NHL Playoffs Bracketology: The Top 20 Postseason Performers of the Last 20 Years
With the start of the playoffs just one day away, it is a good time to look back at postseasons gone by. Now is the time to reflect upon the spectacular performances we've seen throughout the years as 16 teams from around the league and continent fought for the right to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup.
There have been many great performances in the last 20 postseasons and many of the players attached to those stretches of spectacular play have earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP.
So, with bracketology both behind and right in front of us, we at Bleacher Report decided to have a "tournament" to decide the best postseason performer of the last 20 seasons.
In this tournament, each year gets one bid. Each player can only receive one bid and as such is given a seeding for his best postseason year. The only exception is if someone else outbids him that year in which case he is seeded by his next best postseason.
Each of the 20 bids were then split by East and West based on the conference of the team he played for at the time. However, as the East only garnered seven bids, two bids from Detroit and Joe Sakic's 1996 bid were moved to the East.
In the case of Detroit, they are the easternmost Western Conference team that earned a bid. In the case of Joe Sakic, he had been a member of the Quebec Nordiques and thus in the Eastern Conference just one year prior to his bid year.
After the 20 bids are determined and seeded, there is an opening round between the No. 7 and No. 10 seeds and also among the No. 8 and No. 9 seed from each "conference" of the bracket. These are essentially "play-in" games with the winner of the former playing the No. 2 seed and the winner of the latter playing the No. 1 seed.
This is an opinion piece, but it is based on many factors including stats, position, team played for and whether or not the player won either the Conn Smythe, Stanley Cup or both.
With that out of the way, let's start off with some honorable mentions who just didn't make the cut.
Honorable Mentions
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2008 - Detroit Red Wings - Chris Osgood (G) - Stanley Cup
2008 - Pittsburgh Penguins - Marc-Andre Fleury (G)
2008 - Pittsburgh Penguins - Marian Hossa (RW)
2006 - Edmonton Oilers - Fernando Pisani (RW)
2006 - Carolina Hurricanes - Eric Staal (C) - Stanley Cup
2006 - Carolina Hurricanes - Cam Ward (G) - Conn Smythe & Stanley Cup
2004 - Tampa Bay Lightning - Nikolai Khabibulin (G) - Stanley Cup
2003 - New Jersey Devils - Jamie Langenbrunner (RW) - Stanley Cup
2002 - Carolina Hurricanes - Arturs Irbe (G)
1999 - Dallas Stars - Joe Nieuwendyk (C)
1999 & 1994 - Buffalo Sabres - Dominic Hasek (G)
1998 - Detroit Red Wings - Steve Yzerman (C) - Conn Smythe & Stanley Cup
1997 - Philadelphia Flyers - Eric Lindros (C)
1992 - Chicago Blackhawks - Chris Chelios (D)
If you are interested, stats for each of these performances can be found here.
West Seeds No. 10 Through No. 6
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No. 6 - 1992 - Chicago Blackhawks - Jeremy Roenick (C) - 18 GP / 12 G / 10 A / 22 P / +11 / 21.4 S% / 3 GWG
No. 7 - 2000 - Dallas Stars - Brett Hull (RW) - 23 GP / 11 G / 13 A / 24 P / +3 / 13.9 S% / 4 GWG
No. 8 - 2010 - Chicago Blackhawks - Dustin Byfuglien (RW) - SC - 22 GP / 11 G / 5 A / 16 P / -4 / 24.4 S% / 5 GWG
No. 9 - 1999 - Dallas Stars - Ed Belfour (G) - SC - 23 GP / 16 W / 1.67 GAA / 0.930 SV% / 3 SO
No. 10 - 2006 - Edmonton Oilers - Chris Pronger (D) - 24 GP / 5 G / 16 A / 21 P / +10 / 8.2 S%
SC denotes Stanley Cup winner. Bold statistics indicate that the player led his position in that stat that postseason.
