Best Brit player ever

[Johnnybravo1927]

Whilst we are rolling with good threads and nobody is squabbling.......

Best british players to play for Cardiff and they must be british trained so that rules out canadians etc that became brits on residency after playing over here for years

 

[Johnnybravo1927]

I should add that I meant devils players but it could be spread league wide

 

[trapped]

Richie won't be far off. A great Devil and player

 

[Earnie]

Stephan Cooper got to be in there.

 

[ASHIPP]

Mark Richardson

 

[JD Bluebird&Devil]

Stephen Cooper would get it for me. Skating ability, toughness, endurance, winner - plus the Dan Dorian hit alone is probably somewhere around my top 5 Devils moments.

Very (very) honourable mentions to;

Stevie Lyle - to be the league MVP in the first ever Superleague Season you had to be something special.

Jason Stone - not just the number of games (which is remarkable) but because he was a left winger who became British Defenceman of the Year - and he looked at ease every time British hockey took a step up.

Ian Cooper - the original rink rat? Took a battering in the crease , won every trophy going and was part of my favourite Devils line of all time - along with McEwen and Moria.

Mark Richardson - pure class. Will play for another 10 years and win lots more trophies. Think about Mark's size and level of physicallity - then think about the number of puck battles Mark loses. His hockey IQ is off the scale.

 

[Temme]

League-wide, Tony Hand.

Devils - Richardson.

Very few D men at all hold down a top line spot like he has for numerous seasons.
He may not have the points of Hotham, or the flash of Martin, but he hasn't made a mistake that i've seen in the last 5 years at least!

 

[Gazza272]

Stephen Cooper would get it for me. Skating ability, toughness, endurance, winner - plus the Dan Dorian hit alone is probably somewhere around my top 5 Devils moments.

Very (very) honourable mentions to;

Stevie Lyle - to be the league MVP in the first ever Superleague Season you had to be something special.

Jason Stone - not just the number of games (which is remarkable) but because he was a left winger who became British Defenceman of the Year - and he looked at ease every time British hockey took a step up.

Ian Cooper - the original rink rat? Took a battering in the crease , won every trophy going and was part of my favourite Devils line of all time - along with McEwen and Moria.

Mark Richardson - pure class. Will play for another 10 years and win lots more trophies. Think about Mark's size and level of physicallity - then think about the number of puck battles Mark loses. His hockey IQ is off the scale.

If Richie plays those 10 more years would he be number 1 on your list then?

Richie would get my vote at number 1, but I didn't see as much of Stephen Cooper as others.

 

[Finny]

Mark Richardson for me.

We have been blessed to have some very, very good British players over the years but for me Richie is the best.

Apparently there were some scouts from higher leagues at the World Championships last season and they said the only player on the GB team who would cut it in their leagues was Richardson.

 

[E.D.S.]

Richardson. A joy to watch. Stick handles as good as any import. Skates almost as good as MC. Can’t speak highly enough of Mark.


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[JD Bluebird&Devil]

If Richie plays those 10 more years would he be number 1 on your list then?

Richie would get my vote at number 1, but I didn't see as much of Stephen Cooper as others.

I would say yes Gaz. You know my feelings that the number 17 will never be worn again and will go to rafters (in about 10 years).

Mark Richardson is not just a very good hockey player - he's an incredibly intelligent hockey player.

I am pretty rose-tinted and sentimental - but you also know my irrational desire to win. The trophy haul of Stephen Cooper (both with us and the Wasps) plus guys like Moria and Brebant saying that he was better than most imports just sways my (current!) vote.

 

[Gazza272]

I would say yes Gaz. You know my feelings that the number 17 will never be worn again and will go to rafters (in about 10 years).

Mark Richardson is not just a very good hockey player - he's an incredibly intelligent hockey player.

I am pretty rose-tinted and sentimental - but you also know my irrational desire to win. The trophy haul of Stephen Cooper (both with us and the Wasps) plus guys like Moria and Brebant saying that he was better than most imports just sways my (current!) vote.

Then let's hope Mark brings home a tonne of Silver to make your choice more difficult in the future!

