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contents

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ia G

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editor’s notebook 4

Player 8

Defenseman 12

goal-scorer 14

Coach 16

gM 18

goaltender 20

Money Player 22

owner 24

respected 26

outdoor game 28

hidden gem 30

shooter 32

shot-blocker 34

Playmaker 36

Puck-handling goalie 38

glove hand 40

stand-up goalie 42

slapshot 44

Wrist shot 46

backhand 48

one-timer 49

Power forward 50

Leader 52

faceoff Man 54

hitter 56

skater 58

Defensive forward 60

grinder 62

Pest 64

Penalty Killer 66

fighter 68

Power Play Pt. Man 70

interview 71

shootout shooter 72

shootout Move 74

shootout goalie 76

referee 78

Linesman 79

Women’s Player 80

Development org. 82

Panic threshold 83

Cheerleaders 84

Mascot 86

intermission 87

Jersey 88

business savvy 90

broadcast voice 92

broadcast team 93

AhL team 94

Celebration Zone 96

vantage Point 98

P.r. team 99

Dressed 100

Arena food 102

neighborhood 103

hockey Movie 104

hockey song 106

nhL teams 108

Ken Campbell 170

the Best of...

On the Cover Sidney Crosby by Gregory Shamus/NHLI via Getty Images; Tim Thomas By Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images; Alex Ovechkin By Mitchell Layton/NHLI via Getty Images

4 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

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EST. 1947Jason Kayeditor’s notebooK

With some serious hardware backing his credentials, longevity is all that’s between Bruin and the Hall of Fame

thomas’ next stop

When the lockout ended and the nhL resumed play in october 2005, there was little reason to believe tim thomas would be an nhL regular, let alone develop into a hall of fame contender.

he was 31 and the poster boy for hockey journey-men, having traveled around the globe to stop pucks for pay. you could count on one hand his nhL appearances and he was slotted on the bruins depth chart behind reigning Calder trophy winner Andrew raycroft.

six years later, there’s a good case to be made for decorating him with honored member status.

the colorful, unorthodox stopper from flint, Mich., is the best goalie in the NHL right here, right now. A panel of experts confirmed that for us for this project (see pgs. 20-21) following his stanley Cup/Conn smythe/vezina trophy-winning season. but the hall?

Why not? We compared his accomplishments to the eight hall of fame netminders of the post-expansion era – omitting those who played predominantly pre-1967 because of the uneven surface (and vladislav tretiak, who never played in the nhL) – and thomas emerges nearly mid-pack.

vezina trophies: While this went to the goalie with the best goals-against average pre-1982, it’s still telling and thomas has two. four of those in our study group failed to win more than one vezina.

All-star berths: thomas’ pair beats two singles – gerry Cheevers and billy smith – and ties grant fuhr.

shutouts: Despite his late blossoming, thomas has more nhL shutouts than smith and, for now, the same number as Cheevers.

Wins: this is where it gets dicey for thomas. entering 2011-12, he had 161 regular season Ws, nearly 70 fewer than the bottom man among the group of eight (Cheevers). With a couple more 35-win seasons, that gets erased.

stanley Cups: thomas now joins the elite group, while only ed giacomin failed to sip from stan.

in addition, every goalie post-’67 who has won two or more vezinas is either in the hall or a shoo-in when they become eligible (Martin brodeur, Dominik hasek).

the only real argument against thomas’ induction is lack of lon-gevity. but look at Ken Dryden, who retired at 31. or Cheevers, who jumped to the WhA at 32. Many of the all-time great stoppers only really, truly shone for a handful of seasons. thomas just happens to be doing it later in life.

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6 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

experts’ choice

We produced our first best of everything in hockey magazine in 2003 after one of our read-ers asked the question: What if there were 50 nhL awards rather than just 14 or 15?

so we asked our 30 nhL team correspon-dents to vote on best skater, best hitter, best fighter…the things you don’t see awards given out for. it’s the writers who vote for many of the nhL awards. so who better to judge indiscrimi-nately than the journalists who travel throughout the league and watch games?

What started out as a story idea evolved into a potential cover story, then mushroomed into a full-blown 186-page collector’s edition maga-zine. it was the start of our best of everything series that included great Debates in 2004, the Lighter side of hockey in 2005, All-Access Pass in 2006, 60 Moments that Changed the games in 2007 and more over the years.

version 1 of the best of everything in hockey was a hit. A pan-el of 42 writers selected their top three candidates on a variety of categories and we profiled the winner. We did the same thing again this summer, only we asked our scribes to name just one winner. the mandate was basic: tell us the name of the player or team that first came to mind when we ask about a topic. So it’s more about a gut feeling than a heavily researched response. And it’s all about the best in the game right now, not all-time or over the course of a player’s career.

the results are broken down on each of the feature pages, in pie chart form and a list showing the percentage of vote for each recipient. We also include a breakout box on the runner-up.

After the 57 best of features, we have the team section where we identify each club’s best season with a mini-feature on how it unfolded. Then we update the first and second all-star teams for each of the 30 nhL clubs. here’s where things differ a bit from the 2003 edition. eight years ago, we selected each organi-zation’s top three forwards on the first all-star team. This year, we nailed down the all-stars by the specific position they played most of their careers. established teams such as Montreal and Toronto saw little or no change to the first and second units.

but edmonton, for example, had a few changes based on

There are plenty of new “best”

faces and all-star teams since

our 2003 edition.

positional needs. The Oilers’ first all-star forwards in 2003 were Wayne gretzky, Mark Messier and Jari Kurri. this year, gretzky is the center, Kurri the right winger and esa tikkanen the left winger. Messier gets bumped to second-line center between glenn Anderson and ryan smyth.

surprisingly, one of the great young players in the game today didn’t make the first or second team for one of the league’s youngest franchises. steven stamkos has been a gem and nhL award winner for the tampa bay Lightning so far, but not enough yet to usurp Vincent Lecavalier as first-team center or brad richards on the second team.

it’s important to note we selected our all-star teams in con-sultation with our 30 nhL correspondents as well as our 1997 publication The Top 100 NHL Players of All-Time. because this au-thoritative listing was determined by a 50-member panel of exec-utives, historians and ex-players, it trumps all other opinions.

toronto fans, for example, vary greatly in their opinion of the greatest Maple Leaf of all-time, from teeder Kennedy to Dave Keon to Darryl sittler. even Mats sundin gets some support from younger followers. but according to the top 100 list in our 1997 ranking, center syl Apps, who played in the 1930s and ’40s, ranks the highest. Kennedy was second-team center, mean-ing Keon, Sittler and Sundin didn’t make our profiles.

the team section concludes with top-10 leaders in the main statistical categories, including coaching wins. Active players still with the organization are denoted with an asterisk.

