They Are Who We Thought They Were

In sports, we always talk about certain players as being overrated, underrated, or so overrated that they're now underrated. But which players are as good as we think they are?

Here are three players that are simply as good as advertised, including brief write-ups from team bloggers that know them best.

Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings

George Malik (Snapshots): When I think about what separates Nicklas Lidstrom from his "very good" and even "great" contemporaries, the first aspect of his game that comes to mind involves the coach's axiom that players should always attempt to "make the simple play." As it turns out, players have a remarkably difficult time keeping things simple in surveying their options and choosing to make the easiest, safest decision when the puck's on their stick, especially when they face serious pressure from opposing teams' players. Lidstrom almost inherently knows where he needs to go and to whom he should distribute the puck when he possesses it, and when he doesn't, he works tremendously hard to position himself between the puck and his own goal, or the puck-carrier and his intended target.

If you attend a Red Wings game and spend a few shifts' worth of time watching Lidstrom play, you'll find that even when the Wings sustain possession and control of the puck in the offensive zone, Lidstrom is constantly changing position while he balances, providing himself as an "easy out" for his teammates and planting himself directly between the puck and his own goal. When he inevitably faces pressure from the "bad guys'" forwards, he lets his stick do the work, using a goalie-sized butt end's worth of tape to swing his stick back and forth like a pool cue, sweeping a good eight-to-ten-foot radius' worth of ice to prevent passes and block shots, and if that fails, he very rarely plays the puck, tending to take the puck-carrier out of play instead. Those who claim that Lidstrom has "lost a step" over the past season or two have simply watched Lidstrom long enough to learn that he doesn't have a fourth or fifth forward-skating gear, but compensates for that by both skating backwards and laterally as fast as he does skating forwards and using his stick and body positioning to do the work for him.

Lidstrom makes playing hockey look simple, and that's an incredibly difficult task.

Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames

Kent Wilson (Matchsticks and Gasoline) I don't think it's hyperbole to say that Jarome Iginla is the best player to ever don the Flaming C. While Calgary doesn't have an illustrious history like the Canadiens or Leafs, it's still quite an accomplishment considering some of the quality players that have passed through the organization (Fleury, Loob, MacDonald, Nieuwendyk, MacInnis, etc.). He has scored 30-plus goals in eight consecutive seasons and has led the team in scoring for a decade. His accomplishments include two Rocket Richard Trophies, an Art Ross trophy, a Lester B. Pearson award, an Olympic gold medal and multiple all-star game appearances.

Iginla isn't just a sniper. He's a great ambassador for the team in general. Competitive on the ice, but friendly and gregarious off of it, Jarome is one the more respected captains in the NHL and his presence on the roster acts as a draw for other players. Free agents inked by Darryl Sutter over the years have frequently cited Iginla as one of the reasons they decided to sign with Calgary.

Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils

Tom Mantzouranis (FanHouse's Resident Devils expert): When you've built a reputation as an all-time great and big-game goalie, it's hard to maintain that level of play across just one 82-game season and postseason, let alone across many of them.

Martin Brodeur does it with a fierce competitiveness that makes every challenge posed to him, no matter the size, very important. When people said the Devils couldn't win a Cup in a full season, when people said his success was a product of the Devils' system, when people said he'd suffer in the new NHL, when rules were put in place to restrict his ability to play the puck, Brodeur took them as affronts and set out to prove those people wrong.

But after so many big games on the NHL and international level, you'd think it natural to have a harder time getting motivated for that Tuesday night November contest against the Lightning. Yet Brodeur has an innate ability to keep himself motivated, to create challenges when there aren't any obvious ones. Physically, athletically, he might not be that far apart from the pack of great but not legendary keepers. But it's the mental aspect that puts him on another level and makes him as good as advertised. And that's saying a lot.