Chelios by far. Maybe a lot of posters didn't see how dominant he was during his prime. Leetch is clearly behind him.
I honestly think that plays a big role in these types of comparisons. Many here just remember Chelios as a Red Wing and not as a Blackhawk or Canadien. He was phenomenal back then.
I do feel like Chelios' defense gets a bit overrated because of his physical nature like Kronwall, Phaneuf, Schenn, ect do. No doubt he was great though and IMO the best defenseman in the poll, no question. Housley not really competitive with these guys if you ask me.
I do feel like Chelios' defense gets a bit overrated because of his physical nature like Kronwall, Phaneuf, Schenn, ect do. No doubt he was great though and IMO the best defenseman in the poll, no question. Housley not really competitive with these guys if you ask me.
I disagree, and there are a couple coaches polls in the history section from the early 90's and Chelios and Bourque were the clear top 2 for best defensive defenseman in the NHL (Chelios winning one year and Bourque the other, with each being runner-up the year they didn't win). Also, I'm not going to dig up the post, but there's a statistical study on the history board that shows Chelios as one of the best PKers ever. I also remember several players surveys from back in those days saying how difficult he was to play against...part of it was the physical, but what I remember being mentioned even more was his ability to close the gap extremely quickly and at the perfect time.
As for the poll...I agree with what most are saying...Chelios is the clear #1, Leetch the clear #2, and Housley is quite a bit behind both of them.
I think Leetch is pretty underrated at times. As a guy who watched both in their primes i was always a little more impressed by Leetch. Maybe it's because he was a flashier player, but i think it's close. I knew Chelios was the popular answer, so i took Leetch. Gave myself a whole day to mull it over.
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Exhibit A as to how hockey doesn't matter on ESPN:
Last night an ESPN program was discussing how the Detroit Pistons needed a hero citing the heroes on the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions and no mention of the Detroit Red Wings. All this despite the Red Wings probably being the most succesful team in Detroit right now.
Leetch is one of the more underrated defensemen. Leetch wasn't as physical or quite as good defensively but he was still great in his own end and better than Chelios offensively. If I were building around one, it would be Leetch.
If we're talking absolute peak, did anything Chelios do exceed Leetch's '94 Playoff run? Small sample size though.
I still comfortably give Chelios the win in terms of prime and career.
I was pretty young, so I may be wrong, but Chelios was pretty dominant in both the '89 and 92 playoffs. I remember the '92 playoffs in particular he was unreal, and would have been a shoe-in for the Smythe if the Hawks had won.
Leetch was my favorite D man growing up, but the answer here is Chelios without hesitation. I must add that it was awesome seeing all 3 of them on Team USA.
Housley may not belong in this comp. but he's a very underrated player IMO (and that includes when he played). His defensive woes are greatly exaggerated, and were made up for by his offense.
Agree with your top 4, though Howe/Langway is awfully close for third. It might not be popular here, but I'd take Derian Hatcher over Housley for 5th. Hatcher just had a much bigger impact on helping teams win, despite Housley's gaudy point totals.
Derian's not even the best player in his family.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chelios
I was pretty young, so I may be wrong, but Chelios was pretty dominant in both the '89 and 92 playoffs. I remember the '92 playoffs in particular he was unreal, and would have been a shoe-in for the Smythe if the Hawks had won.
