5 most exciting hockey players ever!

Here are my top 5:

1- Guy Lafleur- The flower is a 3 time art ross and hart trophy winner, scored 50 or more goals for 6 straight seasons as well as 120 + points for 6 straight seasons, lead habs to 4 consecutive cups and did that while being considered the most exciting player of his time and inspired 2 of the 3 considered best players of all time in Lemieux and Gretzky.

2- Mike Bossy: This guy was so great to watch as all his shots looked good. His wrist shot looked good, his slap shot looked good, 5 hole looked good, everything looked good. He lead his team to 4 straight cups in the 80-s and the last one of his 4 cups was when the Islanders swept the Oilers and the great one. This guy scored 50 or more goals for 9 of his first 10 seasons and couldnt reach the plateau in his last season due to injuries.

3- Pavel Bure: A great player and very exciting to watch, lead the canucks to the finals in 1994 but came up short. The russian rocket was one of the most exciting players of all time.

4- Mario Lemieux: The guy was truly magnificent and great to watch. Considered the greatest player of all time by many, the guy could deke 2 guys right out as well as the goalie and score. Could fight off 2 players on a breakaway and score. Look at his goal agains minnesota in the 91 finals where he danced around 2 players and the goalie and scored. Or when he toyed with captain Ray Bourque in the 1992 finals where he slid the puck between his skates and went in on the goalie and scored.

5- Jaromir Jagr: Great player, Jagr was really fun to watch during the 90-s and won the art ross three times in that period of time. He along with Mario combined in my opinion the most exciting duo to watch.

What are your top 5 most exciting players of all time? Please state a few lines backing up your choices like I did. Discuss!

Mario
Gretzky
Jagr


I can only think of 3.

In no particular order:

Wayne Gretzky
Mario Lemieux
Pavel Bure
Denis Savard
Jaromir Jagr

For me, the 5 players I've enjoyed watching the most:

1. Pavel Bure
2. Denis Savard
3. Todd Bertuzzi
4. Alexander Ovechkin
5. Tuomo Ruutu

Most exciting all-time would have to include Guy Lafleur. I never got to see him play.

Most exciting players that I've seen (in no particular order):

1) Pavel Bure
2) Pat Lafontaine
3) Brian Leetch
4) Mario Lemieux
5) Jaromir Jagr

of the players i've watched

1. mario lemieux
2. jaromir jagr
3. pavel bure
4. wayne gretzky
5. pat lafontaine

Most exciting that I have watched would have to be....

1. Wayne Gretzky - the great noe produced some of the greatest plays ever...and he did it on a nighly basis. Rarely was there a game where Gretzky didn't make a move or set up a play that made your jaw drop...especially back in the Oilers days.

2. Mario Lemieux - always had an amazing move or two up his sleeve. So entertaining to watch.

3. Guy Lafleur - the only hockey player I truely idolized. As a kid I watched habs games every Saturday night and Lafleur was the reason I became a hockey fan.

4. Vladislav Tretiak - so many great Russia vs _________ games in which he played brilliantly. Can't recall him ever having a bad game.

5. Saku Koivu - seeing that 95% of the hockey games I watch involve the Montreal Canadiens, and considering that in the past few years I've probablely watched at least 70 hab games a year, I have seen more Saku than any other player in the league (as far as players that can be considered 'exciting'), so he makes my list. His hockey sense is off the charts.

[1]Mario Lemieux- IMO the most talented player ever and a great flare for the dramatic.
[2]Mike Bossy- Maybe the best cluch player ever. Plus he could score from anyplace on the ice.
[3]Denis Savard- Anytime he had the puck there was a chace that he could do something electric.
[4]Wayne Gretzky- Had the most elite hockey sense and could make something out of nothing.
[5]Bobby Orr- He could just do so many things. He could skate, stickhandle, or bull his way through a team.

That I personally have seen:

Wayne Gretzky- a living highlight for an entire decade.

Paul Coffey- no more exhilirating feeling than watching Coffey "wind up" and start the rush. You knew something would happen.

Mario Lemieux- Like Gretz from 87 to 95.

Gilbert Perreault- absolutely amazing player. To my mind among the most under-rated ever. Could skate, pass and stickhandle better than anyone on the ice. One of the most physically gifted players I've seen until Mario showed up.

Denis Potvin- old guard defenceman who played with everything he had. Could hit a ton, great passer and a sneaky way of getting pucks on net.

Denis Savard- You needed a bazooka to knock him off the puck. No player since Denis made an NHL rink look so much like a pond as when he decided to play "keep-away"

Jaromir Jagr- Did things with the puck that made even Mario do a double-take.

Al McInnis- Every power play you knew where the puck was going, you knew what the Flames (or Blues) were trying to do. Didn't matter. The moment you saw that wind-up you sat up a little more in your seat.

Grant Fuhr- The best reflex-goalie of the modern era made saves that should not have been possible. Fastest glove I've ever seen bar none.

On tape:

Guy Lafleur- I've seen Guy live, but he was on the downslope of his career then. Watching the old tapes he looks sooooooo dangerous every second he's on the ice.

Bobby Orr- Like Coffey a decade later and had just as many highlight reel stops as scores.

Larry Robinson- Like Guy I've seen him many times live, but in the mid-70s he was absolutely devastating to watch. Hits like Stevens, skates like Leetch, shoots like MacInnis and passes like Bourque. The single most intimidating defenseman I can think of.

Peter Forsberg
Peter Forsberg
Peter Forsberg
Peter Forsberg
Peter Forsberg

[1]Mario Lemieux- IMO the most talented player ever and a great flare for the dramatic.
[2]Mike Bossy- Maybe the best cluch player ever. Plus he could score from anyplace on the ice.
[3]Denis Savard- Anytime he had the puck there was a chace that he could do something electric.
[4]Wayne Gretzky- Had the most elite hockey sense and could make something out of nothing.
[5]Bobby Orr- He could just so many things. He could skate, stickhandle, or bull his way through a team.

