Quote:
Originally Posted by MHockeyFan
I am a huge Yzerman fan but at this point I would probably say that Nick has had the better career right now ON THE ICE. I say that b/c he has been a top-2 player at his position 9 times (norris voting) and has 4 cups. He also is a true ironman especially considering he plays on D. I mean the guy is so consistent and never gets injured. Sure Stevie has better numbers but that's b/c Nick plays D and when you compare Nick's career numbers vs. his peers, he is near the top. Certainly if he plays another 3 years, gets 1 more cup and possibly another norris then I think you have to put him as #2 (and possibly approaching #1).
But...Yzerman may still rank higher right now considering all elements b/c of the way he rescued the franchise and b/c of his captaincy during all those years. His leadership is unquestioned. The way he fought through the injuries, etc. It's a good question b/c I think I can make a case for both of them.
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Good post. Thanks.
The only thing I would take exception with is your comment that Yzerman "rescued the franchise." Certainly, he was the marquis player, the reason why fans started come back to Wings games. But, Illitch built a team around him. The Wings were a nice little team in the late 80's, but it wasn't until they added players like Lidstrom, Federov, Konstantinov, Draper, Larionov, Coffey, etc. in the early to mid 90's that they became the premiere franchise in the NHL. Put it this way: with Stevie Y alone, they wouldn't have gone anywhere. He would have been a great player on a mediocre to bad team.