Quick Hits: August 27, 2023
1) Sportskeeda's Nathan Greilla compiled a list of the five players he considers to be the most underrated in NHL history: Pekka Rinne, Stefan Persson, Theo Fleury, Vincent Damphousse, and Brian Propp. While it's too confined to the 1980s onward and I'd disagree with Fleury -- a player for whom Hall of Fame arguments are often made -- being underrated per se, it's not a bad starting place for looking at players from the 1980s onward who get underrated in terms of their historical impact.
I am glad that Greilla included Propp, the NHL's second-leading left wing scorer from the 1979-80 to 1989-90 seasons. Propp was a five-time NHL All-Star during his career, played in five Stanley Cup Finals (1980, 1985, 1987, 1990 with Boston, and 1991 with the Minnesota North Stars). He fell short of some of the "magic numbers" that get a player in the Hall: 50-goal-seasons, 100-point seasons, 500-plus career goals (he finished with 425), averaging north of a point per game (he averaged .987) but Propp was, subjectively speaking, one of under-the-radar best players of the decade.
2) This evening, Jason Myrtetus and I will record the weekly Mondays with Meltzer edition of Flyers Daily. I will post the link tomorrow morning.
3) August 27 Flyers Alumni birthdays: Ryan Bast (1975), Mark Botell (1961), Evgeny Medvedev (1982), Adam Oates (1962).