I was going through some of the old entries, reading the comments, and saw another argument on size. Rather than the question that asked whether size can ever be trumped by heart in a fight, this debate centered on whether size is the trump card, absolute. But it isn’t nearly that simple.

A player who is over 6 feet and weighs more than 200 pounds but possesses no great skating or stickhandling skills is no match for a player like, say, Martin St. Louis. Even though there are players (as Greg pointed out in Avery Gets $1.9M) of great size and skill, there is a place for someone like St. Louis in today’s NHL … in fact, there’s always been a place for players of his stature and skill. The difference today is that boys are being bred bigger than ever before. St. Louis is 5’9″ … a fairly average height … but his playing weight is far higher than most men 5’9″ who’s job is to sit at a desk. Professional hockey players, regardless of their height, are not small. Relative to someone like Dany Heatley, St. Louis is certainly not large … but at 6’3″ and 200, Heatley is 6 inches taller and only 20 lbs. heavier. A better example of size and skill may be Brendan Shanahan (6’4″, 220), who is considerably larger than Heatley, and undoubtedly one of the best who ever played.

Yes, there are players now who possess both great size and great skill, but St. Louis is a prime example that great skill still has a place — regardless of stature — even though he is built to play hockey in the ’50s. Fran mentioned Mike Bossy (a willowy — by hockey standards — 6′, 185), who might well have been the greatest pure goal scorer who ever played. Had he been more durable, there’s no telling what he could have accomplished (of his 10 seasons, 9 saw 50+ goals).

Finally, there is the question of durability. Theoren Fleury was 5’6″, but built like a tank. If not for issues off the ice, he might have scored 500 goals (he finished with 455, but averaged just over a PPG in his career). Brian Gionta is another example of durability trumping size. Our very own Petr Prucha is yet another exhibit of a small-statured player who’s proven able to take a pounding over two seasons without substantial injury (the figures on Prucha vary, the Garden and SI.com have him listed at 6′, 175 lbs. while he clocks in at 5’10”, 161 on hockeydb).

When it comes down to it, the game obviously takes all kinds. While the guy who is 5’9″ and 130 will never have a shot, being 175 lbs. or greater goes a long way towards being able to hack it. Combine a solid playing weight with good speed and hands, and the chances increase exponentially.

While it’s hard to dispute that a big, sturdy man with a great shot, good speed and ridiculous hands (try Jaromir Jagr) is the prototype of the perfect hockey player, the truth is that very few players — regardless of size — are blessed with ungodly prowess in every category.

Oh, and one more thing about Jagr … there have been times when he’s lacked the one thing that could have made him the single most dominating force of all time: heart. It’s safe to say that, with his skill, he should have been a perennial 50 goal scorer (at least 40). While his numbers are nothing to scoff at, there has to be some disappointment that he hasn’t consistently played to his fullest potential over the course of his career.