Last week it was Red Sox sluggers past and present battling in the weekly Challenge, but voters could not make up their minds between Jim Rice and David Ortiz. The result? A tie. Thus all standings remain the same for this week. This week features Boston superstars from two different sports as Patriots great Andre Tippett (#34) attempts to move 5 spots up The Ladder by taking on Bruins legend Cam Neely (#29). A look at this week’s candidates...
NEELY: Played 10 seasons with the Bruins (1986-96). Helped win 2 Wales Conference Championships (1988, 1990). Selected to 5 All Star teams. Named 2nd Team All-NHL 4 times. Bruins totals: 344 goals and 246 assists for 590 points in 525 games. Led NHL in goals per game in 1994 (1.02). Scored 50+ goals 3 times. In 1994 he scored 50 goals in his first 44 games, faster than anyone in NHL history except Wayne Gretzky. Ranks Top 10 in Bruins franchise history in: Goals per Game (2), Game Winning Goals (4), Power Play Goals (4), Goals (5), Shots on Goal (5), Points per Game (6), Shooting % (6) and Points (9). Elected to Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005. His #8 is retired by the Bruins. Currently Vice President of the Boston Bruins.
TIPPETT: Played entire 12 year career with the Patriots (1982-93). Helped win 1985 AFC Championships. Selected to 5 Pro Bowls. Named 1st Team All Pro twice and 2nd Team All Pro twice. Named AFC Linebacker of the Year 3 straight years (1985-87). Named to 1980’s All-Decade Team. Patriots totals: 151 games, 100 sacks, 1 interception and 19 fumble recoveries. Was 2nd in the NFL in sacks 3 times. His 35 sacks combined between 1984 & ’85 are an NFL record for consecutive seasons. Is 4th all-time for sacks among players who only played with 1 franchise (M.Strahan, L.Taylor, D.Thomas). Top 10 in Patriots rank among defensive players in: Sacks (1), Fumble Recoveries (1), Fumble Recoveries for TD (tied-1), Fumble Recovery Yards (2) and Games Played (5). Elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008. Currently Executive Director of Community Affairs for the New England Patriots.
VERDICT: These two are very close on my list. Neely gets a slight advantage for revolutionizing the position of “power forward” in the NHL, his goal scoring records and having gone to 2 Championships. Tippett gets a slight advantage for his helping to revolutionize the position of rushing linebacker (along with LT), his sack records and playing his entire career with 1 franchise. Neely gets credit for accomplishing all he did despite the injuries that cut short his career….but Tippett deserves credit for his durability. In the end it’s simply a matter of personal preference….after all we are talking about two Hall of Fame players here. My vote this week goes to Neely by the slightest of margins for the grit he showed not only during his playing days, but in his fight to come back from his knee problems. Cam Neely represents the spirit of the B’s better than any other player of my lifetime, and for that he gets my vote this week.
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3 comments:
I was thinking that if Neely had not been injured in his career he would have been Top 10 on The Ladder..although if Tippett had played on the Pats now vs the ones he played on he could have been significantly higher too. Tough one...but I feel good about picking Cam.
Sometimes i hate these challenges.. Only because i dont wanna vote against either guy. Both being in the Hall of Fame shows they were not just fan favorites but all time greats in the respective sports.
When these guys played i spent way more time in the Garden than i did at Sullivan Stadium. That is why i will being going with Neely this week.
Agreed with you in the sense that I also hate feeling like I'm voting "against" somebody. Especially as we get higher and higher up The Ladder. Tough to vote "against" anyone in the Top 40....so it's really just personal preference at this point.
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