Who Are the Faces of the Various NHL Franchises?

[jammer2]

  For me, Flyer hockey is Bobby Clarke. When we talk about "Flyer like work ethic", it's a veiled reference to Bobby (and no...I don't have to call you Bob). His compete level was among the best ever, for any sport.

[flyercanuck]

 

 So, I just did it with word association: franchise is mentioned, and this was the first player whose name came up. They're not necessarily the best player on the team (a few listed are grossly overrated in fact), but the first name to enter my mind. I did this for current players as well as all-time.

Team    Current             All-TimeANA    Corey F'ing Perry    Paul KariyaBOS    Patrice Bergeron     Bobby OrrBUF    Drew Stafford        Dominik HasekCGY    Mark Giordano        Jarome IginlaCAR    Cam Ward             Ron FrancisCHI    Jon Toews            Bobby HullCOL    Gabriel Landeskog    Joe SakicCBS    Jack Johnson         Rick NashDAL    Tyler Seguin         Mike ModanoDET    Pavel Datsyuk        Gordie HoweEDM    Taylor Hall          Wayne GretzkyFLA    nobody               Scott MelanbyLA     Drew Doughty         Wayne GretzkyMIN    Mikko Koivu          Mikko KoivuMTL    PK Subban            Maurice RichardNAS    Shea Weber           David LegwandNJD    Patrik Elias         Ken DaneykoNYI    John Tavares         Mike BossyNYR    Henrik Lundqvist     Rod GilbertOTT    Erik Karlsson        Daniel AlfredssonPHI    Claude Giroux        Bobby ClarkePHX    Shane Doan           Shane DoanPIT    Sidney Crosby        Mario LemiuexSJ     Joe Thornton         Patrick MarleauSTL    Alex Pietrangelo     Brett HullTB     Steve Stamkos        Martin St. LouisTOR    Phil Kessel          Frank MahovlichVAN    The Sisters          Trevor LindenWAS    Alex Ovechkin        Peter BondraWPG    Evander Kane         Ilya Kovalchuk

 

I'll take Getzlaf over Perry in Anaheim, but it's close.

 

Eric Stall over Ward.

 

Ryan Johanson over Jack Johnson. He may be a new face, but he's a better one.

 

Fla. - Aaron Ekblad 

 

NJ - Brodeur is and always will be the face IMO.

 

NYI - old, i gotta go with Trottier, just my own personal opinion.

 

Wash - Garts over Bondra. 10 straight 30 goal seasons for the Caps(15 straight, an NHL record Gretzky never broke ...it only ended when he went to the Leafs...of course) a class act and one of the fastest skaters the game has ever seen. 

[JR Ewing]

Eric Stall over Ward.

 

Ryan Johanson over Jack Johnson. He may be a new face, but he's a better one.

 

NJ - Brodeur is and always will be the face IMO.

 

NYI - old, i gotta go with Trottier, just my own personal opinion.

 

 

-Stall over Ward: I think Ward's extremely overrated due to one great spring. I think him of him first almost out of spite.

-Better than Jack Johnson? Absolutely. Johnson's simply a bad hockey player, and again: I think of him right away because players like him greatly annoy me, not because I think he's the best player on his team.

-Brodeur is the greatest player in Devils history, but in years before he even showed up, the first name I thought of was Ken Daneyko. It could be as much because of a friend of mine as much as anything: he worshiped Daneyko, and once when the Devils were in town we had seats right behind their bench. After the game, as the players were leaving, he said "Hey Ken, how about a stick?" and Daneyko gave it to him. You'd have thought that Gretzky himself gave that stick away.

[flyercanuck]

@JR Ewing

 

 Wards still living off one great playoff run. He's the Canes version of Keith Primeau in Philly (cept Ward won)

 

 Johnson has made a nice living from...what exactly I don't know.

 

 I know what you mean about Daneyko and a friends passion. Living in Leafland you'd think Tie Domi was a HOFer. 

[JR Ewing]

@JR Ewing

 

 

 Johnson has made a nice living from...what exactly I don't know.

 

Pretty much every guy on every team Johnson was on the ice with did better without him. If it's a statistical illusion, then it's followed him every year of his career and with every guy that stepped on the ice with him. Johnson is the wet dream of saw-him-good scouts, but just can't play the game. Dean Lombardi on Jack Johnson:

 

"Jack was a thoroughbred out there. But he was all over the place. He was awful as a hockey player. As an athlete, you’re going, wow! Look at the way he skates, shoots, he can pass. But he had no idea where he was going. At times, he was playing forward at Michigan. You had no idea what position he was playing. But he had always been the star and he always got his numbers. Then he turns pro and for the first time, we’re telling him ‘whoa, just make the first pass and learn to play in your own end.’ How about making a read in your own end about the right guy to pick up? He was awful.”

 

Ouch.

[J0e Th0rnton]

 

 So, I just did it with word association: franchise is mentioned, and this was the first player whose name came up. They're not necessarily the best player on the team (a few listed are grossly overrated in fact), but the first name to enter my mind. I did this for current players as well as all-time.

