be able to out rush people like this.
That is a nice one, lots of seperation there. I'll bet a lot of people forget that it was a preseason game though. Maybe that doesn't matter to some people, but I wish Bure had done that move during a regular season game when it mattered more.
But here is another one by Bure that I am not sure how many players could duplicate. Just watch the sheer speed as he picks it up in his own zone and then sweeps past Lidstrom with relative ease. Then roofs it top corner in tight. I don't know how many players could skate that fast and stickhandle at the same time. The Bure goal is around 1:45 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkrZi...feature=relmfu
During one penalty kill against the old Seals in Oakland, Orr swooped behind goal in possession of the puck, tussled with an opponent and lost a glove. "He went around by the blue line, came back, picked up his glove—still had the puck," Esposito says. "[Goalie] Gerry Cheevers was on the bench, and I'm standing there, and I hear Cheesy say to me, 'Espo, you want the Racing Form?' I said, 'Might as well; I'm not touching the puck!' Bobby killed about a minute and 10, 20 seconds of that penalty—and then ..." with even the Oakland players cheering now "... he scored. Greatest thing I ever saw."
Mario Lemieux putting the puck between Bourque's feet. Nobody would even attempt that move, especially on a legend like Ray, since that player would get chewed out by the coach if it was unsuccessful. Mario did it, and made it look easy. It's more staggering that he did it not in the regular season, but the post season.
Another one is the third goal Gretzky scored in '93 vs the Leafs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd_wAVpo3Ew
Some people say that he blindly passed the puck to the front of the net. I say he purposely tried to bank it in off Ellett. If you pause for a moment after the goal on the replay, you'd see there was five Leafs in the area, and not a King. This exemplified Gretzky. Get a point without getting in a position where he could get injured.
