Getty Image / Claus Andersen
There are roughly two and a half weeks of the NHL‘s 2018/2019 Regular Season before the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin. My hometown team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, have already clinched the President’s Trophy, Eastern Conference, and the Atlantic. Elsewhere, Calgary and San Jose are the only other teams to clinch a spot in the playoffs but Boston, Toronto, and Washington aren’t far behind.
Yesterday, the 2018-2019 NHLPA Player Poll was released where the league’s players vote on who are the best shooters, scorers, goalies, and defenceman. They also vote on things like the most underrated player, most difficult players to play against, best trash talkers, best arenas, ice, and mascots.
As a fan, I’ll straight up tell you that every first line player on the Tampa Bay Lightning is the best player in the NHL at his position. We also have the best ice and the best fan atmosphere in hockey. I’ve only been to maybe 8 or 9 other hockey arenas in North America but I whole-heartedly believe my Lightning are the best at every aspect of the game. But my opinion doesn’t matter for jack squat and that’s why the player’s poll is excellent.
This is a poll done by the players who are living the game day in and day out. These are the only true experts, the ones who travel to every arena and face every player in the league. Here are the results for this year:
Who is the best forward?
Connor McDavid: 63.6%
Sidney Crosby: 17.2%
Nathan Mackinnon: 4.1%
Nikita Kucherov: 3.7%
Aleksander Barkov: 1.7%
Who is the best defenceman?
Victor Hedman: 31.7%
Drew Doughty: 20.9%
Brent Burns: 10.6%
Erik Karlsson: 9.5%
Roman Josi: 6.1%
Who is the best goalie?
Carey Price: 29.9%
Pekka Rinne: 17.3%
Andre Vasilevskiy: 17.1%
Marc-Andre Fleury: 6.5%
Sergei Bobrovsky: 4.8%
Who is the best-dressed player?
Henrik Lundqvist: 25.8%
P.K. Subban: 7.6%
Erik Karlsson: 4.6%
Brent Burns: 2.7%
Tyler Seguin: 2.4%
Who has the best hair in the league?
Erik Karlsson: 18.4%
Henrik Lundqvist: 6.6%
William Karlsson: 5.7%
Brent Burns: 3.9%
William Nylander: 3.6%
Who has the best shot?
Alex Ovechkin: 50.2%
Shea Weber: 14.6%
Patrik Laine: 12.6%
Auston Matthews: 8.0%
Steven Stamkos: 1.9%
Who is the most underrated player?
Aleksander Barkov: 21.5%
Nicklas Backstrom: 11.4%
Brayden Point: 7.7%
Evgeny Kuznetsov: 4.4%
Mikko Rantanen: 4.4%
Who is the most difficult player to play against?
Connor McDavid: 30.9%
Sidney Crosby: 16.0%
Patrice Bergeron: 9.%
Nathan Mackinnon: 5.0%
Anze Kopitar: 3.5%
Which player would you select to start a franchise with?
Connor McDavid: 60%
Sidney Crosby: 18.5%
Auston Matthews: 4.3%
Patrice Bergeron: 1.7%
Nathan Mackinnon: 1.4%
Who is the game’s best trash-talker?
Brad Marchand: 21.3%
Drew Doughty: 11.8%
Ryan Reaves: 5.5%
Claude Giroux: 4.8%
Nick Cousins: 3.3%
8) Who would make the best NHL GM once they retire?
Sidney Crosby: 5.5%
Jason Spezza: 4.8%
Brooks Orpik: 4.5%
Mark Scheifele: 3.8%
Derek Stepan: 3.8%
Who is the funniest player?
Keith Yandle: 12.1%
Drew Doughty: 7.8%
Dustin Byfuglien: 3.2%
Brent Burns: 2.8%
Dan Girardi: 2.5%
Which arena has the best atmosphere?
T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas: 42.5%
Bell Center, Montreal: 21.2%
Bridgestone Arena, Nashville: 14.1%
United Center, Chicago: 10.9%
Bell Mts Place, Winnipeg: 3.0%
Which arena has the best ice?
Bell Center, Montreal: 29.6%
Rogers Place, Edmonton: 20.4%
Bell Mts Place, Winnipeg: 11.4%
Xcel Energy Center, Saint-Paul: 8.5%
T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas: 4.8%
Who is the best NHL team mascot?
Gritty: 69.4%
nothing
else
matters
after
Gritty
They ask a few more questions like which player would make the best commentator after retiring, the sports they love the most outside of hockey (Golf), who their favorite non-hockey athletes are (Tiger Woods), and you can check out the full results HERE on the NHL’s website.