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I'm not sure there is player on the Vancouver roster, aside from maybe Roberto Luongo, who has put up with more crap from fans than Kevin Bieksa has. Today, I will examine the facts and myths that surround one of the league most underrated players.
Total stats over the past five years
Regular season- GP-283 G-31 A-104 +/- -+40 PIM-369
Playoffs- GP-52 G-9 A-15 +/- -+11 PIM-65
Myth- Bieksa is overpaid
Fact- Currently, Bieksa sits at number 29 in the NHL, with a cap hit of 4.6 million. Is that a great number? No. Is that a terrible number for a guy who has played great in the playoffs and gives one of the NHL's best teams 22-24 minutes a night? Again, the answer is no.
If you're looking for overpaid players, Bieksa is not the place to start. The guy is paid around par with what he brings to the rink every day.
Myth- Bieksa is a turnover machine
Fact- This season, after 12 games, Bieksa sits tied for 73rd in the NHL with 8 giveaways. Not too shabby. However, last year he was a little more prone to giving the puck up. But considering Chara has just as many, Juice is in good company.
I don't think I've ever heard Chara called a turnover machine, so I can't see why Bieksa is considered one if his numbers are the same. I mean come one, it's not like he's Erik Karlsson or something.
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Myth- Bieksa is terrible in his own end
Fact- Plus 44 over the past two season would argue that myth.
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Myth- Bieksa isn't tough
Fact- Bieksa has fought close to 40 times in his NHL career. His list of opponents includes: Barnaby, Moen, Tootoo, C. Adams, Eager, Richards, Crombeen, Kostopoulos, Voros and Mayers. That's a pretty tough group. In my opinion, with a resume like that, you can call yourself a tough guy.
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Myth- Bieksa is not a top three-type defencman
Fact- This will be fun. Shall we look at where Bieksa would rank on every NHL team?
New Jersey- 2
Pittsburgh- 3
NY Rangers- 5
Philadelphia- 3
NY Islanders- 1
Boston- 4
Toronto- 1
Ottawa- 2
Montréal- 3
Buffalo- 1
Carolina- 3
Tampa Bay- 3
Winnipeg- 2
Florida- 1
Washington- 2
Chicago- 3
Detroit- 3
Nashville- 2
St. Louis- 3
Columbus- 1
Minnesota- 2
Edmonton- 2
Calgary- 3
Colorado- 1
Anaheim- 2
San Jose- 3
Dallas- 2
Phoenix- 3
Los Angeles- 2
As you can see, Bieksa would be a top-3 defenceman on every team in the NHL except Boston and the Rangers. He would also be the BEST defenceman on six teams in the NHL (Col, Cbj, Fla, Buf, NYI and Tor). I'm not sure how you rate players when you call them "top 3 D", but if a player is good enough to play in most team's top three, I would classify them as a top three defencman in the NHL.
Over the years, Bieksa has logged a lot of hard minutes, for one the best teams in hockey. He has played his best hockey in the playoffs. And he is the best quote on the NHL. I hate "Casual Kev" as much as most fans. But as you can see, Kevin Bieksa is a damn fine hockey player.
So lay off.
Vote for intro song
Vote
HERE for the intro music at the next two games.
I went "Warriors Call"
P.S.- anyone who votes for that Techno crap by DJ MEG, I will have you banned.
That's a wrap
Ian
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