Good thing we have another truckload of thoughts and prayers headed to Florida. It was a great success in Houston. I think I have a picture of it...

Rating the top 10 of all time is difficult due to many reasons. First it's hard to compare era to era, so you really have to factor in how dominant the player was in his day. Second, I only saw the great players at an age old enough to really understand the game starting in the mid 70s, so anyone who's prime was before 1975 or so, I can only go by film clips and what has been written about them by writers who's opinions I trust. Lastly, you have to decide how you want to rank them, by their overall careers or by how good they were at their peak.

With all that in mind, here's what I came up with:

TOP TEN OF ALL TIME (Whole career)

1. Wayne Gretzky C
The numbers say it all, his records will likely never be broken.

2. Gordie Howe RW
No player was as good for as long as Gordie from 1949 to the late 60s he was one of the best players, and at times the very best, player in the game.

3. Bobby Orr D
If not for injuries, he'd be #1 on this list

4. Mario Lemieux C
If not for injuries, he'd be #2 on this list

5. Doug Harvey D
7 Norris trophies in 8 years is just astounding. Considered by many hockey experts to be the best all around Dman to ever play the game. He also averaged around .5 points per game which is phenomenal in an era where Dmen rarely put up big scoring totals. Played on 6 Cup winners too

6. Nick Lidstrom D
He was the modern day Doug Harvey and the backbone of some fantastic Red Wing teams

7. Jean Beliveau C
In many ways, he was the Mario Lemieux of his era. Unlike Lemieux and Gretzky, he didn't have the advantage of being able to pad his stats against a lot of very weak teams, in the 6 team league, every team for the most part was a good one.

8. Maurice "Rocket" Richard RW
Imagine Pavel Bure with a mean streak and an unstoppable will to win and you'd have the Rocket. He was the first ever to score 50 goals in 50 games and he did it while facing one of the top 6 goalies and top 6 D pairs in the world every night.

9. Mark Messier C
Few players played the game as well for as long as Messier 1887 points in 1756 games is amazing and you can't discount the 6 Cup rings or the intangibles either.

10. Bobby Hull LW
If you factor in his later years in the WHA, Hull played 23 pro seasons. He scored 1170 points in 1063 NHL games, many of them in a 6 team league and he added 638 points in 411 WHA games. He also won 3 Ross trophies, a Hart trophy and was a 1st team all star LW 10 times.

Just missed the cut:
Jaromir Jagr, Sidney Crosby, Ray Bourque, Steve Yzerman, Denis Potvin

TOP TEN OFF ALL TIME (at their peak)

1. Bobby Orr D
No one has ever put up the numbers that he did while playing top notch defense too. He was completely dominant when healthy.

2. Mario Lemieux C
At his peak, Mario was virtually unstoppable and a true magician with the puck

3. Eric Lindros C
Even more so than Gretzky, who, during his peak, had a half dozen hall of famers to play with including one on his right wing, Lindros was frighteningly dominant. He could beat you with skill, brute force or his fists. And he was just as adept a goal scorer as he was a passer.

4. Wayne Gretzky C
The best playmaker, by far, to ever play the game.

5. Maurice "Rocket" Richard RW
At his peak, he was an unstoppable goal scoring machine and also as strong as an ox.

6. Gordie Howe RW
At his peak, Gordie just terrorized the NHL. He could intimidate you with just a glance and beat you with skill or strength.

7. Pavel Bure RW
Didn't have Richard's mean streak or brute strength, but the Russian rocket was an even better skater than Richard and also a goal scoring machine.

8. Sergei Federov C
The best Russian Player of all time, IMO. He was, at his peak, the best all around player in the game.

9. BObby Hull LW
No player ever shot as hard with such amazing accuracy. He was also an underrated playmaker and strong as a bull, you just couldn't knock him off the puck.

10. Jean Beliveau C
He was the best center of his era and just a hair behind Gordie Howe for best overall player. At 6'4 210, he was simply huge for his time and he could beat you with skill or strength.

Just missed the cut:
Mike Bossy, Denis Potvin, Cam Neely, Sidney Crosby
- BiggE

I'm a Lindros fan.....but never in the same hemisphere as Gretzky. I get the argument, but really?

Soft goals is like pornography. I can't describe or explain it, but I know when I see it.

Soft goals is like pornography. I can't describe or explain it, but I know when I see it.
- Pelle31Forever

It's like you've seen that type of goal 1,000 times much like you've seen titties a 1,000 times. Give me a reach around goal, give me a back door goal, give me a pounding one timer.

Exactly. Gretzky didn't have to face the trap and he faced some god awful teams and goalies too. Now imagine instead of Rico, Renberg/Hawerchuk, Brindy and Dineen, Lindros instead had Al MacInnis, Pavel Bure, Peter Forsberg and Teemu Selanne to play with. Is it that much of a stretch to him go from 1.5 ppg to 1.8? I would say that 1.8 ppg in the mid 90s is equivalent to 2+ ppg in the early 80s and you'd still have the physical element and faceoff dominance that Gretzky didn't have.
- BiggE

Gretzky also led his teams to Stanley cup victories. As the "whole" package, Lindros was a different animal. His size and physical stature in the end shortened his career. He was a hittable target....Gretzky very rarely got caught on the wrong end of a hit.

