The coach on the other end of the phone scanned ESPN's 2021 NHL position-by-position ranking player pools, his stress level increasing.
"We're talking about the best of the best," he said, sighing. "Now you're asking me to vote for the best of 'the best of the best.'"
Well, yeah, that's sort of the point. We wanted those inside the league to cut through the media narratives, ignore (but appreciate!) the enduring legacies and reveal which star players have "it" and which ones don't. Which, admittedly, can be a stressful venture.
Here's how it worked: Surveys were conducted over the past two months.