Who is the better #19?

"Our similarities are different."
-- Philip James Bailey

I was watching one of the classic series from NHL network last week and they were replaying some of the memorable moments from the Red Wings/Avalanche rivalry in the 1990s. Maybe it was the same #19 on their backs and maybe it was the “C” stitched to the front of their jersey—but I started comparing Joe Sakic to Steve Yzerman. Both were first round draft picks in the entry draft, both were scoring phenoms that immediately produced in the pros, and both were captain of their team by the age of 21. Each of them started on teams that were one of the worst in the league, yet both were able to lead their respective teams out of obscurity to multiple Stanley Cups. So that sparked an interesting thought: Who’s the better #19?

Any discussion that tries to encapsulate Stevie Y’s career has to begin with his leadership qualities. This is a man that is revered to this day in Motown for the things he did for the Red Wings organization—and by extension the city of Detroit. He is the type of captain that transcends the sport of hockey and seeped into the mainstream in his city. Billboards showed his face, his image represented the quiet working man’s mentality the city prided itself on, and he brought the Red Wings back to relevancy. Before his arrival in the mid-1980s, Detroit was less Hockeytown and more Tigerville. 20 years and 3 Cups later, the Red Wings own the city and are the model franchise for the entire league. The man’s number was basically retired by Wayne Gretzky for all of Team Canada because of the skills and qualities that he brought to their teams in international competition. I’d say he has his share of intangibles. Here’s what one of Detroit’s favorite columnists had to say about him:

“Yzerman is not the youngest, the strongest, nor the fastest, and he was never the biggest. But make no mistake, he is the maximus of gladiators, the man who fights wounded and bleeding, with a heart as large as any lion they spring on him”
--Mitch Albom

His most memorable performance was in the 2002 playoffs when he was able to score 23 points while leading the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup. The points were secondary though, as he was performing on basically one leg. Minus any noticeable cartilage in his knee, he was able to provide the leadership on and off the ice to lead his team to the Promised Land.

Besides all of the subjective qualities Yzerman brought to the rink, he was also able to deliver with his talent. By the end of his career, he was just 8 goals shy of 700 and finished 6th all time with 1755 points. His 155 points in the 1988-1989 season has only been matched by men named Gretzky and Lemieux. Later in his career, he willingly gave up some of his scoring role to dedicate himself to becoming a better two-way player. Once a defensive liability, by the end of his career he transformed himself into one of the best DEFENSIVE centers in the game. A leader, warrior, and former sniper who became responsible in his own end of the ice to guide his team to 3 Stanley Cups. That is his legend.

Joe Sakic’s career doesn’t have the awe of the Yzerman aura. Instead, he’s formed his legacy with a celebrated lightning quick wrist shot and more clutch performances than anyone in his generation. In his 2nd, 3rd, and 5th seasons in the league, he scored over 100 points (and narrowly missed the century mark in his 4th season despite missing 13 games due to injury). In addition to his early numbers, the case could be made that he’s aged better than fine wine. In the 8 seasons since his 30th birthday, Sakic has managed to be in the Top 10 in scoring six of those seasons. After missing almost 40 games due to injury last season, he was able to come back and score a point per game in the playoffs. Really, his best season was the 2000-2001 season in which he scored a staggering 118 points in the neutral zone trap era. If you adjust those numbers to the late 1980’s, that total translates to about 168 points. In addition to the mountain of points he collected, he also earned the Hart Trophy, the Stanley Cup, and came in 2nd for the Selke Trophy. Even while he was racking up one of his best statistical seasons, he was honored as one of the best defensive forwards. His 2001 year is one for the ages.

Like Yzerman, Joe Sakic has been a man that led by example. In a locker room that housed players like Peter Forsberg, Patrick Roy, Adam Foote, and Rob Blake—it was Sakic that was the unquestioned leader. In his greatest year (2001), he too led his team to the ultimate prize while battling through injury. In the 1st round, he injured his shoulder—and injury during the regular season that would have sidelined him for almost 2 months. Battling through injuries, he was still able to net 13 goals while dishing out 13 helpers en route to leading all playoff performers in points.

When all is said and done with Sakic’s career, he’ll be remembered most for his ability to raise his game in the most pressure packed situations. He has averaged over a point per game in his 174 career playoff games. He’s the career leader with EIGHT playoff overtime game winning goals. His 18 goals in the 1996 playoffs were second only to Wayne Gretzky’s all-time mark for a single playoff year. Even in the international spotlight, Sakic was a clutch performer in the most important moments. In the 2002 Olympics, he was the offensive catalyst to the Canadian Dream team. He netted 4 goals and 7 points (including 4 points in the Gold Medal game) en route to earning MVP of the Tournament honors. On the biggest of stages, he always raised his game to the highest level.

So who is better? As surprising as it was to me, I found that Joe Sakic actually has better overall career statistics. He has a higher career point per game average, a higher career PLAYOFF point per game average, and has been much more consistent throughout his career. Both have been the faces of their franchises over 2 decades and both are in the top 8 in career points. I guess it comes down to what you value more in a player. Leadership qualities cannot be measured by any number; yet at the end of the day, it’s production is what wins games.

I think I’ll just take both and call it a day…