NHL Top-10

1) Wayne Gretzky

The statistical record holder in every scoring category, no one even comes within 1000 points of “The Great One,” Wayne Gretzky.  He did all this and won the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship five times.  Classy.

#1 Wayne Gretzky

2) Mario Lemieux

915 NHL games, 690 goals and 1,723 points.  On New Year’s Eve, 1988 in a game against the New Jersey Devils, Mario Lemieux became the only player to achieve the hockey equivalent of the cycle: a goal at even-strength, power-play, shorthanded, penalty shot, and empty-net.  Can anyone say incredible?  Though he spent five years of his career battling cancer, among other injuries, it is obvious that Mario made the most of his time on the ice.  If he’d had a healthy 20-year career like Gretzky, Lemieux would hold a fair portion of the scoring titles.

#2 Mario Lemeiux

3) Gordie Howe

The man is “Mr. Hockey.”  What more can one say about him?  How about six scoring titles and six MVPs?  Perhaps most amazing is that Gordie Howe dominated the game from 1946-1980, the longest NHL career ever.

#3 Gordie Howe

4) Bobby Orr

This guy should probably be closer to the top than fourth.  Bobby Orr is hands down the best defenseman the game has ever seen.  Winner of eight straight Norris Trophies and two scoring titles, a feat unheard of by a defensive player, Orr proved that he could hold the blue line and score goals at the same time.

#4 Bobby Orr

5) Martin Brodeur

The all-time leader in wins and shutouts, Martin Brodeur is deserving of a top-5 ranking.  The epitome of consistency, Brodeur has spent his entire nineteen year career with the New Jersey Devils while making seventeen playoff appearances.  Despite leading all goalies in games played, Brodeur shows no signs of slowing down after leading the league in the wins column after the 2009-2010 regular season.

#5 Martin Brodeur

6) Maurice “The Rocket” Richard

The first NHL player to reach the 500-goal mark never led the league in total points scored, but Maurice Richard topped the list of goal scorers five times in his storied career.  The Rocket's lightning speed and intensity helped him become the first player to score 50 goals in 50 games, a feat that took thirty-nine long years filled with talented goal scorers to duplicate.  Richard's eight Stanley Cup victories with the Canadiens—while serving as captain for four—never hurt either.

#6 Maurice Richard

7) Doug Harvey

Arguably the 2nd-best defenseman hockey has ever seen, Doug Harvey helped the Habs win five straight Cups from 1956-60 and won the Norris Trophy an astounding seven times!  Harvey also makes this list for his being blacklisted by the NHL after trying to form a player's association.

#7 Doug Harvey

8) Mark Messier

As the only player in NHL history to captain two different teams to Stanley Cup championships, “The Moose” proved himself to be one of sport's greatest leaders.  Mark Messier led by example, finishing his career second on the all-time points list.  His six Stanley Cup wins throughout the 2nd-longest career in NHL history are a testament to his consistent style of play.  As the New York Rangers captain down 3-2 in the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals to rival New Jersey, Messier personally guaranteed a Game Six victory to fans and the media.  Not one to renege on his word, Messier led the Ranger to victory with a natural hat trick in game six, and iced it with the game-winning goal in Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Finals.

#8 Mark Messier

9) Patrick Roy

I had to put another goalie in the top-10.  At first, I cringed as the memory of Patrick Roy, poised in the Statue of Liberty celebration pose, dropped the puck and let Brendan Shannahan put it in the back of the net during Game Six of the 2002 Western Conference Finals.  Despite the miscue, Roy clearly was one of the most solid playoff performers of all-time, with 150+ career playoff wins, three MVPs, and four Stanley Cups.  In 1986 and 1993, he literally carried mediocre Montreal Canadians teams on his back to Stanley Cup championships.  Goalies arguably have one of the toughest positions in all of sport, and Roy made it look easy.

#9 Patrick Roy

10) Jean Beliveau

Jean Beliveau is arguably my favorite player on this list.  Another model of consistency, Beliveau averaged over a point per game throughout his twenty-year career with the Habs and won the Stanley Cup an astonishing ten times.  Only Henri Richard has more as a player with eleven.  However, Jean didn't stop winning once he hung up the skates.  As an executive with his club, he won seven more Cups, bringing the grand total to seventeen.  Not only did this guy win, but he won with class and style.

#10 Jean Beliveau

--from Matt

(all images from flickr.com: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)