Eight years after our first edition of the Best of Everything in Hockey,our writers offer second opinions

the Write stuff

By Brian Costello

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8 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Sidney CrosbybeSt all-around player

AGE 24

born cole harbour, n.s.

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t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 9

best all-around playersidney Crosby

percent, good for 14th in the nhL, ahead of even the league’s quintessential two-way center, Pavel Datsyuk, and right up there with the faceoff masters.

Crosby continues to be the only active player who has reached 100 points in every season he’s played at least 75 games. And as the active leader in assists per game, he’s the best at making his teammates better, too.

but what sets Crosby apart from other super-skilled players in the league is his unmatched work ethic. the slickest player in the nhL draws a lot of lubrication from his elbows. they apply more grease to a task than in a Primanti brothers sand-wich, the kind with the fries

The pride of Cole Harbour has already lived up to the hype. The ‘Next One?’ Crosby’s time to dominate is right now

more than just a kid

By Jay Greenberg

Sidney Crosby was born on

Aug. 7, 1987, giving his No. 87

a double meaning.

sidney Crosby’s being out of sight for the last half of 2010-11 naturally caused people to go out of their minds sizing up wannabes for the game’s best player.

forget that Alex ovechkin has two hart trophies while Crosby has just one.

yes, tampa bay’s steven stamkos has 96 goals over the past two seasons, but it could just be the greatest short sample since Jimmy Carson.

the sedin twins? Well, if you put the two together you get just one superstar.

And never mind evgeni Malkin won the Art ross in 2008-09 by outscoring Crosby by 10 points. People who ride the stagecoach in Pittsburgh know which player is driving and which one is riding shotgun.

no, Crosby remains the best player in the game because being the best remains not good enough for him.

validation of sid’s extraordinary promise began in his second season, when he won his only hart and Art ross trophies. since then, after never breaking 40 goals in his first four seasons, Crosby added a slapshot to his scoring repertoire that helped him to 51 tallies and a share of the rocket richard trophy in 2009-10. Plus, after winning only 45.5 percent of his faceoffs in his rookie year, Crosby’s percentage last season rose to 55.6

best all-around player

Points in 412 career games. Crosby’s points-per-game average (1.39) ranks fifth all-time, behind Gretzky, Lemieux, Orr, and Bossy

572

1. Sidney Crosby, Pit 80.0%

2. Alex Ovechkin, Wsh 10.0%

3. Pavel Datsyuk, Det 5.0%

4. Ryan Kesler, Van 2.5%

– Steven Stamkos, TB 2.5%

votingresults

10 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Sidney CrosbybeSt all-around player

alex ovechkinwashington

2sid or ovie? the debate has raged since

the two no. 1 overall picks shared the

same rookie year out of the lockout. ovie

won the calder, but sid has a cup. sid has

one hart and one richard, while ovie has

two of each. either way, they’re both the

most dynamic players in the game.

No.

Crosby’s golden goal at the

Vancouver 2010 Olympics

came 7:40 into overtime.

Years and nine months, Crosby’s age when he was

appointed the youngest permanent captain in the history of the NHL (2007)

19

inside that Crosby’s fans eat after Penguins games. if, while hanging on by a goal in the third period, it seems to opponents he never leaves the ice, they should see him at practice, where none of this improvement would be occurring if Crosby was the first guy off, dressed and out to lunch.

in fact, out to lunch better describes the foes who think they can get into Crosby’s head.

henrik Lundqvist, once unhappy to see Crosby prone on the ice from a Marc staal cross-check, stood over the Kid and added his own lecture on sportsmanship to those of the hooting Madison square garden crowd.

not appreciating that, Crosby got up and cross-checked the goalie, then soon twisted himself like the faces of hating new york fans to keep himself onside on a popped-up Chris Kunitz pass before feeding Mike rupp for a goal to cut the rangers’ lead to one. Not finished,

Crosby stood his ground with staal at the edge of the crease when Alex goligoski scored the tying goal from the cor-ner, then was on the ice for the overtime winner.

visiting Uniondale on the final day of 2009-10, Crosby needed one goal for 50 and eight points to tie henrik se-din for the scoring title. the Kid had No. 50 by 17 minutes of the first period and five points before the end of the second.

Crosby was so dominant he made it look like the 1980s again and people watching

actually were starting to think he could make up eight points in one game. the Pens captain fell three short, but just the thought he could do it was enough.

only two months earlier, he delivered Canada the gold medal at the 2010 Olympics in vancouver. his golden goal in overtime between ryan Miller’s legs came after Crosby was criticized for a mediocre tournament, as if seven points in seven games against the best players in the world demanded his apology.

this is what happens when you raise the bar as Crosby has. he can lead the play or come from behind it, equally create a hole or jump into one. And though boston capturing the Cup finished off a sensational post-season this past spring, the playoffs still suffered without the most dominant presence in the league.

During his Cup run, the Kid had 31 points in 24 games. of active players, Crosby has a higher-points-per-game playoff scoring average (1.32) than anyone except Ovechkin (1.35), who, in never getting past the second round, has played 25 fewer playoff games. As long as you have to keep winning games to keep playing in the post-season, this seals the argument.

Ultimately the biggest winner is the best player. And that is sidney Crosby.

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12 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Nicklas LidstromBest defeNsemaN

2Despite being recognizeD

as one of the game’s top D-

man During his 12 seasons,

chara has just one norris

trophy anD one runner-up

to show for it. he Does,

however, have a cup ring.

No.

understated. Lidstrom is the best because he rarely makes mistakes and he always chooses the safe play. his shot is no lightning bolt, but always manages to find the seams and get on net at an impressive clip.

Lidstrom entered what is likely to be his final season at the age of 41, but based on how year 40 went, it’s too soon to tell. the norris was earned through 23:28 of ice time per night, most on

Detroit’s ageless wonder is the master of the safe, smart play. He’s destined to go down as among the best ever

BaroN of BLueLiNers

By Ryan Kennedy

Nicklas Lidstrom is now in his

sixth season as captain of the

Detroit Red Wings.

