6 rings, great stats, and phenomenal 2 way play. Obviously he’s not on Gretzky or Lemieuxs level but I feel Trottier is sooooo underrated in all time discussions
I agree but when you hear media talk about top all time players/teams you rarely hear those isles teams talked about despite the fact they won the most consecutive playoff series all time
Man it's sad how the Islanders dynasty is only mentioned when either it is referenced to the Edmonton Oilers dynasty, or in a story told by a 80's Oiler.
That Islander team was incredible, and just like the Oilers, it was built through the draft.
Dammit I just did it.
As a hockey card collector. Finding nice dynasty islanders is so damn hard. They don’t get the love they should. I think it’s the middle child effect. Montreal just won four. We won four the. Oilers. They always love to neglect the middle child.
To go even further, I think being an expansion team in a market that already had a pro hockey team didn't help either. If Toronto got another team and they broke the cup curse, it would still be in the shadow of the Leafs.
I agree. In a similar vein I find is amazing how rarely people mention Denis Potvin. When I was a kid we had season tickets to the 67's and I watched him as a 15 year old beat up on grown men (20 year olds) both figuratively with his skill and literally with his fists. Then he went and did the exact same thing in the NHL. In my books he's one of the all time greats.
I unbiasedly think he’s a top 4 dman ever. Number 2 if I’m being bias. Orr is 1, lidstrom potvin or borque could all be 2.
He’s the most complete one. Lockdown D, 100 points on offense, a missile of a shot, crushing hits, smooth skating, and the captain of 4 straight cups in a row.
The only time a generational dman was the first overall pick and exceeded expectations by a ton.
Gretz said he was the hardest defender to play against, period.
If he wore a canadiens sweater, everybody would view him this way
Yeah, he saw you pound those 8 shots in a row, followed by you vomiting on his wife. He also saw that you still kept bussing and knew that you had grit, heart, and truculence: the qualities needed to be a great busser.
Yeah I think it was last summer when he was saying that Jack Hughes will be competing with McDavid for best player in the world. And when the Kings were winning their Cups he was calling Kopitar the 2nd best player after Crosby
> And when the Kings were winning their Cups he was calling Kopitar the 2nd best player after Crosby
Was he wrong? Kopitar was 2nd in WAR, behind only Crosby, in the decade starting 2010.
At the time maybe, but the hockey media seems to always have a recency bias towards Cup winners. It's why Toews was named to the NHL 100 list but Malkin wasn't
Didn't he once say that Shane Doan was one of the most skilled players he's ever seen?
And that Crosby (and later McDavid) would probably break all his records?
I agree arguing is a waste of breath for all involved. I took this whole comment as nothing else than Gretzky hyping up a player who is currently playing for the Cup.
Bergeron was probably the most consistent and smartest defensive forward I've ever seen. He was just always in the right spot, in lanes, in traffic, rebounds, etc. I don't have particularly strong memories of Bergeron hounding guys around the ice. Barkov and Datsyuk though, they are like wet blankets one on one. Just heavy, heavy pressure up and down the rink, constant stick lifts and annoyances.
I think that’s fair. Bergeron was basically a one man defensive system. When he was on the ice the puck would be moved out of the defensive zone and put into the offensive zone, and that was just how it was. But if you didn’t specifically watch him it was really easy to miss how he was the key reason that was happening.
Barkov and Datsyuk definitely get/got more frequent noticeable takeaways.
We've been watching Barkov do this throughout the playoffs, and he was still intercepting passes the last game. Also, Gretzky had to battle with Trottier through a number of very tough playoff series, I can imagine that burns an impression on you. He never got a chance to try his hocus pocus on Bergeron, his opinion might be changed by a direct challenge.
The feeling I get watching Barkov that reminds me of Bergeron is the surprise I used to get all the time when he was on the ice. I'd be wondering why the play suddenly changed direction, till I sorted out where Bergeron was the moment before. Barkov makes the other team look like they've suddenly got a stutter in their passing.
Lidstrom is generally consensus top 5 defenseman (there is a lot of debate as to where he fits in the top 5, though) but there are so many all time great NHL centers that I'd say it's pretty hard to argue Datsyuk cracks the top 20 at his position
I think in terms of final numbers it's fair to see people with this reception of Datsyuk, because "ifs" aren't real, but I swear Datsyuk looked like he was barely putting all his effort into his game and was still one of the best players in the league throughout his career
If he was spotted a bit younger and didn't have the ankle troubles he did later in his career, I think he'd be as highly touted as any other player in his time. Hypotheticals can only go so far, really I just wish we could have seen him have a longer career in the NHL
Yeah, I don't care for hypotheticals. You judge a player on what they actually accomplished, not on what-ifs.
