A recent episode on the Puck Podcast (worth listening to even for casual hockey fans ... http://www.puckpodcast.com/) had a section in which they talked about how the Sharks did a poll of their fans to find out who the fan favorites were and how Dany Heatley wasn't even in the top 10. After listening to this I decided that I would soon create a post (and voilà, here it is) in which I tried to lay out my top 10 favorite Avalanche players of all time.
Now there are a couple things worth pointing out at the very beginning. First this is not a list of the 10 greatest Avalanche players of all time; it is my list of 10 favorite Avs of all time. Second, while I watched an occasional game prior to the 2000 season it wasn't until then that I went to my first live game and was completely hooked on hockey, thus my list will show this by the lack of players from the time before that and I know there were some greats that I didn't fully appreciate because I didn't get to see them play regularly like I have the players since then.
To begin this little project I went to the internet and got a list of the All-time roster for the Avs, then I went through on the first pass and crossed out each player out of the list of about 200 that I knew wouldn't make the top 10. I left a little room for extras and at the end my list had been narrowed down to 23 after just a single pass. Many notables such as Alexei Gusarov and Valeri Kamensky you won't find here, mostly because of the fact mentioned above regarding when I truly became an Avaholic.
Of those 23 I found there were only two goalies, Patrick Roy and Peter Budaj. Budaj made the first cut not because of his talent (he truly is a good backup but hasn't shown he can be a starter) but rather because he is always positive and is a great team guy. He got crossed off on the next pass though.
On the back end I came up with 6 defensemen on the list. Those six consisted of Rob Blake, Ray Bourque, J-M Liles, Adam Foote, Sandis Ozolinsh, and Kevin Shattenkirk. Foote definitely made the top 10 cut as did Liles, but of the other four only Shattenkirk (yes, the kid that only played a half a season for the Avalanche) and Blake made the second pass. Bourque nearly made it but was a piece added for a short period of time in an attempt to get the lifetime Bruin a cup. Ozolinsh I didn't get to see enough of to challenge though.
When it came to the forwards there were 15 to begin with. This category has not only the skill guys but the character guys making the list. There are the favorites such as Sakic and Duchene and Forsberg, but then there are guys like Parker, Laperriere and Yelle on it as well. The complete list, first pass, was Adam Deadmarsh, Chris Drury, Matt Duchene, Peter Forsberg, Milan Hejduk, Dan Hinote, Ian Laperriere, Ryan O'Reilly, Scott Parker, Shjon Podein, Joe Sakic, Paul Stastny, Chris Stewart, Alex Tanguay, and Stephane Yelle. The second cut from this list was fairly easy seeing Hinote, Podein, Parker and Tanguay all getting crossed off. The next round was a bit tougher and saw Stewart, Drury, and O'Reilly all missing out though I really enjoyed all of them for various reasons and still do ... and some day O'Reilly could climb on this list (and I hate seeing Stewart scoring loads for the Blues now).
After those cuts I found myself with 13 players to choose from, 1 goalie, 4 defensemen, and 8 forwards. So who made the cut? Here it is ... the top 10 (ok, 11) on my list...
10b) Kevin Shattenkirk - The season the Avs fell apart and got Duchene in the draft is the season that I really got interested in prospects in the NHL, in the draft, and who was in the system. Kevin Shattenkirk was our best prospect for so long and I followed him for many years, and when he began playing for the team this year he was instantly one of my favorites. He showed great skill and it was exciting seeing this kid finally playing for the big club after following the hype for so long ... and I'm still upset that he was traded and fully expect him to be a 45-50 point top pairing defenseman for the next decade.
10a) Adam Deadmarsh - This guy was fun to watch. He played physical but had a skill to his game as well. He gave everything every night and never quit. It is too bad that injuries shortened his career.
