Who is the best in the world today?

The question of who is the best player in the world is always a contentious one in any sport. In the hockey world the debate usually leads to fist fights. A recent study found that 98.2% of NHL fights are a result of the Crosby/Ovechkin/Malkin debate. 150 of Eric Godard’s PIMS have resulted from this debate, as are 115 of Donald Brashear’s PIMS. Maybe I’m being a little facetious here, but the fact remains that in hockey the debate is always heated, but incomplete. The debate always seems to leave out great goaltenders. As I see it right now the top 5 contenders are: Sidney Crosby: 1.38 points per game(ppg),career +34; Alex Ovechkin: 1.29ppg, career +22; Evgeni Malkin: 1.26ppg, career +38, Martin Brodeur 553 wins, 101 shutouts, Evgeni Nabokov: 247 wins, 47 Shutouts.

Evgeni Malkin: Strengths: He has a hard shot, great passing abilities, solid in his own end, and toughness. Weakness: As is often the case with incredibly skilled players, he can try too much. He also has a habit of making far too many blind passes, in some cases they look bad because they are bad, and in some cases, they look bad because his line mates aren’t expecting them.

Sidney Crosby: Strengths: He is the best most consistent passer on the list. I don’t think Crosby will ever top the 40 goal plateau. Not necessarily because he doesn’t have the skill to be 40+ goal scorer, but because he has a pass first mentality. His speed and vision give him an advantage over Malkin and Ovechkin. He is maybe the best in the league at splitting the defense. Weakness: His shot is just slightly above average, but even so he doesn’t use it often enough. As with Malkin, he often attempts to do too much, and attempts passes that his line mates aren’t expecting or that are simply bad.

Alex Ovechkin: Strengths: Strength and size work to his advantage. He has the best wrist shot of anyone on this list, maybe in the league. Weakness: He can be pulled off his game looking for the highlight-reel-hit. His passing is average. He may never go over 55 assists, because he has a shoot-first mentality. This can be a liability come playoff time as defenses will know to zero in on the chucker.

Evgeni Nabokov: Strengths: He goaltends with a unique style that gets the job done. He can single handedly win games. Weakness: He has little to no playoff success, but that maybe more of a reflection on the team in front of him.

Martin Brodeur: Strengths: The all-time wins lead, is an impressive stat, but it is a slightly inflated by the advent of the shootout. The number that really proves the point is the 101 career shutouts; 103 is the all-time mark. In this era shutouts are rare, and 101 is mindboggling. The combination of focus, skill, determination, and luck it takes to earn a shutout make this stat the most impressive of any on the list. He also happens to be the only player on the list who has won a Cup. Weakness: Other than playing the Rangers, its hard to find a flaw in his game.

My answer to the question: Martin Brodeur Is the best player in the world.