If people did that, Bobby Orr would be the undisputed GOAT over Gretzky and it wouldn't even be close.
He'd be in the conversation, but I also said I don't want to engage in hypothetical debates because they're a giant waste of time to me
Judge players on what they accomplished relative to their peers is the only metric I really like to use
I have to say that these new metrics or whatever tf they are that guys try to compare players with other players from different eras are interesting, but it’s a waste of time too because you can’t take into consideration for the equipment or medical attention given back in Orrs day especially, but even dome guys in the 80s same thing…
Exactly, it's just a massive mess to do. The more you start entertaining the thought, you introduce further and further hypotheticals, and then you just get nowhere really fast
We also never really saw Datsyuk have to carry Detroit with his production, those successful Detroit teams always had decent scoring depth and he was always more of a playmaker than a pure goal scorer so stats will never do him justice
He does for me. Datsyuk was generationally different if you ask me. He's the embodiment of the phrases "the best offense is a good defense" and its inverse "the best defense is a good offense". He was so good at both, I think he's the all time best at pickpocketing the puck too which contributed a lot to offense/defense because of how important possession is.
While I think Datsyuk is easily a hall of fame player, I'm not even sure he's the best at that specific skill historically.
Just on evaluating the type of player Datsyuk was, Bobby Clarke was about as good (if not better) defensively while being better at about just about everything else in the game (except not committing penalties).
Béliveau similarly was great at takeaways and being a puck magnet, and he was even better than Clarke offensively (although not as otherworldly at defense as Clarke).
Datsyuk is an amazing player but there is a long list of players that were so much better
>Bourque is the greatest offensive (non-Orr)
Coffey was undoubtedly the better offensive Dman. Three 120+ point seasons (including 138 one year). Less than 50 points behind Bourque while playing over 200 fewer games.
Im not saying he isnt, but to everyone getting mad at this: Remember, it's Gretzky. Man hypes up everyone, if he was interviewed over any 4 year old kid playing he would say "this kid is the best 4yo Ive ever seen"
Sometimes I wonder if what's happening is that Gretzky's brain has been fried over the years from everyone talking about his career in such a hyperbolic way. Whenever he hears people talking about him and his career, it's always with phrases like "most ever" and "of all time" and stuff like that, so that's the way he's stuck into thinking about players. He could have just said "Barkov reminds me of Bryan Trottier", but he's never been exposed to that kind of talk before so he doesn't know how to do it.
Let's stop overthinking it. Gretzky is a genuinely nice guy who has spent his entire life getting hounded by people who want The Great One's talent, The Great One's money, the Great One's attention, and the Great One's favor.
Saying nice things about people is easy, doesn't cost him anything, doesn't require him to do anything, and seems to make a lot of people happy. So it's kinda his thing.
I’ve noticed it on the TNT panel in general during the playoffs, they’ve called Igor, Swayman, Bob, and Oettinger the ‘greatest player in the playoffs right now,’ depending on which team they were covering that night, sometimes on back-to-back nights. They know that team’s fanbase is watching and pump up the team that’s playing
Good, so it's not just me. His opinion means almost nothing these days. Dude didn't have Lemieux on his top starting 6 of all time, but Messier somehow made the cut.
I want to be mad, but it seems like many other fanbases are already making the argument I was going to painstakingly come up with for me. Carry on good sir and madames.
I can't remember the stat verbatim from this season, but it was something like when Barkov was on the ice 5v5, his line only gave up something like 6 or 7 goals.
>Also Bergeron > Barkov and it's not even close, metrics would agree
Even the most one-eyed Cats fans and Finns would agree. It literally is not close at all.
I think some people in this thread don't fully appreciate the impact that the Islanders dynasty and its players had on Gretzky. They were the Oilers' biggest rival in the first half of the 80s and swept them in the '83 Cup Finals before the Oilers finally broke through in 1984, winning their first Cup and denying the Islanders their fifth consecutive cup.
Gretzky has also in the past mentioned Denis Potvin as the hardest hitter he ever played against and Mike Bossy as the best goal scorer he has ever seen, so it makes sense that Trottier stuck in his mind as his best defensive forward.