Ask a good number of young blueline prospects who their nhL mentor is and the answer will be nicklas Lidstrom. In some cases the style of play fits, in oth-ers you’re left to wonder if they just gave the answer they thought they were supposed to give. either way

it’s a pretty big compliment for the sublime swede – youngsters know that to play like Lidstrom is to welcome success.

A stalwart in Detroit for nearly 20 years now, Lidstrom’s tro-phy case is well-stocked, with the 2011 nor-

ris making it seven for the red Wings rearguard. but it’s aston-ishing to think that if hockey hadn’t worked out for Lidstrom, his educational background

was telecommunications. Meaning, that if he hadn’t become the best european hockey player ever and the second-best defenseman behind bobby orr, he might have spent the past two decades asking the fine citizens of vasteras “Can you hear me now?”

the hockey world has certainly heard him over the years, even if his play is devilishly

the Wings and top-30 in the young men’s nhL. true, he was a minus-2 on the season (the first time he’s been in the red his entire nhL ca-reer), but his 62 points in 82 games were the most he had gathered since Detroit last won the Cup in 2007-08. And you know that’s what Lid-strom wants before he rides off into the sunset: a fifth ring to complete the hand.

best Defenseman

Norris Trophies captured by

Lidstrom, all after turning 30.

He was runner-up another

three times, all in his 20s

7

1. Nicklas Lidstrom, Det 45.0%

2. Zdeno Chara, Bos 35.0%

3. Shea Weber, Nsh 20.0%

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14 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Alex OvechkinBest gOAl-scOrer

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AGE 25

Born Moscow, rus.

ht 6-2 Wt 233

tEAm washington

nhL sEAsons 6

drAft 1st, 2004

Alex Ovechkin

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 15

Best goal-scoreralex ovechkin

Steven StamkoStampa bay

2Second only to ovechkin

in goalS during hiS firSt

three SeaSonS, StamkoS

haS a deadly Shot and a

world-claSS teammate

feeding him the puck in

martin St-louiS.

No.

in his previous 28 post-sea-son games. staal and girardi dropped that to 3.4 in the five games they shadowed him.

but heavy minutes, includ-ing two ot games, caught up to them on the decisive play in game 5. ovechkin, stand-ing in front of his own net, saw nicklas backstrom win possession in the corner and took off. two quick passes later ovechkin skated onto the puck at center ice and exploded past an exhausted

Always a threat to score when he’s on the ice, ‘Alexander the Great’ strikes fears in the hearts of opposing goalies

stop him if you can

By Brian McNally

Alexander Ovechkin made the

NHL first all-star team five

times in six seasons.

the top priority for the new york rangers entering their first-round playoff series with the Washington Capitals last spring was to stop Alex ovechkin, the best goal-scorer in the nhL.

it did not matter ovechkin had recorded by far the fewest goals of his career (32) or that he looked injured during certain stretches of the 2010-11 season and lethargic at others. the 26-year-old russian can take over a playoff series with one monster night and the rangers knew

that better than anyone. Just two years earlier, ovechkin tormented new york goalie henrik Lundqvist with 49 shots in a seven-game series.

he scored on three of them.the task of slowing ovechkin this time fell

to the rangers’ talented young defense pair-ing, Dan girardi and Marc staal, who matched Washington’s top line and by series end drew universal praise. ovechkin managed just 17 shots and had another 23 blocked. the vast majority of those were thanks to staal and gi-rardi. ovechkin averaged 5.8 shots per game

staal before deking Lundqvist with a backhander for the eventual winning goal.

by the end, girardi had a bum ankle, a dislocated fin-ger and needed sports hernia surgery, the effort of stopping the sport’s best pure scorer taking a decisive toll on both him and staal. they played well. but with three goals and three assists in the five-game series, ovechkin still found a way, as he so often does.

beSt goal-Scorer

Goals over the past three seasons, most in the NHL

138

1. Alex Ovechkin, Wsh 55.0%

2. Steven Stamkos, TB 32.5%

3. Corey Perry, Ana 7.5%

4. Sidney Crosby, Pit 5.0%

votingresults

16 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

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Barry TrotzBesT coach

AGE 49

born winnipeg, Man.

nhl sEAsons 12

nhl GAmEs 984

rEcord 455-398-131

plAyoffs 14-26

Barry TroTz

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 17

Barry Trotz BesT coach

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BesT coach

mike babcockdetroit

2babcock is the first and

only coaching member

of hockey’s triple gold

club – stanley cup (2008),

olympic gold medal

(2010) and world cham-

pionship gold (2004).

No.

completely bought into the culture. by season’s end, he’d become a mainstay, leading the team in goals.

A key part of the annual bonding process for the Predators is a boot camp training session trotz holds in fort Campbell, Ky. A military attitude is instilled from the get-go, one in which players learn to sacrifice for each other. that philosophy carries through the season.

trotz, meantime, is a noted consensus builder, solicit-ing his leadership group for opinions on all things Preds.

Nashville’s bench boss is popular with his players, but stern enough to squeeze the most out of his troops

masTer moTivaTor

By Jason Kay

Barry Trotz has been the only

coach in the history of the

Nashville Predators.

every summer, the small-market nashville Preda-tors suffer greater losses than gains in unrestricted free agency. And for a period, pundits perennially discounted them because of it. but not anymore. not when the hockey world has come to believe in the

wise ways of barry trotz.the nhL record-holder for games coached from the inaugu-

ral season for an expansion franchise, trotz led the Preds into the playoffs five of six post-lockout seasons despite a series of

daunting challenges. Due to a frugal budget, nashville saw players such as tomas vokoun, Paul Kariya, Jason Arnott and Dan hamhuis depart year after year. An unstable

ownership situation in 2007 contributed to roster uncertainty.

thanks to trotz’s high panic threshold and sturdy leadership, the Preds have thrived more often than not. he has created a family atmosphere in the organization, one in which newcomers quickly learn how to play for one another. A classic example is sergei Kostitsyn, acquired from Montreal in 2010. Upon his ar-rival, he was withdrawn, virtually living on an island. After being exposed to trotz’s system for a couple months, a light went on and he

that includes the small deci-sions such as hotel choices and practice times. As such, he gives his dressing room a voice. in turn, that earns him unparalleled respect among his employees and motivates the troops to consistently play hard for him – even in the face of key personnel losses.