Switch Lemieux for Guy Lafleur, and this is my list, too. Although in a different order.
Hum...
1.) The Flower and his "blistering blast" off the right wing.
2.) Denis Savard. The best puck carrier ever!
3.) Bobby Orr. Did something great every shift.
4.) Gretzky. A new move or pass every shift, sometimes 2 or 3 a shift.
5.) Mike Bossy. The greatest goal scorer of the modern era was fun to watch.

In no particular order:

Wayne Gretzky
Mario Lemieux
Pavel Bure
Denis Savard
Jaromir Jagr


my honorable mentions would be:

Paul Coffey and Dom Hasek

my honorable mentions would be:

Paul Coffey and Dom Hasek

I would add Eric Lindros to this mix.

The Lindros of old was something else...

One's I've seen (in no order)


Peter Forsberg
Sergei Samsonov
David Legwand
Dany Heatley
Ilya Kovalchuk
Marian Gaborik
Jay Bouwmeester
Markus Naslund
Jarome Iginla
Eric Lindros
Joe Thornton
Teemu Selanne
Vincent Lecavalier
Brad Richards
Brendan Morrow
Miroslav Satan
Simon Gagne

It's a huge list, I know. :)

5 most exciting players:
And not in any particular order.

1-Jagr
2-Bure, Pavel
3-Hasek
4-Brodeur
5-Lemieux

Many regards to Gretz, Forsberg and Roy even add some young guys like Kovalchuk ot the list as well as Heatley.There are many others but its hard to put down an 1st or 2nd year pros because you cant compare them to all the year alll these vets been seen.

Gretzky
Jagr
Coffey
Glen Anderson
Denis Savard
Lemieux
Selanne
Bure
the Stastnys

When they got the puck you knew something special was going to happen:

1.) Orr
2.) Lafleur
3.) Lemieux
4.) Bure
5.) Perreault
6.) Gretzky
7.) Kharlamov
8.) Bossy
9.) Savard
10.) Coffey

When someone else (opposing team) got the puck you knew something special was going to happen:

1.) Robinson
2.) Hasek
3.) Stevens
4.) Tretiak
5.) Plante

That I personally have seen:

Wayne Gretzky- a living highlight for an entire decade.

Paul Coffey- no more exhilirating feeling than watching Coffey "wind up" and start the rush. You knew something would happen.

Mario Lemieux- Like Gretz from 87 to 95.

Gilbert Perreault- absolutely amazing player. To my mind among the most under-rated ever. Could skate, pass and stickhandle better than anyone on the ice. One of the most physically gifted players I've seen until Mario showed up.

Denis Potvin- old guard defenceman who played with everything he had. Could hit a ton, great passer and a sneaky way of getting pucks on net.

Denis Savard- You needed a bazooka to knock him off the puck. No player since Denis made an NHL rink look so much like a pond as when he decided to play "keep-away"

Jaromir Jagr- Did things with the puck that made even Mario do a double-take.

Al McInnis- Every power play you knew where the puck was going, you knew what the Flames (or Blues) were trying to do. Didn't matter. The moment you saw that wind-up you sat up a little more in your seat.

Grant Fuhr- The best reflex-goalie of the modern era made saves that should not have been possible. Fastest glove I've ever seen bar none.

On tape:

Guy Lafleur- I've seen Guy live, but he was on the downslope of his career then. Watching the old tapes he looks sooooooo dangerous every second he's on the ice.

Bobby Orr- Like Coffey a decade later and had just as many highlight reel stops as scores.

Larry Robinson- Like Guy I've seen him many times live, but in the mid-70s he was absolutely devastating to watch. Hits like Stevens, skates like Leetch, shoots like MacInnis and passes like Bourque. The single most intimidating defenseman I can think of.

I love your list.

Gretzky - Just the cheer talent was so far above anything else.
Orr - The guy did it all.
Lemieux - Even today still does things no one else can.
Bure - Could anyone stop him on a break away?
Coffey - He could really fly.

Honourable Mention for the future?:
Kovalchuk - Probably the most exciting player right now.

Is it just me or are like half the most exciting hockey players either born in montreal or played with the habs? Also its funny how both Lafleur and Bure who are considered the most exciting players of all time both wore the number 10.

1. Bure
2. LaFontaine
3. Hasek
4. Gretzky
5. Jagr

The players I've seen:

1. Wayne Gretzky
2. Mario Lemieux
3. Joe Sakic
4. Pavel Bure
5. Jaromir Jagr
6. Paul Kariya
7. Paul Coffey
8. Peter Forsberg
9. Mats Sundin
10. Alexander Moginly

Players I have seen.

Bure
Lemieux


In todays NHL,

St. Louis
Kovalchuk
Zherdev
Lecavalier
Naslund
others....

The most exciting forwards I have seen:

1) Yzerman - (I'm biased and he's my favorite!) But he did have some beautys that i have seen from back in his prime when he was more of a pure offensive player.

2) Bure - THe russian rocket in full stride was something to behold. He could not be stopped when he wanted to take over.

3) Federov - When he wants to he can make anything happen out there, end to end rushes, amazing snipes, feathered passes. And nobody is a better skater than Federov.

4) Sakic - Probably the most agile player I have ever watched. I always tried to play like Sakic because I felt my game was strongest when I had possesion of the puck in the corners. Sakic is amazing when he has time and space down low. His quickness of foot and shot are incredible.

5) Naslund - Had the pleasure of seeing him live last year in Edmonton and must say that next to Federov he is the smoothest forward I have ever seen (Lidstrom is also smoother but he's obviously a defenceman). I love watching a player with a good head for the game and Naslund never seems to make the wrong play. Always a pleasure to watch.

Top Defenceman

1) Scott Neidermyer - So smooth and so fast. Always makes great decisions with puck and leads the rush better from the back end than any other defencman in todays NHL.

2) Nick Lidstrom - Have seen so much of him as a Wings fan and he has never ceased to amaze. Always makes the smart play and is always well positioned. The smoothest defenceman i have ever seen.

3) Paul Coffey - Just like Neidermyer but probably a little faster and less responsible which led to many more exciting plays. However, I never saw enough of him in his prime to place him ahead of Neidermyer. Plus from what I have seen of the 80's on classic tv it is sloppy. Exciting but very sloppy.

