The Score’s John Matisz and Nick Faris are attempting to discern the top 25 NHL players who played in the league since Wayne Gretzky retired in the 1999-2000 season, and Pavel Datsyuk makes the list at 15th, which is kind of laughable:
#15. Pavel Datsyuk:
Era teams: Detroit Red Wings 2001-16
Signature performance: Clutch in the 2008 postseason, Datsyuk had six points over the final two games of a second-round sweep of the Avalanche. He bagged his only career hat trick against the Stars in Round 3. When the Red Wings beat the Penguins for the Stanley Cup, he assisted linemate Henrik Zetterberg’s winner by spinning to find the puck in a thicket of legs.
Zetterberg was the only Red Wing to best Datsyuk’s 23 playoff points as the franchise clinched its 11th and latest title.
Why he’s here: Datsyuk’s puckhandling wizardry and defensive mastery made him a uniquely complete and exciting center. He was a face of powerhouse teams that backed up their dominance in the regular season – Detroit averaged 110.7 points over Datsyuk’s first 10 years in the NHL – with championship conquests.
He debuted with the unstoppable 2001-02 Red Wings, who iced 10 future Hall of Famers, and promptly won the first of two Cups. Datsyuk went on to stockpile three straight Selke Trophies and four straight Lady Byng Trophies as a dexterous takeaway machine who stayed out of the box.
When the “Magic Man” had the puck, his obscene dangles and cross-ice passing ability showed his hands and mind were in perfect sync. Datsyuk and Connor McDavid were the only players in the era to exceed 300 goals and 600 helpers in fewer than 1,000 games played.
Datsyuk oozed skill, possessing rare gifts that made him a dynamo and an innovator. He unleashed a powerful backhand shot to pick corners from strange angles. Some of his 40 shootout goals were scored with his patented move – fake a wrist shot and drag the puck away from the outstretched, frozen, helpless goalie.
The product of Yekaterinburg, Russia, is closely associated with two Swedes – Zetterberg and Lidstrom. The renowned trio was together for much of Detroit’s 25-year playoff qualification streak that finally ended as soon as Datsyuk left the NHL. – Nick Faris
Continued; I would argue that Datsyuk’s worth ethic was equal to his level of talent, to say the very least.
Oh my, seriously? Pavel was the best defensive forward to play the game. Nothing laughable about that (though I may not have understood what they meant). There is not an NHL team that would not like to have a Pavel Datsyuk on it more than some of their other stars. Personally, my all-time favorite Red Wing outside of Howe.