The NHLPA Player Poll Results You *Didn’t* See… Until Now.
4 years ago
The NHL Players Association released it’s annual Player Poll on Tuesday, a little bit ahead of schedule, but thanks to the lack of anything interesting going on right now, a much welcome talking point for hockey fans, those in the media and those of us pretending we are media.
(Seriously NHL, I couldn’t get an invite to sit in on the @Blake Wheeler and the Central Division quartet video conference? I swear I only wanted to ask Blake about what kind of shampoo he uses to manage that beautiful flow he rocks and nothing more.)
The Players Poll didn’t really have too many surprises, and not much in the way of Winnipeg Jets mentioned. Bell MTS Place did get some love for having the third nicest ice in the league which shouldn’t be a surprise for a city that has an average winter temperature of somewhere around -46 degrees. The whole survey though was pretty standard. Turns out the players think guys like @Connor McDavid and @Sidney Crosby are pretty good, newer arena have pretty nice visiting dressing rooms, and that @Brad Marchand is simultaneously both the best and worst talker on the ice.
The real surprise came from the questions the NHLPA didn’t publish, which JetsNation got an exclusive copy of on Tuesday afternoon and I will share with you now as a number of Jets were rated pretty high by their peers in some very noteworthy categories…
Most likely to “spawn camp” you in Call Of Duty: Adam Lowry – 12.3% (3rd)
Oh you thought this was going to be Patrik Laine, didn’t you? Shame on you. Patrik Laine has clear cut video game skills and doesn’t need to spawn camp. Maybe two years ago when he was known mostly as an elite sniper he would, but his all-around CoD skills have developed. He’s a better teammate in the neutral ground between zones, he can defend his own zone with surprising efficiency. It’s time to stop thinking of Laine as “just a shooter.”
Lowry though? Notorious for spawn camping apparently, which is what you’d expect from a gamer named “Adam” really.
Best / Worst facial hair: Patrik Laine – 12.7% (4th)
Here is a category where Patrik Laine shines. Remember the goat beard he rocked during the 2017-18 season? Much like Marchand’s trash talking skills, it was both the worst and best beard that the sport of hockey has ever seen.
It was ugly. It was mostly unkempt. It got even worse/better the longer the Jets were in the playoffs. It was glorious. It left us way too soon.
It also left a lasting impression on the players allegedly. It should make a comeback.
Most likely to yell “EYY I’M SKATIN OVA HERE!” at you in the most New York-ish way possible: Anthony Bitteto – 98.3% (1st)
Seriously, if you haven’t heard him talk in an interview, you’re missing out big time. As it is, he should have been mic’ed up a lot more this season.
I hope the Jets bring him back for next season. Not as a player mind you, just as a TV personality.
Who is the best Winnipeg Jet? Andrew Ladd – 41.55%
It’s surprising that the PA didn’t release the results of who players thought were the best players on each of the 31 teams, but not as surprising as who the players ended up picking for the 2019-20 Winnipeg Jets. Sure, back in maybe 2015 you could make an argument that the Jets captain was the best that the team had to offer in terms of overall talent, but Andrew Ladd doesn’t even play for the Jets or even in the Western Conference any more.
Then again, maybe we shouldn’t be that shocked at this pick. After all they did say Carey Price was the best goalie in the league and that too would have been a lot more true in 2015 than it is in 2020.
Which player ignores you when you ask him to pass the butter at the dinner table? Neal Pionk – 29.1% (2nd)
He might have a career high in power play points and assists, but it turns out that Neal Pionk could be even better at passing things if he just worked on it.
It’s not just that he often doesn’t pass you the butter when you ask for it, it’s that when he does pass it to you, it’s a really slow pass and by the time you get the blade of your knife on it, the potatoes have gone cold.
Very frustrating for everyone involved.
Player that you’ve been happiest not to deal with on the ice this season: Dustin Byfuglien – 73.6% (1st)
No chance of being crushed along the boards with your head down. No need to worry about ending up on the wrong end of a season ending highlight reel. No indignity of being dragged along the ice with one of your teammates by one big strong boi. No more being yelled at for not moving up ice with the puck fast enough.
While pretty much all Jets fans missed seeing Big Buff out on the ice, the players sure haven’t missed him.
Player that is happiest not to have to deal with the media this season: Dustin Byfuglien – 100% (1st)
No one has ever asked him to share his thoughts on just what happened out there on the ice after a full day of fishing and that’s probably perfectly fine with him.
Then again, if he had gotten more questions about ice-fishing over the years, maybe he would have enjoyed talking to the media more.
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