4) Rob Blake - Fast and tough. Has a great shot from the point and can skate the puck up extremely well. Plus he is always good for a deadly hip check from time to time that nobody ever sees coming.

5) Tie b/w Scott Stevens and Vladimir Konstantinov - Both players were two of the meanest hitters of their time. As an opposing player you had to know where they were at all times. Everyone know how badly they could make you pay and yet you still never saw the hits coming.

1. Pavel Bure: the most gifted goal scorer of my era. epitomized the hockey i love: speed, speed, speed, goals, goals, goals.

2. Teemu Selanne: I will NEVER forget the '92-'93 season. Teemu is why.

3. Paul Kariya: when with Teemu, only Mario and Jags rivaled them. Watching Paul's fast little choppy strides come down the left wing, only to tear a slapper over your goalie's shoulder...WOW.

4. Peter Forsberg: Players ride him like a horse...and he still dominates the league offensively. The best 'run through you' hockey player of my generation.

5. Peter Bondra: If you're a Lightning, Panthers, or Hurricanes fan, you feel me on this one. Most underrated sniper of my generation. '94-'95: 47 gms 34 g 9 a 43 pts. gotta love those #'s.

6. Luc Robitaille: Can't skate worth a damn. Always ignored. Always found a way to slip through and punch in goals. No business posting 51 pts. in 80 gms in today's nhl at age 38. No forward has played better positional hockey during my era, nor has any player during that time got more out of their talent.

Wayne Gretzky
Bobby Orr
Mario Lemieux
Guy LaFleur
Pat LaFontaine

I'll toss Maurice Richard into the mix.

1 - Bobby Orr

2- Lemieux

3 - Gretzky

4 - Lafleur

5 - Bobby Hull

2- Mike Bossy: This guy was so great to watch as all his shots looked good. His wrist shot looked good, his slap shot looked good, 5 hole looked good, everything looked good.

"Good"?? The best shot ... EVER.

I love your list.

Thanks. I would also add silver_made's pick of Peter Bondra. Missed him somehow. Guy could flat out fly and had a very, very good shot too.

I can't believe noone has mentioned him yet, but Sergei Fedorov. Definately one of the more exciting players I've ever seen.

Also:

Pavel Bure
Peter Forsberg
Mario Lemieux
Steve Yzerman
Joe Sakic
The young Teemu Selanne

Pavel Bure
Mario Lemieux
Niklas Hagman (when on his game with a national team jersey on)
Peter Bondra
Paul Coffey

So many lists without Mario and/or Wayne and/or Bobby.

I don't get it.

Been watching hockey only 10 years or so, but of those I've seen:

1. Bure - this argument I think is in itself a reason for him to be in the hockey hall of fame. forget numbers, whenever the word "exciting" is mentioned, fans think of Bure.

2. Kovalchuk - Bure with more size and grit. More complete than Bure . If he came inthe NHL at the same time as Bure this might be a tie. More outright arrogant than Bure ever was. I saw him play NJ last yr and he kept taking pucks from the Devils side of the red line in warm-ups then went on to score a shorty in the second beating Brodeur five-hole.


3. Jagr - stickhandling, strength, speed. When he wants to play he is still a force of nature.

4. Lemiuex - Super Mario. Scoring between the legs, from impossible angles, scoring in every possible way in one game!

5. Forsberg - 94 Olympics.


Guys I think will be on this list once their careers progress: Tuomo Ruttuu, Lecavlier, Ovechkin, Crosby, Zherdev, Phaneuf.

One name I haven't seen is Alexei Kovalev. When he was in Pittsburgh he was absolutely sick. Not top 5 now or all time, not at all, but exciting.

For pure excitement my first reaction was Perreault,Lafleur,Gretzky,Lemieux,Cournoyer in no particular order.
Then I thought, Orr has to be there,then Bure,Denis Savard. Wally mentionned Bobby Hull, 61-69, he was the guy, easily the most exciting player in the league.
Excitement's a personal reaction though, there aren't any wrong answers. I never found the great Islander players exciting, just coldly effeicient .

For pure excitement my first reaction was Perreault,Lafleur,Gretzky,Lemieux,Cournoyer in no particular order.
Then I thought, Orr has to be there,then Bure,Denis Savard. Wally mentionned Bobby Hull, 61-69, he was the guy, easily the most exciting player in the league.
Excitement's a personal reaction though, there aren't any wrong answers. I never found the great Islander players exciting, just coldly effeicient .


That's why I put Hull in there...I can remember going into the old garden with my dad in the pre -Bobby Orr days...Hull was a drawing card for the league in the mid and late 60's for sure. The Bruins were lucky in them days to draw 6 or 7 thousand some nights..when Chicago came to town with the Golden Jet, the place was packed.

1. Mike Bossy - Had the pleasure of watching him often in my youth. Most feared, graceful and dynamic wing man the game has ever seen, especially on the power play.
2. Mario - Had/has the skills of a little guy in a monstrous frame.
3. Gretzky - Favorite memories are of him rushing up the ice and feathering a no-look drop pass to his mates.
4. Denis Savard - Made everyone look silly chasing him.
5. Pavel Bure - Lousy team player and the jerk stole Anna Kournikova from me (or was it Fedorov?) ;) Would not want to be a goalie if he had a breakaway.

my picks

Wayne Gretzky - (mind)
Mario Lemieux - (body)
Cam Neely - (total package)
Martin St. Louis - (name)
Stu Grimson - (interviews)

Orr - (best ever)

Fo rthsoe that have listed Bossy, I don't quite get him.

While I consider him to be one of the 2 or 3 best goal scorers I've ever seen, IMO he wasn't as "exciting" as the other players listed.

Bossy had an incredible shot, and was a better version of Brett Hull, but he didn't often do things that "wowed" me, like a Lemieux, Bure, Gretzky etc.

my picks

Wayne Gretzky - (mind)
Mario Lemieux - (body)
Cam Neely - (total package)
Martin St. Louis - (name)
Stu Grimson - (interviews)

Orr - (best ever)
Well done...genius post SON OF ROCKY BAY!!! :bow:

The ones I enjoy watching more?

