The late 1990s through early 2010s saw perhaps the greatest generation of Swedish hockey talent in the country’s history – led by the likes of goalie Henrik Lundqvist, defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom, and forwards Peter Forsberg and the Sedin twins, this culminated in a hockey gold medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. That historic team was captained by Mats Sundin, with Daniel Alfredsson and Lidstrom serving as alternate captains; speaking to each player’s skill and leadership, Sundin and Alfredsson both spent the majority of their NHL careers playing in Canada and serving as longtime captains for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators, respectively. Given each player’s parallel success in the NHL and on the international stage, this leads to the question:
Who was better – Daniel Alfredsson or Mats Sundin?
When you think of great individual rivalries in the NBA, two immediately come to mind – Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson in the 1980s (which was credited with reviving the league’s sagging popularity) and before that, the original great rivalry of Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell in the 1960s. As towering giants of the NBA’s early days (both literally and figuratively), Chamberlain and Russell dominated the game in extraordinary fashion, an ongoing head-to-head clash between the former’s individual brilliance and the latter’s championship greatness with the Boston Celtics. More than half a century after each player’s prime, the two legends continue to hold a revered place in the upper echelons of basketball immortality and the comparison remains timeless:
Who was better – Wilt Chamberlain or Bill Russell?
The history of MLB second basemen is an interesting one – while some of the greatest players of the early 20th century manned second base (e.g. Rogers Hornsby, Eddie Collins, Nap Lajoie, etc.), it has not traditionally been viewed as a position for sluggers nor does it have the defensive value of catcher, shortstop, or center field. Nevertheless, it has seen its share of MVP and Hall of Fame-caliber players over the years; in particular, two of the top slugging second basemen in recent memory have been Jeff Kent and Ryne Sandberg. Sandberg retired with the most career home runs by a second baseman, while Kent currently holds that distinction, thus prompting the question:
Note: Updated for Chris Bosh and Chris Webber’s 2021 Hall of Fame selections.
As the NBA has moved more and more towards “positionless” basketball (e.g. LeBron James could essentially play any position, and play it at a high level), the power forward archetype has evolved from a big bruiser who can score and rebound in the paint to more of a versatile playmaker with shooting range. In recent history, two players who have exemplified this paradigm shift are Chris Bosh and Chris Webber. At their respective peaks, each player was among the dominant power forwards in the game, leading us to ask the question:
