Naslund vs Koivu

Key Lime · Guru

Naslund vs Koivu

jeanthehabtiste · Senior Member

Saku can move the puck better than Mats.

For real.

Ando · Guru

Mats Naslund only played 8 fulls years in Montreal and never once missed more than 10 games in a single season...NOT ONCE!

Mats Naslund bagged +40 goals...I think twice???...and he had a grand total of approx 100'ish penalty minutes over the course of his ENTIRE CAREER in the NHL (despite being an absolutely rabid dog on the forecheck)!!!

Then of course...there is the Cup. And, sadly, Mats headed back to Sweden wayyyyyy too early...or there would surely have been more than one!!!

...I see a few similarities...geography for example...stature...the 'C'...not results though!!!

jeanthehabtiste · Senior Member

But Saks can move it quicker than Mats.

Way faster, and hold onto it longer.

Muller93 · Guru

Ando wrote:

Mats Naslund only played 8 fulls years in Montreal and never once missed more than 10 games in a single season...NOT ONCE! Mats Naslund bagged +40 goals...I think twice???...and he had a grand total of approx 100'ish penalty minutes over the course of his ENTIRE CAREER in the NHL (despite being an absolutely rabid dog on the forecheck)!!! Then of course...there is the Cup. And, sadly, Mats headed back to Sweden wayyyyyy too early...or there would surely have been more than one!!! ...I see a few similarities...geography for example...stature...the 'C'...not results though!!!

I used to love that Naslund guy. but remember And-o, Naslund got all those points on a powerful habs team. And also during the 80's when games were often 10-7...7-5...8-2 etc.

Do you honestly think Gretzky at his prime would bag 215 points in this league? No way!

I have watched both, and Koivu is a better all around player.

jeanthehabtiste · Senior Member

exactamundo.

-- Edited by jeanthehabtiste at 19:26, 2006-02-13

JohnM · Guru

Loved Nasland. Actually he was one of my favourite players.

jeanthehabtiste · Senior Member

One of the best Habs to play on the team, my opinion.

Fast as hell.

AB Habman · Guru

Naslund was dangerous every time he touched the puck! Very fast and shifty!

jeanthehabtiste · Senior Member

Just like Saks, when he's got it goin' on.

AB Habman · Guru

jeanthehabtiste wrote:

Just like Saks, when he's got it goin' on.

Sorry my friend, I mean pull-away speed when he had half a chance! I think Naslund created a break-way almost every second game because of his speed!

Key Lime · Guru

AB Habman wrote:

jeanthehabtiste wrote: Just like Saks, when he's got it goin' on. Sorry my friend, I mean pull-away speed when he had half a chance! I think Naslund created a break-way almost every second game because of his speed!

...it was all in his legs. I remember seeing him at the Stanley Cup parade, (I won't remind you of the year) his legs were horse-like. I can still visualize it. Small guy but made ram tough.

Nil d · Guru

Here are the stats of Mats (fun to say that!). I love Koivu, but I've seen both players' entire careers and I can't say Saku is close to being in Mats' league. Mats' worst goal-scoring year is the same as Saku's best one (21 goals). Yes, the Habs had powerhouse teams back then, but Mats was the leading scorer as often as not. He was the cause, not the effect. He was not tall, but he was powerfully built and had legs like tree trunks. He was hard to knock off the puck. Check out the stats:

Mats Naslund
Forward
Born Oct 31 1959 -- Timra, Sweden
Height 5.07 -- Weight 160

Selected by Montreal Canadiens round 2 #37 overall 1979 NHL Entry Draft

--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1981-82 Brynas IF Gavle SEL 36 24 18 42 16
1982-83 Montreal Canadiens NHL 74 26 45 71 10 3 1 0 1 0
1983-84 Montreal Canadiens NHL 77 29 35 64 4 15 6 8 14 4
1984-85 Montreal Canadiens NHL 80 42 37 79 14 12 7 4 11 6
1985-86 Montreal Canadiens NHL 80 43 67 110 16 20 8 11 19 4
1986-87 Montreal Canadiens NHL 79 25 55 80 16 17 7 15 22 11
1987-88 Montreal Canadiens NHL 78 24 59 83 14 6 0 7 7 2
1988-89 Montreal Canadiens NHL 77 33 51 84 14 21 4 11 15 6
1989-90 Montreal Canadiens NHL 72 21 20 41 19 3 1 1 2 0
1990-91 Lugano Swiss 42 31 39 70 0
1991-92 Malmo IF SEL 39 15 25 40 10
1992-93 Malmo IF SEL 33 10 22 32 10
1993-94 Malmo IF SEL 40 14 30 44 8
1994-95 Boston Bruins NHL 34 8 14 22 4 5 1 0 1 0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NHL Totals 651 251 383 634 111 102 35 57 92 33

Key Lime · Guru

Impressive...almost a poiont per game (GP=651 / PTS=634) Better than I thought!

Nil d · Guru

Key Lime wrote:

Impressive...almost a poiont per game (GP=651 / PTS=634) Better than I thought!

Yes; to say he was never the sniper in not correct - he was quite the sniper! Also three inches shorter than Saku. He was the original Cube!

barry33 · Guru

Nil d wrote:

Key Lime wrote: Impressive...almost a poiont per game (GP=651 / PTS=634) Better than I thought! Yes; to say he was never the sniper in not correct - he was quite the sniper! Also three inches shorter than Saku. He was the original Cube!

My two cents worth..Naslund was a better all round player than Saks..he had all that Koivu does along with a much better scoring touch and shot. But they are certainly cut out of the same mould..small with big hearts. I would say that maybe Mats had a bit more breakaway speed then Saks...but what I really loved was the way the old Forum announcer used to say "The troisieme etoile..the TURD Star...Matts NASLOOONNNNNND"

Ando · Guru

Yeah...I didn't/don't want to restart the great Saku debate again...but Mats Naslund was better in my opinion.

...what made him head home anyway??? Money?

How many thought that Oleg Petrov could have been "Mats Naslund II"? And-o dug Oleg's game when he was in high gear!

If only Oleg had some grit and leadership to guide him along.

Muller93 · Guru

Yes, I guess I agree. If I think about it, Mats was pretty exciting to watch. I still think it's hard to compare the era's however.

I recall I used to use a stick made famous by Mats...the "torsbo". I was all wood and heavy as heck. I loved it. Mats was my favorite player growing up.

Key Lime · Guru

Ando wrote:

Yeah...I didn't/don't want to restart the great Saku debate again...but Mats Naslund was better in my opinion. ...what made him head home anyway??? Money? How many thought that Oleg Petrov could have been "Mats Naslund II"? And-o dug Oleg's game when he was in high gear! If only Oleg had some grit and leadership to guide him along.

Actually Oleg married a friend of mine and she is expecting her second child in 2 weeks. He plays in the Swiss league. As you might of guessed, he's a superstar in Switzerland. I asked my friend if he had received any offers to come back to the new NHL because I thought he may have exceled. The truth is that he was approached but due to the fact that he is making a good salary and he absolutley hates travelling via plane, he will not be returning.

plouf · Guru

As someone who followed the whole Naslund era, when Naslund was my 2nd favourite Hab after Carbonneau, and who also loved the announcer yelling NASLOOOND!, I still want to be a voice of disagreement here.

First of all, re: points. The kind of points Naslund was getting he would never have gotten in the late 90s early 00s, when points were down in a big way. If you were to adjust according to amount of goals scored in the NHL, they wouldn't be as far apart as you think. A point per game is actually nothing special during that era. Miroslav Frycer and Tom Fergus were doing it for the Laffs...anyone remember them?
Also, keep in mind that Naslund played on a very good Habs team, with possibly the best defense corps in the league. Part of this is that those were better days for the Habs in general...

