The 5 Best NHL Hockey Players of All Time

NHL hockey is a sport like no other. Hockey players maintain their balance on thin razor sharp blades at an average speed of a little over 12 mph, while guiding a 3" diameter hard rubber puck along the ice with the curved blade of a long stick. Hockey players start and stop on a dime, weaving in and out, zigging and zagging dodging traffic and roadblocks set up by the opposing team. A hockey game is filled with precision passing, shots that reach 100 + mph, spectacular scoring plays and just as spectacular saves by the lonely goaltender. Now and then, a fight breaks out and unlike other sports where combatants are ejected from a game, the players are merely sent to the penalty box to cool off for a few minutes.

Each player is a star in their own right demonstrating both physical prowess and agility. Naming the best 100 players in the NHL is a demanding task, but to whittle the list down to the 5 best hockey players all-time in the NHL is close to impossible and is sure to result in heated debate for like the game, the NHL fan is like no other sports fan.

Maurice "The Rocket" Richard played for the Montreal Canadiens from 1942-1960. He was the first NHL player to score 50 goals in 50 games in the 1944-45 season - a record that would stand for 16 years. During his career, he played in 978 games scoring 544 goals and 421assists for a total of 965 points.
Richard also scored 82 goals and 44 assists in 133 playoff games. He led the Canadiens to eight Stanley Cups and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961, one year after retirement.

Wayne Gretzky, "The Great One" started skating before the age of 3. Gretzky played for 20 years in the NHL from 1979-99. During that time, he played in 1,487 games scoring 894 goals and 1963 assists for a whopping 2857 points. He holds more records than any other player in the NHL and has been awarded the Hart Trophy (MVP) nine times, the Art Ross Trophy (Most Points) ten times and has two Conn Smythe trophies for Playoff MVP. Gretzky reached the coveted 50 goal plateau in the fewest number of games (39). He holds the distinction of scoring over 200 points in four different seasons. "The Great One" has been not only an NHL player, but also an owner and coach of the Phoenix Coyotes. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1999.

Mario Lemieux played in the NHL for 17 seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins from 1984-2005. He first retired in 1997 due to health issues, but returned in 2000 as a player and owner of the Penguins. Lemieux was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997. During his career, he amassed 1723 points with 690 goals and 1033 assists. He was awarded three Hart Trophies, six Art Ross Trophies and the Conn Smythe twice. Lemieux is the only NHL player to score five goals in a game in five different ways - short handed, even strength power play, penalty shot and empty net.

Bobby Orr changed the way defensemen played hockey in the NHL. Orr's unique style combined both offensive and defensive skills unknown to defensemen at the time Orr played for the Boston Bruins from 1966-76 and the Chicago Blackhawks for two seasons before retiring in 1978. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979. Orr holds eight Norris Trophies given to the best defenseman in the NHL. But what is more remarkable is that he has been awarded two Art Ross Trophies for scoring, a feat unheard of to this day for a defenseman. His teams scored more times than the opponents could when he was on the ice resulting in the record for +/- (+/- 124) which still stands today. Orr also is the lone player to have won four major NHL trophies and the Stanley Cup in one season. (1970). Orr scored 915 points in 657 games on 270 goals and 645 assists

The goaltender, or goalie, is the linchpin of any NHL team. His job is to stop the puck from crossing the line and into the goal at all costs. His attributes are physical agility, the reflexes of a cat and Herculean stamina for he is the lone player who stays on the ice for 60 minutes. If one star offensive player has an off night, another can take up the slack. Not so for the goalie, for if his game is off the team loses.

The NHL has had some extraordinary goalies play in the nets. Jacques Plante, Terry Sawchuk and Patrick Roy immediately come to mind. But one goalie remains active, who holds records for goaltenders or is on the verge of breaking the few remaining records. That goalie is Martin Brodeur.

Brodeur has played 15 seasons for the New Jersey Devils. He holds the NHL record for most regular season wins at 557surpassing Patrick Roy. Brodeur has the most consecutive 30 game win seasons at 12, most consecutive 35 win seasons at 11 and has won 40 or more games for 7 seasons. Brodeur has the most wins in a single season with 48. He is tied for career playoff shutout games with Roy at 23 and barring a career ending injury in the 2009-10 season, he will surpass the record of 101 shutouts held by Sawchuk at 103. Brodeur holds four Vezina Trophies only second to Dominik Hasek's six under the current criteria set by the NHL for awarding the trophy.

Source:
www.nhl.com