Archive for the ‘Hockey’ Category
December 23rd, 2011 | 
Author: Well, it’s Tuesday again, and that means another edition of Hockey Hermit’sTuesday Top Tens. I’m feeling a bit off the wall today, so I figured rather than coming up with a vanilla list like top 10 NHL defensemen, I’d try something a bit more colorful. A list of the top 10 ugliest hockey playersof the past 20 years fits the bill I think. Initially I considered a list of the top 10 ugliest hockey players of all time, but I am not familiar enough with the facial features of all players from the 20s to the 70s to pretend to be an authority on the subject, and even if I could create a definitive list, coming up with pictures would have been a challenge. By narrowing down the field to players that competed in the past 2 decades I feel relatively qualified to weigh in on the subject, and the contemporary flavor will be more familiar to my readers as well. Feel free to voice your opinion on my choices in comments. Beauty (or ugliness) is subjective, so let me know if I have made any glaring omissions. Here are my choices for the top 10 ugliest NHL players from the past 20 years:
10 – Steve Rucchin - If an alien mated with a fish, the resulting baby would look like Admiral Ackbar from Return of the Jedi…or Steve Rucchin. The guy looks like he just downed about 20 shots of expresso. A great two way hockey player, but definitely a mug only a mother could love.
9 - Shawn Horcoff - With ears that are trying to run away from his face, a lazy eye, a bent beak, and missing chicklets, Shawn Horcoff is the complete package and is the very definition of the phrase “ugly hockey player”. Hard to believe 8 others finished ahead of him on this list.
8 – Bobby Holik - Unfrozen Caveman Hockey Player might come in a lot higher on other people’s list, but other than his continental-shelf-like unibrow this guy really isn’tthat ugly. Still, though he doesn’t merit a high spot on this top 10 list cracking number 8 just based on upper head features is pretty darn impressive.
7 – Lyle Odelein - This guy always had a dopey expression on his face like he had just came out of dental surgery after undergoing an experimental procedure to see how many teeth they could cram in the human mouth. He wouldn’t be grinning like that if he looked in a mirror.
6 – Ken Danyeko - Ken Daneyko could have used some of Lyle Odelein’s teeth. This blue collar warrior lost a full dozen chicklets during his NHL playing days, and he wasn’t all that good looking with a full set of chompers. You know you’re ugly when even your bobblehead is better looking than you.
5 - Rod Brind’Amour - This guy will no doubt be on everyone’s list of the top 10 ugliest NHL players of the past 20 years. Known as “Rod the Bod” for his chiseled physique, Brind’Amour’s good looks don’t extend from the neck up. With bug eyes, and a nose that wouldn’t look out of place on a horse, Brind’Amour’s ugly mug earns him a deserving spot in the top half of this list.
4 – Gino Odjick - Has there ever been a more mismatched pair of linemates in NHL history thanPavel Bure and Gino Odjick? Bure’s speed, talent, and boyish good looks were a sharp contrast to Odjick’s plodding, cement-handed, ugliness. Odjick was supposed to be a goon, but he wasn’t even a very good fighter. How this guy stuck around in the NHL as long as he did is a mystery to me, but no one can deny his popularity with the fans, and they certainly can’t deny he is one of the ugliest men to pick up a hockey stick in the past 20 years.
3 – Brent Sopel - For the love of God, somebody buy this guy a bottle of shampoo! When I hear the word greasy Brent Sopel is the first thing that comes to mind, narrowly edging out a 20 piece bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. With his stringy locks and his permanently stoned expression Sopel got serious consideration for top spot on this list.
2 – Tim Hunter - The most famous nose in hockey is enough to get Tim Hunter to number 2 on the list of the top 10 ugliest hockey players of the past 20 years. Even disregarding the nose Hunter would never have pocketed $10 for taking second prize in a beauty contest. Amazingly, Hunter claims that he never actually broke the nose. That thing is all natural baby!
1 – Mike Ricci - Was there any doubt? Shawn Horcoff might have been the complete package as an ugly hockey player, but Ricci takes it to the next level. The long greasy-looking hair, the huge lumpy nose, the scraggly stubble, and the missing teeth all combined to make Ricci the ugliest man to lace up the skates in the past 20 years, and though I certainly can’t claim to have seen every player since the dawn of the NHL I have a hard time believing any player in the history of the sport can trump this guy as the all time ugliest in hockey.