1. Lemieux and Gretzky, tied (no matter what, if there's a game involving any of those two on TV I'd miss my mother's funeral to watch that game. No other players come close to those two for me)

...

...

..

..

2. Paul Coffey - I miss seeing him take the puck in his zone and rush the length of the ice making opposing players look like monkeys... I miss ya Paul :cry:

3. Jaromir Jagr - in the 90s, with the long hair and the sick dekes... ah, he was the man.

4. Pavel Bure - Early 90s... old Canucks yellow/black uniform... he was unbelievable.

5. Sergei Fedorov - That guy had it all. One of the best Russian players ever and always a great show.

Fo rthsoe that have listed Bossy, I don't quite get him.

While I consider him to be one of the 2 or 3 best goal scorers I've ever seen, IMO he wasn't as "exciting" as the other players listed.

Bossy had an incredible shot, and was a better version of Brett Hull, but he didn't often do things that "wowed" me, like a Lemieux, Bure, Gretzky etc.



I see what you're saying, but I'm the type that finds any goal that isn't a rebound or tap-in to be exciting. My definition of exciting is how many oohs and ahhs a player would get from the crowd, not necessarily by how many dekes or odd-man rushes a player created. It can be loud like a MacInnis slapper, fast like a Bure rush or an exquisite tic-tac-toe power play one-timer that Bossy and Lemiuex were so great at. I listed Bossy first because of how quiet crowds would get every time he touched the puck. And I'll admit also because I am a homer and I saw him most often of all the greats.

That's why I put Hull in there...I can remember going into the old garden with my dad in the pre -Bobby Orr days...Hull was a drawing card for the league in the mid and late 60's for sure. The Bruins were lucky in them days to draw 6 or 7 thousand some nights..when Chicago came to town with the Golden Jet, the place was packed.
Wally, I'm sure you've noticed how many Bruin fans there are in Mtl. I've always thought they evolved from Hawk fans. Most cities have a group that'll always root against the home team,in Mtl. it ran a bit deeper as there were sons of old Maroon fans who felt it there duty to hate the Habs. In the 60's these guys were all Chicago fans, great schoolyard fights. By the late 60's they'd all disappeared and the Orr Bruins were their team, and they sort of stuck with them. Every team had a guy designated to shadow Bobby Hull, but if he could leave his own zone with the puck, he was gone. You slowed him early or not at all.

So many lists without Mario and/or Wayne and/or Bobby.

I don't get it.
I don't know about others, but they are basically given, so I didn't bother to mention them.

I see what you're saying, but I'm the type that finds any goal that isn't a rebound or tap-in to be exciting. My definition of exciting is how many oohs and ahhs a player would get from the crowd, not necessarily by how many dekes or odd-man rushes a player created. It can be loud like a MacInnis slapper, fast like a Bure rush or an exquisite tic-tac-toe power play one-timer that Bossy and Lemiuex were so great at. I listed Bossy first because of how quiet crowds would get every time he touched the puck. And I'll admit also because I am a homer and I saw him most often of all the greats. Plus as soon as Bossy entered the "o" zone there was a chance that he would score. IMO his winding up to shoot was more exciting than a guy like Samsonov skating around people but getting 20 goals a year.

Guys I've seen play who you just could not help but expect something great to happen everytime they were on the ice:

1. Jagr
2. Lindros
3. Neely
4. Lemieux
5. Samsonav

I'll toss Maurice Richard into the mix.
Look Buddy,I don't know who this Richard character is but I've done some research and he certainly hasn't played in the NHL in the last 20 years.Why did you have to go and ruin a perfectly good "all-time" list.By naming such a nobody you insult
the legend of such greats as Kovalchuk and Pavel"the Russian Rocket"Bure.
Don't you know on this board "all-time" generally means the last 20 years with
extra weighting given to last week(with an exception for Bobby Orr and
only because Don Cherry talks about him so much). :dunno: You must be
new to here.Anyway next time don't post something so ridiculous. ;)

Look Buddy,I don't know who this Richard character is but I've done some research and he certainly hasn't played in the NHL in the last 20 years.Why did you have to go and ruin a perfectly good "all-time" list.By naming such a nobody you insult
the legend of such greats as Kovalchuk and Pavel"the Russian Rocket"Bure.
Don't you know on this board "all-time" generally means the last 20 years with
extra weighting given to last week(with an exception for Bobby Orr and
only because Don Cherry talks about him so much). :dunno: You must be
new to here.Anyway next time don't post something so ridiculous. ;)

What the hell?

What the hell?

it's called sarcasm....

I'll only list five players I've seen play. The most exciting for me were:

1) Denis Savard -- insane moves, the epitome of slick stickhandling and as much creativity and imagination as anyone I've ever seen. Didn't produce as much as some of the all-time greats, but his points were almost ALL fun and exciting.

2) Guy Lafleur -- the hair flying through the breeze, the wicked slap shot from the blue line, the way he could dance around defensemen and those oh so smooth passes. It's rare when Flower would be on the ice and you would NOT be on the edge of your seat.

3) Paul Coffey -- he didn't invent going coast-to-coast when leading a rush, but he perfected it. In fact, he did it with so little effort it was both astonishing and breath-taking at the same time. He was also exciting for all the wrong reasons if you're a coach, because he provided a ton of scoring chances at both ends of the ice.

4) Wayne Gretzky -- what can you say. He wasn't nearly as exciting later on in his career, but while with Edmonton he made moves that just look silly nowadays. There was that "2-minute drill" against the Colorado Rockies, when he danced around everybody, straddled the blueline and held onto the puck for what seemed like an entire shift, then fed a streaking Kurri. Or, there's the wicked slap shot against Calgary, his one-man show against Toronto, his behind-the-back passes, his curl-and-wait move at the blueline. He excited your brain as much as your heart.