West Seeds No. 5 Through No. 1
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No. 5 - 2002 - Colorado Avalanche - Peter Forsberg (C) - 20 GP/ 9 G / 18 A / 27 P / +8 / 25.7 S% / 4 GWG
No. 4 - 2001 - Colorado Avalanche - Patrick Roy (G) - SC & CS - 23 GP / 16 W / 1.70 GAA / 0.934 SV% / 4 SO
No. 3 - 1990 - Edmonton Oilers - Craig Simpson (LW) - SC - 22 GP / 16 G / 15 A / 31 P / +11 / 38.1 S% / 3 GWG
No. 2 - 1993 - Los Angeles Kings - Wayne Gretzky (C) - 24 GP / 15 G / 25 A / 40 P / +6 / 19.7 S% / 3 GWG
No. 1 - 2003 - Mighty Ducks of Anaheim - Jean-Sebastien Giguere (G) - CS - 21 GP / 15 W / 1.62 GAA / 0.945 SV% / 5 SO
SC denotes Stanley Cup winner. CS denotes Conn Smythe recipient. Bold statistics indicate that the player led his position in that stat that postseason.
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East Seeds No. 10 Through No. 6
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No. 10 - 2007 - Ottawa Senators - Daniel Alfredsson (RW) - 20 GP / 14 G / 8 A / 22 P / +4 / 21.2% / 4 GWG
No. 9 - 1997 - Detroit Red Wings - Mike Vernon (G) - SC & CS - 20 GP / 16 W / 1.76 GAA / 0.927 SV% / 1 SO
No. 8 - 2008 - Detroit Red Wings - Henrik Zetterberg (LW) - SC & CS - 22 GP / 13 G / 14 A / 27 P / +16 / 11.2 S% / 4 GWG
No. 7 - 2009 - Pittsburgh Penguins - Evgeni Malkin (C) - SC & CS - 24 GP / 14 G / 22 A / 36 P / +3 / 13.5 S% / 3 GWG
No. 6 - 1995 - New Jersey Devils - Martin Brodeur (G) - SC - 20 GP / 16 W / 1.67 GAA / 0.927 SV% / 3 SO
SC denotes Stanley Cup winner. CS denotes Conn Smythe recipient. Bold statistics indicate that the player led his position in that stat that postseason.
East Seeds No. 5 Through No. 1
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No. 5 - 1998 - Washington Capitals - Olie Kolzig (G) - 21 GP / 12 W / 1.95 GAA / 0.941 SV% / 4 SO
No. 4 - 2004 - Tampa Bay Lightning - Brad Richards (C) - SC & CS - 23 GP / 12 G / 14 A / 26 P / +5 / 13.6 S% / 7 GWG
No. 3 - 1996 - Colorado Avalanche - Joe Sakic (C) - SC & CS - 22 GP / 18 G / 16 A / 34 P / +10 / 18.4 S% / 6 GWG
No. 2 - 1994 - New York Rangers - Brian Leetch (D) - SC & CS - 23 GP / 11 G / 23 A / 34 P / +19 / 12.5 S% / 4 GWG
No. 1 - 1991 - Pittsburgh Penguins - Mario Lemieux (C) - SC & CS - 23 GP / 16 G / 28 A / 44 P / +14 / 17.2 S% / 0 GWG
SC denotes Stanley Cup winner. CS denotes Conn Smythe recipient. Bold statistics indicate that the player led his position in that stat that postseason.
West Play in Round: No. 8 Dustin Byfuglien vs. No. 9 Ed Belfour
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No. 9 Ed Belfour upsets No. 8 Dustin Byfuglien
It's not hard to see why Eddy the Eagle is so happy. He was a rock for the Dallas Stars in their 1999 Cup run winning all 16 games they won and playing all 23 postseason games that year.
You may wonder then, if he wins this round why he was seeded lower than Dustin Byfuglien to begin with. The fact is, when comparing Big Buff's five game winning goals against the lower seeds in the West; and having watched every minute of the Blackhawks' playoff run last year, I saw how clutch he was.