best coach

Regular season coaching

wins, ranks 20th all-time

455

1. Barry Trotz, Nsh 42.5%

2. Mike Babcock, Det 22.5%

3. Dave Tippett, Phx 15.0%

4. Dan Bylsma, Pit 12.5%

5. Guy Boucher, TB 2.5%

– Claude Julien, Bos 2.5%

– Jacques Martin, Mtl 2.5%

voTingresulTs

18 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Ken HollandBest general manager

peter chiarelliboston

2No.

those of you who read the hockey news on a regu-lar basis will come to the conclusion we have a man-crush on Ken holland and his Detroit red Wings. they always seem to top our franchise rankings and whenever the discussion of the best gM comes up,

holland is right near or at the top.that must have something to do with the fact since taking

over as Wings gM in 1997, holland has won three Cups, com-piled a .590 winning percentage, led a draft effort that has been

exemplary and created a culture that has made the Wings the destination of choice for any vet who wants to win the Cup.

When you talk to holland, he can come across as scatter-brained, but that’s because he’s always thinking. he rarely completes a sentence before moving on to a deeper thought. he never does anything with-out analyzing it from every possible angle and discussing every aspect of it with his most trusted hockey operations guys. but after he does, he acts decisively.

When he pursues a free agent, the pitch goes something like, “We don’t have the cap

room to give you as much as other teams will offer you, but we can give you a chance to win. here’s how much we’re offering, but we need to know your answer in 15 min-utes because if you decline, we have to move on.”

And he gets them almost every time. so few of his moves are clunkers, from the reclamation of Dan Cleary to his faith in Chris osgood to his draft picks to his late-sea-son trades. he has done it in the free-spending epoch and

Holland has maintained a winning tradition in Detroit by balancing familiarity and occasional change

arcHitect of success

By Ken Campbell

best general manager

Stanley Cups won by Ken Holland in 13 seasons since he took over as Red Wings

GM in 1997-98

3

1. Ken Holland, Det 50.0%

2. Peter Chiarelli, Bos 7.5%

– George McPhee, Wsh 7.5%

– Paul Holmgren, Phi 7.5%

– Ray Shero, Pit 7.5%

6. Mike Gillis, Van 5.0%

– David Poile, Nsh 5.0%

8. Bob Murray, Ana 2.5%

– Stan Bowman, Chi 2.5%

– Doug Wilson, SJ 2.5%

– Steve Yzerman, TB 2.5%

votingresults

the salary cap era. every year people wait for the Wings to decline. As long as holland is running things, it promises to be a long wait.

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one of four gms to

finish tied for second

in balloting, chiarelli

was thn’s pick as top

executive in 2010-11 for

leading the bruins to

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20 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Tim ThomasBesT goalTender

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AGE 37

born flint, Mich.

Ht 5-11 Wt 208

tEAm boston

nHL sEAsons 6

drAft 217th, 1994

Tim Thomas

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Best goaltendertim thomas

ryan millerbuffalo

2No.

if we can figure it out, but it’s certainly working.

At different times during his career, Thomas has been the best goalie in college, Fin-

land and the NHL. It’s time to stop thinking of him as a plucky underdog and come to the realization he should have been in the NHL a long time ago. And that this was one of the few times in NHL history when all 30 teams got it wrong.

Thomas once recalled his first NHL camp in Colorado

Thomas spent years trying to make the NHL. Now, the league is frantically trying to solve his unorthodox style

Beantown Breakout

By Ken Campbell

Tim Thomas had a stellar

2010-11, with an NHL-record

.938 save percentage.

When you contemplate which goalie is the best in the NHL, ask yourself the following question: You’re about to take the opening faceoff for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final. Is there anyone you’d want to look back and see occupying the

crease more than Tim Thomas?Well, considering Thomas has the latest Game 7 Stanley

Cup final victory to his credit, we’re willing to bet that a huge number of people wouldn’t be able to come up with any other

names. At least 17 of the league’s 30 GMs feel that way because that’s how many gave him first-place votes in balloting for the Vezina Trophy this past season.

Thomas is certainly not the most technical or orthodox goaltender in the league, but the belief he’s simply freelancing and diving around the crease making spec-

tacular saves is off base. You get the sense that, like Dominik Hasek,

he loves making people believe he’s flopping around and desperately diving for pucks, when in reality there really is an elaborate and well thought-out plan in place. Damned

in 1995. Future Hall of Famer Patrick Roy took one look at the way he played and said (in Thomas’ words): “No, you are doing it all wrong. You have to do it like ’zis.”

Thomas ignored him, not out of a lack of respect, but because he was confident in his own abilities. And he has finally been rewarded.

best goalie

Games in 2010-11 Thomas allowed two goals or fewer

37

1. Tim Thomas, Bos 73.3%

2. Ryan Miller, Buf 13.3%

3. Pekka Rinne, Nsh 3.3%

– Henrik Lundqvist, NYR 3.3%

– Carey Price, Mtl 3.3%

– Jonas Hiller, Ana 3.3%

votingresults

no goalie means more

to his team than miller.

with one vezina already

on his shelf and more

on the way, it will be

miller time in buffalo

for the next decade.

22 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Sidney CrosbyBeSt money player

jonathan toewschicago

2crosby has the golden

goal, but toews has a

conn smythe to go with

his cup. at 23, toews has

captured hockey’s

highest honors, both

nhl and international.

No.

it’s a call that still stops Canadian hockey fans in their tracks: “sidney Crosby, the golden goal! And Canada has a once-in-a-lifetime olympic gold!”

the country’s historic gold-medal win in overtime on home ice in vancouver against its rival

from the United states came courtesy of a goal scored by ‘sid the Kid.’

Money. in his short and illustrious six-year career, Crosby has become synonymous with

clutch. from the generational tally on feb. 28, 2010, to the shootout winner at the 2008 Winter Classic in buffalo with thick flakes of snow falling around him, Crosby is picture-

perfect in the world of hockey, stepping up when the stage lights shine brightest.

Unfortunately, his 2010-11 season was cut short to a concussion, but his 66 points

Sidney Crosby has 572 points

in 412 career games, along

with a flair for the dramatic.

in 41 games had him off to his best projected point total yet. there’s no telling what Crosby would have done if he had been available for the Penguins’ post-season, but it’s a good bet he would have shone and set the pace for his team as his 30 goals and 82 points in 62 career post-season matches attest.

by 24, Crosby had a rocket richard trophy, Lester Pearson Award, an Art ross trophy, a hart trophy, a stanley Cup and, of course, a gold medal. the Penguins have risen from the depths to the heights of the world’s best league since he’s been on the roster. there are few players who can reawaken a slumbering fan base with their play alone, but Crosby is in this special class.

before him, the Penguins were a financial black hole with a decrepit arena and a listless roster. that all changed when the team won the rights to the Kid in the first post-lockout draft.

his presence spurred the team to move into a new arena and build a contending team around him, paying no. 87, what else, $8.7 million on average per season.

With a 1.39 PPg career average, Crosby is the most offensively effective player in the post-lockout nhL and has the hardware to back up being labeled the best money player as well.

Crosby already has one famous goal imprinted in the memories of a nation. The scary part? He’s still only 24

Captain ClutCh

By Rory Boylen

best money player

Career playoff points in 62 games, giving Crosby the highest points-per-game

mark among active NHLers

82

1. Sidney Crosby, Pit 32.5%

2. Jonathan Toews, Chi 17.5%

3. Corey Perry, Ana 10.0%

4. Tim Thomas, Bos 7.5%

5. Martin St-Louis, TB 5.0%

– Nicklas Lidstrom, Det 5.0%

– Daniel Briere, Phi 5.0%

8. Pavel Datsyuk, Det 2.5%

– Alex Ovechkin, Wsh 2.5%

– Tomas Holmstrom, Det 2.5%

– Mark Recchi, Bos 2.5%

– Brad Richards, NYR 2.5%

– Teemu Selanne, Ana 2.5%

– Henrik Zetterberg, Det 2.5%

votingreSultS

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24 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Best owner Mike Ilitch

Rocky wiRtzchicago

2the Blackhawks did an

aBout-face when wiRtz

took oveR foR his penny-

pinching fatheR, Bill.

the fRanchise is fan

fRiendly, adRoit at maR-

keting and successful.

No.

in his 29-year ownership, the Wings have missed the playoffs just three times, won four stanley Cups and been to two other finals. The formula? Draft well, treat people well, lean on a veteran core and reclaim floundering careers.

but just as important to the Detroit area are the philanthropic ventures the Ilitches have undertaken.

A food program feeds the hungry and victims of natural disasters – it’s been

Ilitch started rebuilding Red Wings from the top down. And he hasn’t changed the key ingredients

PIzza kIng Makes dough

By John Grigg

he’s a hard-working, salt-of-the-earth type who earns the respect and loyalty of everyone who works for him. He knows where he came from and makes sure to give back to the city he grew up in. he turned a moribund franchise into a perennial

powerhouse and stanley Cup winner and was selected to the Hall of Fame as a builder.

Mike ilitch is, quite simply, the best owner in the nhL, on and off the ice. Ilitch, 82, and his wife, Marian, bought the Detroit Red Wings in 1982 for a cool $8 million, a

little more than they pay their most expensive players today. but the money they’ve earned by turning the Wings into one of the league’s most valuable fran-

chises doesn’t just go into the family coffers.the ilitch family is famous for the execu-

tive group it put and kept together through decades of success. Senior VP Jim Devellano has been there from the start in 1982. GM Ken holland has been around in one position or another since 1985. Assistant GM and VP Jim Nill has been with Detroit since 1994. All have had multiple offers to leave. None have.

recognized by three different U.S. presidents. A veterans program gives former mili-tary personnel business op-portunities – ilitch received the highest award given to a civilian by the U.S. Depart-ment of Veteran Affairs. A grassroots community pro-gram addresses social issues in Detroit.

And, of course, Little Caesars Pizza, which they founded, is also the spon-sor of one of America’s best youth hockey programs.

Best owneR

Years have passed since Ilitch founded Little Caesars

52

1. Mike Ilitch, Det 70.0%

2. Rocky Wirtz, Chi 7.5%

3. Mario Lemieux, Pit 5.0%

– Ted Leonsis, Wsh 5.0%

– Terry Pegula, Buf 5.0%

– Ed Snider, Phi 5.0%

7. Jeff Vinik, TB 2.5%

votIngresults

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26 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Nicklas Lidstrommost respected

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turco, who had an ice-level view of Lidstrom’s excellence when he played against him as a member of the Dallas stars. “you never see him make a dirty play, swing his stick at somebody, insult a guy, anything like that. he’s a fantastic competitor, but he never steps over the line and that’s why we as players have a ton of respect for him.”

in other words, there was a reason Lidstrom was chosen to captain one of the teams at the 2011 All-star game in

Europe’s most decorated player is also the NHL’s current Mr. Hockey. Enjoy this super Swede while you still can

digNified defeNder

By Adam Proteau

if you want to know why nicklas Lidstrom is the most respected player in hockey’s greatest league, you have to look beyond his four stanley Cup championships and seven norris trophies as the game’s top defenseman.

you have to focus on more than accolades such as the hockey news naming him (a) the greatest european player in nhL history and (b) the ninth-best player since the league

expanded in 1967.Lidstrom is much more than that. remember the old saying, “it’s not what you do

that matters, it’s how you do it?” Lidstrom not only did as much as virtually any modern-day defense-

man besides bobby orr, he did so with equally superhuman amounts of humility, grace and quiet artistry.

“He’s one of those guys who you could definitely say played the right way each and every night out there,” said goalie Marty

raleigh, n.C. (the 12th time he’d been picked for the Asg.)

hurricanes center eric staal was a natural choice to pick one of the teams (in a radical game format switch), but the other captain could’ve been anyone in the nhL.

the choice was easy. it was a soon-to-be 41-year-old defenseman still at the top of his game who got the nod.

because Lidstrom doesn’t just command respect, he exudes and exemplifies it.

most respected player

Seasons in the NHL, all with the Detroit Red Wings. His

1,494 games played with one team is third all-time

19

1. Nicklas Lidstrom, Det 75.0%

2. Jarome Iginla, Cgy 10.0%

3. Martin St-Louis, TB 5.0%

4. Shane Doan, Phx 2.5%

– Mark Recchi, retired 2.5%

– Joe Thornton, SJ 2.5%

– Martin Brodeur, NJ 2.5%

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most respectedNicklas Lidstrom

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No.