5) Al Iafrate -- Don't laugh. When healthy and early on with the Leafs, Iafrate could go coast-to-coast, blow a super slapper by the goalie and even knock the snot out of a forward while crossing the blue line. Something ALWAYS happened when "Wild Thing" was on the ice. He was part of one of the most exciting teams of all time IMHO, the Doug Carpenter-led Leafs, with Peter Ing in goal and lots of kids up front (Clark, Damphousse, Daniel Marois, Gary Leeman). They couldn't play D at all, so they didn't bother. It was fun to watch.

[QUOTE=Jag68Vlady27] The most exciting for me were:

Al Iafrate -- Don't laugh.

Okay I'll try to contain myself, but........it's really hard............darn it I just can't...
:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

Look Buddy,I don't know who this Richard character is but I've done some research and he certainly hasn't played in the NHL in the last 20 years.Why did you have to go and ruin a perfectly good "all-time" list.By naming such a nobody you insult
the legend of such greats as Kovalchuk and Pavel"the Russian Rocket"Bure.
Don't you know on this board "all-time" generally means the last 20 years with
extra weighting given to last week(with an exception for Bobby Orr and
only because Don Cherry talks about him so much). :dunno: You must be
new to here.Anyway next time don't post something so ridiculous. ;)

so what you're trying to say here is that people are stupid for naming bure and kovalchuk?

i've seen old games, and to me most of the "great" players of years past were indeed deserving of being called "great", but weren't half as exciting as some of todays players. the game today is much, much faster, the goalies are better, teams play better defence etc.

this is gonna piss a lot of people off.

cyclops

where is your list?

so what you're trying to say here is that people are stupid for naming bure and kovalchuk?

i've seen old games, and to me most of the "great" players of years past were indeed deserving of being called "great", but weren't half as exciting as some of todays players. the game today is much, much faster, the goalies are better, teams play better defence etc.

this is gonna piss a lot of people off.
No,I'm not saying people are stupid for naming modern players as exciting I'm
just saying call it that "the most exciting modern players" and not "all-time".
If people were going by all-time than "THE ROCKET" would have to be on
everybody's list.Excitement was his trademark.He lifted them out of their seats.
He caused a riot once for crying out loud.By the way Bure got his nickname
from reminding people of Richard.There were other exciting older players as well.

And just to show you I'm not just stuck in the past ,let me say something that
will piss alotof people off. Sidney Crosby is the most exciting player I've seen
in a long time and the most exciting I've seen live and I've seen Lafleur.Forsberg
is a guy I saw live that was exciting to watch.

My order of what I've seen....

1)Leetch (Loved watching this man go to work)

2)Bure

3)Lemieux

4)Forsberg

5)Datsyuk

cyclops

where is your list?

here is your list, tsarevich rocky

1. pavel bure - made me cream my pants in joy.









2. vincent lecavalier. will make me cream my pants in joy.

everyone else sucks. ;)

No,I'm not saying people are stupid for naming modern players as exciting I'm
just saying call it that "the most exciting modern players" and not "all-time".
If people were going by all-time than "THE ROCKET" would have to be on
everybody's list.Excitement was his trademark.He lifted them out of their seats.
He caused a riot once for crying out loud.By the way Bure got his nickname
from reminding people of Richard.There were other exciting older players as well.

And just to show you I'm not just stuck in the past ,let me say something that
will piss alotof people off. Sidney Crosby is the most exciting player I've seen
in a long time and the most exciting I've seen live and I've seen Lafleur.Forsberg
is a guy I saw live that was exciting to watch.


Sorry, I'm not gonna b.s. and say names to impress people when I've haven't seen them play enough to talk about them. I've seen a few videos clips of a lot of older players, Richard, Kharlamov, etc and they did look exciting. However, I grew up watching the guys I named on a nightly basis and were consistently amazed by their skill.

Next time, I will try to lie in order to sound more authentic. Thank you for showing me the error in my ways.

In no order:
Pavel Bure
Teemu Selanne
Mario Lemieux
Cam Neely

In their prime of course, these guys used make my pulse fasten and get my hand sweaty, just bring that adrenaline rush, great feeling, great entertainment.

According to entire games I've seen (or rather, watched on TV/tape), in no particular order:

Mario Lemieux
Wayne Gretzky
Jaromir Jagr
Valeri Kharlamov
Gilbert Perreault

According to highlights only:

Bobby Orr
Denis Savard

Bure - Could anyone stop him on a break away?
.


Mike Richter...94 Finals on a penalty shot. Great save.. Sorry had to throw it in.

But the second i saw the title of this thread the first name that came to my head was none other then PAVEL BURE.

"Good"?? The best shot ... EVER.


Well, Bossy or Goulet. tough call

That I have seen

Gretz
Mario
Bure
Coffey
Forsberg ( God he destroys my Oilers)

Honorable mention to Modano..

And I never saw Orr play live, just highlights.

from highlights I'd have to add Orr and Lafleur.

In order:
Bure
Gretzky
Lemieux
Kovalchuk (I'll take heat for this but IMO is one of the most exciting players ever)
Paul Coffey/Cam Neely

IMO I bet in 20 years, Alex Ovechkin will be on the list of the top 5 most exciting players ever. I'm not going to start with Crosby cuz I have no idea how he'll do in the NHL, but IMO Ovechkin will really be awesome and an absolute joy to watch. Of course I bet 13 years ago, people said that about Eric Lindros ;)

Everybody on my list has already been mentioned (Bure, Lafleur, D Savard, Orr).

I would actually put Gilbert Perrault on top of my list - I'm probably a bit older than most of you guys. He was unreal. If he wasn't banished to Buffalo, he would have been a legend. He would be sitting with the puck behind his own net, and the whole arena would be holding their breath waiting for an end to end rush. Awesome.

Some honourable mentions (I wouldn't put them near the top of my list, but they were fun to watch): Stephane Richer, Russ Courtnall, Anders Hedberg, Helmut Balderis, Kharlamov, Glenn Anderson, Dougie Gilmour, Peter Klima. There are a lot of players with speed and skill, but these guys stood out.

old enough to have seen the older generation greats, I have seen the Great One,Mario, and Lindros.and while I may be in the minority in saying Lindros,I know that he could TURN a game AROUND by himself and that was always exciting to look for. :handclap:

old enough to have seen the older generation greats, I have seen the Great One,Mario, and Lindros.and while I may be in the minority in saying Lindros,I know that he could TURN a game AROUND by himself and that was always exciting to look for. :handclap:
Hell Yea Big E should be up there.

W.Gretzky
M.Lemieux
E.Lindros
P.Bure
S.Stevens

I was a Montreal fan (still am) back in Orr's day and I absolutely hated when he got the puck against Montreal... even when it was behind his own net.

I didnt get to see a lot of the classic players on eveybody's list, but heres mine...

Gretzky
Lemieux
Roy
Forsberg
Hasek

Can't argue with 1a. Lemieux and 1b.Gretzky, to start the list.

I've always had a weakness for the end-to-end play, and I've definitely seen 3. Lafleur and 4. Coffey do it.

In an era of trapping, hooking hockey and mobile defenders, players who can still pull you out of your seat should get extra marks, so 5th place is a tie between Jagr and Datsyuk, in my mind.

Steve Sullivan is very good on the breakaway. Not the best but he deserves to be mentioned.

Wayne Gretzky
Guy Lafleur
Denis Savard
Gilbert Perreault
Dominik Hasek

Jean Beliveau
Both Richards (Rocket and Pocket Rocket)
Bobby Orr
Guy Lafleur
Mike Bossy
Mario Lemieux
Pavel Bure
Peter Stastny
Alex Kovalev
Ilya Kovalchuk

One's I've seen (in no order)


Peter Forsberg
Sergei Samsonov
David Legwand
Dany Heatley
Ilya Kovalchuk
Marian Gaborik
Jay Bouwmeester
Markus Naslund
Jarome Iginla
Eric Lindros
Joe Thornton
Teemu Selanne
Vincent Lecavalier
Brad Richards
Brendan Morrow
Miroslav Satan
Simon Gagne

It's a huge list, I know. :)

New to hockey? You got to have Lemieux in there :)

My top 5 would be, and in no particular order:

1) Jeremy Roenick, the Chicago years. People can say what they want, but Mike Keenan got the best out of Roenick. He's never been the same player since he was traded.

2) Pavel Bure. What a fun hockey player to watch. Speed, skill and could change the course of a game with a couple of moves. It's a shame bad knees and the league turning into a beer league killed his career

3) Sergei Fedorov. Not quite as fast as Bure, but makes everything look so easy. The one player I wouldn't have minded if Philadelphia would have signed when he was a free agent. Contrary to popular belief, the man is worth the $40 million over five years he's getting

4) Peter Forsberg. What is not to like about this guy. For years, we've heard nothing but European players have no heart, no guts, etc......Along comes Peter and completely decimates that theory. Played bigger than his size and was one of the true greats. Enjoy Sweden Peter. We're gonna miss you over here.

5) Pat Lafontaine. Just something about the little guys who always play big. Pat Lafontaine was a superstar who never acted like one. He made Alexander Mogilny and when he suffered the concussion in Buffalo, the organization crapped all over him and discarded him like he was yesterday's trash. A classy player who never took pot shots at the Sabres. Too bad they couldn't have used some of his class. Of course, I'd expect as much from an organization run by John Muckler, one of the trashiest people in hockey today.......

Orr
LaFluer
Savard
Bure
Lemuiex

No Gretzky?

Man. what are you talking about?

Pavel Bure, hands down. No player could get me out of my seat like he could. Not even Gretzky.

1. Mario Lemieux
2. Peter Forsberg
3. Pavel Bure
4. Jaromir Jagr
5. Sergei Fedorov

1 Gretzky
(was still more significant and exciting than 10 michael jordans...i bet #99 could still be a 50-60 pt. guy even today, maybe that's not giving him enough credit though)

2 Howe
(having the good fortune to see him live during his NHL Whalers stint was a treat, although i probably didn't realize the full impact of it at the time...also, watching old footage of him i notice that Gordie was ambidexterous [sic?] working the stick)

3 Lemieux
(at that point in my life, it seemed like all the finesse guys were leftie and up until that time Lafleur had been the only rightie in that vein; if he could have stayed healthy Mario would be well past stat whores like Hull and Messier).

4 Kharlamov
(so gifted...i've gotten my hands on every 70s tape, exhibition, et al, purely to watch this guy...the best stickhandler, ever, and one of the 2-3 most creative playermakers of all time)

5 Lafleur
(growing up an NYR fan, it was kinda hard not to appreciate the mid/late 70s Habs teams and the way they got the blue line, 3 aside, effortlessly...half the people in the garden felt the same way)

6 Orr
(he peaked a bit before my time, so i didn't get a chance to witness his glory years as they happened...another one whose career sadly ended long before it should have)

7 Forsberg
(still the best one on one player in hockey...IMO, currently the single best forward in the corners, one of the 1-2 best assist guys, is meaner than a snake...his style brings a tear to the eye, literally)

8 Leetch
(other than Coffey, perhaps the only player since Orr who had that uncanny surge in transition)

9 Sergei Makarov
(KLM line was just artful to watch operate... fit right in with an already stacked Cup winning Flames team...can't believe that team didn't win like 3 more cups)

10 Jari Kurri
(the best sniper Wayne ever had on his wing and probably the most exciting breakaway/penalty shot guy ever)

There's something about that Savardian spin-o-rama that just makes him instantly entertaining, just like a Bure breakaway or Gretzky behind the net. Each player mentioned has a unique talent that seperates him from the pack and makes him instantly recognizable just as there is something so inexplicabley exciting about Bobby Orr circling around the other teams blue line waiting for the perfect situation to materialize. With so many players to choose from its hard to pick just five!

Gretzky
Lemieux
Bure
Kovalev
Koivu

Gretzky
Lemieux
Bure
Kovalev
Koivu

Kovalev?
Koivu?

