NHL Over Rates Everyone Now

Most overrated NHL player of the past 5 years.

The list is long and undistinguished, but the answer is easy (for me at least)...

Markus Naslund.

It came to my attention Saturday night that Markus was on the verge of a huge career achievement.

400th career assist....WHAT THE FUCK?

This guy has been in the league for 13 years. He is all anyone has talked about for the last 5 years...and he doesn't have 400 career assists?

You want to talk about how overrated every fucking player in the league is today in comparison with players even 10 years ago THIS IS THE FUCKING EXAMPLE.

Naslund Career - 904 games 334 goals 396 assists 730 points

Is he awful? No, but is he a perenial MVP candidate? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Here is my prediction. Markus Naslund will not get 1000 points, he will probably not play more than 1,250 total games, he will not get in the Hall of Fame and in 10 years people will forget he ever played in the league.

I wrote a Blog called "Bill Watters Fuck You" yesterday
http://angryrants2006.blogspot.com/2006/12/bill-watters-fuck-you_16.html

and it basically confirms all of my suspicions about today's superstars. They get touted and compared, but they always come up short. Burried deep within a hateful rant about Sidney Crosby and Bill Watters was a stat about the end of Wayne Gretzky's career that brings my Markus Naslund point into perspective

To quote myself:

"The reason Gretzky was so great, among many other reasons, is because his prime (prime point production) lasted 14 years (the games other great players got around five), and even when he was basically winding down at the end of his career and you take the worst 6 years of his career he scored 464 points in 407 games. "

When you put one of the NHL's current golden boys up against OLD Gretzky, he looks even worse. (before you start complaining by mentioning the players on the Gretzky Oilers, in his career Nalsund has played with Lemieux, Francis, Tocchet, Stevens, Jagr, Straka, Larry Murphy, Joe Mullen, Trottier, Mogilny, Bure, Messier and Bertuzzi plus his current squad just to name a few)

Here it is.

Gretzky's era of winding down (minus the 130 point season in 93-94) career began in 92-93. He was 32 and played 7 more season (one has been removed out of fairness to Naslund, afterall there is only one Great Gretzky. So to be fair to Nalsund we will compare his entire career to the End of Gretzky's).

33 year old Markus Naslund needs 4 assists for 400 (396) and he has played 904 games.

From 32 to 39 we use Gretzky's 6 worst seasons and we see that..

Gretzky scored 357 assists in 407 games.

So in 547 MORE GAMES...7 MORE SEASONS...IN HIS PRIME...Naslund has managed 49 more assists than Gretzky.

Seriously? (I just did the math myself) That is fucking horrible. If I include all seven of Gretzky's last 7 seasons in looks like this..

488 games 449 assists. During which time Gretzky was well into his thrities, missed half a season through injury, half a season due to a strike, and played on 5 non playoff teams full of old shitty teammates as the only star in the "cluch and grab" NHL.

Nalsund is pathetic and is no longer worth speaking about...BUT I'll make matters worse

From start to 900 games for Gretz and Naslund, actually to be more accurate
871 in 12 seasons for Naslund
847 in 11 seasons for Gretzky

Naslund 871 games, 322 goals, 386 assists, 708 points
GRETZKY (he is so good I capitalize) 847 games, 677 goals, 1302 assists, 1979 points

I say all of these things so I never have to listen to comparisons again. They can be great this week, this month, this year, but until they do that (see above) FUCK OFF.

Statistically speaking Andrew Cassels and Craig Janney were just as productive, if not more so, than Naslund, but I don't remember any of them being mentioned int he same breath. Look at the stats because in 10 years they will be.

Janney 760 games, 751 assists (plus a 100 point season)
Cassels 1015 games, 528 assists

Naslund = overrated