28 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

2008 NHL Winter Classicbest outdoor game

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venue r. Wilson stadium

Score Pit 2 Buf 1 (SO)

attenDance 71,217

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1St Star sidney Crosby

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t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 29

best outdoor game2008 NHL Winter Classic

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tIme thanks to a goal By

marco sturm.

No.

did first with the Heritage Classic in 2003. The game in Buffalo perfected the outing. Folks tailgated for hours in the parking lots, shooting pucks and cooking on grills in mid-winter.

When the made-for-TV event came on the air, fans drew the cameras near by going shirtless in the snow. The tens of thousands who packed the lower bowl never sat once, standing through the opening fireworks, the game-deciding shootout and

The NHL’s first Winter Classic was played amidst snowflakes and decided in dramatic fashion in a shootout

oN buffaLo’s frozeN poNd

By John Vogl

Brian Campbell, No. 51,

scored the tying goal for the

Sabres prior to the shootout.

the program for the 2008 Winter Classic proved to be a tremendous feat of foreshadowing. The cover featured Sabres and Penguins skating inside a snow globe, flakes fluttering all around them.

Midway through the New Year’s Day classic in Buf-falo, fluffy white flakes filled Ralph Wilson Stadium. The football home that became a hockey arena quickly became a snow globe, one containing an NHL-record crowd and some of the game’s

biggest stars.With more than 71,000 fans

standing to cheer the elements and the extravaganza, the event immediately lived up to its Clas-sic name. The outing created

an annual tradition that has yet to match its premiere.

“I don’t think they can equal it,” said leg-endary Sabres announcer Rick Jeanneret. “I know they’re going to have one every year, or two every year, whatever they’ve got to do. I just don’t think they can capture what we had at the football stadium on that afternoon.”

The Winter Classic was designed to cel-ebrate the outdoors, something the league

the post-game salute from the players.

Sidney Crosby closed the scoring with the shootout winner, a memorable conclu-sion to something that was more than just a regular season game.

“We had 70,000 people here and it was a hoote-nanny,” Jeanneret said. “It didn’t matter a huge portion of them were Penguins fans. It was a party and they all loved it.”

Best outdoor game

1. Buffalo, 2008 31.6%

2. Boston, 2010 23.7%

3. Edmonton, 2003 21.1%

4. Chicago, 2009 18.4%

5. Calgary, 2011 2.6%

– Michigan, 2001 2.6%

votiNgresuLts

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Frans Nielsenbest hiddeN gem

Jamie benndallas

2a late round pick in 2007,

benn has always shown

a nice touch around the

net. he’s moved up the

depth chart in dallas

and is on the cusp of

being a go-to player.

No.

frans Nielsen doesn’t like to think of himself as a pioneer.

But as the first player from Denmark to estab-lish himself as an NHL regular, you’d think at least Nielsen’s visibility in North America

would be higher. “I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing,

but I’m going to take it as a good thing,” Nielsen said when informed his underrated play earned him THN’s “hidden gem” moniker. “I’m not looking for (recogni-tion), just to help this team make the playoffs.”

Nielsen, 27, has helped the Islanders in many unheralded ways throughout his five-year career. His primary responsibility re-mains strong defensive play from the center position. Last season, on a team that gave up

Trained in Sweden, Frans

Nielsen is the first Danish

citizen to play in the NHL.

35 more goals than it scored, he had a career-best plus-13 rating.

“I put a lot of pride into (defense),” Nielsen said. “But I only had 13 goals, which I don’t think is enough, con-sidering I played with Grabs (34-goal scorer Michael Grabner) and in the second half with Okie (Kyle Okposo). There’s a lot of stuff I can work on and my goal-scoring is the biggest one.”

Of those 13, Nielsen did pot an NHL-best seven short-handed tallies.

“He’s so concentrated on his defensive responsibilities and penalty-kill work and faceoffs, that I think his offen-sive numbers still have room to grow,” said coach Jack Capuano. “Fransy’s versatile. He can play on any line, in any situation, but I don’t think he’s reached where he can be offensively.”

Nielsen’s father, Fritz, coached a semi-pro team in his hometown of herning, Denmark. Nielsen left home at 17 to play in the Swedish Elite League before the Isles made him a third round pick in 2002.

“Hockey’s growing now (in Denmark),” Nielsen said. “We still don’t have many rinks, but every one is packed with kids. With me and the other guys in the NHL now (includ-ing childhood pal Peter Regin of the Ottawa Senators), they know it’s possible.”

Unsung Islanders’ center Nielsen has slipped by under the radar. Be sure to watch him this season

uNheralded ...uNtil Now

By Peter Botte

best hidden gem

1. Frans Nielsen, NYI 10.0%

2. Jamie Benn, Dal 7.5%

3. David Backes, StL 5.0%

– Patrick Sharp, Chi 5.0%

– James van Riemsdyk, Phi 5.0%

6. Douglas Murray, SJ 2.5%

– Ryan Callahan, NYR 2.5%

– Jason Blake, Ana 2.5%

– Dave Bolland, Chi 2.5%

– Matt Bradley, Fla 2.5%

– Corey Crawford, Chi 2.5%

– Tobias Enstrom, Wpg 2.5%

– Loui Eriksson, Dal 2.5%

– Vern Fiddler, Dal 2.5%

– Alex Goligoski, Dal 2.5%

– Patric Hornqvist, Nsh 2.5%

– Marcus Johansson, Wsh 2.5%

– Kevin Klein, Nsh 2.5%

– Mike Knuble, Wsh 2.5%

– Lauri Korpikoski, Phx 2.5%

– Andrew Ladd, Wpg 2.5%

– Brad Marchand, Bos 2.5%

– Marc Methot, Clb 2.5%

– Rich Peverley, Bos 2.5%

– Derek Roy, Buf 2.5%

– Mike Santorelli, Fla 2.5%

– Dennis Seidenberg, Bos 2.5%

– Wayne Simmonds, Phi 2.5%

– Jordan Staal, Pit 2.5%

– Ryan Suter, Nsh 2.5%

– Lubomir Visnovsky, Ana 2.5%

– Mats Zuccarello, NYR 2.5%

votiNgresults

500+ PROJECTIONSFOR SKATERS & GOALIES

10 OUTSTANDING ROOKIESWHO WILL SHINE IN 2011-12

PLAYERS TO AVOIDSTEER CLEAR OF THESE GUYS

IN-DEPTH ANALYSISEVERY TEAM TOP TO BOTTOM

EXPERT PREDICTIONSWHERE YOUR TEAM WILL FINISH

STATS GALORE!NEED-TO-KNOW NUMBERS

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32 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

