I recently picked up the collector's edition of The Hockey News. This edition covered the top 100 players of all time, the top 20 at each position. A lot of surprises in the list, but there always are in things like that.
The 3 biggest surprises came from the wings. Jarome Iginla is ranked the 17th best right wing ever, I have never thought of him as a great player. Ilya Kovalchuk is the 19th ranked left wing. Yeah, he is a great player right now, but he has never won a playoff series. We will see at the end of his career if he stays on the list. Right behind Kovalchuk at #20 is Henrik Zetterberg. Really? I mean he is a good player and helped Detroit win some cups, but I don't see it. He was never even the best player on his team. The one player that really doesn't belong on this list is the 10th ranked defenseman, Chris Chelios. He was a really good tough d-man in the early and mid 90's, but he is far from an all time great. I am sure that him staying in the league for 26 seasons got him on this list more so than his offensive production. A few notable players: Alex Ovechkin #8 LW, Sidney Crosby #18 C, Jaromir Jagr #4 RW, Mario Lemieux #2 C.
So this list has inspired me to start what I hope to be a bi-weekly special on the blog, called "Rank". The first Rank will be the top 10 NHL players of all time.
10. Mark Messier - LW/C - 1979-2004
6 time Stanley Cup winner, 2nd all time in points and games played, 2 MVP awards, and 15 All-Star games.He was the quintessential power forward of the 80's. He is an undeniable all time great, with or without Gretzky. The reason he is not higher on this list is mainly because he was never really the best player in the league at any specific time. He always had to deal with Gretzky and Lemieux. Messier's eye-popping statistics are also more a by-product of his longevity than skill. He only scored 50 goals in a season once, and never had more than 129 points in a season. Keep in mind he played in the 80's and early 90's when the true greats were scoring near 200 points a year.
9. Doug Harvey - D - 1947-1969
No his point totals are not outstanding with 88 goals and 540 points in his career, but Harvey is the basis for which every great defenseman is judged today. He won 6 Stanley Cups with Montreal, 7 Norris Trophies, and was an 11 time All-Star. He didn't score goals like Orr and Coffey or lay guys out like Stevens, but he did exactly what a d-man is suppose to do. Keep the winger from scoring. Harvey was a brilliant player even though he was not a scorer he controlled the pace of the game.
8. Maurice "The Rocket" Richard - RW - 1942 - 1960
You have to be a pretty special player to have an NHL award named after you and Maurice Richard was. In 1944 The Rocket scored 50 goals in just 50 games. He led the league in goals 5 times, won 1 MVP, and played in 14 All-Star games. He won 8 Stanley Cups and was the reason the Canadiens became the greatest NHL franchise. Surprisingly Richard only had one 50 goal season in his career.
7. Bobby Hull - LW - 1957-1980
The original superstar was Bobby Hull. He had all the skill and charisma to light up any arena, and he did it almost nightly. Even if you forget about Hull's outstanding numbers he would still be on this list. He was the first player to have a curved blade and was a key figure in fighting owners to improve player's salaries. He played 16 NHL seasons, with a 9 year gap in the middle. Hull scored 610 goals, 1,170 points, won 3 Art Ross Awards, 2 MVP's, and played in 12 All-Star games. It is believed that if Hull did not take a 9 year break from the NHL he would have been the leagues first 800 goal scorer.
6. Ray Bourque - D - 1979-2000
Bourque could literally do it all. He is the all time leader in points for defensmen, 1,579, and goals, 410. When people hear about great scoring defesnmen they immediately think of lacking in the defensive zone, but Bourque was equally great. He finished his career as a +528. He also won 5 Norris Trophies, played in 19 All-Star games, and won 1 Stanley Cup while in Colorado. He could play in every situation and that is why he is great.
5. Gordie Howe - RW - 1946-1980
He is Mr. Hockey for a reason. He was the first player to score 800 goals, first grandfather playing in the NHL, first player to play after being inducted into the Hall of Fame, and first player over 50. Who knows how high his records would have been if didn't play nine seasons in the WHA. Howe is one of the most feared players in NHL history. He was just as physical as he was skilled. He led the league in scoring 6 times and won 6 MVP's. The only reason I don't put Hull higher is his statistics are based on longevity. Like Messier he scored 50 goals only once and only eclipsed 100 points once. Howe changed the game and is maybe the most celebrated player of all time.
4. Patrick Roy - G - 1984 - 2003
The greatest goalie of all-time. He won 4 Stanley Cups and 3 Conn Smythe Trophies. He was the ultimate big moment goaltender. When Roy retired he had more wins and games played than any goalie before him. Not only did he win, but he revolutionized the position. He made the butterfly style famous, and now nearly every elite goalie uses it. When his teams won it was because of him, not his teammates.
3. Mario Lemieux - C - 1984 - 2006
If you were trying to build the perfect hockey player it would be Mario Lemieux. A 6'4" 230 lbs superstar. He had more size than almost any defensmen with skill equal to Gretzky. He led the league in scoring 6 times, won 2 Stanley Cups, 3 MVP's, and played in 9 All-Star games. Mario could score in any situation. Not only could he score five-on-five, but he holds the record for shorthanded goals in a season. Mario's accomplishments are even more shocking because he was always injured. He never played a full season in his career. Actually he averaged only 54 games a year in his 17 seasons. If Lemieux was able to stay healthy he undoubtedly would have broken all of Gretzky's records.
2. Wayne Gretzky - C - 1979-1999
4 Stanley Cups, 10 Art Ross Trophies, 9 MVP's (8 in a row), 2 Conn Smythes. All time leader in goals (894), assists (1,963), and points (2,857). The most amazing statistic I have ever heard is that even if Gretzky had never scored a goal in his career, he would still have more points than anyone in history. He truly was "The Great One". It is easy to say that Gretzky always had superstars to play with, he did, but he was the best player on his team no matter what team it was. Watching old Oiler games is like watching Barry Sanders playing against a high school football team. Gretzky's greatest impact on the game came when he went to LA. He made hockey exciting in Los Angeles and it is likely he single-handedly created 4 NHL franchises in the sun belt. There was never before a player like Gretzky, now every player attempts to emulate him.
1. Bobby Orr - D - 1966-1979
Simply the best player ever. Bobby Orr played the game like no one before him ever has or will. His career was short and breathtaking. He scored 100 points in six consecutive seasons, as a defenseman. He is the only d-man to lead the league in scoring and he did it twice. His awards are numerous 2 Stanley Cups, 9 All-Star games, 8 consecutive Norris Trophies, 2 Conn Smythes, 3 MVP's. He still holds the record for the most points in a season by a defenseman. He was the first player to have 100 assists in a season. Bobby Orr used his skating ability to control every game. He is the reason the term "end to end" was created. It did not matter who he was on the ice against they weren't going to catch him. Orr was the best at every aspect of the game and every situation.
Bonus Picture (Too good not to share):
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