Tag Archives: best little guys in hockey history

H2H 53: Marcel Dionne vs. Guy Lafleur – Who was Better?

When two players are drafted first and second overall in a given year, their careers are inexorably linked and will be forever compared and contrasted to each other (think Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin in the 2004 NHL Draft, or in a different sport, Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf in the 1998 NFL Draft).  Such was the case in 1971, when two Quebec junior hockey superstars, Guy Lafleur and Marcel Dionne, were selected with the first two picks in that year’s NHL draft – both picks worked out, as each player went on to have a legendary Hall of Fame career, thus inevitably bringing up the question:

Who was better – Marcel Dionne or Guy Lafleur?

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H2H 35: Paul Kariya vs. Martin St. Louis – Who was Better?

In sports, while we are in awe of incredible physical talent, it is often the “little guys” that we find ourselves rooting for.  The NHL is no different and has had its share of undersized stars throughout its history, from Ted Lindsay in the 1950s and 1960s to Henri Richard in the 1960s and 1970s to Marcel Dionne in the 1970s and 1980s, and so on.  In more recent history, two of the more dominant diminutive players have been 5’10’’ Paul Kariya and 5’8’’ Martin St. Louis, who were known for both their electrifying skill and gentlemanly conduct on the ice (both won the Lady Byng Award on multiple occasions).  Between these two Hall of Fame mighty mites, the question is:

Who was better – Paul Kariya or Martin St. Louis?

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