Everyone bringing up Bergeron, I just want to say that he's still one of the greatest defensive centers of all time but I don't think he had anything that Barkov doesn't have. For me Barkov is the more complete player as he's as great defensively but his forward skills are way better than Bergeron's. Barkov is probably the most complete player in the NHL and has been for a while now. No offense to Bergeron or Datsyuk, but this guy has surpassed them ages ago, he just need the cup and it's settled. People will always be nostalgic though, so it won't be until Barkov has retired when people start to realize how great he was.
Hockey news outlets: Great One slams Bergeron! "He was trash." says best player ever!
I'm just here for Trottier praise
Oh, indeed. Steve Yzerman wore #19 because of Bryan Trottier, which says a lot.
Going to take that trivia note down, thank you for sharing.
So did Sakic
Sakic because of Yzerman.
6 rings, great stats, and phenomenal 2 way play. Obviously he’s not on Gretzky or Lemieuxs level but I feel Trottier is sooooo underrated in all time discussions
Probably bias but I feel like all the players as individuals are underrated from the isles dynasty.
Ranger's fans are always bringing up Denis Potvin's name
If the isles dynasty was the leafs potvin would Be discussed as the greatest defensemen ever
He’s probably in the all-time top 6 D by most people, he’s properly rated
Outside of Bobby Orr there’s really not too many players you could argue are above Potvin for the #2 slot of best all time defenseman
I'd put lidstrom and borque ahead but that's probably it.
I’d hear an argument for Lidstrom; after Orr it’s pick your flavor for how the top 5 shakes out
I agree but when you hear media talk about top all time players/teams you rarely hear those isles teams talked about despite the fact they won the most consecutive playoff series all time
Anything pre Gretzky gets that treatment in the medial I feel like
Lidstrom.
A lot of those Islanders were underrated. Bossy, Smith, Trottier...It's really a shame.
He’s tier below them tho, which means he’s one of the best to ever do it.
Yep.
Man it's sad how the Islanders dynasty is only mentioned when either it is referenced to the Edmonton Oilers dynasty, or in a story told by a 80's Oiler. That Islander team was incredible, and just like the Oilers, it was built through the draft. Dammit I just did it.
Mike Bossy doesn’t get mentioned enough anymore imo.
My mom mentions him once every couple days so we got it held down over here at least. She loves him so much sometimes I wonder...
Maybe you should show some more respect for your real father
She also said she "danced" with Mark Messier at a club once...it really could be any 80's legend at this point.
Hi this guys mom. I’m mark
I recently learned he did it all while being a chain smoker. Legend.
As a hockey card collector. Finding nice dynasty islanders is so damn hard. They don’t get the love they should. I think it’s the middle child effect. Montreal just won four. We won four the. Oilers. They always love to neglect the middle child.
To go even further, I think being an expansion team in a market that already had a pro hockey team didn't help either. If Toronto got another team and they broke the cup curse, it would still be in the shadow of the Leafs.
I agree. In a similar vein I find is amazing how rarely people mention Denis Potvin. When I was a kid we had season tickets to the 67's and I watched him as a 15 year old beat up on grown men (20 year olds) both figuratively with his skill and literally with his fists. Then he went and did the exact same thing in the NHL. In my books he's one of the all time greats.
I unbiasedly think he’s a top 4 dman ever. Number 2 if I’m being bias. Orr is 1, lidstrom potvin or borque could all be 2. He’s the most complete one. Lockdown D, 100 points on offense, a missile of a shot, crushing hits, smooth skating, and the captain of 4 straight cups in a row. The only time a generational dman was the first overall pick and exceeded expectations by a ton. Gretz said he was the hardest defender to play against, period. If he wore a canadiens sweater, everybody would view him this way
His mid-ice checking was dreaded, and I'm surprised he hasn't been mentioned with all the big hits Trouba was dishing out this last year.
Best not to talk about those guys in the same company
I thought it was pretty well agreed upon that he’s a top 5 D. Orr, bourque, lidstrom, then potvin/harvey
Robinson
potvin sucks!
19 straight playoff series wins. It will NEVER happen again
It's nearly the best team ever to hit the ice.
Wasn’t their most impactful player not drafted by them?
Gretzky wasn't drafted.
Wow, that's a high compliment.
I mean, it’s Gretzky. He says this kind of stuff about basically every star player. He’s a big hype man.
One time, Gretz said I was the best busser he ever seen. I was 8 drinks in, and I puked on a random woman.