However, in the end, Belfour was the foundation of his team, was extremely consistent throughout the playoffs and he pulls the slight upset here.
West Play in Round: No. 7 Brett Hull vs. No. 10 Chris Pronger
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No. 7 Brett Hull defeats No. 10 Chris Pronger
Brett Hull had a banner year in 2000 as the Stars tried to repeat against the New Jersey Devils. In all he would net 11 goals and 24 points in 23 games that postseason along with four game winners.
However, his play that year pales in direct comparison to Chris Pronger's onslaught against Carolina's forwards in 2006. His feeds to forwards were crisp—which Fernando Pisani took full advantage of—his shots were hard and his defense was as strong as ever.
In the end, Pronger's plus 10 finish while averaging 30 minutes per game cuts through Brett Hull's forward stylings and into the quarterfinals.
East Play in Round: No. 8 Henrik Zetterberg vs. No. 9 Mike Vernon
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No. 9 Mike Vernon upsets No. 8 Henrik Zetterberg
The significance of a goaltender winning the Conn Smythe is huge. There are so many ways that a skater can be valuable to their team regardless of their perceived role.
However, the only way a netminder can be useful is by stopping the puck and Vernon did that in a big way winning 16 games in only 20 playoff starts in 1997.
In the end, Zetterberg put up four game winning goals in 2008 along with 27 points and being a plus 16. However, letting in significantly less than two goals per game under the pressure of the Stanley Cup playoffs is nothing short of legendary.
East Play in Round: No. 7 Evgeni Malkin vs. No. 10 Daniel Alfredsson
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No. 7 Evgeni Malkin defeats No. 10 Daniel Alfredsson
Is there any arguement that Malkin wins this round with both a Conn Smythe and a Stanley Cup to hold over Alfredsson? Alfredsson came up huge with four game winners out of 14 total goals and 22 points.
However, Malkin matched that goal total and matched Alfredsson's point total in assists alone. Clearly Malkin came to 2011 in a time machine because he took classes from Charlie Sheen on how to win all the time.
East Quarterfinal: No. 1 Mario Lemieux vs. No. 9 Mike Vernon
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No. 1 Mario Lemieux defeats No. 9 Mike Vernon
For Vernon, the upset train stops here. Super Mario put up 44 points in the 1991 playoffs which was best in the league. Combine that with a plus 14, 16 goals, a Stanley Cup and a Conn Smythe and he edges out the No. 9 seeded Vernon.
East Quarterfinal: No. 4 Brad Richards vs. No. 5 Olie Kolzig
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No. 4 Brad Richards defeats No. 5 Olie Kolzig
This match-up is closer than you might think. The deciding factor in the end was the one two punch of Richards winning both the Conn Smythe and the Stanley Cup.
Kolzig's .941 save percentage and 1.95 goals against average are some of the best playoff numbers by any goaltender in recent memory. Actually, those numbers say even more about the lack of defense in front of him than his ability to stop the puck as showcased by his four shutouts.
That being said, seven game winning goals is a decent number for a forward in the regular season. Brad Richards put that many up in 23 playoff games, but remember that his team only won 16 of those. That means he was one game shy of winning half of Tampa's games for them that year.
Brad Richards was the definition of clutch in 2004.
East Quarterfinal: No. 2 Brian Leetch vs. No. 7 Evgeni Malkin
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No. 2 Brian Leetch defeats No. 7 Evgeni Malkin
As great as Malkin was, Leetch makes mincemeat of him. In one less game than Malkin, the Rangers' defenseman put up one more assist than Evgeni, but also only two less points overall than the Penguin center.
It is rare to find a defenseman who can put up that kind of offense while staying +19 in 23 games. When one does, few performances can measure up.
East Quarterfinal: No. 3 Joe Sakic vs. No. 6 Martin Brodeur
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No. 3 Joe Sakic defeats No. 6 Martin Brodeur
Brodeur does suffer here from this not being his best postseason, but in his best postseason he wasn't the best player so his seeding drops to his 1995 performance.
