Tag Archives: best Oilers players

H2H 141: Shane Doan vs. Ryan Smyth – Who was Better?

Every sports team’s fan base has its share of franchise favorites – though these may not necessarily be the best players in the team’s history (they can be), they have usually been around with the team through thick and thin and are both leaders and class acts.  For the Arizona Coyotes and the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL, perhaps the most popular players in (recent) franchise history are Shane Doan and Ryan Smyth, respectively – outstanding hockey players in their own right, they each led their respective teams through rather bleak periods with class and dignity, thus forever earning a place in the hearts of the fans; given their relatively parallel careers, it is only natural to compare the pair and ask:

Who was better – Shane Doan or Ryan Smyth?

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H2H 108: Paul Coffey vs. Denis Potvin – Who was Better?

In the late 1970s and during the 1980s, the NHL saw the rise of two new dynasties in the New York Islanders and Edmonton Oilers – both teams were blessed with a plethora of Hall of Fame forwards (e.g. Bryan Trottier and Mike Bossy for the Islanders, Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, and Jari Kurri for the Oilers, just to name a few), star goalies (Billy Smith in New York, Grant Fuhr/Andy Moog in Edmonton), and on the blue line, offensively gifted defensemen in Denis Potvin (Islanders) and Paul Coffey (Oilers).  With multiple Norris Trophies and over 1,000 career points apiece, these two Hall of Fame blueliners are among the greatest defensemen in league history – from their jaw-dropping statistics to individual accolades to team successes, it is only natural to compare the pair and ask:

Who was better – Paul Coffey or Denis Potvin?

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H2H 66: Jaromir Jagr vs. Mark Messier – Who was Better?

Everyone knows that Wayne Gretzky is the NHL’s all-time leading scorer with 2,857 career points; almost 1,000 career points behind him at #2 and #3 overall are Jaromir Jagr (1,921) and Mark Messier (1,887), respectively.  Both played alongside transcendent players during the first halves of their careers and were arguably Robin rather than Batman (Jagr with Mario Lemieux in Pittsburgh, Messier with Gretzky in Edmonton), but are nevertheless all-time legends in their own right – between the 1,800+ career points each, Ross Trophies, Hart Trophies, Pearson Awards, captaincies, and Stanley Cup titles, etc., the question is:

Who was better – Jaromir Jagr or Mark Messier?

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