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Steven StamkosbeSt Shooter

AGE 21

born markham, ont.

ht 6-1 wt 196

tEAm tampa bay

nhl sEAsons 3

drAft 1st, 2008

Steven StamkoS

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best shootersteven stamkos

Alex ovechkinwAshington

2stAmkos And ovechkin

Are the most dynAmic

goAl-scorers in the nhl.

ovechkin’s goAl totAls

hAve slipped from 65 to

56 to 50 to 32 the pAst

four seAsons.

No.

from formative years through blue-chip prospect to nhL superstar, the dream has always been to perfect the ability to shoot and score in the blink of an eye.

if he’s not there yet, he’s darn close. but he’s not about to settle for close.

“to this day, i’m still prac-ticing my one-timer,” stamkos said. “i think it’s such a good shot in today’s game with how good the goalies are. if you give them that extra split second by stopping the puck

The best release in the NHL didn’t come by accidentally. The Tampa terror labors at his special craft

big shot stamkos

By Wayne Fish

some great shots appear like gifts from hockey heaven.

others, like the lasers off the stick of steven stam-kos, are a product of the shooter working like…well, let’s just say a slightly lower place.

Do 100 practice rounds a day at age nine get your at-tention? three hundred? how about 500? you get the idea. the lightning-quick release of stamkos’ shots didn’t simply fall from the clouds into his lap.

the scoring machine is a product of prepara-tion. And that toil is mainly why stamkos, not Alex ovechkin or sidney Crosby or any other 20-something hotshot, has led the nhL in goals the past two

seasons with 96.Wrist shots, snap shots, one-timers – they

were all born on synthetic ice when steve’s dad, Chris, took him to “shooting school” because the boy wanted to be like his idols, brett hull and brendan shanahan.

When school wasn’t in session, the stam-kos family converted their dining room into a makeshift rink. that, as any mom around the world will tell you, is the ultimate sacrifice.

on your stick, they’re going to be there.”

future hockey hall of fame goaltender Martin brodeur says it’s as much to do with stamkos’ accuracy as his speed. he’s seen enough to consider himself an expert on the subject.

“it’s so fast off his stick and so heavy,” brodeur said. “even though the goalie knows where he has to get to, the shot literally beats him. that speaks to how heavy the shot is and how accurate.”

best shooter

Shooting percentage in 2010-11 on 272 shots

16.5

1. Steven Stamkos, TB 42.5%

2. Alex Ovechkin, Wsh 30.0%

3. Sidney Crosby, Pit 12.5%

4. Corey Perry, Ana 5.0%

– Zdeno Chara, Bos 5.0%

6. Ilya Kovalchuk, NJ 2.5%

– Shea Weber, Nsh 2.5%

votingresults

34 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

best shot-blocker Dan Girardi

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AGE 27

born welland, ont.

ht 6-1 wt 206

tEAm n.y. rangers

nhl sEAsons 5

drAft undrafted

Dan GirarDi

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 35

best shot-blocker Dan Girardi

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greg zanonminnesota

2hardly a household

name, this wild defend-

er is durable and fear-

less. in five seasons,

zanon has never been

lower than eighth in the

nhl in shots blocked.

No.

blocking shots has be-come a vital skill since play resumed after the 2004-05 lockout season. When defensemen were no longer able to hack away at legs and backs, preventing goal-mouth chances became more about making sure the puck never got there than trying to push bodies out of the way.

At 6-foot-1 and 206 pounds, it’s not exactly like girardi is slight of stature. he’s able to be far more effec-tive fronting forwards – that

Unheralded Rangers defenseman Girardi makes sure little gets past him to the goalie – no matter the cost

broaDway’s brick wall

By Ryan Dixon

for the most part, every new york ranger should be setting aside a part of his day to swing by henrik Lundqvist’s stall and thank ‘the King’ for all the great work he does in the crease. really, where would the blueshirts be without the consistently top-notch

goaltending Lundqvist provides?but if the swedish stopper ever wants to extend some grati-

tude himself, the first hand he should shake is that of defense-man Dan girardi. Actually, maybe it would be bet-ter to just hand him an ice pack.

girardi is a fearless shot-blocking force, making life for Lundqvist easier by flinging himself in front of pucks all over

the ice. Considering the number of tough guys in the nhL, there’s obviously more to turning away rubber than having nerves of steel. there’s also an element of timing, which girardi clearly has down pat based on the fact he led the league with 236 blocks in 2010-11, a full 127 more than his next-closest teammate, rearguard Marc staal. in 2009-10, girardi’s 180 blocks also paced the rangers and slotted him sixth league-wide.

is to say, getting between them and the incoming shot – and trying to stop the puck himself rather than attempt-ing to drive big bodies to outskirts of the slot. the only downside is that it’s his body, not the forward’s, that is black and blue at game’s end.

best shot-blocker

1. Dan Girardi, NYR 28.2%

2. Greg Zanon, Min 17.9%

3. Dennis Seidenberg, Bos 12.8%

4. Mark Giordano, Cgy 7.7%

5. Mike Fisher, Nsh 5.1%

– Toni Lydman, Ana 5.1%

– Zbynek Michalek, Pit 5.1%

8. Zdeno Chara, Bos 2.6%

– Chris Pronger, Phi 2.6%

– Francois Beauchemin, Ana 2.6%

– Brett Clark, TB 2.6%

– Mike Komisarek, Tor 2.6%

– Andy Sutton, Edm 2.6%

– Anton Volchenkov, NJ 2.6%

votinGresults

Dan Girardi has gone from

undrafted free agent to New

York Rangers mainstay.

