Tag Archives: best Swedish hockey players

H2H 128: Patrik Elias vs. Markus Naslund – Who was Better?

Though the late 1990s and early 2000s were known for being a defensive-minded era in the NHL (in contrast to the wide-open, high-scoring 1980s), it nevertheless still produced its share of elite offensive players.  On opposite ends of North America, two European-born stars in Patrik Elias and Markus Naslund were franchise players for the New Jersey Devils and Vancouver Canucks, respectively, and each retired as the all-time franchise leader in career points (though Naslund has since been surpassed by the Sedin twins).  Looking back on these two underrated and unassuming stars of the early 21st century, let us compare their careers and ask:

Who was better – Patrik Elias or Markus Naslund?

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H2H 75: Pavel Datsyuk vs. Henrik Zetterberg – Who was Better?

As one of the Original Six NHL franchises, the Detroit Red Wings have been blessed with a plethora of superstars throughout the years, from Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, and Terry Sawchuk in the mid-20th century to the likes of Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov, and Nicklas Lidstrom in more recent times.  Detroit has always embraced foreign stars (see the “Russian Five” from the 1990s) and thus, it should come as no surprise that in the late 2000s and early 2010s, the latest generation of Red Wings was led by Pavel Datsyuk from Russia and Henrik Zetterberg of Sweden. Though each dealt with his fair share of injuries, the duo were among the most electrifying players in the league when fully healthy, and helped Detroit add to its Stanley Cup trophy case.  With their stellar careers essentially overlapping, let us look back and ask:

Who was better – Pavel Datsyuk or Henrik Zetterberg?

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H2H 47: Peter Forsberg vs. Eric Lindros – Who was Better?

Throughout the history of sports, there have been many cases of “what could have been”, i.e. immensely talented players who, for one reason or another, did not fully reach their potential.  In recent NHL memory, two players who come to mind are Peter Forsberg and Eric Lindros, whose careers were closely linked from the very beginning – though both ended up having excellent careers and were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, had it not been for injuries, each was blessed with the talent to become one of the greatest hockey players in history.  Alas, we can only judge players by what they actually did and so there will always be questions of what each player could have accomplished – nevertheless, based on their existing bodies of work, the question is:

Who was better – Peter Forsberg or Eric Lindros?

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