By no means was his Stanley Cup winning run where he went 16-4 with 1.67 goals against, three shutouts and a .927 save percentage lacking.
What defeats Brodeur's efforts here is Sakic's leadership and pure will to win. Much like Brad Richards, Sakic put up six game winning goals and 18 overall running away with the Conn Smythe and taking the Stanley Cup home as well in only his teams first season in a new city, state and country.
Pretty impressive in my book.
West Quarterfinal: No. 1 Jean-Sebastien Giguere vs. No. 9 Ed Belfour
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No. 1 Jean-Sebastien Giguere narrowly defeats No. 9 Ed Belfour
This is a narrow victory for J.S. Giguere. His stats in 2003 were very similar to Ed Belfour's in 1999. However, as someone who watched both series, I can confidently say that Giguere takes this one.
He stood on his head all playoffs but especially in the four game sweep of the Minnesota Wild, J.S. came into his own. He faltered once in the Stanley Cup Finals when he allowed six goals on 37 shots, but otherwise he kept his low scoring team in almost every game throughout the postseason.
In two less games than Belfour, Giguere faced over 100 more shots in that Cup Finals run while still posting a better goals against average, save percentage and two more shutouts. He deservedly won the Conn Smythe, should've won the Cup had he gotten more offense from his team and wins this round to squeak into the semifinals.
West Quarterfinal: No. 4 Patrick Roy vs. No. 5 Peter Forsberg
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No. 4 Patrick Roy defeats No. 5 Peter Forsberg
Sometimes you eat the bar, and sometimes the bar eats you. In this case, the bar eats Peter Forsberg as his long time teammate beats him to skate into the semis.
Arguably the second best postseason in Roy's career, 2001 contained a Stanley Cup, one of his three Conn Smythe trophies and four shutouts in 16 wins and only 23 games.
Forsberg was no slouch putting up 27 points, 18 assists and four game winners; but in the end he only netted nine goals for the Avs and the perennial Vezina favorite takes this quarterfinal tilt.
West Quarterfinal: No. 2 Wayne Gretzky vs. No. 10 Chris Pronger
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No. 2 Wayne Gretzky defeats No. 10 Chris Pronger
A more classic matchup could not be found. In one corner is the most fluid and complete center the game has ever seen. He could set up goals just by thinking and score them just as easily.
In the other corner is the best of a dying breed. Pronger is the epitome of Eddie Shore-esque "old time hockey." He plays hard every shift, never wants to come off the ice and hits as hard as he shoots.
When the dust settles, The Great One's 40 points are too good for even Pronger's defensive prowess and he escapes the upset into the semis.
West Quarterfinal: No. 3 Craig Simpson vs. No. 6 Jeremy Roenick
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No. 3 Craig Simpson defeats No. 6 Jeremy Roenick
This really isn't much of a contest. Roenick is my favorite player, but considering that both of these bids are from similar times in the NHL, the win—much like the Stanley Cup—has to go to Simpson.
Roenick notched 22 points and 12 goals through only 18 games in the 1992 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He finished an extremely solid plus 11, scored on over 21 percent of his shots and had three game winning goals.
That being said, Simpson blows those numbers away. In his 22 playoff games in 1990, Craig scored a league leading 16 goals and 31 points while also staying a playoff best plus 11. He even tallied three game winners in the Oilers' 16 wins.
However, what really impresses about his performance that year is his 38.1 shooting percentage. That's 14th best through the entirety of the postseason in 1990. To score that often for any 22 game stretch is unheard of but to take 42 shots in 22 games and score on nearly four out of every 10 shots isn't luck, it's all skill.
West Semifinal: No.1 Jean-Sebastien Giguere vs. No. 4 Patrick Roy
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No. 1 Jean-Sebastien Giguere narrowly defeats No. 4 Patrick Roy
The fact that these are both goaltenders makes this an easy—albeit close—matchup to decide.
True, Roy won the Cup and Giguere didn't, but they both earned the Vezina and this tournament is more about individual play than team success.
