From: gerry@skatter.usask.ca
Newsgroups: rec.sport.hockey
Subject: Re: Yzerman's worth and media influence (Re: Hot Pens Trade Rumor)
Date: 22 Dec 1992 08:29:57 GMT
Organization: University of Saskatchewan
NNTP-Posting-Host: skatter.usask.ca

In article <+bW=yg-@engin.umich.edu>, by gautam@engin.umich.edu (Gautam Singh Grover ) writes:
> 
[some stuff deleted...]
>>There's only two conclusions I can have over these rumours 1) Murray
>>seriously has his head stuck up his butt 2) the mediots are just showing
>>off their nonhockey knowledge. I vote for #2, Murray can't be *that* stupid.
>>--
> Hear, hear - the kind of trades that I hear talked about for Yzerman 
> are ridiculous. Yzerman is a franchise player, and he is worth much more to 
> the Wings (and any other team!) than the 50 goals and 100 points he scores
> year in and year out. Considering a Yzerman trade for Jagr, Stanton 
> and Wregget seems to be the output of a demented mind, leave alone the 
> Probert and Riendeau aspect of it. It amazes that people
> post these "authoritative rumuors" without taking a minute to reflect 
> on them. 

Come,come now, *don't* shoot the messenger. Posting rumours even stupid ones
is a time honoured tradition and is usually good for a laugh, just like
the Stan Fischler comments gld(I think its him) posts. I mean really most
everything Stan says is so obviously wrong it makes me wonder if Stan doesn't
just make them up.

Yzerman certainly is a franchise player, unfortunately from the couple
games I've seen Murray doesn't seem to believe so. Sure Yzerman gets time
on the PP and penalty killing plus his regular shift but from what I've seen
he's not getting the 30+ min. of playing time he deserves, almost as if
Murray thinks he has sooo much talent on his team that Yzerman is just a
simple cog in the works. Since I've only seen a couple of games this year
I could be wrong, so maybe Detroit fans can confirm or deny this for me.
Has Yzerman been getting less time on the ice in the last couple of years,
compared to his earlier years that is?
> 
> Which brings me to another question - how is Yzerman regarded as compared
> to, say, people like Lafontaine, Pierre Turgeon, Roenick (who, in my opinion,
> is another grossly underrated player) or Mats Sundin? 

Interestingly, the top 25 point leaders were in the paper today. So as far as
points go Yzerman is tied for 10th. The 4 players you mention are ahead of him
by a couple of points except I think for Roenick who may be tied with him.
However basing my opinion of Yzerman's worth by more than his point total I
personally rate Lafontaine as being worth slightly more, Turgeon as slightly
less, Roenick as being about equal and Sundin? Ha,Ha,whoops there goes my
chair again. When Sundin has a couple more years under his belt and plays as
well defensively as he does offensively than we can talk about him in the same
breath as Yzerman. On the other hand Sakic is at least Yzerman's equal, there's
a kid who does it all and did it all for 3 years on an inept team just as
Yzerman did in his first few years with Detroit.

On my own personal rating system I still say Yzerman is one of the top 10
players in the game. My system of rating is simply whether or not I would
make a one-for-one trade for Yzerman for another player who has similar
or better skills, ie. Yzerman for Mario, you bet I'd make that trade. Than
I considered if age played a part,ie. Yzerman for Lindros or Bure, I'd
make the trade although currently I don't think Lindros or Bure is the
same quality of player they certainly will be soon and probably will
be better for many more years to come. Throwing *out* these age factors
since I'm deciding who are the top 10 *today* not next year or later,
I get a list that looks like Mario,Lafontaine,Bourque,Sakic,Leetch,Yzerman,
Roenick,Stevens,Messier,and a bunch of maybes (ie. Roberts,Federov,Hull,
Robitaille,Kurri,Gretzky(if he ever returns long enough for me to decide)).
Note the players I list aren't in any given order of skill except that it
would have been unthinkable to not put Mario first the rest are just there
and I don't care to try to decide who may be better than who since they
are quite comparable in value. The maybes are all guys who may be tied
for 10th but I certainly wouldn't trade Yzerman for. Oh and I left out
goalies since they're in a class by themselves(personally I think they're
all demented to want to stand in front of 90+mph shots regularly).

Anyway that's probably way more babbling than you were looking for.

Your last point is good but I deleted it to save some space.
--
Gerry Gryschuk       "If it can't be expressed in figures, it is not science;
gerry@sask.usask.ca   it is opinion"
Go Habs!!!	      "Never underestimate the power of human stupidity"
			 - Lazarus Long(R.A.Heinlein)  
Newsgroups: rec.sport.hockey