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1 - Pavel Bure
Oldtimers who watched Hull, Orr and Lafleur in their primes might argue with this choice, but in my opinion there has never been a more dynamic, electrifying player than the Russian Rocket. From the very first game he played in the NHL Bure left fans breathless with his unparalleled ability to stickhandle at full speed. He might not have been as fast as Bobby Hull at top speed, but I have seen no one before or since that could accelerate like Bure could and when he got a sniff of open ice he would blast off, and no one had a hope of catching him. Once in alone on the goalie Bure’s phenomenally quick hands allowed him to pull off high speed dekes that were the envy of the rest of the league. Ovechkin might one day take the title from him, but as of the time of this writing Bure is, in my opinion, the most exciting NHL player I’ve ever seen.
2 - Bobby Hull
Back to back Bobbys on the list of the top 10 most exciting NHL hockey players of all time. This monstrously strong winger was nicknamed the Golden Jet because of his incredible skating speed (28 MPH). He also possessed an absolute cannon of a shot, and his slapshot was one clocked at a mind-boggling 118 MPH. Every time Hull got the puck and started flying down the wing fans were pulled to their feet to see what this NHL legend would do.
3 - Bobby Orr
Perhaps no other player in NHL history revolutionized the game like this man, and when he had the puck on his stick opposing teams could only stand and watch, helpless to stop him as he used his incredible speed, creativity and puck-handling ability to beat them all as he rushed up the ice. Fans screamed themselves hoarse cheering this guy on, and not a game went by without him making several incredible plays. It boggles the mind how good this guy would have been had he been able to play on two good knees his entire career.
Though he is only in his 4th NHL season I don’t think anyone can dispute that the Great 8 has already carved his spot in history as one of the most exciting NHL hockey players of all time. Not only is he an incredible shooter and goal-scorer with an unbridled passion for the game, but he is also one of the game’s most devastating hitters. He plays the game full speed ahead and never takes a night off. If his body can survive his human pinball style of play for a decade or more look for Ovie to surge to the pinnacle of this list by the time the sun goes down on his NHL career.
5 - Guy Lafleur
Only Maurice Richard is more beloved by Montreal fans than the Flower, and the image of Lafleur flying down the wing, long blond hair streaming behind him, and unleashing a wicked slapshot is one of the most memorable in the sport. His incredible speed and his ability to score important goals made him enormously popular, and even in opposing rinks Lafleur made fans stand and cheer with his exhilarating dashes down the right side.
6 – Mario Lemieux
In my opinion this big man is the most talented player to ever play the game of hockey. More skilled than Gretzky or Orr, Mario the Magnificent played the game like everyone else was moving in slow motion, and if not for the health problems that dogged him through the bulk of his career there is little doubt in my mind that many of Gretzky’s records would belong to Mario. When Lemieux was at the top of his game, he was virtually unstoppable and a highlight reel of his best plays would last for hours.
7 – Maurice “Rocket” Richard
Though he might not have had the incredible stick-handling ability of the majority of the other players on this list, no one can deny that the Rocket was as exciting driving the net to score a goal as Savard or Jagr were when deking through the entire opposing team. Opponents will tell you this guy had fire in his eyes, and only woe awaited any defender that got between him and the net. This NHL hockey legend had fans at the Montreal forum out of their seats on a nightly basis with his dramatic goal-scoring ability, and is considered by most as the greatest player ever to suit up for the legendary Montreal Canadiens.
8 - Denis Savard
One of the biggest mysteries in NHL history is how theMontreal Canadiens could have passed over this French Canadian junior star to select Doug Wickenheiser with the #1 overall pick in the 1980 NHL entry draft. Instead, their original six brethren, the Chicago Blackhawks, snapped up this savvy superstar with the 3rd overall pick, and Savard quickly showed the Canadiens brass how wrong they were in overlooking him. Though small in stature, Savard had incredible speed, agility, and it is hard to think of anyone who was a better stickhandler than this guy. Savard consistently found his way onto the highlight reel, and was one of the game’s greatest entertainers in the 80s.
