NHLPA Player Poll: A Closer Look At the Results

The NHLPA Player Poll represents the opinions of the players, and it continues to provide some insight on who truly is the best in the NHL

The NHLPA Player Poll was released to the public this past Wednesday. However, the discussions it has created are just getting started. While some of the results are almost predictable, others may provide an element of surprise.

The questions asked provided information on who players would like to play with, who they hate playing against, and what they consider to be the most important qualities in a great player. They even go into details on all-time greats and best venues to play in.  The full NHLPA Player Poll results can be found here.

Best of the Best

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Unsurprisingly, Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby made recurring appearances throughout the poll, and continue to be considered the best by both their peers and the general public. No arguments there.

Wayne Gretzky swept most of the polls associated to ‘past or present’ type questions. He is not only considered the best player of all-time but is also the most desired teammate. No arguments there either.

In terms of defensemen, Erik Karlsson is still considered the best, but Shea Weber is not far behind. While the former is praised for his franchise-player abilities, the latter is still feared on the ice. Weber finished fourth in the hardest player to play against. Meanwhile, Karlsson took the title for the hardest defenseman to play against, edging out Drew Doughty by 1.7 percent.

For these categories, it would be interesting to see how the overall player question differed from the defensemen-specific one since Weber finished third among blueliners. Karlsson also finished fifth in ‘If you need to win one game, who is the #1 player (any position) you would want on your team?”.

Carey Price is still the best goaltender. A whopping 41 percent of players confirmed that the 2014-15 Vezina Trophy winner is the hardest goalie to score against.

Jonathan Quick, who finished second, came in at just 12.1 percent. He also finished third behind Crosby and McDavid for the best player to help win a single game. In terms of gaps between positional players, Price has solidified himself as the best goalie of this era.

There were, however, a few interesting votes that provided substantial insight on how players feel about their colleagues on and off the ice.

The Interesting Stuff

Best candidates to coach after retirement

This was an interesting one. Crosby topped this list vote as well, but the remaining candidates should be surprises from a fan perspective. While Crosby came in at 5.7% of total voters, Derek Stepan, Jason Spezza, and Matt Cullen were all tied for second with 4.5% of the vote.

Jonathan Toews, a more fan-favorite candidate, came in third with 3.6%. Stepan, Spezza, and Cullen may not be household names, but they are clearly respected for their hockey IQ and have strong relationships with their colleagues.

Who was your favorite player growing up

The NHL is a young man’s game today, but the results suggest the legacy of old-timers still holds strong. The veterans in the league today are carrying the vote here, and the results represent that well. Peter Forsberg topped this category with 8.4 percent but was followed up by Steve Yzerman with 8.2 percent. The Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings rivalry has a role to play here. They were the best teams in the 90s, but were not ‘friendly’ foes by any means.

The ‘Brawl in Hockeytown’ is still remembered today but was not the only memory between these two rivals. Patrick Roy and Chris Osgood had a very entertaining round two.

Needless to say, the bond between the Avalanche and Red Wings was strong, but for all the wrong reasons. Fans were not complaining, though.

Who is the best goalie of all time?

On a more positive note, Roy continues to hold the title as the best goaltender of all time. He topped the list with 39.3 percent of the vote. Second place should be no surprise, as Martin Brodeur took those honors with 33.2 percent.

Interestingly enough, Carey Price has already made this list, and placed fourth behind Dominik Hasek with 3 percent. If he ever wins a Stanley Cup, it will be intriguing to see where his legacy stands as one of the best ever. With this company, he will need more than one to even entertain G.O.A.T. talk.

Next: Is Brad Marchand a Hart Trophy contender?

Agree or disagree with any of the results? Post in the comment section and get the conversation started!