Not one of the five goalkeepers on the list is Carey Price, who would have been the most obvious choice.
25 best players of the 21st century: Carey Price ignored by ESPN
For the past few weeks, ESPN has been playing the ranking game. As we approach the quarter of the 21st century, ESPN tries to rank the best athletes since the beginning of it.
It began with the best athletes across all sports… where Connor McDavid’s 98th-place finish caused quite a stir.
That said, having done the top-100 athletes, the network is now focusing on each sport, and publishing its top-25 for each of them.
Yesterday, for example, it was hockey’s turn, as the ranking of the 25 best players of the 21st century was published…
And what stands out is that the top-18 includes three Quebecers: Martin Brodeur (7th), Patrice Bergeron (10th) and Marc-André Fleury (18th).
Of course, the three players in the top-100 athletes’ list occupy the first three places, with Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Connor McDavid making up the top line. I don’t think there will be any debate on this point: they have truly been the three faces of professional hockey since January 1, 2000, the first date considered in player evaluation.
What’s also noteworthy, however, is that none of the players in the top-25 have played for the Habs. Carey Price, who would probably have been the most logical candidate, is not one of the five goalkeepers on the list.
In addition to Brodeur (7th) and Fleury (18th), there’s Henrik Lundqvist (8th), Andrei Vasilevskiy (19th) and Jonathan Quick (25th).
Consider that ESPN is an American network, and honoring a guy like Quick, who is the U.S.-born goalie with the most career wins, is probably easier than honoring a Canadian goalie who spent his entire career in Montreal. And consider that Quick has won the Stanley Cup twice, something Price has never done. That weighs in the balance.
Shea Weber, another candidate who could have made the top-25, was also overlooked. He was probably the other logical candidate to have played for the Habs.
