It's so hard to compare different eras and tough to get to only 10 guys. The speed of the game has definitely increased and so have the size , strength and conditioning of the players.

Guys like Orr and Gretzky would be great today but not so sure about Beliveau and Eddie Shore or even The Rocket.

As a former goalie coach now age 60 I can tell you this for sure: The best goalies of the 60s and 70s wouldn't make the AHL today, the technique and training of goalies has come that far. That includes legends like Hall, Sawchuk, Bower etc.
- Rang

Don't forget the equipment: compared to the sixties and earlier, today's players - fully equipt - look like Transformers, nothing but body armor - I'm surprised they can skate and maneuver as well as they do.

Do you look at players as they played then - if so, of course very few from the 40s/50s/maybe even 60s would make a top-anything list - but if you assume that if playing today, they would have today's training, development, and equipment, then it equalizes out.

I think you have to look at how they played compared to the rest of the league - on that basis, you can make a case for Hall, Sawchuk, Richard (50 goals in 50 games back in the 40s), etc.

Leadership qualities. Especially re: Toews/Crosby. Go back and watch the last two Olympics and come back and we'll discuss more. Invalid? Hardly. Subject to debate? Sure.

I will concede the point on Howe and Lemieux.
- John Jaeckel

I have not missed an Olympic hockey game that involved Canada since 92. I am not going to argue the qualities of Toews or how good he has been at the Olympics or in the NHL he's been great. Was his performance at the past two Olympics better than Crosby's..... absolutely. That still does not make him a better player than Crosby. You can argue for Toews at two not number 1 and I would be in the majority when it comes to saying that. You can't judge individual players based on Stanley Cups because if that was the case Kevin Lowe would be in the top ranked all time d men and we all known that would be bull. Cups and winning in general is done by teams. Individual stats define a player and that is where Toews falls short of Crosby.

Don't forget the equipment: compared to the sixties and earlier, today's players - fully equipt - look like Transformers, nothing but body armor - I'm surprised they can skate and maneuver as well as they do.

- StLBravesFan

Players wear more equipment now, but it's all incredibly light weight.

I think the biggest differences are in the skates and the sticks. Skates today are like feathers on your feet compared to say, the 80's. Sticks are also completely different. It's not even that their lighter, that plays a huge part. But it's a completely different tool, really. So many different curves/lies for sticks now, most older players would have difficulty playing with newer composite sticks.

For one, they'd probably snap them like twigs even more frequently then pro's do now. The muscle memory required is way, way different.

It might just be me, but i honestly dont see the big deal about Claude Giroux. I've just never been very impressed with him.
- BlazinMike

blasphemy!!

We are a bubble team at absolute best without him in the line-up. He's what makes the wheels go.
- mochoson

Pretty much, currently. Without G, we'd be barely keeping afloat to potentially compete for the 8th spot lol. I mean we're not that bad, but losing G would kill us a lot more than the Hawks losing Toews.

Many would disagree with me but I would include the only player that would cause the rink to stand and hold their breathe everytime he touched the puck - even when it was behind his own net. If Pavel had the puck you KNEW something spectacular was about to happen.
Injuries shortened Bure's career. Contraversy always followed him. But no one has ever played with the speed and excitment he did.

Stamkos >>> H. Sedin. I would boot Sedin out of the top 10 completely and replace him somewhere with Kopitar or Datsyuk.

Really? I'm obviously biased, but it doesn't take a rocket-scientist to figure out G is probably the best offensive center in the league not named Malkin, Crosby, or Stamkos (until Tavares puts up 90+ points and, he's behind G).

The fact he wasn't on Canada was insane, but he's a remarkable talent offensively and can play a 200-foot game at the tier below Jonathan Toews. He's also led the league in total scoring since the 2010 season and he was the NHL's highest scoring player from December until the end of the season this year. Just watching him with the puck and his vision is truly special.

He is a special player, and there are only a handful of them in the league.
- Flyers_V88

Could not agree more but G don't get that kind of respect. Take Ovechkin for example he could come out next season a poop the bed and have 50 points in 82 games and people would still want him in the top 5

Really? I'm obviously biased, but it doesn't take a rocket-scientist to figure out G is probably the best offensive center in the league not named Malkin, Crosby, or Stamkos (until Tavares puts up 90+ points and, he's behind G).

The fact he wasn't on Canada was insane, but he's a remarkable talent offensively and can play a 200-foot game at the tier below Jonathan Toews. He's also led the league in total scoring since the 2010 season and he was the NHL's highest scoring player from December until the end of the season this year. Just watching him with the puck and his vision is truly special.

He is a special player, and there are only a handful of them in the league.
- Flyers_V88

That's because Kunitz needs to be on that list

Lemieux is undeniably top 3.
- Yeah Boyes

Yeah isn't he the only player to average over 2 points a game for his career?

Great lists...however I would swap Sedin for Kopitar,

While Sedin is still great, he's not the player he was a few years ago. Kopitar is an amazing all-round forward and one of the best in the game.

It seems ludicrous to me that anyone can say that anyone other than Sidney Crosby is the best forward in the game today.

Of course he is.

It's not even kind of close.