9) Matt Duchene - This is one player likely to climb a few spots on the list the longer I watch him. The gift from an awful season, he has shown great skill on the ice and is exciting to watch. He is growing into a star in the league and at the same time learning to play a more complete game as well. The future of the team will revolve around this kid for many years.
7b) Paul Stastny - I think he is still very underrated around the league, at least by fans, because he is a very skilled two way guy who in some ways reminds me of Sakic. He isn't flashy, he just goes out and does what he needs to in all areas of the ice. He's also very consistent, despite the recent slump the entire team is going through. He is also a great team guy with a good attitude and will be a great leader.
7a) J-M Liles - I can't really explain this one too much. I love the effort he puts in, I love the attitude, and even with ups and downs in his seasons and constant trade rumors I enjoy watching him play. He's a smooth skater who is active on the ice, jumping up in plays, rushing back on defense ... just a fun guy to watch.
6) Patrick Roy - Some might be shocked to see the great Patrick Roy this low, and honestly I am a bit as well. I just don't think I'm really a goalie type guy though I fully appreciate a great one and he might be the best all time. He carried himself with a swagger and confidence and nearly always kept his team in games when they were having an off night. His passion and enjoyment of the game always shone through making him fun to watch.
5) Ian Laperriere - Lappy is as has been said before 'Braveheart on Skates'. No man has given as much of himself to every shift of every game. Not the most skilled of players he made up for it and then some by always doing everything he could. He would stick up for teammates, he would get behind his team and push them onward, he would lay his body on the line for the team without hesitation (don't believe it and just search Youtube and you'll find evidence of this). As great as he was on the ice he was equally great off the ice and I still wear my "It's All About Lappy" shirt with pride.
4) Milan Hejduk - A lifetime Av who is another of those players that isn't flashy but is incredibly skilled and consistent. Each year he comes in and quietly puts together a good offensive season without garnering much attention while being one of the best defensive forwards on the team as well. He plays a complete game on both ends of the ice. He is also a very humble guy and a great team guy, someone all these young kids now can truly look up to.
3) Adam Foote - Also a guy that the younger players can look up to, Foote not only leads by example but is also a vocal guy. He's also one mean SOB and makes it difficult for anyone else to play against. He doesn't add much offense to the team but he's a leader on the defense and always plays hard. Some of the battles he's had in front of his net with opposing forwards banging away at each other I will never forget.
1b) Peter Forsberg - What a shame that his career was shortened by injury. He played right up until the end with every bit of passion and love for the game that a person could put into it. He was a true complete player. He didn't score a lot himself but he made everyone around him better and few were as good at setting up his teammates as Forsberg was. But it wasn't just offensive skill that he brought to the ice. He also wasn't afraid of contact and was a very physical player who would throw his weight around every chance he got. He was a feisty guy with a ton of skill who loved the game and brought it all to the table every night.
1a) Joe Sakic - A true great of the game. A complete player on every part of the ice, a leader for his team, an incredible representative of what not only a hockey player but an athlete should be. He skated with ease and always showed up when needed most to carry his team towards victory. He saw the ice better than most, had an incredible shot, and did everything right. As great as he was on the ice though, he never put himself above anyone else or the team on or off the ice. He was humble and a great human being, not just a great hockey player.
So there is my top 10. There are certainly some surprises for other Avalanche fans I'm sure but that mine as it sits today. My fiance's favorite Avs since she's watched beginning a few years ago when we started dating (in no particular order) ... Stewart, Ryan Smyth, Sakic, Liles and Hejduk...
One last thing before finishing this off however ... given that my first pass through resulted in almost a full team's worth of players in the proper proportions here is what that team would look like...
Deadmarsh - Sakic - Hejduk
Drury - Forsberg - Duchene
Stewart - Stastny - Tanguay
Lappy - Yelle - Podein
Parker, O'Reilly, Hinote
Foote - Liles
Blake - Shattenkirk
Bourque - Ozolinsh
Roy
Budaj
That's a pretty potent team capable of some Cups if I dare say so myself...
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