Top Ten Tuesday – John, Johnny & Jonathan
OK, so I started wrtiting a post for today on a different topic, but while I was creating that one, I wrote the name John about 5 different times, so I decided to put the original list on the shelf for a week. Todays Top 10 will be a little more light-hearted, will focus on the top 10 players in the NHL today named John, Johnny or Jonathan.
Past Johns that made huge impacts in the NHL included Vanbiesbrouck, Tonelli, Ogrodnick, MacLean, LeClair, Ferguson, Cullen, Bucyk and Bower.
However, I am going to focus on ACTIVE players, so here we go:
Not making our list were John Mitchell, John Erskine, Jonathan Cheechoo and tough guy John Scott.
Now on with the top 10 Johns (all headshots are from www.yahoo.com):
10. Johnny Boychuk – It took a while for Boychuck to make an impact in the NHL, but last season solidified his spot on the Bruins’ blue line. He overtook Tomas Kaberle on the depth chart on his way to netting 9 playoff points while playing every game en route to the Stanley Cup.
9. Johnny Oduya – The swift skating Oduya is the only Swedish Johnny on the list. The Jets defenseman will look to improve on his 17 point output on a strong Winnipeg blue line.
8. Jonathan Ericsson – With the departure of Brian Rafalski and the impending retirement of Nick Lidstrom (he’s got to quit at some point, doesn’t he?), Ericsson will have an opportunity to increase his responsibility on the Red Wings blue line.
7. John Madden – The wily veteran is winding down his career, and is still looking for a job for this season. Madden is 38, but can still be a contributor in the proper role.
6. Jonathan Bernier – Bernier is ready for an NHL starting job and will push is partner for starts this season. Don’t know if the LA net is big enough for two Jonathans.
5. John Carlson – The former USA Junior who broke Canada’s hearts in 2010 started out gangbusters last season but his numbers slowed down a bit as the season wore on. Still led all Caps dmen in ice time. Will only get better.
4. John-Michael Liles – Leafs fans will be pleasantly surprised with the production they get from the former Avalanche defenseman. He is a skilled puck mover who isn’t a slouch in his own end.
3. Jonathan Quick – Quick was 10th and 6th in wins in the last two seasons, winning 84 games in that span as the #1. Is being pushed by his understudy, another Jonathan.
2. John Tavares – Up and coming star who is only going to get better. Might not live up to lofty draft expectations but will still make a tremendous impact on Long Island (before he gets to bolt to greener pastures).
1. Jonathan Toews – Captained a Stanley Cup winner and added a Conn Smythe. Add an Olympic Gold Medal as the tournament’s top forward and you have not only the best “John” but one of the best in the league.
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