Bryan Trottier letter to his younger self

[Cyder]

Letter to My Younger Self | By Bryan Trottier

The man gets, no - the man IS, hockey.

Brilliant. Absolutely Fucking Brilliant

 

[DragonfromTO]

The closest parallel I can draw to Mess is Ovi. Strong on his skates, plays with an edge, has a nasty streak and can change the game every time he steps over the boards.


Trottier I'll have to give some thought to.

Meh, I don't know that anyone would label Ovechkin as the dirtiest player in the game while Messier almost certainly was in the running for that title for more years than Ovi has even played.

I think I've mentioned this to you before, but I think the best comparison for Ovi is probably Bobby Hull.

Messier? I'm not sure there's anyone in the league currently with the same mix of traits.

 

[forty_three]

Jonathan Toews might be the closest thing to Trottier today.

Plays a pretty complete game. Not the highest skill level in the league but scores a healthy amount. Looks like he might have some leadership skills (I thinnk I read something about this somewhere). Plays on a dynasty-type team.

I don't think Toews is on Trott's level but few are.

Yeah. That works for me.

I would have said Alfredsson as well, had he not already called it quits. With Alfie you also get the size comparison. Although he's not as (apparently) vocal as Trottier was in chirping opponents.

Meh, I don't know that anyone would label Ovechkin as the dirtiest player in the game while Messier almost certainly was in the running for that title for more years than Ovi has even played.

I think I've mentioned this to you before, but I think the best comparison for Ovi is probably Bobby Hull.

Messier? I'm not sure there's anyone in the league currently with the same mix of traits.

Hull is another good comparison, probably better overall. And let's be honest, no one is going to play the Mess type game/mix of traits in this NHL. So when you compare how nasty OV gets as opposed to the average super skill player - that's where I draw the Mess comparison on that point. Mess was on another level, as is OV.

But the passion, leadership, excitement... Mess like, IMO.

 

[DragonfromTO]

Yeah. That works for me.

I would have said Alfredsson as well, had he not already called it quits. With Alfie you also get the size comparison. Although he's not as (apparently) vocal as Trottier was in chirping opponents.



Hull is another good comparison, probably better overall. And let's be honest, no one is going to play the Mess type game/mix of traits in this NHL. So when you compare how nasty OV gets as opposed to the average super skill player - that's where I draw the Mess comparison on that point. Mess was on another level, as is OV.

But the passion, leadership, excitement... Mess like, IMO.

As long as Trevor Linden has a job I see no evidence of Ovechkin having Messier-like leadership, even if it's not a job with the Capitals.

 

[dash]

Admittedly, I'm biased because I don't like the Oilers, but I think this whole "Messier is a great leader" is just a media driven based pile of crap. Okay, he guaranteed the Rangers win against the Devils and led his team to victory in that game with a hat trick, that's fine. That Rangers team he was on that went on to win the Cup in '94 was essentially Oilers East, sure he was the captain, but he also had a very good supporting crew. What seems to be forgotten by many is that this great leader led his respective teams to exactly zero playoff appearances in the last seven years of his playing career.

 

[DragonfromTO]

Admittedly, I'm biased because I don't like the Oilers, but I think this whole "Messier is a great leader" is just a media driven based pile of crap. Okay, he guaranteed the Rangers win against the Devils and led his team to victory in that game with a hat trick, that's fine. That Rangers team he was on that went on to win the Cup in '94 was essentially Oilers East, sure he was the captain, but he also had a very good supporting crew. What seems to be forgotten by many is that this great leader led his respective teams to exactly zero playoff appearances in the last seven years of his playing career.

Messier-captained teams missed the playoffs as often as they made them.

 

[pixburgher66]

Admittedly, I'm biased because I don't like the Oilers, but I think this whole "Messier is a great leader" is just a media driven based pile of crap. Okay, he guaranteed the Rangers win against the Devils and led his team to victory in that game with a hat trick, that's fine. That Rangers team he was on that went on to win the Cup in '94 was essentially Oilers East, sure he was the captain, but he also had a very good supporting crew. What seems to be forgotten by many is that this great leader led his respective teams to exactly zero playoff appearances in the last seven years of his playing career.

Guarantees are always dumb anyway...there have been many over the years, and probably just as many failed and have been long forgotten. He backed it up, cool...but I doubt he played like that simply because of his words. Guarantees aren't some magical thing. When they fail they're labeled bulletin board material.

 

[SlinkyRedfoot]

Letter to My Younger Self | By Bryan Trottier

The man gets, no - the man IS, hockey.

I'm not even a hockey fan, and I have no idea who Bryan Trottier is, but that was a cool read. thanks.