You need to watch more hockey tapes. While I like Koivu, and appreciate what he went through, he is not even remotely CLOSE to players like Mike Bossy or Bobby Hull or Bobby Orr or Rocket Richard or...

of the players i have seen

mario
jagr
gretzky
bure
fedorov

Drake Berehowsky

Steve Sullivan is very good on the breakaway. Not the best but he deserves to be mentioned.

he stinks at penalty shots, though

sully is part of one of my most exciting moments of live hockey, but he's not one of the top 5 most exciting players I've ever seen.

Lemieux
Bure
Kovalev
Gretzky
Iginla

1. Mario Lemieux
2. Wayne Gretzky
3. Pavel Bure
4. Jaromir Jagr
5. Bobby Orr

and to the person, who mentioned Saku Koivu, :help: :dunno:

I will stick to guys I have seen live.

Denis Savard-absolutely magical when he had the puck. He scored a goal against Edmonton that is on a generic tape about the NHL's greatest goals that was just Jaw dropping.

Wayne Gretzky-What can be said about him that hasnt probably been said. Even when he came to the Blues for that breif period when he was getting older he was still awesome. I remember a home game against the Devile where he had 3 or 4 points and every time his line was on the ice they created something and the crowd knew this and was a buzz every time he took a shift.

Mario Lemieux- Again another name that speaks for itself I remeber a game he lit up the Blues in the mid 90's it was the same game that Leroux beat Twist in a memorable scrap for Pens fans. He for sure had a Hat Trick and I think more.

Brett Hull-One of the best goal scorers ever and during that 3 year period when he was on a tear capping it off with his 86 goal season the Blues were basically up 1-0 when they came out for warmups. The prettiest goal I ever saw him score was in the 90-91 playoffs vs the Wings, he came down the wing and beat Bobby Dollas and put a rocket off the far post past Tim Cheveldae.

Cam Neely- I have to give some props to the beat Power Forward that I saw play he would use his skill to score a big goal, throw a huge body check and then beat the hell out of someone. As much as I enjoy physical play I have to mention Cam.

Wendel Clark-See Neely

I'll only list five players I've seen play. The most exciting for me were:

1) Denis Savard -- insane moves, the epitome of slick stickhandling and as much creativity and imagination as anyone I've ever seen. Didn't produce as much as some of the all-time greats, but his points were almost ALL fun and exciting.

2) Guy Lafleur -- the hair flying through the breeze, the wicked slap shot from the blue line, the way he could dance around defensemen and those oh so smooth passes. It's rare when Flower would be on the ice and you would NOT be on the edge of your seat.

3) Paul Coffey -- he didn't invent going coast-to-coast when leading a rush, but he perfected it. In fact, he did it with so little effort it was both astonishing and breath-taking at the same time. He was also exciting for all the wrong reasons if you're a coach, because he provided a ton of scoring chances at both ends of the ice.

4) Wayne Gretzky -- what can you say. He wasn't nearly as exciting later on in his career, but while with Edmonton he made moves that just look silly nowadays. There was that "2-minute drill" against the Colorado Rockies, when he danced around everybody, straddled the blueline and held onto the puck for what seemed like an entire shift, then fed a streaking Kurri. Or, there's the wicked slap shot against Calgary, his one-man show against Toronto, his behind-the-back passes, his curl-and-wait move at the blueline. He excited your brain as much as your heart.

5) Al Iafrate -- Don't laugh. When healthy and early on with the Leafs, Iafrate could go coast-to-coast, blow a super slapper by the goalie and even knock the snot out of a forward while crossing the blue line. Something ALWAYS happened when "Wild Thing" was on the ice. He was part of one of the most exciting teams of all time IMHO, the Doug Carpenter-led Leafs, with Peter Ing in goal and lots of kids up front (Clark, Damphousse, Daniel Marois, Gary Leeman). They couldn't play D at all, so they didn't bother. It was fun to watch.
Good call on Iafrate he had all the tools and would have had an even better career if mot for the Knee injuries. I think he was the first player to win both the hardest shot and fastest skater at the all star game.

The most exciting I've seen, in no particular order (other than maybe #1).

Guy Lafleur - If you've seen the clip of the Flower scoring the tying goal against Boston, game 7, 1979 that's a taste of what the man brought to a game. Speed, skill and finesse...and he could shoot the puck.

Bobby Hull - The Golden Jet in full flight, coming down the wing and letting go that shot was an awesome sight. I wonder how many goalers he was responsible for donning the mask.

Bobby Orr - the puck possesion master, totally fearless (to a fault). I hated him cause he played against favorite team then (the Habs) but once I got older I realized that was respect, not hate. He could control a game like no other.

Mario Lemieux - If ever there was one player who could dominate a game offensively by himself, it was Mario in his prime. Some very average players put up some nice numbers playing along side him. I still marvel at his play in the playoffs of the Pens two cups.

Paul Coffey - the best skater I ever saw, watching him and Mario on the same pp was incredible. It's no coincidence they were on the Pens team that set the record for pp goals in a season.

Wayne Gretzky - Later on he was more of a play maker but early in his career he was an exciting scorer. The game in particular I remember is the night he scored 5 goals to hit 50 in 39 games (still the record). what an awesome performance that night.

Jaromir Jagr - He is so strong on the puck and gifted making plays. Injuries have worn him down but in his prime he was the top offensive player in the game.

And to go off the charts...Eddie Shack...He had some talent but he was as much inclined to try to entertain the fans as he was to try and score a goal. Hence the nickname' the Entertainer'.

1-Lafleur ..speed and the art of "dekeing" something sadly lacking in todays hockey
2-Sittler- still remeber the 10 point night like it was yesterday
3-Tiger Williams-many memorable nights as a Leaf
4-Gretzky ..nuff said
5-Steve Shutt -rocket launcher that goal against Tretiak in the 3-3 draw was one of the hardest shots EVER!!!!

Now i know these are not the consensus top guys but they are the guys who made my youth watching "real" hockey so enjoyable !!

