If you’ve listened closely enough over the years, you may have picked up on the whispers that Mark Messier is overrated. One only needs to Google “Mark Messier overrated” to find a chorus of message board threads making such a claim. In fact, this sentiment has become strong enough that Messier has probably entered “underrated” territory at this point. While there is no question that his career was not of the caliber of Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux, what he did over 25 seasons is matched only by a handful of skaters in NHL history. The genius is in Messier’s full body of work. From his two-way play and positional versatility to his regular season and playoff accolades, there are very few holes.

Before we get on with the actual substance of Messier’s resume, let’s introduce the elephant in the room when it comes to discussing his historical significance, which also happens to be the fuel for much of the overrated claims. It is not uncommon for Messier detractors to point out that his greatness was greatly enhanced by The Great One. The argument goes something like, “anyone who played with Wayne Gretzky would’ve put up Hall-of-Fame numbers,” as if two superstars are not allowed to exist on the same team. Fortunately, Messier made this an easy misconception to refute since he was the best player on two Stanley Cup winning teams after he stopped playing with Gretzky. In fact, Messier scored 30+ playoff points in both of his post-Gretzky Cup wins, and picked up regular season and postseason MVPs along the way. In an interesting twist that belies the notion that Gretzky was responsible for Messier’s success, it was actually Gretzky who never won a Stanley Cup without Messier. Messier’s accomplishments are his own, and now that we’ve addressed this, let’s get into the weeds on what gives him an easy top-10 resume in NHL history.

Messier’s Resume

1). Only player in NHL history to score at least 10 points in 14 consecutive playoff appearances. 

2). Only player to score at least 25 points in the playoffs for six different Stanley Cup Champions.

3). Only player to win the Hart Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same season for two different franchises. 

4). Only player to be named a First Team NHL All-Star at center and forward.

5). Only player to be named a First Team NHL All-Star multiple times at two different positions.  

6). Only player to win the Hart Trophy and the Conn Smythe at different positions.

7). Only player to have captained two different franchises to Stanley Cup titles. 

8). One of only two players in NHL history to score 30 points in the playoffs three times. Gretzky is the other. 

9). One of only two players to score 25 points in the playoffs six times. Gretzky is the other. 

10). One of only two players to score at least 20 points in the playoffs seven times.  Gretzky is the other.

11). One of only two players to score 30 points in a single playoff for two franchises. Gretzky is the other.

12). One of only two players with two Hart Trophies and six Stanley Cups. Jean Beliveau is the other. 

13). One of only two players with two Hart Trophies, six Stanley Cups, and a Conn Smythe (Beliveau).

14). One of only two players to win the Hart Trophy for two different franchises. Gretzky is the other. 

15). 2nd most playoff points in NHL history (295), 62 points ahead of 3rd place (!!!).

16). 2nd most playoff goals in NHL history (109).

17). 2nd most playoff assists in NHL history (186).

18). Most short-handed goals in NHL playoff history (14).

19). 6th all-time in playoff points per game in NHL history (1.25). 

20). 3rd most regular season points in NHL history (1887).

21). 3rd most regular season assists in NHL history (1193).

22). 6th most adjusted points in NHL history (1732). 

23). 9th most regular season goals in NHL history (694).

When Messier gets devalued, it’s because he doesn’t have the gaudy single-season statistics that are a staple of the great and magnificent ones like Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. The problem is, Messier isn’t being compared to Gretzky and Lemieux, or even Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. He’s being compared to everyone else, and outside of a very select few, Messier’s cabinet is simply stocked with more stuff. Given that he is likely the second greatest playoff performer of all-time, and the added degree of difficulty that goes with both being named 1st Team All-NHL and winning a Stanley Cup on a team with Gretzky, then doing it on that same team without Gretzky, then doing it for an entirely different franchise altogether, Messier has more than enough bona fides to be a credentialed member of the top-10. 

On the surface, Pau Gasol’s resume doesn’t necessarily pop like other elite big man resumes. He was never named 1st Team All-NBA, and made the 2nd and 3rd teams just twice each over 18 seasons. Throw in the fact that he never received a single MVP vote, and you might be wondering what all the fuss is about. However, if we dig just a little deeper, a pretty stellar resume starts to emerge. First, it’s important to note that Gasol was a strong player for Memphis during his first 6.5 seasons in the NBA, averaging 18.8 ppg, 8.6 rpg, and 1.8 blocks per game on 51% shooting. His Player Efficiency Rating (PER) was among the top-20 in the league over this stretch. Had Gasol just continued that level of output for the remainder of his career, he would’ve been an easy inclusion in the top-100. Instead, Gasol’s second act not only saw him become a playoff powerhouse, but also a star on the international stage. 

Gasol might be most known for his 6.5-year run with the Lakers, where he helped LA win back-to-back NBA Championships and reach three consecutive NBA Finals. Using the word “help” to describe Gasol’s impact is probably already in the pantheon of understatements. It would be more accurate to say that he had arguably the biggest impact that any mid-year acquisition has ever had on an NBA franchise. That sounds crazy, but the results bear it out. Following Shaquille O’Neal’s departure from the Lakers after the 2003-04 NBA season, Kobe Bryant struggled to gain traction as the focal point of the franchise. The Lakers missed the playoffs altogether in 2005, and then were bounced from the playoffs in the first round in 2006 and 2007. LA’s record over this stretch was an unremarkable 121-125 (49.1%). The moment the Lakers acquired Gasol, the team went on a 22-4 run with Gasol in the lineup to close out the 2007-08 regular season, and the rest is history. The Lakers would win at least 57 games over Gasol’s first four years with the team, including 65 wins in 2008-09.  Gasol provided the Lakers the low-post grit that they had sorely missed following Shaq’s departure. He averaged 19 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks in the Finals during LA’s back-to-back championship runs, and he piled up the most Win Shares in the 2010 NBA Playoffs.  

Gasol’s impact on the Lakers was sudden and extraordinary, and it’s probably the capstone achievement on his resume. However, coming in a very close second is what he did on the international stage against countries stacked with NBA talent. Gasol played at five Olympic Games, garnering Spain two silver medals and a bronze. Spain had not finished better than 7th at the previous five Olympic Games before breaking through with Gasol in Beijing in 2008. Gasol led the Athens (‘04) and Beijing (‘08) Olympic Games in scoring and finished 4th in scoring in both London (‘12) and Rio (‘16). He has the 3rd most points, 2nd most rebounds, and the most blocks in Olympic basketball history.

Gasol also led Spain to the gold medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship, where he was named the tournament MVP. Prior to Gasol’s heroics, Spain had never finished better than 4th at the World Championships. Gasol was a top-5 scorer at all three FIBA World Championships that he participated in, and is the 8th leading scorer in the history of the tournament.

Every year, NBA teams make deals at the trade deadline, hoping to find lightning in a bottle for a franchise looking to make noise in the playoffs. Even in a sport notorious for optimistic general managers, nobody expects a player to have the type of impact that Gasol had on the Lakers. Similarly, there are fans in basketball-starved countries all across the world who dream of seeing their countries legitimately compete for the first time at the highest levels on the international stage. For Spain, that happened when Pau Gasol entered the building. Few players in the history of basketball have had such an immense impact on not just an NBA franchise, but also an entire country. 

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