9 - Wayne Gretzky
Many hockey historians might have the consensus choice as the greatest hockey player of all time higher on the list of the most exciting players, but for my money Gretzky’s greatest attributes were his intelligence, his on-ice vision, his consistency, and his incredible will to win – not necessarily traits that lent themselves to pure excitement. That being said, Gretzky surely pulled off his share of highlight reel plays during his amazing career, and definitely scored some dramatic, clutch goals. Gretzky filled rinks wherever to play, and with good reason. The Great One certainly must be considered one of the most exciting NHL hockey players ever.
10 - Jaromir Jagr
Though this guy’s character and intensity may have been questioned throughout his NHL career, few can dispute Jaromir Jagr’s incredible natural talent, particularly his wizardry as one of the best stickhandlers the game has ever seen. Jagr had size, deceptive speed, and perhaps the fastest set of hands in NHL history, and some of the moves he pulled off even had the Magnificent One, Mario Lemieux shaking his head in disbelief. Yes, he mailed it in on many nights, but when he came to play fans spent a lot of the night on their feet.
With the World Championship into the quarterfinal in Germany, we thought it’d be neat to look back at the tournament’s all-time leading scorers.
Not surprisingly, former Soviet players dominate the list, just as the USSR dominated the tournament for more than a generation. From 1954 to 1992, the Soviets won 19 gold medals at the World Championship, including 15 in an 18-tournament span during the USSR’s heyday.
The Soviet hockey machine was so overwhelming its traditional rival, Hockey Canada, boycotted international play during parts of the 1970s on the basis the Soviet players were professionals masquerading as amateurs.
There are a few legendary names on this list sprinkled with some stars of yore from outside the USSR. Here is THN.com’s Top 10 career World Championship scorers.
10. Anatoli Firsov, Soviet Union, 101 points
Four all-star teams in a row.
9. Jiri Holik, Czechoslovakia, 104 points
Uncle to former NHLer Bobby Holik, Jiri Holik leads all players in tournament games played (123) and is tied with two others in A Pool tournaments played (14). He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1999.
8. Veniamin Alexandrov, Soviet Union, 104 points
Inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2007 (16 years after his death), Alexandrov led the 1966 tournament in scoring with nine goals and 17 points in seven games. The Soviets won silver that year, ending their streak of gold medals at seven.
7. Vladimir Martinec, Czechoslovakia, 110 points
A tournament all-star in 1974, ’75, ’76 and ’77, Martinec is 14th all-time in IIHF games played (289). He was named top forward at the 1976 tournament, when Czechoslovakia won gold and swept the awards.
6. Sergei Makarov, Soviet Union, 118 points
The reason the NHL has a Calder Trophy age limit, Makarov is one of the greatest international performers. He’s fifth all-time with 315 IIHF games played and has 11 World Championship medals, including eight gold.
5. Sven ‘Tumba’ Johansson, Sweden, 127 points
A hero in Sweden, ‘Tumba’ was the first great player for the Tre Kroner. He, too, played in 14 World Championships and was twice named the tournament’s best forward. ‘Tumba’ was the first European to attend an NHL training camp when he tried out for Boston in 1957.
4. Vladimir Petrov, Soviet Union, 154 points
The 2006 IIHF Hall inductee also owns 11 medals from the worlds. The center played in the 1972 Summit Series, scoring three goals and seven points in the eight games, while playing an important checking role against the likes of Phil Esposito.
3. Alexander Maltsev, Soviet Union, 156 points
Another veteran of the Summit Series, Maltsev is third all-time with 12 medals, nine of which were gold, in 12 tournaments. He’s also fourth all-time in IIHF games played with 316.
2. Valeri Kharlamov, Soviet Union, 159 points
The legendary Kharlamov just may be the greatest Soviet player to ever hit the ice; so great his ankle was the target of Bobby Clarke’s slash in ‘72, which effectively knocked him out of the Summit Series. Kharlamov was also the highest-scoring Olympian until Teemu Selanne passed him this year in Vancouver. Kharlamov’s 105 games at the worlds are tied for eighth all-time; he was a four-time tournament all-star.
1. Boris Mikhailov, Soviet Union, 169 points
Mikhailov captained the Soviets to five gold medals in the ’70s and coached Russia to another in 1993. He was twice named top forward, while playing on the USSR’s top line with Kharlamov and Petrov. When Mikhailov retired he was carried around the rink on his teammates’ shoulders.
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