NHL players hate competing against Boston Bruins star Brad Marchand but they'd love him as a teammate, according to a new NHL Players Association poll.
The NHLPA released its annual Player Poll on Wednesday, an anonymous survey of 566 players on all 32 teams. One of the questions asked: «Which player do you least enjoy playing against, but would like to have on your team?» Marchand won with 26.4% of the vote, followed by Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid (18.3%) and Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson (10.7%).
McDavid won the poll for the skater that most players would want on their team if they needed a victory, with 42.4% of the vote. Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins was second at 17.3%. But Crosby won one of the most coveted votes in the annual poll for «most complete player,» amassing 29.5% of the vote. Crosby was also named the NHL's best role model (42.7%).
Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks won best stickhandler in a landslide with 57.3% of the vote. Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl (17.7%) just edged Kane (15.6%) and the Capitals' Nicklas Backstrom (15.4%) for best passer. Washington's Alex Ovechkin was named the skater that players wished they could shoot the puck like the most, with 53.1% of the vote; Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews, who hit 60 goals for the first time this season, was second at 24.0%.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, who led the Tampa Bay Lightning to two straight Stanley Cups, was named the goalie that players would want to start in a must-win game with 37.4% of the vote, topping Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens (13.9%).
In other categories, Dallas Stars center and golf aficionado Joe Pavelski was named the player most likely to excel in another sport; Cody Eakin of
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