 

[Paul Sullivan]

I look at this from an era-led perspective, as I think the peak of the three main contenders on D are distinctly separate.
Heineken era - SCoop,
ISL / BNL - Stoney. Took over the Best Brit Defenceman crown in name, awards and reliability from SCoop
EIHL - Richie.

Gretzky used this analogy in his autobiography to show his esteem for Grant Fuhr - if you asked me to play one game for everything I own against everything you own, I'd pick Richie all day.

Stevie gets a solid nod of course.

One name I'm surprised to not have seen yet, and for me is possibly my choice for most talented Brit of all time for us, even though his moving away meant his Devils legend was cut short - Nicky Chinn. Utterly unplayable on his day. Could skate, shoot, was tough as nails and is one of the greatest big game players I've ever seen in this country, British or not.

I firmly believe if he'd stayed then #17 wouldn't have been an option for Richie.

 

[Josh Williamson]

Nicky Chinn, biggest ego ever.... Jeff Smith & Ben Bowns followed by Steve Lyle. I’d pick these.


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[wildthing74]

This is probably the toughest one so far. Instinctively I would usually jump in and say Stephen Cooper most times but when I wrote about Richie for his testimonial I think I described him as in my opinion the best pound for pound Devil ever so I cannot contradict that and not say Mark Richardson.

Stephen Cooper was head and shoulders above any other Brit D of his generation and probably better than 90% of imports at the time and it's no coincidence whoever the Coopers played for usually won most titles.I would say Richie gets my vote though as he was here during all those baron years and is loyal to a fault.Stephen left us twice for more money and it did grate at the time although that is just sport.

Ian Cooper never gets the credit he deserves and was a battering ram of a player and we haven't seen his like since although Myers is excellent doing it on the PP & Jesse Gimblett had the balls to take the whacks in the paint in the short time he was here.

Chinny was an insanely talented guy and won us titles by dominating games and would be top 3 for me.Leaving to sign for Sheffield especially as a Cardiff boy was never going to go down wel with some but he came back and was again a force in the ISL.

Mark Richardson is almost unique for me in that he has it all,not just talent by the bucket load but humility and loyalty and must be a dream for Lordo to coach. I really cannot imagine Cardiff Devils without Richie being involved and I hope he will be part of the club long after his skates are hung up.

 

[Paul Sullivan]

Nicky Chinn, biggest ego ever....
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You never met Matt Elich then, obviously.

 

[Wannabe2]

We most certainly have been blessed with our British contingent over the years, Stephen Cooper was certainly up there with imports, and was a joy to watch, Ian Cooper was a superb player, could score and would take knocks all night in front of goal. Nicky Chinn what can you say about this guy, the bigger the game, the better he played, a local lad who was as tough as nails, and should never had been allowed to leave. But in my book taking every aspect into consideration, talent, skill, likeability, humility, loyalty, and a player I have always been chuffed to have a game worn shirt by him, hands down Mr Mark Richardson. If you had a few Ritchie's on your team, you would certainly be the team to beat, number 17 will most certainly be in the rafters in the distant future. I would also like to add one other thought, and this certainly didn't take any thinking about, yes the best British player, but to me Ritchie has been the best signing this club has ever made, ever. 11 seasons for us 488 league games so far, 200 league points, looking forward big time to the next 11 seasons. They don't come any better than Mr Mark Richardson, what a gem.

 

[Wannabe2]

Nicky Chinn, biggest ego ever.... Jeff Smith & Ben Bowns followed by Steve Lyle. I’d pick these.


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Nicky Chinn was a young lad who every team in the league wanted, won titles scored huge goals,think he was entitled to a ego, who wouldn't.

 

[Josh Williamson]

Nicky Chinn was a young lad who every team in the league wanted, won titles scored huge goals,think he was entitled to a ego, who wouldn't.

That’s the thing, he certainly took it all.


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[Ocko]

Most naturally talented - Nicky Chinn. (But possibly also the biggest waste).

Best - Richardson by an absolute mile for me. Stephen Cooper is my 2nd. He was more physical than Richie and a more dominant player at the time, but that's because the standard was crap looking back. Richie has him on overall ability, skating, stick handling, commitment. Richie will have a shout for best ever Devil by the time he retires; both import and Brit. Whilst not a star like Martin, McEwen and Moria what he has offered the club and loyalty will elevate him to be a great soon enough, if not already.