Greatest All-Time "End to End" rushing Defensemen

[MyDogSparty]

I'm looking for opinions on who were/are some of the greatest end-to-end rushing defensemen of all-time. I'm talking about the guys who could take the puck from behind his own net and maneuver around everyone to score a goal. Obviously Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey top the list. I believe that Ray Bourque and Denis Potvin were pretty good at it. Cale Makar has the skill, he just did it in the playoffs the other day. Erik Karlsson, Brian Leetch & Larry Robinson come to mind. How about Brad Park or Scott Niedermayer? Who else is in that class? or do you disagree with any I mentioned? If you had to rank your top 10 at this skill, who would be on it?

Click to read more...

 

[Michael Farkas]

Not so much on Park. He was a better outlet passer than rusher.

Larry Robinson wasn't the primary puck rusher on those Habs teams, that was more Serge Savard.

Add Eddie Shore. That was his calling card.

 

[MyDogSparty]

I think you're right about Eddie Shore. I never saw him play but that's what I've read about him. He's a good add to the list. Thx.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Most defensemen rushed the puck in the pre-consolidation era, but if I had to make a Top 5 most prominent for this style, I'd go with Jack Campbell, Harry Cameron, Cyclone Taylor, Lester Patrick and Joe Simpson.

Thoughts?

 

[VanIslander]

Stan Fischler wrote:

Notoriousy conservative, Reise was a dependable stay-at-home defenseman for Detroit, always guarding his zone when teammate Red Kelly frequently would embark on an end-to-end rush from his defense position.

 

[67 others]

Stan Fischler wrote:

Notoriousy conservative, Reise was a dependable stay-at-home defenseman for Detroit, always guarding his zone when teammate Red Kelly frequently would embark on an end-to-end rush from his defense position.

I generally can't take Stan Fischler's takes on anything as more than National enquirer style entertainment. He often has errors in his books and his takes are often garbage. Everyone is right once in awhile

 

[jigglysquishy]

Most defensemen rushed the puck in the pre-consolidation era, but if I had to make a Top 5 most prominent for this style, I'd go with Jack Campbell, Harry Cameron, Cyclone Taylor, Lester Patrick and Joe Simpson.

Thoughts?

I've been going through the 1921-22 WCHL season and Joe Simpson comes across like a huge star. He's frequently noted as the best player in the league.

If I had to give an MVP award for the season it is either Duke Keats or Bullet Joe.

Edit: Here is an excerpt from March 2, 1922, talking about the tie breaking game between Edmonton and Regina for first place in the regular season.

"Joe Simpson was the outstanding player on the ice, his rushing being of the most spectacular variety and a glimpse at the scoring summary will disclose how effective he was around the net."
"Simpson took the puck near his own goal, rushed the length of the ice, and scored unassisted"

Simpson put up 3 goals and an assist as Edmonton dominated 11-2. Duke Keats also scored a hat trick.

 

[Crosby2010]

You mentioned Scott Niedermayer. I think he gets a lot of miles from the rush he made against the Wings in the 1995 Cup final and the 1996 World Cup vs. Sweden. It isn't as if he couldn't do this, he could, it is just that he didn't do it as near as much as he should have. Maybe it was a lack of confidence but he certainly had the speed to do it.

Brian Leetch is a name that was brought up and he fits this thread to a tee. It was probably his biggest strength. Leetch always worried me on those World Cup/Olympic games.

Today it is easily Makar as the best one I would say.

 

[Dale53130]

Housley and Iafrate. Olausson had that capability too. Mark Howe, could do that, though I think of him being more in the Bourque category.

 

[MyDogSparty]

You mentioned Scott Niedermayer. I think he gets a lot of miles from the rush he made against the Wings in the 1995 Cup final and the 1996 World Cup vs. Sweden. It isn't as if he couldn't do this, he could, it is just that he didn't do it as near as much as he should have. Maybe it was a lack of confidence but he certainly had the speed to do it.

I feel like Niedermayer had 2 careers. 1)NJ Devils. They played a very defensive style in the 90s. They had to be one of the best defensive teams of the era and therefore it wasn't very conducive to Niedermayer and his offensive skill set. 2)Anaheim Ducks. I felt that they really let Scott be Scott there. I swear, every time he touched the puck he was a threat. When you compare his Points Per Game at each franchise, he averaged .53 PPG as a NJD and .71 in Anaheim. That's quite a difference, especially when you consider that he was >30yrs old in Anaheim.

 

[Michael Farkas]

Well, that also coincided with the nuNHL power play extravaganza times...

Niedermayer was a rusher early in his Devils career. Then they really challenged him to get better defensively. Even under Lemaire, he started to rush the puck again more consistently around '98.