Team    Current             All-TimeANA    Corey F'ing Perry    Paul KariyaBOS    Patrice Bergeron     Bobby OrrBUF    Drew Stafford        Dominik HasekCGY    Mark Giordano        Jarome IginlaCAR    Cam Ward             Ron FrancisCHI    Jon Toews            Bobby HullCOL    Gabriel Landeskog    Joe SakicCBS    Jack Johnson         Rick NashDAL    Tyler Seguin         Mike ModanoDET    Pavel Datsyuk        Gordie HoweEDM    Taylor Hall          Wayne GretzkyFLA    nobody               Scott MelanbyLA     Drew Doughty         Wayne GretzkyMIN    Mikko Koivu          Mikko KoivuMTL    PK Subban            Maurice RichardNAS    Shea Weber           David LegwandNJD    Patrik Elias         Ken DaneykoNYI    John Tavares         Mike BossyNYR    Henrik Lundqvist     Rod GilbertOTT    Erik Karlsson        Daniel AlfredssonPHI    Claude Giroux        Bobby ClarkePHX    Shane Doan           Shane DoanPIT    Sidney Crosby        Mario LemiuexSJ     Joe Thornton         Patrick MarleauSTL    Alex Pietrangelo     Brett HullTB     Steve Stamkos        Martin St. LouisTOR    Phil Kessel          Frank MahovlichVAN    The Sisters          Trevor LindenWAS    Alex Ovechkin        Peter BondraWPG    Evander Kane         Ilya Kovalchuk

I dunno if Marleau applies. Maybe in the sense that he played there longer than anyone, so he holds team records.

 

But quite honestly, Owen Nolan was the face for until he left in 2003. Marleau was the face for 20 games of 2002-2003 after Nolan left, all of 2003-2004 and the first 20 games of 2005 when they were rock bottom. Then Thornton was traded there and immediately became the face and has been since, although Couture and Vlasic have been slowly inching to that spot and hertl is already all over the place with his face plastered up lol.

 

Hard to call Marleau the all time face in that sense.

[JR Ewing]

I dunno if Marleau applies. Maybe in the sense that he played there longer than anyone, so he holds team records.

 

But quite honestly, Owen Nolan was the face for until he left in 2003. Marleau was the face for 20 games of 2002-2003 after Nolan left, all of 2003-2004 and the first 20 games of 2005 when they were rock bottom. Then Thornton was traded there and immediately became the face and has been since, although Couture and Vlasic have been slowly inching to that spot and hertl is already all over the place with his face plastered up lol.

 

Hard to call Marleau the all time face in that sense.

 

Like I said, J0e: it was the first name that popped into my mind, and not necessarily the best player.

[JackStraw]

NYI - old, i gotta go with Trottier, just my own personal opinion

 

I would go with Potvin as the all-time face of the Islanders. Which is ok, as long as he's seen but not heard.

[flyercanuck]

@JackStraw

 

 I actually liked Trottier. Potvin was a great defenceman, but I can't stand him.

[jammer2]

@JackStraw  For me, it goes Bossy, Potvin, Trotts and then Billy Smith.

[JackStraw]

Potvin was a great defenceman, but I can't stand him

 

Can anybody?

[flyercanuck]

@JackStraw

 

 HE seems pretty in love with him.

[JackStraw]

@JackStraw

 

 HE seems pretty in love with him.

 

Yeah, well they deserve each other.

[J0e Th0rnton]

@JackStraw  For me, it goes Bossy, Potvin, Trotts and then Billy Smith.

Yeah, the boss is the most recognized face for me too

[Yorick]

Penguins - was Deryk Engelland, now Crosby, I guess.

 

Blue Jackets - Hartnell will replace Dubinsky.

 

Hi!

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

JOeT would know best, but when I think San Jose Sharks, the first two names that pop up are Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, and thus, to me, either of those guys can be the face of the SJ Sharks.

 

The fact that the team re-signed both of these guys again tells me the San Jose FO thinks so as well.

Sharks want to win and they want to do it with these two guys leading the way.

 

I know JoeT has indicated the franchise has sent mixed messages about how they are going about their business in shaping the roster, but whatever the team wants to call it, a 'rebuild, retooling, tweaking, lego project, computer season simulation, the Sims San Jose....lol...whatever it is...the team still wants to win, and they want to do it NOW.

One can sit and question their methods which may or may not be the best, but I think the Sharks see '14-'15 as their season as well, and they want their two franchise faces along for that ride.

 

That all said, i can see in a couple seasons guys like Vlasic, Hertl, Pavelski, Wingels or a Couture possibly becoming the NEW face of the franchise.

 

But for now, IMO, it is either Thornton or Marleau, or both.

Edited July 22, 2014 by TropicalFruitGirl26

[jammer2]

@TropicalFruitGirl26  I think Joe is the face of the Sharks right now, but Vlasic and or Hertl will take over as soon as this year.