Could not agree more but G don't get that kind of respect. Take Ovechkin for example he could come out next season a poop the bed and have 50 points in 82 games and people would still want him in the top 5
- RobFlyers#1

The league and fans outside of Philly don't like the Flyers. They're a very, very popular team, and they are a draw, BUT, they're not well-liked like a Chicago or Pittsburgh. G is a world-class talent, and probable top-5 player in the league, but many won't echo that on TV, in the media, or online. It is what it is.

Gretzky is my number 1 on account of best player ever and all.

Orr & Lemieux are next but they are so difficult to compare and both so great I won't attempt to rank them.

Gretzky is my number 1 on account of best player ever and all.

Orr & Lemieux are next but they are so difficult to compare and both so great I won't attempt to rank them.
- Yeah Boyes

^this

First off any current list that starts with Toews ahead of Crosby is invalid. Toews is great player and leader but let's stop kidding around. Crosby is best player in the world right now period. As for all time to have Howe ahead of Lemieux is absurd and just plain wrong. Gordie Howe played 1767 games in the NHL recording 1850 points and 801 goals. That's a 1.05 PPG avg and a GPG avg of .45 while Lemieux with all of his health issues and time missed in his prime played 915 games and recorded 1723 points for a whopping 1.88 PPG avg and 690 goals for a GPG avg of .75.
- RobFlyers#1

I get what your trying to say with the ppg argument, but Howe is ranked 37th all time in that respective, behind great players but not better players like Sakic, Yzerman, Hawerchuck, Savard, Kurri, Perreault and so on. Not to mention Howe did play hockey till he was 51 years old, and still scored at a 0.5ppg clip at that age. also take into account the high flying 80s and early 90s where everyone's points were somewhat inflated compared to other eras, and it's not the best point to argue. I do agree between the 2 it's a coin flip but I do put Howe slightly ahead for his longevity, being Mr. Hockey, holding plenty of records before Gretzky, and his importance to the game.

I hear you on the Sedin/Datsyuk argument (again, age/injuries). Going to respectfully disagree on Keith/Weber. Weber was a minus player the last two seasons.

Also the argument that Keith is "carried" by Seabrook is not borne out by what happens when they're separated. Keith more than holds his own.

Keith has flaws, but his strengths are exceptional and he is almost a one-of-a-kind player.
- John Jaeckel

And Weber is also playing with Toews (best player in the world according to you), and sometimes Hossa (top 5 two way player in the world, according to you) right?

I think Keith is worse than Weber on the Predators.

The league and fans outside of Philly don't like the Flyers. They're a very, very popular team, and they are a draw, BUT, they're not well-liked like a Chicago or Pittsburgh. G is a world-class talent, and probable top-5 player in the league, but many won't echo that on TV, in the media, or online. It is what it is.
- Flyers_V88

Oh no doubt but G's stats don't lie. G is the engine that runs the Flyers.

And Weber is also playing with Toews (best player in the world according to you), and sometimes Hossa (top 5 two way player in the world, according to you) right?

I think Keith is worse than Weber on the Predators.
- SolidGoldBricks

Reread before sending

It seems ludicrous to me that anyone can say that anyone other than Sidney Crosby is the best forward in the game today.

Of course he is.

It's not even kind of close.
- BINGO!

Why, because he always has the most points?

Datsyuk. Toews. Stamkos. Malkin. Kopitar.

Their are certainly worthy arguments.

First off any current list that starts with Toews ahead of Crosby is invalid. Toews is great player and leader but let's stop kidding around. Crosby is best player in the world right now period. As for all time to have Howe ahead of Lemieux is absurd and just plain wrong. Gordie Howe played 1767 games in the NHL recording 1850 points and 801 goals. That's a 1.05 PPG avg and a GPG avg of .45 while Lemieux with all of his health issues and time missed in his prime played 915 games and recorded 1723 points for a whopping 1.88 PPG avg and 690 goals for a GPG avg of .75.
- RobFlyers#1

Totally agree about Lemieux. I'm an Oilers fan but he should be right up there with Gretzky. Mario played with a bad back all the time too.

Toews
Crosby
Weber
Stamkos
Malkin
Doughty
Kopitar
Getzlaf
Giroux
Keith

Not enough love for the defense
- GoLeafsGo67

You mis-spelled Bozak.

I get what your trying to say with the ppg argument, but Howe is ranked 37th all time in that respective, behind great players but not better players like Sakic, Yzerman, Hawerchuck, Savard, Kurri, Perreault and so on. Not to mention Howe did play hockey till he was 51 years old, and still scored at a 0.5ppg clip at that age. also take into account the high flying 80s and early 90s where everyone's points were somewhat inflated compared to other eras, and it's not the best point to argue. I do agree between the 2 it's a coin flip but I do put Howe slightly ahead for his longevity, being Mr. Hockey, holding plenty of records before Gretzky, and his importance to the game.
- PaskySens

So you honestly think that Howe is better than Lemieux? And that Lemieux's totals was only because of the time he played? Come on man. When Lemieux returned after his first retirement he could have won the scoring title if he had returned a month earlier.....that's a quote from the guy that won it that year.....Jagr

Reread before sending
- l3ig_l2ecl

It was sarcasm.

Datsyuk over Doughty imo