Four current Blackhawks were selected to ESPN’s ‘Top 100 NHL players of the decade’.
The Chicago Blackhawks were well represented in ESPN’s ‘Top 100 NHL players of the decade. Corey Crawford was ranked No. 78, former Blackhawk Marian Hossa No. 67, Jonathan Toews No. 15, Duncan Keith No. 10, and Patrick Kane No. 9.
Crawford came in at No. 78, which honestly is too low for a substantial part of the 2013 and 2015 Stanley Cup runs. Twelve goaltenders were ranked higher than Crawford, including Frederik Andersen and Tim Thomas (facepalm). Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick was ranked 34th, and considering how similar his numbers are to Crawford’s, they should have been closer in rank. Once again, Crawford doesn’t get the recognition that he deserves.
It was nice to see Duncan Keith and Jonathan Toews recognized for their significance to the Blackhawks’ three Stanley Cups. Keith, of course, won two Norris Trophies (2010, 2014) and a Conn Smyth Trophy for playoff MVP in 2015. Toews was an integral part of the Blackhawks’ success, both on and off the ice. The Hawks’ captain became the second-youngest player to win the Conn Smyth trophy at 22 in 2010. Toews also won the Selke Trophy for top defensive forward in 2012-13 and was a finalist on three other occasions. After being snubbed on the NHL Network’s ‘Top 20 Centers’ list this summer, it was great to see Toews ranked so high.
As for Patrick Kane, a ranking of ninth doesn’t serve justice for how dominant he was this decade. Kane currently holds the lead for most points of the 2010s over Sidney Crosby and tallied at least 20 goals every season. Kane won the Hart Trophy for league MVP in 2016 and the Conn Smyth Trophy in 2013. Not only did Kane rule the regular season, but he also finished second in the decade in points-per-game average in the postseason at 0.98. There are a lot of good players in the top 10, but Kane certainly deserved to be higher than Steven Stamkos and Henrik Lundqvist.
Overall, the list was as expected for an ESPN ranking. There were arguments for a handful of guys to be higher, but the 100 players listed were all deserving. The Blackhawks decade of dominance certainly made an impact, as all three Conn Smyth winners made the list’s top 15 players.
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