Cam Neely comparables

[angus]

Obviously there aren't any players who can concurrently intimidate with offense and physicality like Cam could in his prime... but who are the five closest comparisons?

Am I off?

Ovechkin
Perry
Backes
Lucic
Brown

HM:

Neal
Nash
E. Kane

[Veritas0Aequitas]

Obviously there aren't any players who can concurrently intimidate with offense and physicality like Cam could in his prime... but who are the five closest comparisons?

Am I off?

Ovechkin
Perry
Backes
Lucic
Brown

HM:

Neal
Nash
E. Kane

Good list!

Landeskog might be another comparable. Get him into the playoffs and I think he'll shine!

[rataylor22]

Good list!

Landeskog might be another comparable. Get him into the playoffs and I think he'll shine!

Wow biased to the max. No. Just no. Landeskog can barely be considered a power forward, let alone a physically dominant force. In terms of offense and physicality, add Chris Stewart to the mix, expecially the way he's picked up his scoring this year. Probably not ahead of any of those 5, but still.

[Dakkster]

The only guys that are relevant in terms of physicality AND scoring ability are Ovy and Kane IMO. But they are still nowhere close.

[Khanadian]

The only guys that are relevant in terms of physicality AND scoring ability are Ovy and Kane IMO. But they are still nowhere close.

I was thinking this too...

If the Jets ran Buff out there full-time at forward he'd qualify too!

[Veritas0Aequitas]

Wow biased to the max. No. Just no. Landeskog can barely be considered a power forward, let alone a physically dominant force. In terms of offense and physicality, add Chris Stewart to the mix, expecially the way he's picked up his scoring this year. Probably not ahead of any of those 5, but still.

LOL this is too much. You'd rank Chris Stewart in front of Landeskog? Did you see how many hits Landeskog had in his rookie year? 219. That was good enough for 19th among ALL NHL FORWARDS including guys like David Backes and Dustin Brown.

How many hits did Chris Stewart have last year? 112. I'm not denying Chris Stewart is a powerforward, but there is no way he belongs in the same discussion as Landeskog.

So, no. Not biased. You obviously have no clue what you're talking about.

[ericdaoust]

And I came in here thinking the comparison would be players starting their careers in Vancouver and flourishing elsewhere... silly me.

[ShawneePanthers]

I think Ovechkin is better than Neely in just about every aspect of the game - though to be fair, I've only seen Neely play a few times. Still, almost no one has or had the kind of game Ovechkin has- and I'm saying that as a Penguins fan.

[fantasyhockeygeek]

The only guys that are relevant in terms of physicality AND scoring ability are Ovy and Kane IMO. But they are still nowhere close.

I agree with this. A couple of years ago I probably would have included Iginla in this too, but he was never as physically punishing.

Lucic has it from the physicality perspective, but he doesn't have the offensive skills.

Perry is an agitator with great skills/hands... he won't make you regret being on the ice against him.

Brown and Backes both have tough elements to their game, but their offensive skills aren't what Neely's were.

For me the comparison comes down to a player having the tools to make a perfectly legitimate choice between making an opposing defender look like a pylon or physically taking them out of the play. I can't think of anyone but Evander Kane and Ovechkin that would fit the bill.

[angus]

Thanks for the thoughts and opinions (except you, Eric).

[doulos]

Iginla has lost a step but in his prime he fit the description very well.

[27Blue]

iginla's best was better than neely's best - though iggy is the only name mentioned that is even remotely in the same class and style of player that neely was. people were afraid to play against cam neely... and they should have been.

[fungchen3]

Neely was a rare bird. He was one of my favorite players as a kid so I watched him all the time. There is nobody today that is a Neely clone, but I will describe it this way...

Lucic is the closest to Neely in terms is skating, hitting, compete level and raw nastiness. The biggest difference are the hands - Neely had mitts of gold.

Ovechkin has more speed, sizzle and talent than Neely but isn't NEARLY as mean or physical - not even close. Same with Evander Kane, who is rugged by today's standards but nothing compared to Neely.

Perry and Neal fit into the power forward/agitator category and are not as rugged or tough as Neely.

Nash is not even close to the complete package Neely was.

Iginla was close at one time but he is more finesse than Neely and smaller, less mean.

Backes and Simmonds are hard-nosed, gritty types but neither have Neely's hands or game - same with Callahan, Brown or Clowe.

The only comparable could be made with a hybrid approach - Thomas Vanek and Milan Lucic bundled together gives you Cam Neely. In close, Neely was blessed with incredible hands like Vanek. During the 80s-90s, the only players who were as dangerous as Neely from 15 feet in were Tim Kerr, Luc Robitaille and Dave Andreychuk.

Neely played a lot like Vanek where he would battle in front of the net and score a bunch on the PP and in close. He could beat goalies with wristers, snappers, backhands and deflections - you name it. But he also was Milan Lucic at his best where he would hunt players and destroy them with heavy hits and battle anyone along the boards. He would also drop the gloves and punch tons of face.

Yep - Vanek and Lucic hybrid = Cam Neely.