NHLPA Player opinion poll on coaches, franchises, rule changes and peers
Edmonton Oilers – 20%
Buffalo Sabres – 8%
Atlanta Thrashers – 7%
Toronto Maple Leafs – 5%
Montreal Canadiens – 5%
What team would you most like to play on?
Vancouver Canucks – 11%
Chicago Blackhawks – 11%
New York Rangers – 9%
Tampa Bay Lightning – 6%
What rink has worst ice?
Madison Square Garden (Rangers) – 14%
St.Pete Times Forum (Lightning) – 12%
Honda Center (Anaheim Ducks) – 10%
Staples Center (Los Angeles Kings) – 9%
What rink has best ice?
Bell Centre (Montreal) – 15%
Joe Louis Arena (Detroit) – 13%
Xcel Energy Center (Minnesota) – 8%
Rogers Arena (Vancouver) – 7%
What is your favorite rink to play in?
Madison Square Garden – 9%
United Center (Chicago) – 7.4%
Joe Louis Arena (Detroit) – 7%
Rogers Arena (Vancouver) – 6%
COACHES
Bob Boughner (Columbus) – 8%
Tony Granato (Pittsburgh) – 6%
Adam Oates (New Jersey) – 5%
Brad McCrimmon (Detroit) – 4%
Which coach demands the most of his players?
Mike Babcock (Detroit) – 24%
Guy Boucher (Tampa Bay) – 7%
Brent Sutter (Calgary) – 6%
Dan Bylsma (Pittsburgh) – 4%
Which coach is the easiest to play for?
Barry Trotz (Nashville) – 12%
Dan Bylsma (Pittsburgh) – 8%
Dave Tippett (Phoenix) – 8%
Terry Murray (Los Angeles) – 5%
Which coach would you most like to play for?
Mike Babcock (Detroit) – 18%
Dave Tippet (Phoenix) – 9%
Guy Boucher (Tampa Bay) – 8%
Joel Quenneville (Chicago) – 6%
Which coach would you least like to play for?
John Tortorella (NY Rangers) – 15%
Marc Crawford (Dallas) – 14%
Brent Sutter (Calgary) – 10%
Mike Keenan (UFA) – 9%
ON-ICE TOPICS
Yes – 33%
Depends – 0.3%
Don’t care – 0.3%
Should fighting be banished from the NHL?
No – 98%
Yes – 2%
Which Canadian city deserves an NHL franchise (Hamilton, Quebec City, Toronto or Winnipeg)?
Quebec City – 53%
Winnipeg – 25%
Toronto – 16%
Hamilton – 5%
PLAYER OPINIONS
Bell Centre – 11%
Pengrowth Saddledome – 9%
Madison Square Garden – 8%
Nassau Coliseum – 8%
Who has the toughest forward to play against?
Pavel Datsyuk – 19%
Alex Ovechkin – 11%
Ryan Kesler – 4%
Henrik Zetterberg – 3%
Who is the best referee?
Kelly Sutherland – 13%
Bill McCreary – 10%
Wes McCauley – 9%
Tim Peel – 7%
Paul Devorski – 7%
Which team is underrated?
Dallas Stars – 16%
Phoenix Coyotes – 9%
Atlanta Thrashers – 8%
St. Louis Blues – 6%
Which team in overrated?
Vancouver Canucks – 12%
Montreal Canadiens – 11%
San Jose Sharks – 10%
Pittsburgh Penguins – 4%
Philadelphia Flyers – 4%
Who is the toughest defenseman to play against?
Nicklas Lidstrom – 20.3%
Chris Pronger – 20.0%
Shea Weber – 7%
Duncan Keith – 3%
Which active player would you select to start a franchise?
Nicklas Lidstrom – 6%
Steven Stamkos – 5%
Jonathan Toews – 3%
Alex Ovechkin – 2%
Pavel Datsyuk – 2%
Who is the cleanest player?
Martin St. Louis – 10%
Nicklas Lidstrom – 8%
Henrik Zetterberg – 6%
Kyle Wellwood – 4%
Who is the most-underrated player?
Frans Nielson (NY Islanders) – 5.0%
Patrick Sharp (Blackhawks) – 3.5%
Travis Zajac (New Jersey) – 3.5%
Tomas Plekanec (Montreal) – 3.1%
Which active player is the best role model?
Nicklas Lidstrom – 20%
Jarome Iginla – 11%
Shane Doan – 9%
Martin St. Louis – 3%
SKILLS
Ryan Miller – 16%
Tim Thomas – 15%
Henrik Lundqvist – 14.8%
Mikka Kiprusoff – 4%
For goalies only: Which player is the most difficult to stop?
Sidney Crosby – 24%
Steven Stamkos – 14%
Pavel Datsyuk – 5%
Alexander Semin – 5%
Brad Richards – 5%
Who is the toughest to play against?
Zdeno Chara – 17%
Pavel Datsyuk – 16%
Alex Ovechkin – 8%
Chris Pronger – 7%
Who is the hardest to take the puck off of?
Sidney Crosby – 24%
Joe Thornton – 8%
Rick Nash – 3%
Henrik Zetterberg – 3%
Who is the smartest player?
Pavel Datsyuk – 24%
Nicklas Lidstrom – 19%
Henrik Sedin – 6%
Martin St. Louis – 4%
Who is the toughest player?
Colton Orr – 9%
Matt Carkner – 6%
Zdeno Chara – 5%
Milan Lucic – 4%
Who is the best skater?
Sidney Crosby – 17%
Patrick Marleau – 9%
Duncan Keith – 4%
5 players tied at – 2%
Who is the league’s fastest skater?
Patrick Marleau (San Jose) – 11%
Darren Helm (Detroit) – 8%
Jason Chimera (Washington) – 6%
Michael Grabner (NY Islanders) – 5%
Who has the hardest shot?
Shea Weber – 41%
Milan Jurcina – 3%
Ales Kotalik – 2.5%
Steven Stamkos – 2%
Dustin Byfuglien – 2% Read more...