The Top 5 Number One Overall Draft Picks in NHL History

The 2010 NHL Entry Draft is set to take place next month at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Draft day is an exciting time. Depending on how your team drafts, you could be celebrating a Stanley Cup the next season, or mired in another losing slump. The number 1 pick always comes with a lot of hype and media attention and yet they do not always live up to their billing. However, there have been a few that have certainly made their mark and were deserving of being the first player chosen. Let's take a look at the top five number one overall selections in the history of the NHL Draft. As always, these rankings are based on my opinions so feel free to tell me if I am wrong!

Number 5

Mike Modano (Minnesota North Stars) - 1988

Mike Modano was just five days past his 18^th birthday when the North Stars (nee Dallas Stars) made him only the second American to be chosen first overall (Brian Lawton in 1983 was the first). The North Stars definitely made the right choice this year as Modano has spent his entire 19 year career with the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars organization and has easily become the most beloved and identifiable player in the history of the franchise. He is the all time leading goal scorer (557) and has accumulated the most points (1,359) of any American to play in the NHL. As captain of the Stars he led them to a Stanley Cup in 1999. His is undoubtedly one of the most storied American (or any) NHLers to ever lace up a pair of skates up so the North Stars were certainly right to use the first selection on him.

Number 4

Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) - 2004

In five short years, Alexander Ovechkin has quickly become one of the most electrifying players the NHL has ever seen. With countless highlight goals, bone crushing hits, and a thirst for the game rarely seen before, it's no wonder the NHL has had no qualms with marketing Ovechkin as one of the faces of the league. He took the league by storm in 2005-06, scoring 52 goals and adding 54 assists in his way to winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year. Since then he's added three more 50 goal seasons, two Most Valuable Player awards, and three All-Star Game selections. He already holds numerous NHL and Washington Capital records and if he keeps up his goal scoring pace he could someday challenge Wayne Gretzky's once thought insurmountable record of 894 career goals. Ovechkin has only been in the league for 5 years but his selection first overall had already proven to be a no brainer.

Number 3

Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) - 2005

It's a toss up between Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin on most things, but what separates them on this list is the fact that Crosby already has a Stanley Cup ring and an Olympic Gold Medal and Ovechkin does not. Crosby led the Penguins to the title last year and has them primed for another run this year and their third straight Stanley Cup Finals berth (they lost on the 2007-08 finals to Detroit). He also scored the game-winning goal in overtime to clinch the gold for Team Canada in the 2010 Winter Olympics. Where as Ovechkin has left pundits wondering where he is in big games, Crosby has risen to the occasion countless times and he has the hardware to prove it. The stats, awards and hype are all there and on par with Ovechkin, but Crosby gets it done when it matters and that's why he is number three on this list. Nonetheless, the fact that both Crosby and Ovechkin are so high on this list so early in their careers shows how much they've already accomplished and how high the ceiling is for both of them.

Number 2

Guy Lafleur (Montreal Canadiens) - 1971

This list is all about hardware and the Canadiens would be remiss to not thank Lafleur for the five Stanley Cup titles he helped lead them to in the 1970's including four straight from 1975-76 to 1978-79. The Canadiens are the one of the most storied, successful and iconic franchises in all of sports and Lafleur is their all time leading scorer with 1,246 points. His run of success in the mid 70's is one of the greatest performances in NHL history. He won the Art Ross Trophy for leading the league in scoring for three straight years (1976-1978), the Hart Trophy for MVP in 1977 and 1978 and added a playoff MVP award in 1978 to go with the aforementioned Stanley Cup victories. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Canadiens were right to select him as he remains one of the greatest players in NHL history.

Number 1

Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) - 1984

When the Penguins selected "Super Mario" with the first pick in the 1984 draft, they selected a savior. Lemieux did more for the Pittsburgh organization than any #1 pick has done for the teams that selected them before or since. He resurrected a perennial doormat and became arguably the best player the league has ever seen. In essence he BECAME the Pittsburgh Penguins and carried the franchise in his back for his entire career. If it had not been for a rash of injuries he would have no doubt surpassed many if not all of Wayne Gretzky's innumerable records, yet even so, he dominated the game unlike anyone had ever seen (including Gretzky!). He revolutionized the way the game was played as he had the skills of Gretzky but also the body (6 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 235 pounds) of a bruising winger or defenseman. The awards and accolades are too many to list here, but Lemieux did more than anyone else on this list can claim to have done. He saved a franchise and changed the way hockey will forever be played.

Works Cited:

All stats collected from www.hockey-reference.com