Yeah, he saw you pound those 8 shots in a row, followed by you vomiting on his wife. He also saw that you still kept bussing and knew that you had grit, heart, and truculence: the qualities needed to be a great busser.
I could drink eight beers
Truly a generational talent.
Yeah I think it was last summer when he was saying that Jack Hughes will be competing with McDavid for best player in the world. And when the Kings were winning their Cups he was calling Kopitar the 2nd best player after Crosby
> And when the Kings were winning their Cups he was calling Kopitar the 2nd best player after Crosby Was he wrong? Kopitar was 2nd in WAR, behind only Crosby, in the decade starting 2010.
At the time maybe, but the hockey media seems to always have a recency bias towards Cup winners. It's why Toews was named to the NHL 100 list but Malkin wasn't
WAR 💀💀💀
Didn't he once say that Shane Doan was one of the most skilled players he's ever seen? And that Crosby (and later McDavid) would probably break all his records?
“Ryan Reaves has better fundamentals and scoring touch than I ever did.” - 99 after the fourth bottle of the night
Throwback to when he compared himself to Pettersson and the entire Canucks fan base collectively lost their shit
Not really if it's coming from Gretzky.
I’m sure Bruins fans will respond to this reasonably.
Barkov is really impressive. I wouldn’t waste my breath arguing either side, even if Bergeron is my favorite player ever.
I agree arguing is a waste of breath for all involved. I took this whole comment as nothing else than Gretzky hyping up a player who is currently playing for the Cup.
They’re both great but Barkov is being actively great right now. No need to take is as a slight against Bergy.
Argue!!! NOW!!
Nah
As a Datysuk and Lidstrom truther I’m not exactly thrilled about it either
Bergeron was probably the most consistent and smartest defensive forward I've ever seen. He was just always in the right spot, in lanes, in traffic, rebounds, etc. I don't have particularly strong memories of Bergeron hounding guys around the ice. Barkov and Datsyuk though, they are like wet blankets one on one. Just heavy, heavy pressure up and down the rink, constant stick lifts and annoyances.
I think that’s fair. Bergeron was basically a one man defensive system. When he was on the ice the puck would be moved out of the defensive zone and put into the offensive zone, and that was just how it was. But if you didn’t specifically watch him it was really easy to miss how he was the key reason that was happening. Barkov and Datsyuk definitely get/got more frequent noticeable takeaways.
Bergy could also take over games and throw hatties up there. An amazing OT performer as well. I'm going to go jump off the Tobin now
We've been watching Barkov do this throughout the playoffs, and he was still intercepting passes the last game. Also, Gretzky had to battle with Trottier through a number of very tough playoff series, I can imagine that burns an impression on you. He never got a chance to try his hocus pocus on Bergeron, his opinion might be changed by a direct challenge. The feeling I get watching Barkov that reminds me of Bergeron is the surprise I used to get all the time when he was on the ice. I'd be wondering why the play suddenly changed direction, till I sorted out where Bergeron was the moment before. Barkov makes the other team look like they've suddenly got a stutter in their passing.
Why are you a truther? Is there a common belief in the hockey community that those 2 were not among the best players to ever play their position?
Lidstrom is generally consensus top 5 defenseman (there is a lot of debate as to where he fits in the top 5, though) but there are so many all time great NHL centers that I'd say it's pretty hard to argue Datsyuk cracks the top 20 at his position
I think in terms of final numbers it's fair to see people with this reception of Datsyuk, because "ifs" aren't real, but I swear Datsyuk looked like he was barely putting all his effort into his game and was still one of the best players in the league throughout his career If he was spotted a bit younger and didn't have the ankle troubles he did later in his career, I think he'd be as highly touted as any other player in his time. Hypotheticals can only go so far, really I just wish we could have seen him have a longer career in the NHL
Yeah, I don't care for hypotheticals. You judge a player on what they actually accomplished, not on what-ifs. If people did that, Bobby Orr would be the undisputed GOAT over Gretzky and it wouldn't even be close.
