Is Pavel Datsyuk the best player in the NHL?

Posted by Dan Cafiero.

The 6th round draft choice of the Detroit Red Wings has come a long way since ‘98.

If there is one thing the Detroit Red Wings are good at, besides winning, it’s finding late-round gems in the NHL Draft. The three best examples are Tomas Holmstrom (10th round, 1994), Henrik Zetterberg (7th round, 1999) and Pavel Datsyuk (6th round, 1998). 

When Detroit selected Datsyuk 171st overall in Buffalo at the 1998 draft, I don’t think anybody within the organization knew what they were getting as a player and a person, then again, maybe they did. Fourteen years later, he has turned into an elite two-way forward in the National Hockey League. In fact, there are not many players better than him right now. The three-time Selke Trophy winner is arguably the best defensive forward in the league and his career +206 rating doesn’t hurt that argument. There are very few players in the world more responsible in the defensive zone while producing offensively at a world-class level. 

Not only is Datsyuk a fantastic player on the ice, he is a great person and leader in the locker room. He won four consecutive Lady Byng Memorial Trophies from 2006-2009. The Lady Byng is awarded to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability. If somebody were to ask Detroit’s head coach, Mike Babcock, to describe Pavel Datsyuk, those may be his exact words. 

On the ice, he has accumulated 710 points in 720 games in his 10-year career, all with Detroit. He also leads the league with 30 career shootout goals since it was integrated in the NHL during the 2005-2006 season. If you are a hockey fan, you have probably seen his ridiculous shootout moves. The things this guy is able to do with the puck, one on one with a goalie or one on one with a defenseman is just pure entertainment. His stick handling skills are amongst the best in the world, if not the best. If you haven’t seen any of the magic, check out some of the best “Datsyukian dekes”.

The Wings have made the playoffs 9 times, won 8 Central Division championships, 3 Western Conference championships, and 2 Stanley Cups since Datsyuk arrived in Detroit 9 seasons ago. He is without question, the most talented and best two way forward in the National Hockey League and maybe the world. If I had to start a hockey team with one player today, I would have to flip a coin to choose between Pavel Datsyuk and Sidney Crosby, he is that good. With Crosby sidelined with ongoing health issues, hockey fans are starting to realize that. 

Ever since Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin came into the league, they have been the face of the NHL and I think that is fine with Datsyuk. That is what I love most about him, it doesn’t matter how much attention he gets from the media, he goes to work everyday and gets the job done. Regardless of his social status, he has a lot to be proud of for what he has accomplished at the age of 33. 

He is a great example of a young kid who had an opportunity and ran with it, and hasn’t looked back. There are millions of young athletes around the world that should take a look at him and realize how he has accomplished everything he has. He wasn’t selected 1st overall in the draft like other superstar athletes but that didn’t matter to him. Nothing in life, especially sports, will ever come easy and he is a perfect example of that. He understands it took hard work, confidence, and determination to get to where he is today and humbleness to remain there. If you can model yourself after him, you sure as hell have a chance to be successful. So is Pavel Datsyuk the best player in the NHL? It would be hard to argue against it.