Category Archives: Hockey

H2H 29: Phil Esposito vs. Tony Esposito – Who was Better?

From Richards to Conachers to Sutters to Stastnys to Sedins to Staals, there has been no shortage of prolific siblings that have played in the NHL.  Among these many sets of brothers, though, Phil and Tony Esposito may be the most unique – not only are both of them members of the Hockey Hall of Fame (a rare enough feat in itself), but they also played very different positions in center and goalie, respectively; in some ways, it is surprising that there are not more skater-goalie sibling combinations in hockey, since as kids growing up, it would be natural for one brother to be shooting the puck on another.  Given this unique set of circumstances, while it is not the most straightforward to compare them against each other, nevertheless, the question should be asked:

Who was better – Phil Esposito or Tony Esposito?

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H2H 25: Jari Kurri vs. Teemu Selanne – Who was Better?

On March 12, 2012, Teemu Selanne scored his 659th career goal and 1,399th career point against the Colorado Avalanche, thus surpassing Jari Kurri as the all-time leading scorer in NHL history among Finnish-born players.  While Finland has often been overshadowed by its neighbor Sweden in hockey, it has nevertheless produced its fair share of NHL players, chief among them Kurri and Selanne, two of the top players of their respective generations and both Hall of Fame members.  Between these two “Finnish Flashes”, who remain #1 and #2 in scoring among their countrymen and are also close friends in real life, their great careers beg the question:

Who was better – Jari Kurri or Teemu Selanne?

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H2H 20: Joe Sakic vs. Steve Yzerman – Who was Better?

One of the greatest honors for an NHL player is to wear the captain’s “C” at some point during his career, as it signifies both excellence in play and in leadership ability.  With the advent of free agency and players moving around from team to team, it has become increasingly rare for a team to have a captain for an extended period of time, e.g. a decade of more.  In recent history, Joe Sakic and Steve Yzerman come to mind as great captains who played their entire 20+ year Hall of Fame careers with one franchise and led their respective teams to the Stanley Cup.  There are many career similarities between the two (both from Canada, both played center, both spent their entire career with one team, both were 1,500+ point scorers and strong two-way players, both were relatively quiet and chose to lead by example, etc.), thus it is only natural to compare them and ask:

Who was better – Joe Sakic or Steve Yzerman?

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H2H 17: Ray Bourque vs. Nicklas Lidstrom – Who was Better?

As the name implies, the primary responsibility of a hockey defenseman is to defend and prevent the other team from scoring goals.  However, to be truly great, a defenseman must not only be highly proficient in his own end, but must also be a skilled quarterback for the offense, particularly on the power play.  Throughout the NHL’s long and storied history, there have been many great defensemen, with most experts considering Bobby Orr to be the greatest blueliner of all time, though one thing he did not have was longevity.  In terms of sustained brilliance, two of the greatest defensemen in NHL history are Ray Bourque and Nicklas Lidstrom, each of whom spent 20 years with one franchise and racked up numerous Norris Trophies and 1,000+ points in their Hall of Fame careers.  In comparing their long and illustrious careers, the question arises:

Who was better – Ray Bourque or Nicklas Lidstrom?

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H2H 13: Daniel Sedin vs. Henrik Sedin – Who was Better?

Much like father and son duos (see Bobby and Brett Hull), there have been many great sibling combos in sports history, from Peyton and Eli Manning in football to Pau and Marc Gasol in basketball to the Alou and DiMaggio brothers in baseball to Phil and Tony Esposito in hockey, etc. Go a step further and there have even been numerous accomplished sets of identical twins (Ronde and Tiki Barber, Brook and Robin Lopez, etc.) – however with the exception of doubles partners Bob and Mike Bryan in tennis, perhaps no brothers/identical twins have had their careers quite as intertwined as Daniel and Henrik Sedin.  As long-time stalwarts for the Vancouver Canucks, the brothers were drafted together, played their entire careers with the Canucks together, and retired together. Given how closely their careers were linked (you could almost say they were identical…), naturally one might ask:

Who was better – Daniel Sedin or Henrik Sedin?

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H2H 10: Bobby Hull vs. Brett Hull – Who was Better?

Across the world of professional sports, there have been many great father-son athletes throughout history, from Bobby and Barry Bonds in baseball to Dell and Steph Curry in basketball to the Mannings in football (father Archie and sons Peyton and Eli), etc.  However, in terms of the greatest father-son duo ever, those honors might go to hockey players Bobby and Brett Hull. Known respectively as “The Golden Jet” and “The Golden Brett”, both father and son led the NHL in goal scoring, were named MVP, and reached the magical 500 career goal mark, among other honors, and are the first father and son combo to both be inducted as Hall of Famers in their sport.  Each player is an all-time hockey great in their own right, but in comparing father and son side-by-side, we ask the question:

Who was better – Bobby Hull or Brett Hull?

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H2H 3: Martin Brodeur vs. Patrick Roy – Who was Better?

When it comes to the most important positions in sports, the shortlist contains the usual suspects: quarterback, goalie, starting pitcher, basketball superstar (not technically a position, but one player can thoroughly carry a team, e.g. LeBron James when he was on the Cleveland Cavaliers).  Perhaps because of hockey’s status as the fourth of the “Big 4” American sports, great goalies may not get the same amount of attention as a Tom Brady, Clayton Kershaw, or the aforementioned James, but the men in masks and pads can single-handedly steal a game, a series, or even an entire playoffs for their teams with their stellar play in net.  Over the last quarter-century or so, two French-Canadians, Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy, have stood tall in net as titans of goaltending in the NHL, Hall of Famers with the most and second-most wins in history, respectively. With Brodeur recently being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018, that brings up the question:

Who was better – Martin Brodeur or Patrick Roy?

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