In our latest episode we try to figure out who are the best defencemen in NHL history.
As usual, Riley went too deep into the stats. Bill decided to do it on instinct. The result is two remarkably similar lists, somehow:
Top 10 NHL Defencemen of All Time
So these aren’t definitive lists, but the overlap is kind of remarkable:
| Bill | Riley |
| Bobby Orr | Bobby Orr |
| Denis Potvin | Ray Bourque |
| Doug Harvey | Eddie Shore |
| Nicklas Lidstrom | Nicklas Lidstrom |
| Ray Bourque | Denis Potvin |
| Chris Pronger | Al MacInnis |
| Scott Niedermayer | Larry Robinson |
| Eddie Shore | Doug Harvey |
| Larry Robinson | Chris Pronger |
| Al MacInnis | Red Kelly |
We swear we didn’t plan this. No collusion!
1. Bobby Orr
- 3 Hart
- 1 Lindsay (nee Pearson)
- 2 Conn Smythe
- 8 Norris
- Calder
- 2 Art Ross
- 8 x 1st Team All Star
- 2nd Team all Star
- 9 All Star Games
- 2 Stanley Cups
2. Ray Bourque vs. Denis Potvin
| Ray Bourque | Denis Potvin | |
| Hart | – | – |
| Lindsay | – | – |
| Conn Smythe | – | – |
| Norris | 5 | 3 |
| Calder | Yes | Yes |
| 1st Team All Star | 13 | 5 |
| 2nd Team All Star | 6 | 2 |
| All Star Games | 19 | 7 |
| Stanley Cups | 1 | 4 |
3. Doug Harvey vs. Eddie Shore
| Doug Harvey | Eddie Shore | |
| Hart | – | 4 |
| Lindsay | – | N/A |
| Conn Smythe | – | N/A |
| Norris | 7 | N/A |
| Calder | No | N/A |
| 1st Team All Star | 10 | 7 |
| 2nd Team All Star | 1 | 1 |
| All Star Games | 11 | N/A |
| Stanley Cups | 6 | 2 |
4. Nicklas Lidstrom
- 0 Hart
- 0 Lindsay
- Conn Smythe
- 7 Norris
- 10 x 1st Team All Star
- 2 x 2nd Team All Star
- 11 All Star Games
- 4 Stanley Cups
5. Ray Bourque vs. Denis Potvin Take 2
See above.
6. Al MacInnis vs. Chris Pronger
| Al MacInnis | Chris Pronger | |
| Hart | – | 1 |
| Lindsay | – | – |
| Conn Smythe | 1 | – |
| Norris | 1 | 1 |
| Calder | No | No |
| 1st Team All Star | 4 | 1 |
| 2nd Team All Star | 3 | 3 |
| All Star Games | 12 | 5 |
| Stanley Cups | 1 | 1 |
7. Scott Niedermayer vs. Larry Robinson
| Scott Niedermayer | Larry Robinson | |
| Hart | – | – |
| Lindsay | – | – |
| Conn Smythe | 1 | 1 |
| Norris | 1 | 2 |
| Calder | No | No |
| 1st Team All Star | 3 | 3 |
| 2nd Team All Star | 1 | 3 |
| All Star Games | 5 | 10 |
| Stanley Cups | 4 | 6 |
8. Doug Harvey vs. Eddie Shore Take 2
See above.
9. Chris Pronger vs. Larry Robinson
| Chris Pronger | Larry Robinson | |
| Hart | 1 | – |
| Lindsay | – | – |
| Conn Smythe | – | 1 |
| Norris | 1 | 2 |
| Calder | No | No |
| 1st All Star Team | 1 | 3 |
| 2nd All Star Team | 3 | 3 |
| All Star Games | 5 | 10 |
| Stanley Cups | 1 | 6 |
10. Red Kelly vs. Al MacInnis
| Red Kelly | Al MacInnis | |
| Hart | – | – |
| Lindsay | N/A | – |
| Conn Smythe | – | 1 |
| Norris | 1 | 1 |
| Calder | No | No |
| 1st Team All Star | 6 | 4 |
| 2nd Team All Star | 2 | 3 |
| All Star Games | 12 (9? as D) | 12 |
| Stanley Cups | 8 (4 as D) | 1 |
Honourable Mentions:
Honourable mentions include
- Georges Boucher,
- Zdeno Chara,
- Chris Chelios,
- King Clancy,
- Paul Coffey (we guess),
- Drew Doughty,
- Erik Karlsson,
- Duncan Keith,
- Guy Lapointe,
- Brian Leetch,
- Brad Park,
- Pierre Pilote,
- Serge Savard
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