The 5 Greatest Hockey Players of All Time

While all sports have great players that fans would pay good money to watch play, the truly great ones are the ones who revolutionize or transcend the game. The acts of these legendary players are often spoken of in reverent terms and their place on an all-time great list make for endless debate. Here then is a list of the five greatest hockey players of all-time.

1) Bobby Orr (Defenseman)

Bobby Orr revolutionized hockey. Before the kid from Parry Sound Ontario made his way on to the NHL, Defensemen were never a critical part of the offense. Orr's wizardry on offense would open up the game to a new way of thinking. Able to control the flow of a game for minutes at a time, Orr could also take off on rink long S shape rushes when the mood moved him. Along the way, he would set all sorts of records, becoming the first Defenseman to break 100 points in a season, as well as lead the NHL in scoring. In a brief career cut short by injury, Orr would lead the Boston Bruins to two Stanley Cup titles, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP) each time. Orr would also add, 8 Norris Trophies (Best Defenseman), the Calder Trophy (rookie of the year), 2 Art Ross Trophies (scoring title), and 3 Hart's Trophies (season MVP) to his collection by the time he was done. He accomplished all that in a career that spanned all of 9 full and 3 part-time (injured) seasons. Upon his retirement in 1979, Orr was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

2) Wayne Gretzky (Center)

Dubbed the "Great One," Wayne Gretzky lived up to the hype, re-writing the record books in a spectacular 21 year career that began in the WHL. By the time his NHL career was over, Gretzky had amassed 894 goals and 1,963 assists in only 1,487 regular season games, both league records. Along the way he would set over 60 NHL regular season and playoff records, including most goals (92), assists (163), and points (215) in a single season. An 8 time winner of the Hart Trophy as league MVP, Wayne also collected 10 Art Ross, 5 Lady Byng, and 2 Conn Smythe Trophies. Though his NHL career was spread over four franchises, Gretzky found his greatest success with the Edmonton Oilers, who he led to four Stanley Cup titles. As a lasting tribute to his contribution to hockey, Gretzky's #99 has been officially retired by all NHL teams.

3) Gordie Howe (Right Wing)

Howe's hockey career would 32 years (26 in the NHL, 6 in the WHL) and over 2,280 regular season games. "Mr. Hockey," as he is known, was a fantastic all around player who won six scoring titles, along with six MVP awards, during his NHL career. He would add an additional MVP award during tenure in the WHL. Howe also has the unique distinction of having appeared in an NHL all-star game in five different decades (the 40's, 50,'s, 60's, 70's, and 80's), and his total of 875 combined regular season goals is currently only surpassed by Wayne Gretzky. A team leader whenever he played, Howe led the Detroit Red Wings to four Stanley Cup titles. Howe was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1972, but would come out of retirement in 1973 to play seven additional seasons of pro hockey.

4) Mario Lemieux (Center)

Despite an NHL career which was plagued by series illness and injury, Lemieux managed to see action in 915 regular season games scoring 690 goals and 1,723 points in 17 seasons. An imposing 6-4, 230 lbs player, Mario used his size and reach to great advantage, leading the league in scoring 6 times. Mario also collected 3 league MVP trophies and two Stanley Cup rings before retiring pre-maturely in 1997 after a battle with lymphoma. Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1997, he would return to hockey as both a player and the owner of the team he spent his career with, the Pittsburgh Penguins. As an owner, Lemieux would again win the Stanley Cup during the 2008-09 season.

5) Vladislav Tretiak (Goalie)

No list of great player would be complete without the great Russian goalie Vladislav Tretiak. Though he never played in the NHL, Tretiak was the backbone of the great Soviet Union teams of the 70's and early 80's. Over the course of a career that spanned from 1968-1984, Vladislav won 3 Olympic and 9 World Championships gold medals. As a member of the Red Army for 14 years in the Soviet League, Tretiak would win 13 league titles and 5 MVP awards. Kept from playing in the NHL by Cold War politics, there are few who doubt Tretiak would not have excelled in North America as well.

Statistical Sources:

http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/

http://www.eurohockey.net/players/