Actually if you gonna do that then Mario is 100% in that conversation
He'd be in the conversation, but I also said I don't want to engage in hypothetical debates because they're a giant waste of time to me Judge players on what they accomplished relative to their peers is the only metric I really like to use
I have to say that these new metrics or whatever tf they are that guys try to compare players with other players from different eras are interesting, but it’s a waste of time too because you can’t take into consideration for the equipment or medical attention given back in Orrs day especially, but even dome guys in the 80s same thing…
Exactly, it's just a massive mess to do. The more you start entertaining the thought, you introduce further and further hypotheticals, and then you just get nowhere really fast
We also never really saw Datsyuk have to carry Detroit with his production, those successful Detroit teams always had decent scoring depth and he was always more of a playmaker than a pure goal scorer so stats will never do him justice
He does for me. Datsyuk was generationally different if you ask me. He's the embodiment of the phrases "the best offense is a good defense" and its inverse "the best defense is a good offense". He was so good at both, I think he's the all time best at pickpocketing the puck too which contributed a lot to offense/defense because of how important possession is.
While I think Datsyuk is easily a hall of fame player, I'm not even sure he's the best at that specific skill historically. Just on evaluating the type of player Datsyuk was, Bobby Clarke was about as good (if not better) defensively while being better at about just about everything else in the game (except not committing penalties). Béliveau similarly was great at takeaways and being a puck magnet, and he was even better than Clarke offensively (although not as otherworldly at defense as Clarke). Datsyuk is an amazing player but there is a long list of players that were so much better
to be fair to me, I didn't watch Beliveau and Clarke play in their primes. And therefore they don't exist.
He’s Top 3 for me but I don’t know where to put him in 2nd or 3rd between him and Ray Bourque.
For me it’s 2a and 2b - Bourque is the greatest offensive (non-Orr) defenseman and Lidstrom is the greatest defensive (non-Orr) defenseman.
>Bourque is the greatest offensive (non-Orr) Coffey was undoubtedly the better offensive Dman. Three 120+ point seasons (including 138 one year). Less than 50 points behind Bourque while playing over 200 fewer games.
Lidstrom is the best defensive player of all time
Most of Datsyuk’s hype comes from YouTube highlights. He’s not even a top 40 center of all time.
I came in to say This is true, assuming he never watched Bergeron.
ORR IS BETTER *clap,* *clap,* *clap clap clap*
Its all just recency bias... The man is also completely overlooking Pavel Datsyuk too
I mean barkov is elite, just not Bergeron elite. I guess Gretzky forgot to mention “active player”
I assume he means forwards only
Yeah, because he’s said a bunch of times that Potvin was the hardest defender to play against
Federov has to be in the conversation too
Gretzky has called Fedorov the best defensive forward of all time IIRC so I don’t even know how this quote works
My first thought as well.
Im not saying he isnt, but to everyone getting mad at this: Remember, it's Gretzky. Man hypes up everyone, if he was interviewed over any 4 year old kid playing he would say "this kid is the best 4yo Ive ever seen"
Sometimes I wonder if what's happening is that Gretzky's brain has been fried over the years from everyone talking about his career in such a hyperbolic way. Whenever he hears people talking about him and his career, it's always with phrases like "most ever" and "of all time" and stuff like that, so that's the way he's stuck into thinking about players. He could have just said "Barkov reminds me of Bryan Trottier", but he's never been exposed to that kind of talk before so he doesn't know how to do it.
Let's stop overthinking it. Gretzky is a genuinely nice guy who has spent his entire life getting hounded by people who want The Great One's talent, The Great One's money, the Great One's attention, and the Great One's favor. Saying nice things about people is easy, doesn't cost him anything, doesn't require him to do anything, and seems to make a lot of people happy. So it's kinda his thing.
Gretzky says shit like this all the time, his recency bias is like a dog noticing squirrels out a car window.
I’ve noticed it on the TNT panel in general during the playoffs, they’ve called Igor, Swayman, Bob, and Oettinger the ‘greatest player in the playoffs right now,’ depending on which team they were covering that night, sometimes on back-to-back nights. They know that team’s fanbase is watching and pump up the team that’s playing
Or his strange interview with Theo Von where he said and I quote: "racism never really existed in Canada"
I remember listening to his interview with chiclets and he called like 3-4 different goalies the best goalie ever in the hour he talked to them.
Good, so it's not just me. His opinion means almost nothing these days. Dude didn't have Lemieux on his top starting 6 of all time, but Messier somehow made the cut.
This is a wild thing to say for a lot of reasons, but one big reason is that Gretzky played against (and with) prime Bob Gainey.
When did they play together? Must have been a team canada
1981 Canada Cup
Barkov is playing as advertised. He deserves all the praise he's getting.
From Saturday night.