That said, Lemaire didn't exactly want d-men leading the rush with any sort of regularity. Scott Stevens had some rushing in his game too, but they took that out of his game...

 

[VanIslander]

Housley and Iafrate. Olausson had that capability too.

Names said in the same breath invokes the 7 plagues of Mesopotamia.

 

[carjackmalone]

Lumme with canucks did it all the time but most of the time lost the puck when trying to set up behind the oppositions net.

90 percent of the time

 

[MyDogSparty]

Housley and Iafrate. Olausson had that capability too. Mark Howe, could do that, though I think of him being more in the Bourque category.

I'm curious, what is the "Bourque category"?

 

[Dale53130]

I'm curious, what is the "Bourque category"?

I didn't think of Bourque as being an end-to-end rushing defenseman per se, more of a guy who brought the puck up judiciously compared to Paul Coffey. I think of him being more in line with Potvin, Mark Howe, and the Chicago version of Chris Chelios to a lesser degree.

I (mistakenly) thought we were just naming end-to-end rushing defensemen, not necessarily the greatest ever. I wouldn't have mentioned Olausson for example, though I saw him do it here and there when he was in Winnipeg.

 

[VanIslander]

Lumme with canucks did it all the time but most of the time lost the puck when trying to set up behind the oppositions net.

90 percent of the time

But he could check.
I thought of him as a 'Coffey shooting blanks but taking names '

I almost bought his jersey. (I bought a Canucks cap and Coffey t-shirt instead, saving enough to treat my girl to The Keg steakhouse. ... Am still unsettled with the decision. King Richard, Lumme, Linden.... my hometown boys...

 

[archangel2]

I will comment only on the ones I saw play in person,

Paul Coffey--I was at a game in Vancouver where he made it look like all the canuck players were standing still

Ray Bourque. Like Coffey, he could go end to end and leave you spinning

 

[Crosby2010]

I feel like Niedermayer had 2 careers. 1)NJ Devils. They played a very defensive style in the 90s. They had to be one of the best defensive teams of the era and therefore it wasn't very conducive to Niedermayer and his offensive skill set. 2)Anaheim Ducks. I felt that they really let Scott be Scott there. I swear, every time he touched the puck he was a threat. When you compare his Points Per Game at each franchise, he averaged .53 PPG as a NJD and .71 in Anaheim. That's quite a difference, especially when you consider that he was >30yrs old in Anaheim.

If I can describe Niedermayer it was that he seemed to be a deer in the headlights if Stevens was on the team. In other words, it almost is as if he didn't hit his potential because there was another HHOF defenseman there. Once Stevens dwindled a bit then we saw Niedermayer take off more. 2003 playoffs come to mind, but 2004 season was the beginning for him. Then Anaheim. So obviously he is legit to be in the Hall, but it just took him longer than it should have to hit his stride.

 

[Staniowski]

Different categories for offensive defensemen.

The beautiful rushers, like Orr, Leetch, Niedermayer when he wanted to. There were lots of other effective rushers too, and most offensive D rushed it less, but some.

Guys like Bourque and MacInnis were generals, moved the puck very well, but were a bit awkward as pure rushers.

Some guys "joined" the rush extremely well, e.g. Potvin.

Some defensemen moved up and basically played forward when they felt like it...especially Jan Suchy and Paul Reinhart. Guy Lapointe a fair amount too.

 

[Staniowski]

Also, the amount of rushing can vary a lot over a player's career, depending on age, injuries, and other factors...e.g. Serge Savard rushed quite a lot when he was young, and less when he was older (after his injury).

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

I didn't think of Bourque as being an end-to-end rushing defenseman per se, more of a guy who brought the puck up judiciously compared to Paul Coffey. I think of him being more in line with Potvin, Mark Howe, and the Chicago version of Chris Chelios to a lesser degree.

I (mistakenly) thought we were just naming end-to-end rushing defensemen, not necessarily the greatest ever. I wouldn't have mentioned Olausson for example, though I saw him do it here and there when he was in Winnipeg.

Correct.

After his first 5 seasons or so, Bourque rarely led the rush.

You mentioned Scott Niedermayer. I think he gets a lot of miles from the rush he made against the Wings in the 1995 Cup final and the 1996 World Cup vs. Sweden. It isn't as if he couldn't do this, he could, it is just that he didn't do it as near as much as he should have. Maybe it was a lack of confidence but he certainly had the speed to do it.

Brian Leetch is a name that was brought up and he fits this thread to a tee. It was probably his biggest strength. Leetch always worried me on those World Cup/Olympic games.

Today it is easily Makar as the best one I would say.

I'd put Leetch right behind Coffey.