Full Careers - Can you be a NHL Center merely by being a nice guy and forechecker…..yet not a scorer?

Can you be a NHL Center merely by being a nice guy and forechecker…..yet not a scorer?

I feel like a jerk for asking this about such a nice guy, but here it goes. Tim Taylor has announced his retirement from the NHL. He has never been an impressive scorer with any team, but was an appropriate Captain for the Lightning after Andreychuk was gone. He had optimistic leadership skills, & was an admired player by the entire team. Now with that said……. …….he was NEVER a good player. He was a forechecker, but by no means a scorer, which is fine if you plan to be 3rd or 4th line winger, defenseman, or plan on having a 5-year career in the NHL. Tim Taylor was a center that was in the NHL for 12 seasons! Here are his stats: http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11620 Can you ride a NHL career as a Center, just by being a decent forechecker? Or do you feel you need to score when you are a center? Am I just being a jerk? Was he so a good at forechecking in your book, that he deserves nothing but respect? Your thoughts?

Public Comments

See Kris Draper (his main job for years is/was to shut down the opposing teams center and any points he got were a bonus) He also is a damn good face-off % winner!
Joel Otto had a nice career being a good forechecker and face off man who also won a Cup.He had scored over 20 twice in his career and I would have thought of him as a leader.
Players have different rolls, however even a "chuck" shut down centerman must have some skill. Taylor was solid in his own zone and dependable on the ice. Obviously Torts thought highly of him so he had to be doing something right
Tough call. I was surpised Taylor was still team captain despite not playing at all this season (the lack of an on-ice captain is just one of a myriad of problems the Bolts have had this season), I'm even more surprised that Taylor had been in the league as long as he had, but then again, intangables speak louder than anything else. For example, Trevor Linden was finished as an NHL player five seasons ago, but the fact that he's a class guy and great locker room presence makes up for what he cannot do anymore on the ice. Another example: Ed Kranepool of the New York Mets. From the expansion year of 1962 until his retirement in 1979, Kranepool was a Mets mainstay who wasn't spectacular as a player, but offered much more as a team leader.
The Blackhawks brought in Yanic Perreault (this year) just for his face off percentage. That was a stat that they lacked in last year. They lost quite a few games by losing a face off at the end of the game. The Red Wings killed us a couple games by winning the face off and scoring a late goal last year.
I think a center should be a lot of things but most importantly they should be a puck distributer... i.e. they make good passes. Forechecking is important too, and so is being semi ok at defense. Scoring never hurts, but helping others to score is just as good so I think a center that never scores but that gets a lot of assists would be great.
Nips beat me to it. yes you can be a center just because of your ability to forecheck! forchecking is the most crucial part of a game, along with puck possesion and then scoring. the three are hand in hand. Draper is a perfect example! he forechecks till hes dead, wins faceoffs..hes been here for more then 12 years as well..
Never underestimate the off-ice talent that people have. Tim Taylor had very good skills, and utilized them effectively when he was on the ice. He wasn't a great skater and that always cost him ice time at the NHL level, but he knew what it took to play in his own end, and he knew how to deal with referees, opposition captains, as well. Who knows....................he may be the next coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning.................
Mike Ricci is another good example of a non scoring center. His strength was grit and defense. Occasioanlly his grit would get him some points here and there, but those were definitely not the reasons he was in the NHL. Contrary to ESPN's opinions scoring is only a fraction of the game and how it is played. I personally would grade my leader on their ability to lead, rather than their ability to score.
Sure some of them become Selke candidates, if not, coaches. Anyone remember Rich Meagher? (god I'm old haha)