[JFresh] you want to talk about the most underrated players of the 2010s? how about Josh Gorges, one of the steadiest stay-at-home defencemen and arguably the best penalty killer of the decade?
you want to talk about the most underrated players of the 2010s?
how about Josh Gorges, one of the steadiest stay-at-home defencemen and arguably the best penalty killer of the decade? pic.twitter.com/5QvrVAP4C7
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) August 10, 2023
by Go_Habs_Go31
10 Comments
What a legend. Completely forgot about him
Never forget that Josh Gorges refused to waive his NTC to go to Toronto cause he hated the Leafs.
One of my favorite Habs of that era and a complete chad for vetoing the Toronto trade.
I also feel like truly enabled PK to do his thing, PK would obviously go on to do great things with other defenders as well but he won his Norris with Gorges as his primary partner.
Will never forget when he told Shanahan that there was no shot he would go to the Leafs. A true montreal Canadien through and through.
All-time leader in Postgame Cliches/60. What a beauty!
Man I loved Gorges. One of my favourite habs
GORGEOUS GORGES <3
Dude took a 1-timer off the head from Ovie(?) And came to practice the next day.
Dude was a stud, beast and a humble guy. He taught Gallagher well.
Excellent shot blocker, among the best of his era.
Underrated definitely fits because the end of his career came around the time when analytics were shifting the game towards a more offensive mindset. His style of defending started to get seen as, “he spends all his time in his own end and doesn’t move the puck effectively towards the offensive end,” which is valid, but ignores how valuable being elite in your own end can be in situations like the PK.
When line matching at 5v5, does it really matter if the other team’s best line dominates the puck and keeps it in your end, as long as you keep them from scoring? The purpose of a shutdown line (or D unit) is to simply negate the best talent on the other team until the shift ends and there’s a line change. Georges was that type of player, so he didn’t need to have much offense in his game to be a big contributor. And his character on the ice, on the bench, in the locker room, and in the community was just the icing on top.
My favorite Canadien since I started watching in 2006! He’s the reason I wear the 26 and while I’m not a believer, I used to do a cross sign before getting on the ice just like him!