Dude, great play! Time for my can't miss jump hug! You'll love it...

- glove_was_stuck

homer pick. The guy in my name. Not even my favourite oiler (ebs), but he's an absolute treat to watch. Nugey has some sick hands and even better vision.

Outside of the oilers, my favourite guys to watch are Giroux, Anisimov, P.Kane and Ekman-Larsson.

Raffi Torres

All time is Peter Forsberg. The strongest player on the puck that there ever was, and someone who always raised his already-insanely high level of play when the playoffs came around. I could live to be a million and never forget watching Foppa.

Other all-timers I felt privileged to watch: Nick Lidstrom - Aptly described as the "perfect hockey player," just never made mistakes; Cam Neely - As unique a player as there ever was, was liable to beat the hell out of someone one night (just ask Claude Lemieux) and then score an insane spin-o-rama highlight reel goal the next (you all remember that one against the Senators); and Joe Sakic - I doubt any of us will ever see a wrister like that again in this lifetime.

As for the present.....The player I feel most privileged to watch right now is Zdeno Chara. I might feel differently if I got to watch guys like Datsyuk or Crosby or Malkin on a regular basis, but to me feeling "privileged" to watch someone means they bring something truly unique to the table, or at the very least something we aren't likely to see again anytime soon. Big Z fits that bill with his size, strength, reach, and most importantly his insane conditioning.
- TheGreatNumber8

Raffi Torres
- brianb0422

Matt Cooke.

During the season my answer would have been Jagr and Selanne, who knows how much longer either will play and it is still a treat to watch them both. Right now the play of Datsyuk has simply been amazing. I hope Detroit fans, especially after the crap you had to suffer with during the 70s and 80s, truly appreciate how fortunate you have been over the last 20 years. Getting to watch truly special players like Yzerman, Federov, Lidstrom, Shanahan, Hasek, Chelios, Datsyuk and Zetterberg has got to be an amazing treat!

Current Players: Sidney and Datsuyk are my top 2 and Jumbo Joe Thornton because he can still make some great plays
Retired Players I saw: Gretzky is still the best, followed by Mario, but I also got to see Larionov and Makarov and I'd love to see them again in their prime along with Kharlamov. I'd also love to see Jean Beliveau, Henri Richard, Guy Lafleur and so many of the great Canadiens again along with Pavel Bure, Bobby Orr, Messier and Coffey, Gilbert Perreault and the French Connection;

Regular season, whenever Lupul was in the lineup, he was a privilege to watch. JVR coming into his own at times was absolutely encouraging, and Kessel in the playoffs was wicked. To be honest, this entire sport is a bloody privilege to watch, but as a Leaf fan, it was great to watch them all in the blue and white this year. The world of hockey is getting ridiculously good. Just as a type that though, i realize, far and away, my favourite player to watch, is Patrick Kane. My god he's good.

For me my favorite all time player is Peter Forsberg, all time i think he and Gordie Howe were the most complete players we have seen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRtrQ1YrCzw

Past: Mario, Jarg, Lindros (LoD era), Sakic, Yzerman,.
Currently: Crosby, Malkin, Giroux, Stamkos, Ovechkin, Karlsson and Letang.

He makes my team look like a bunch of buffoons every time out, but Datsyuk is at the top of my list. Datsyuk, Crosby and Rinne.

Stamkos and Kane

@DarrenDreger: Via Facebook, Stephane Roy says brother Patrick will be next coach of Avs and now calls out @adater, a highly respected reporter. Please.



mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....wtf...

Datsyuk and Zetts because of there defensive play.
- Leafsfan9329

Bobby Orr hands down over anyone anytime!!!!

A little homer bias but Datsyuk, Federov, Yzerman and Lidstrom. I liked watching Kariya, Forsberg (damn that dude was strong), Sakic and Roy, now I like watching Callahan in New York-not flashy but plays his @$$ off every shift of every game....

Ek, where's the article boasting that Chicago is fatally flawed?

Watching guys like Lemieux, Gretzky, Jagr was awesome but too cliche in answering this type of question.

Yzerman, Francis, Sakic and Bossy were the guys that played the game by hard work and determination.

Toews, Zetterberg are similar.

Erik Karlsson healthy now. Wayne Gretzky back in his prime for the past. Pavel Bure anytime in his career for the past aswell. Cant comment on Orr, wasnt alive but im sure he was great in his era.

But seriously Rafi Torres, Matt Cooke, Jarkko Ruutu, Alex Burrows, Max Lapierre, Ryan Kesler, Ulf Samuelsson, Cal Clutterbuck, Rich Pilon, Darius Kasperitus, Gino Odjick, Brad Marchant, Tommy Wingles, Matthew Barnaby, Claude Lemieux, Sean Avery, Bryan Marchment and Patrik Kaleta are at the top.

Gordon Bombay until he got hurt

Mighty13duck

Not gonna read through the posts. I hate the Redwings. But Datsyuk gets me everytime I see him. So amazing.

Jon sim

Gordon Bombay until he got hurt

Mighty13duck
- mighty13duck

Gordon was a one trick pony!!! Triple deke. AHL goalies ate him up.

For me my favorite all time player is Peter Forsberg, all time i think he and Gordie Howe were the most complete players we have seen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRtrQ1YrCzw

Past: Mario, Jarg, Lindros (LoD era), Sakic, Yzerman,.
Currently: Crosby, Malkin, Giroux, Stamkos, Ovechkin, Karlsson and Letang.
- opeth_pa

besides gretzky, Forsberg, Lindros, et al, i'll never forget seeing mike madano play live for first time as a teen. I pretty much just watched him the whole time and was amazed how he worked without the puck and how much he impacted the play even without the puck.

Seriously my favorite was the pre concussion Eric Lindros. Size, strength, skill, skating (except for the head down part) and just nasty when he was on his game.

Present day I don't know. I can appreciate Crosby's sick hockey skills but just can't root for him.