1. Bobby Orr
2. Bobby Hull
3. Yvan Courneyor
4. Guy Lafleur
5. Cam Neely

Others that made/make me get out of my seat.
- Sergei Samsonov
- Ilya Kovalchuk
- Rick Middleton
- Gretzky
- Jagr
- Lemieux
- Eddie Shack
- Forsberg
- Coffey
- Fleury
- Terry O'Reilly
- Hasek
- Pie MacKenzie

That i've seen play:

Gretzky
Lemieux
Forsberg
Jagr (in his prime)
St.Louis

1- Pavel Bure probably the best russian to ever played in the nhl if i wouldnt had all these knee problem
2- Mario Lemieux
3- Wayne Greztky
4- Selanen when he was with winnipeg
5- Federov
6- Forsberg

Kovalev?
Koivu?

You need to watch more hockey tapes. While I like Koivu, and appreciate what he went through, he is not even remotely CLOSE to players like Mike Bossy or Bobby Hull or Bobby Orr or Rocket Richard or...

This is about 5 most exciting hockey players, not about 5 all-time greats or something. Therefore the whole thing is even more subjective than this type of thread normally are. I've seen old tapes where guys like Richard play, but they did not make me very excited. It could be that those of us used to the modern type of play just can't get too excited about the really old stuff.

My list:

1. The Soviet Union Green Unit (Larionov, Makarov, Krutov, Fetisov & Kasatonov)
2. Gretzky
3. Lemieux
4. Selanne
5. Forsberg

Edit: I realize I'm breaking the rule of 5 by including the Green Unit here, but hey, they played like one man! Every time they were on ice, it was a hockey orgy.

This is about 5 most exciting hockey players, not about 5 all-time greats or something. Therefore the whole thing is even more subjective than this type of thread normally are. I've seen old tapes where guys like Richard play, but they did not make me very excited. It could be that those of us used to the modern type of play just can't get too excited about the really old stuff.

My list:

1. The Soviet Union Green Unit (Larionov, Makarov, Krutov, Fetisov & Kasatonov)
2. Gretzky
3. Lemieux
4. Selanne
5. Forsberg

Edit: I realize I'm breaking the rule of 5 by including the Green Unit here, but hey, they played like one man! Every time they were on ice, it was a hockey orgy.

I understand exciting as spectacular...and so, my list is as follows:
NHL Stars
1. Mario Lemeiux
2. Bobby Orr
3. Gilbert Perreault
4. Bobby Hull
5. Paul Coffey

Sure Gretzky was a terrific hockey player, but he was more genius than excitement. I hate to say this but I would have Eddie Shack higher on my exciting list than Wayne Gretzky...I would go see Gretzky play while I lived in Calgary, he would look like he did nothing and you check the scoring summary and he had five points. That was genius! but not all that exciting.

My next 5 would be:

6. Pavel Bure
7. Guy Lafleur
8. Peter Forsberg
9. Maurice Richard
10. Frank Mahovlich

BTW, I am not saying that I am right...I am just telling you what I feel.

Russian Stars
1. Valeri Kharlamov
2. Alexander Yakushev
3. Helmut Balderis
4. Vladislav Tretiak
5. Boris Mikhailov

Guys that are missing , that I think should be mentioned as "exciting":

Jari Kurri
Peter Forsberg
Jaromir Jagr
Mark Messier
Theoren Fleury
Davey Keon
Eddie Shack
John Ferguson
Brad Park

Up and Comers:

1. Marion Gaborik
2. Dany Heatley
3. Ilya Kovelchuk
4. Dion Phaneuf
5. Alexander Perezhogin


And, from the archives:

Ariel Joliat
Eddie Shore
King Clancy
Joe Malone
Cyclone Taylor
Howie Mornez

Mario Lemieux- Again another name that speaks for itself I remeber a game he lit up the Blues in the mid 90's it was the same game that Leroux beat Twist in a memorable scrap for Pens fans. He for sure had a Hat Trick and I think more.

He had five goals that game.

1 - Bobby Orr

2- Lemieux

3 - Gretzky

4 - Lafleur

5 - Bobby Hull

This is the closest I have seen...

#1 Bobby Orr-Infamous ice rushes.

#2 Wayne Gretzky-Was not only dominant himself, made 30 goal scorers of all he played with.

#3 Mario Lemieux-Greatest goal scorer ever.

#4 Vladislav Tretiak

#5 Patrick Roy-Bigtime goalie.

Originally Posted by Gee Wally
1 - Bobby Orr

2- Lemieux

3 - Gretzky

4 - Lafleur

5 - Bobby Hull

I would add Rocket Richard and call it a deal. I feel blessed to have had a father who was a season-ticket owner of the Bruins from 1955-1975. Folks, Robert Gordon Orr was the Michael Jordan of hockey. Imagine having the top defenseman in the NHL LEAD THE LEAGUE IN SCORING as well. I have talked to scores of old hockey pros - from Dave Maloney to Gordie Howe - and all of them TO A MAN - think that Bobby Orr was "The Man." The reverence for him among his fellow players is almost poignant.

Originally Posted by Gee Wally
1 - Bobby Orr

2- Lemieux

3 - Gretzky

4 - Lafleur

5 - Bobby Hull

I would add Rocket Richard and call it a deal. I feel blessed to have had a father who was a season-ticket owner of the Bruins from 1955-1975. Folks, Robert Gordon Orr was the Michael Jordan of hockey. Imagine having the top defenseman in the NHL LEAD THE LEAGUE IN SCORING as well. I have talked to scores of old hockey pros - from Dave Maloney to Gordie Howe - and all of them TO A MAN - think that Bobby Orr was "The Man." The reverence for him among his fellow players is almost poignant. Each of the great player seems to be great for a particular trait. The Rocket could take a bullet and come back and score 2 in the 3rd and the winner in ot. Howe, it was the mix of talent and toughness. Orr, at least to me, seemed to do something new every time you'd see him, something nobody else would do.

#5 Patrick Roy-Bigtime goalie.
pretty mean... but not only does he have maybe 45 of the 100 best saves alltimes... he has what must be the #1 blunder, the statue of liberty :yo:

He had five goals that game.I knew that he tore us up, but it is no shame to have him do that he is awesome.