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Thursday, October 5, 2000
ESPN's Top 5 in the game
ESPN.com
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ESPN'S EXPERT PANEL |
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Bill Clement: Played forward for 11 years and won two Stanley Cups.
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Brian Engblom: Played defense for 11 years and won three Stanley Cups.
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Barry Melrose: Coached L.A. Kings (1992-1995). Made Cup finals once.
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Darren Pang: Played goalie for Chicago in late '80s.
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Al Morganti: Worked as journalist since 1979. Covered Flyers for 10 years.
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With this being the final NHL season before the millennium, everyone and their sister has created a "Best of ..." list, whether it be for the decade, century or all time.
In an effort to remain rooted in the present, ESPN.com went to our set of uniquely qualified and distinguished experts to determine the best in the game today.
Below, is a top-5 list for NHL defensemen, forwards, goalies, coaches and, yes, hockey writers.
Bill Clement's top five forwards
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Name
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Comment
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1. Peter Forsberg,
Avalanche
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He's the most complete player in the world. Offense, defense, physical play, toughness -- he has it all.
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2. Jaromir Jagr,
Penguins
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He's the most dominant offensive player in the world. With no second-line offensive threat in Pittsburgh, all teams keyed on him, and he still led the league by 20 points.
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3. Paul Kariya,
Mighty Ducks
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His explosive skating and laser-like shot with a microsecond release make him a constant threat and an exciting player to watch.
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4. Mike Modano,
Stars
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He has the size, the speed, and the shot, and he showed us he can play hurt, that he's tough. He's as good defensively as he is offensively.
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5. Eric Lindros,
Flyers
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Too strong and too mean to contain. Exceptional hands for a linebacker-size guy. If he were more confident, he'd be No. 1.
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Brian Engblom's top five defensemen
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Name
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Comment
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1. Chris Pronger,
Blues
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He's the Darth Vader of the group. He's mean, nasty, and any team in the league would love to have him.
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2. Brian Leetch,
Rangers
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He's a super-talented player, one of the great defensemen to ever play the game. He's underrated for his defensive play because you notice him more for what he does with the puck most of the time.
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3. Nicklas Lidstrom,
Red Wings
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He's such a talented player who takes care of the situations before they even start.
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4. Derian Hatcher,
Stars
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You talk to forwards around the league and they hate to play against Hatcher. He's impossible to go around. He has a mean streak a mile wide.
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5. Al MacInnis,
Blues
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Because of his shot and offense, you underrate his defense. But if you ask his team about his defense, he's so efficient in his own end. He takes care of things and defuses situations before they get to critical mass.
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5. Rob Blake,
Kings
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He can dominate the ice in every facet of the game. He has tremendous speed. If there's something overlooked about Blake, it's his speed. He hits like a bus and has a big shot.
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Darren Pang's top five goalies
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Name
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Comment
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1. Dominik Hasek,
Sabres
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Few have ever seen the puck come off a stick like Dom. He has the Gretzky-like vision to see the play develop before it actually does.
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2. Patrick Roy,
Avalanche
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There is such a presence with him in net and in the locker room. He is a born leader and a winner. The last 55 games last year may have been his best regular season ever in the NHL.
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3. Martin Brodeur,
Devils
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He needs a huge year to bring back the aura that he has had with him since winning the Cup in '95. He has the ability to make the incredible, momentum-shifting save.
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4. Ed Belfour,
Stars
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When you win the way he did in '99, you have to give him back the
respect he always fights for. The ultimate grinder and battler, he has changed
his intensity level.
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5. Curtis Joseph,
Maple Leafs
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He is a workhorse who gets better with the more shots he faces. His acrobatics disturb many NHL goalies, but he has great athletic ability and an even keel.
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Barry Melrose's top five coaches
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Name
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Comment
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1. Scotty Bowman,
Red Wings
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His records, what he's done. He's taken teams that were supposed to win, and won. That's very hard as a coach. You can't argue with what he's done as a coach.
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2. Ken Hitchcock,
Stars
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Last year Dallas was the favorite and they won, and Hitchcock did a great job. They went into Colorado in Game 6 of the Western finals and beat Patrick Roy in his backyard.
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3. Pat Burns,
Bruins
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He has done a great job in Boston, turning things around with the Bruins.
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4. Joel Quenneville,
Blues
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The Blues don't have much money and can't get into free agency. They lose players every year to free agency, but continue to be competitive, which can be attributed to Quenneville.
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5. Brian Sutter,
Flames
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He did an unbelievable job with Calgary last year, keeping them in the playoff hunt until the last couple of weeks of the season.
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Al Morganti's top five hockey writers
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Name
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Comment
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1. Kevin Paul Dupont,
Boston Globe
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Great instincts for both the game, and the politics of the NHL. Wonderful
style.
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2. Helene Elliott,
L.A. Times
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Incredibly thorough, gets answers to tough questions.
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3. Jim Kelley,
Buffalo News
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Always gives you clues that a story will happen before it happens.
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4. Jay Greenberg,
New York Post
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Best hockey wordsmith. Too bad he covers so much basketball.
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5. Larry Brooks,
New York Post
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You might roll your eyes and wonder where he got that stuff, but he's always
entertaining, and his plus/minus is awesome for a guy so often out on a limb.
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ALSO SEE
ESPN experts' picks for 1999-2000
NHL Power Rankings
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