skateshattrick Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 That is a list of great players, but if the true measure of greatness is national championships, which appears to be the sentiment of many on this board, then why is Greg Johnson included on the list? (note: I was friends with Greg in college and I am not bagging on him because he is a good guy and a great hockey player). GJ never won a national championship. In fact, during his four years in GF, UND didn't win a league championship or a WCHA playoff championship. And to top it off UND went 29-46-2 his last two seasons - definitely not a record associated with greatness. So, the question remains, why is he on the list? Is it because: he played four years at UND he is the all-time leading scorer in UND's history he is the all-time WCHA leader in assists he represented Canada at the World Juniors he played with at least ten other guys that went on to play in the NHL he was a three-time Hobey Baker finalist he was a three-time All-American he succeeded despite the horrible teams he was on his jr. and sr. years he is still playing in the NHL and doing quite well Because if these are the reasons he is on the list, then I understand. But, if greatness is measured by championships then he belongs nowhere near the list. In fact, Parise's MacNaughton would put him above GJ on the list. If greatness is measured by championships, then simple logic would dictate that the 13 or so players that have won TWO national championships while at UND would be at the top of the list of great players. But, despite what Brad Defauw, Peter Armbrust, Tim O'Connell, Jason Ulmer and their two championships, as an example, meant to the program, nobody would say that they are the greatest players in UND's history. If the true measure of greatness is all-around hockey ability, hockey sense, hockey instincts, hockey vision, combined with the notoriety that a player brings to themself and the program during their tenure at UND and the years after, then Zach Parise, in my opinion, takes a backseat to no one. End of rant. Great post! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jloos Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 Great post! Second that. This isn't basketball, one player cannot win a championship for a team. ZP was the most complete hockey player I've seen at the college level. It would be interesting to see ZP's +/- stats. Hopefully there is an NHL next season so ZP can have a shot at the Calder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmidtdoggydog Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 It would be interesting to see ZP's +/- stats. '03, +23 in 39 games -- 5th on the team behind Lundbohm, Bo, Schneider and Notermann '04, +35 in 37 games -- led team UND career, +58 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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