There were other factors that led to their lofty numbers.
- twotoekenn

Such as?

Gretzky also led his teams to Stanley cup victories. As the "whole" package, Lindros was a different animal. His size and physical stature in the end shortened his career. He was a hittable target....Gretzky very rarely got caught on the wrong end of a hit.
- landros 2

those teams were certified HOF from top to bottom. i think lindros could have done the same in that same position. gretzky went to one cup final post Edmonton and lost. i just don't put that much stock in that aspect of it.

i started watching hockey gretzky's rookie season. i saw it all. tremendous player. i preferred lindros as a "type" compared to him. not because he was a flyer. same reason i loved watching forsberg. amazing combination of size, speed, skill, and strength.

regarding gretzky, though, i enjoy the fact that his very last playoff game he played was a series ending loss to the flyers in philadelphia. it's all i've got.

Gretzky also led his teams to Stanley cup victories. As the "whole" package, Lindros was a different animal. His size and physical stature in the end shortened his career. He was a hittable target....Gretzky very rarely got caught on the wrong end of a hit.
- landros 2

Again, Gretzky had much more talent around him than Lindros did and better goaltending too. He didn't win those Cups by himself. No doubt, Gretzky had the MUCH better career. I'm just saying that in his prime, when healthy, Lindros was a slightly, hell very slightly more dominant player.

Good thing we have another truckload of thoughts and prayers headed to Florida. It was a great success in Houston. I think I have a picture of it...


- StepfordSam

Breaking: Stolarz out indefinitely with knee surgery to his meniscus.

Window for Carter Hart possibly.

Such as?
- MJL

Multiple HOF players, poor goaltending, extended 4 on 4, lack of coaching defense first systems, teams merging from the wha....

stolarz surgery? wtf?

It's like you've seen that type of goal 1,000 times much like you've seen titties a 1,000 times. Give me a reach around goal, give me a back door goal, give me a pounding one timer.
- Streit2ThePoint

Well played

Breaking: Stolarz out indefinitely with knee surgery to his meniscus.

Window for Carter Hart possibly.
- juiced

Not unless he can beat out Neuvy and/or Elliot.

Soft goals is like pornography. I can't describe or explain it, but I know when I see it.
- Pelle31Forever

You're better than this, Pelle31Forever

stolarz surgery? wtf?
- hammarby31

other knee too....fuuuuuck

stolarz surgery? wtf?
- hammarby31

should of kept Madsen lol

Again, Gretzky had much more talent around him than Lindros did and better goaltending too. He didn't win those Cups by himself. No doubt, Gretzky had the MUCH better career. I'm just saying that in his prime, when healthy, Lindros was a slightly, hell very slightly more dominant player.
- BiggE

The Gretzky I remember during those 4 cups in the mid 80's had no equal in my memory, probably because I hated the guy. He was better then any guy on the ice night in and night out for so many years. Yes he had a HOF supporting cast but it really goes beyond that. To this day I never saw a guy dominate and make it look so easy.....there was a few years that Lemieux raised his game to that sort of level that reminded me of the Gretzky prime years. When Lindros got going he did raise his game to a level on most nights where by he definitely set himself above the rest but he never had that consistency to it to be considered in Gretzky's or Lemieux's level. Again Eric's down fall was that he was more then willing to have that physical dimension to his game that very rarely is seen. That's just my opinion...and I consider my self a huge Lindros supporter.

I urban dictionary'd it





- Streit2ThePoint

I never needed to know that but I'll make sure I ask now while in mixed company.

should of kept Madsen lol
- YuenglingJagr

Or Joachim Eriksson.

Granted, I haven't seen him play for than a handful of times. But I still think that Getzlaf would be the closest there is in today's game.
- jmatchett383

There is no comparison. Lindros would run over people and than score.

The Gretzky I remember during those 4 cups in the mid 80's had no equal in my memory, probably because I hated the guy. He was better then any guy on the ice night in and night out for so many years. Yes he had a HOF supporting cast but it really goes beyond that. To this day I never saw a guy dominate and make it look so easy.....
- landros 2

All of this and there were only 21 teams so I call BS on the lesser goalies and bad teams. There are far more bad goalies and bad teams in the last 30 yrs than there ever were in the 80s.

should of kept Madsen lol
- YuenglingJagr

see. this is what i'm talking about.

Not unless he can beat out Neuvy and/or Elliot.
- dragonoffrost

Wonder if they could bring Sandstrom over? Not sure they would loan him from contract, but would like to see him getting AHL quality shots.

Multiple HOF players, poor goaltending, extended 4 on 4, lack of coaching defense first systems, teams merging from the wha....
- twotoekenn

I'm not comparing teams, I'm comparing the two players. In my opinion at their best, Gretzky was significantly better than Lindros was. Lindros was a dominant player and best package of physicality and skill that I ever saw play. However both Gretzky and Lemieux were significantly better. Gretzky's numbers and production was simply insane. Regardless of what "excuses" are made and what he had around him. When he was on the ice it was a goal waiting to happen. A 3 or 4 point game was pretty common.