Both had plenty of each but in the end the only category where Roy beats Giguere is in wins—by one. Giguere wins this one on saves, save percentage, shutouts and pure heart and soul.
West Semifinal: No. 2 Wayne Gretzky vs. No. 3 Craig Simpson
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No. 3 Craig Simpson upsets No. 2 Wayne Gretzky
It is hard to imagine Gretzky losing at anything, much less in dogfight against a former teammate. However, in this case Simpson gets the better of him. Simpson played better two-way hockey in 1990 than The Great One would three years later and even scored one more goal in two less games.
Gretzky did beat Simpson in the assist category by 10, which is a lot, but they both tie with three game winning goals and it took Gretzky twice as many shots to score 15 goals as it took Simpson to score 16.
This was a close one, but head to head it has to go to Simpson winning the Stanely Cup in 1990.
East Semifinal: No. 1 Mario Lemieux vs. No. 4 Brad Richards
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No. 4 Brad Richards upsets No. 1 Mario Lemieux
Both of these centers played 23 games in their respective postseasons, each of them scored in at least half of their games, and both of them won the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy.
Lemieux did put up gaudy numbers to the tune of 44 points and a plus 14 rating. However, when combining the fact that he was on the ice for at least 30 goals against his team with the fact that Mario played in a more goal heavy NHL era, they choice becomes more clear.
In this case, where Richards truly exceeds Super Mario is in game winning goals. Richards destroys his competition here 7-0. In a game where best of sevens means everything, it doesn't get much more definitive than that.
East Semifinal: No. 2 Brian Leetch vs. No. 3 Joe Sakic
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No. 2 Brian Leetch defeats No. 3 Joe Sakic
Could this go any other way? Both won it all and took the Conn Smythe home as well, but Leetch put up disgusting numbers on his way to becoming the first and only U.S. born player to be named playoff MVP.
Sakic was more clutch with two more game winning goals and overall scored seven more goals. However, Leetch matched his 34 points as a defenseman and was a sniper from the blue line.
Leetch runs away with this one on his way to the East Final...
East Final: No. 2 Brian Leetch vs. No. 4 Brad Richards
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No. 2 Brian Leetch defeats No.4 Brad Richards
...On his way to the league finals. One less goal, nine more assists, three less goals and plus an additional 15 makes for a clear victory here. Brad Richards' 2004 performance was one of the most dominant performances by a forward in NHL history.
However, Brian Leetch's 94 Cup run is possibly the greatest performance by both a skater and by a defenseman in the history of the league. In this case, he puts up the best performance of any skater in the last 20 postseasons and moves on to face the winner of the West in this tournament.
West Final: No. 1 Jean-Sebastien Giguere vs. No. 3 Craig Simpson
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No. 1 Jean-Sebastien Giguere defeats No. 3 Craig Simpson
Simpson put up a good fight here but he never had a chance. Fact is, he earned his bid because Mario Lemieux wasn't allowed more than one and his 1991 bid was stronger.
Craig scored in bunches and was extremely accurate as he picked apart defenses and goaltenders. In the end however, he wasn't able to beat J.S. Giguere who makes a last minute sprawling save to secure his spot.
Finals: No.1 Jean-Sebastien Giguere vs. No. 2 Brian Leetch
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For a moment imagine that Chris Drury is actually wearing the No. 2 sweater and is actually Brian Leetch.
This battle is the closest of any in this tournament. On one hand is the most complete performance by a skater in the last 20 years, on the other is the most dominating performance by a goaltender.
Both men had to go through tough opponents on the way here and even though both are top two seeds, neither could simply skate to the finals.
When the dust settles, the winner is...
Winner: Jean-Sebastien Giguere—Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2003)
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This award couldn't go to a more deserving guy. J.S. persevered only to have his cup dreams be shattered in a 3-0 loss in game seven.
He wouldn't have to wait long to win it all, but he won the Conn Smythe in 2003 and even moreso he won the hearts of hockey fans everywhere with his legendary performance in the playoffs that year.
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