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Center of Attention
By Jim Iovino, Ace Reporter

For the longest time, center has been the glamour position in the NHL. Starting with Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux and continuing with the likes of Pat LaFontaine, Steve Yzerman, Adam Oates and Mark Messier, the 1980s and most of the 90s have been dominated by high profile, high-scoring centers.

But a new decade is approaching and the center spot isn't as glamorous as it once was. Once considered the strongest position in the NHL, center has suddenly lost its luster. Lemieux's retiring created a big void that needs replacing. Gretzky has just one or two years left in an amazing career before he says good bye, as well. LaFontaine's career could be cut off prematurely due to injury and Yzerman, Oates and Messier are all nearing the end.

As the stars of the 80s and 90s skate off into the sunset, the future of center ice doesn't look as promising as its past. Outside of Eric Lindros, Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg, the glamour is starting to fade from center.

Sure, there is still some young talent out there that could make an impact now and in the future. Sergei Fedorov will put up incredible numbers with more playing time. Chris Gratton could explode as a Philadelphia Flyer. Dougie Weight's smooth moves could push Edmonton to the top. The same could be said of Alexei Yashin in Ottawa. And Mike Modano is one Star that continues to rise in Dallas.

Despite this, center just isn't as magical a position it once. When you take a look at LCS: Guide to Hockey's list of top centers, you'll probably see that it particularly pales in comparison to right wing, where all indications point to a sudden surge of great talent.

Unlike a few years ago when center was where it's at, some of the game's top talent can now be found on the right side. There stands some of the league's best, from Jaromir Jagr, who could be the most explosive and entertaining player in the league today, to that milk-drinking Duck, Teemu Selanne.

Now that Lemieux is finally out of the picture in Pittsburgh, the Penguins are Jagr's team. And this season will be key to see just how far the flashy Czech can carry a NHL franchise. The Pens' superstar center is gone, but now they have a right wing to rely on. Can Jagr create the same magic from the right side as Lemieux did from center? Everyone will find out this season.

In Anaheim, Selanne and teammate Paul Kariya are part of an interesting situation. They are two of the greatest players in the league today playing on the same team, yet they aren't centers. Selanne controls the right side of the ice while Kariya does the same on the left. The Ducks have found it hard to come up with the right center to fit in between the dynamic duo. Last season Steve Rucchin, considered by many to be an unknown before the year, did an excellent job of setting the two Ducks up without getting in their way.

Right wing is full of explosive goal-scoring machines throughout the league. Jagr and Selanne head the list, followed by models of consistency Peter Bondra and Brett Hull. From there the names might not strike fear, but they're just as deadly. Tony Amonte bagged over 40 goals last season for a terrible Chicago Blackhawk offense. Ziggy Palffy suffered no sophomore slump in carrying the New York Islander offense for most of the season. And Daniel Alfredsson proved why he should be paid more than your average Ottawa Senator with his second straight season of great offense and defense.

The 1996-97 season proved that the kids could play, but there were some veteran right wingers who also showed off a thing or two. Although his production slipped, Alexander Mogilny proved that he could still find the net for a sub-par Canuck squad. Theo Fleury was stuck in the same situation in Calgary, but was still able to collect a decent season.

All of these names make for a great crop of right wings, a crop that surpasses the group of centers currently in the league.

For those of you who are wondering, left wing starts out with a group that rivals right wing and center, but then drops off significantly. The front four includes John LeClair, Kariya, Keith Tkachuk and Brendan Shanahan, who are four of the best players in the league. Adam Graves and Valeri Kamensky follows, but from there the quality goes down quickly.

Adam Deadmarsh is next, but for the seventh best left wing, there are still some big question marks about his game.

Vincent Damphousse, who could also be considered a center, and Geoff Sanderson are rated next, followed by Ryan Smyth, who we considered the tenth best left wing, although he's spent just one season in the league. It's very unusual for LCS Hockey to rate players like Smyth that high, but because the left wing position is so weak, there was really no other choice. Don't get us wrong, Smyth is a good player, but we like to make sure a guy can produce for more than one season before we hype him up as one of the 10 best left wingers in the game today.

Even though left wing isn't as deep, the top four players are four of the game's very best. Back in the day, the top 10 centers could have also been considered as the top 10 players in the game. But as the game and the players change, so does the league's strengths and weaknesses.

Center is not the center of attention any more.


LCS: Guide to Hockey

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