Second: style of play. Naslund would surprise you every once in a while with a check, but he was basically a soft perimeter player. Saks has always been more physical and defensively important than Naslund ever was. Naslund even became quite ineffective on offense for his last few seasons, partly because he was so predictable with his moves and didn't shoot enough. I also don't think he was faster than Koivu; keep in mind that this was pre-trap, when players would zoom through the neutral zone. The game slowed down just around the time Koivu arrived, so you don't see skaters' getting as much of a chance to show off their speed anymore.

As for leadership, well we don't all agree about that part, so I'll just leave that one alone.

So for me...they're about equal. And they are both small players with huge desire.

plouf · Guru

AB Habman wrote:

jeanthehabtiste wrote:
Just like Saks, when he's got it goin' on.
Sorry my friend, I mean pull-away speed when he had half a chance! I think Naslund created a break-way almost every second game because of his speed!

I'd just like to point out that breakaways were more or less abolished in the NHL around the time Saks arrived in the league.

That's why I'm so excited about the new NHL, even if it frustrating the way the penalties are so unpredictable.

jeanthehabtiste · Senior Member

AB Habman wrote:

jeanthehabtiste wrote: Just like Saks, when he's got it goin' on. Sorry my friend, I mean pull-away speed when he had half a chance! I think Naslund created a break-way almost every second game because of his speed!

different game now. Saks would blow by him at todays standards,

Nas was a great, but two different types of atheletes.

-God, I'm glad we got Saks for awhile!

gfeaver · Veteran Member

I agree, look at the team that Mats played on. I could probably score 20 goals with those guys.........................well probably not.....I was a big Mats Naslund fan, he was great to watch.... but i have to go with Saku if they were to meet head to head, all things being equal...

barry33 · Guru

plouf wrote:

AB Habman wrote: jeanthehabtiste wrote: Just like Saks, when he's got it goin' on. Sorry my friend, I mean pull-away speed when he had half a chance! I think Naslund created a break-way almost every second game because of his speed! I'd just like to point out that breakaways were more or less abolished in the NHL around the time Saks arrived in the league. That's why I'm so excited about the new NHL, even if it frustrating the way the penalties are so unpredictable.

Just out of curiosity then, has Koivu HAD a breakaway this year since the rules changed?

plouf · Guru

barry33 wrote:

plouf wrote: AB Habman wrote: jeanthehabtiste wrote: Just like Saks, when he's got it goin' on. Sorry my friend, I mean pull-away speed when he had half a chance! I think Naslund created a break-way almost every second game because of his speed! I'd just like to point out that breakaways were more or less abolished in the NHL around the time Saks arrived in the league. That's why I'm so excited about the new NHL, even if it frustrating the way the penalties are so unpredictable. Just out of curiosity then, has Koivu HAD a breakaway this year since the rules changed?

I haven't seen one.

On the other hand, it's usually the wingers who get the breakaways.

Muller93 · Guru

Plouf. I think out of all the posts on this topic, you have nailed it the best. Naslund was one of my favorite habs all around. But the only thing about these two you can comapre is being smallish....

barry33 · Guru

Muller93 wrote:

Plouf. I think out of all the posts on this topic, you have nailed it the best. Naslund was one of my favorite habs all around. But the only thing about these two you can comapre is being smallish....

Muller- surely you are not going so far as to say that Naslund was not in the same class as Koivu???

habs93 · Veteran Member

Mats Naslund has the Championship Hat Trick - Stanley Cup - Olympic Hockey Gold Medal (Off of Forsberg's famous goal against Canada which Sweden made into a postage stamp) and World Hockey Championship.............

Muller93 · Guru

barry33 wrote:

Muller93 wrote:
Muller- surely you are not going so far as to say that Naslund was not in the same class as Koivu???

No No. Just that the style that the two played is not really all that similar. AND that Naslund played during an era when players tended to generally get more points.

It's easy to figure you should compare the two because they are small. I just don't see it. But no, I think Naslund was a great player.

jeanthehabtiste · Senior Member

How lucky we are as Montreal Canadiens fans to have had Mats Naslund and as well to be graced by the force of Saku Koivu on the team of our hearts.

Bless Em' Both.

Jean!