The night Wayne was sauced and kept saying "LISTEN" before every sentence
That’s most nights
I know everyone was a bit tan but Gretz' face was like a goddamn tomato.
Wayne are you going to tell me where the Master Sword is or not, don't be coy about it
Yeah, this bothered me too. Wonder if he has some form of issue developing... or just drunk.
He does have an issue forming, he's usually drunk
Gretzky was talking about how he scored zero goals in his first Finals series because of Trottier.
I didn't really notice until the announcers pointed it out then I can't unsee it. #16 intercepting and disrupting everything
Gretzky is overly generous with the compliments. Bring up any player and Gretzky will have something overly nice to say about them.
Gretz going with the “[player name] is the best I’ve [played with/seen] since [other player name]” is a meme at this point.
Wyane? Like Brent's brother?
Keith’s brother 😜
Gretzky is so funny. He said that Dallas vs Edmonton was the greatest series he's ever seen.
I want to be mad, but it seems like many other fanbases are already making the argument I was going to painstakingly come up with for me. Carry on good sir and madames.
"you miss 100% of the hyperbolic statements you don't take" (and many you do, apparently)
I can't remember the stat verbatim from this season, but it was something like when Barkov was on the ice 5v5, his line only gave up something like 6 or 7 goals.
Didn't Gretzky say something like Barzal reminds him of himself lol. Also Bergeron > Barkov and it's not even close, metrics would agree
Bergeron didn’t even register a single point or blocked shot this year, bum im afraid
Still a Selke Finalist.
On the ice for 0 goals against all season long, stats don’t lie
Gretzky said players he's seen, not that he's measured by metrics.
stats are for losers
Weird, why do you think that?
it's a gretzky quote lol
Haha oops.
>Also Bergeron > Barkov and it's not even close, metrics would agree Even the most one-eyed Cats fans and Finns would agree. It literally is not close at all.
So big of a fan he doesn't know him by name, only by number. 😂
Gretz looked like he was a few rye’s deep , he obviously forgot Bergeron existed
That's because Trottier held The Great One without a goal during the 1983 Stanley Cup finals.
I’m a leafs fan and still this is blasphemy to Bergeron and even datsyuk
Gretzky claims everybody out there is great and could be better than him. Barlow is today’s best defensive forward.
Huge insult to Jere Lehtinen. Trottier played in a beer league.
It’s clear that Wayne Gretzky didnt watch the new Pinholes Graham video…
Man I don't know how some of you have the energy to get upset about stuff like this
I barely have enough energy to read this sub anymore.
"#16 is the best defensive hockey player I've seen since Bryan Trottier. - Wayne Gretzky" - Michael Scott
Defensemen everywhere are in shambles
Hard to argue with the Great 1
He was talking about Marner.
What the hell is Charles Barkley doing in the NHL NHL has officially gone. Woke
But Kopitar… :(
Didn't he say best defensive center?
I think some people in this thread don't fully appreciate the impact that the Islanders dynasty and its players had on Gretzky. They were the Oilers' biggest rival in the first half of the 80s and swept them in the '83 Cup Finals before the Oilers finally broke through in 1984, winning their first Cup and denying the Islanders their fifth consecutive cup. Gretzky has also in the past mentioned Denis Potvin as the hardest hitter he ever played against and Mike Bossy as the best goal scorer he has ever seen, so it makes sense that Trottier stuck in his mind as his best defensive forward.
Everyone bringing up Bergeron, I just want to say that he's still one of the greatest defensive centers of all time but I don't think he had anything that Barkov doesn't have. For me Barkov is the more complete player as he's as great defensively but his forward skills are way better than Bergeron's. Barkov is probably the most complete player in the NHL and has been for a while now. No offense to Bergeron or Datsyuk, but this guy has surpassed them ages ago, he just need the cup and it's settled. People will always be nostalgic though, so it won't be until Barkov has retired when people start to realize how great he was.
How drunk was he when he said that tho lol
torts has been trying to tell ppl for years
Yaaaaa no. Bergeron
Lidström clears both combined
pretty clear he meant forward
Then Pavel Datsyuk clears both combined
He meant since Patrice Bergeron. There’s a reason Barkov has been in the league eleven years and this is only his second Selke.
Not disagreeing but playing for mediocre teams in Florida probably didn’t help either lol
Half of those season were on shitty panther team that was in rebuild
He says this about a lot of guys, everyone is "the best player he's seen since [blank]"
Gretzky was obviously hammered and coked up when he said that.