36 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

best playmaker Henrik sedin

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AGE 30

born ornskoldsvik, swe.

ht 6-2 wt 188

tEAm vancouver

nhl sEAsons 10

drAft 3rd, 1999

Henrik sedin

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 37

best playmakerHenrik sedin

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sidney crosbypittsburgh

2crosby has improved his

goal-scoring, but his

passing is still sublime.

it’s a cliche to say sid

makes his teammates

better, but it doesn’t

make it any less true.

No.

henrik was derided early in his career, along with his brother, for being a soft play-er who melted in the wake of physical opponents or high-pressure moments. that criticism died for good when he won the hart trophy in 2010, but folks in vancouver knew henrik was special long before that.

he hasn’t missed a game since the lockout scuttled the 2004-05 season, playing in all 492 games. only defen-seman Jay bouwmeester

NHL’s reigning assists leader is the best playmaker in the league. Just ask his brother about his generosity

tHe on-ice general

By Aaron Portzline

Henrik Sedin much prefers to

pass, with 509 career assists

compared to 157 goals.

henrik Sedin and his twin brother Daniel have always had an uncanny ability to communicate, as if the two share a private radio frequency.

but to truly grasp the playmaking wonder that is henrik, consider two glaring examples of rather

ordinary players who have had extraordinary seasons in van-couver playing on the starboard side of henrik.

Anson Carter’s nhL career was heading downhill when in 2005-06 he broke out for 33 goals with the Canucks, thanks to 26 primary assists from henrik. one season later, after moving on as a free agent, Carter played out his career in switzerland.

Alex burrows is the latest, greatest exam-ple. burrows never had more than 12 goals in an American League season and scored only 22 goals in his first three NHL seasons.

seeking a little speed and grit to partner with the sedins, burrows was elevated to the no. 1 line and a star was born. A former eChL player, burrows has posted 89 goals in the past three seasons, ranking him with some of the best in the league.

(florida, Calgary) shares that distinction. And sedin has done so much more than just show up. since the start of 2006-07, no player has more assists than henrik, whose 350 helpers put him ahead of Joe thornton (338), Martin st-Louis (330), sidney Crosby (294) and Pavel Datsyuk (270).

best playmaker/passer

Assists in 37 NHL playoff

games the past two seasons

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1. Henrik Sedin, Van 42.5%

2. Sidney Crosby, Pit 20.0%

3. Joe Thornton, SJ 17.5%

4. Pavel Datsyuk, Det 12.5%

5. Steven Stamkos, TB 2.5%

– Scott Gomez, Mtl 2.5%

– Martin St-Louis, TB 2.5%

votingresults

38 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

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Martin BrodeurBest puckhandling goalie

said, ‘you can’t make more than five passes in a period. you can’t score more than two goals in a period.’ ”

brodeur has been hand-cuffed, but not defeated by the trapezoid. He still controls the puck like a third defenseman, able to clear it from attackers and start breakouts, a throwback to earlier puck-moving goal-ies such as ron hextall and tom barrasso, as well as his contemporary, Ed Belfour.

“It just happened so often over the years that it was expected and it wasn’t a sur-prise whether he made a chip pass to a guy or a breakout pass,” Lamoriello said. “Es-pecially when the trapezoid wasn’t there. You almost took it for granted.”

The winningest goalie of all-time is no slouch with the stick. It’s no wonder why the Devils are superb defensively

the third defenseMan

By Rich Chere

Martin Brodeur has 625

career wins (and counting),

leading all NHL goalies.

Like most NHL goaltenders, Martin Brodeur had prac-tised shooting the puck the length of the ice into an empty net many times. But it took skill, precision and nerve to pull it off in the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Montreal Canadiens on April 17, 1997.

After stopping a wrap-around shot behind his goal, Brodeur skated out from the side of the net and shot the puck over several players and beyond the red line before it went in. That

was his most memorable moment of stickhandling, but it was just one of many (search youtube for the 75-foot pass beyond Zdeno Chara of the Bruins that sent David Clarkson on a breakaway to score against Boston’s Tim Thomas on March 15, 2010).

When he is long gone, people will ask how good Brodeur was at stickhandling. The answer can simply be, “The Brodeur Rule.” Devils GM Lou Lamoriello is one of many who believe Brodeur is so good he was the reason the trapezoid was instituted by the NHL in 2005-06. “There is no doubt in my mind,” Lamoriello said. “It’s unfortunate when you take a skill away from somebody for the wrong reasons. Imagine if a quar-terback couldn’t throw.”

Former coach Jacques Lemaire agrees. “I don’t know first of all, why they put that in,” Lemaire said. “They never put in a rule against (Wayne) Gretzky because he was so great. They never

puckhandling goalie

Career assists, sixth all-time among NHL goalies

36

1. Martin Brodeur, NJ 69.2%

2. Marty Turco, UFA 12.8%

3. Kari Lehtonen, Dal 5.1%

4. Rick DiPietro, NYI 2.6%

– Miikka Kiprusoff, Cgy 2.6%

– Henrik Lundqvist, NYR 2.6%

– Carey Price, Mtl 2.6%

– Mike Smith, Phx 2.6%

votingresults

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marty turcofree agent

2puckhandling has

always been a secret

passion for the cagey

36-year-old. as a starter

in dallas, turco record-

ed at least one assist

every season.

No.

AGE 39

born montreal, Que.

ht 6-2 Wt 215

tEAm new jersey

nhl sEAsons 17

drAft 20th, 1990

Martin Brodeur

TOP 5

5 TOUGHEST 1,000-POINT SCORERS

1 GORDIE HOWE: There is no player in the history of the game that embodies the essence of the sport more than Mr. Hockey.

Howe could beat you with his peerless playmaking and sharp shooting, or with his punishing elbows and scythe-like stick. Despite his intimidating presence on the ice, he was a class act off it. And that’s what hockey’s all about.

2 BRENDAN SHANAHAN: It’s fi tting that Shanahan recently took over as the NHL’s head disciplinarian, because he sure knew

how to dish out punishment in his playing days. A complete package of skill and strength, ‘Shanny’ fi nished his career with 1,354 points and is the only player in history to record more than 600 goals and 2,000 PIM.

3 MARK MESSIER: If there was a Mr. Hockey of the modern era, Messier was it. Like his predecessor, Messier was a nasty

competitor willing to do whatever it took to win. The Moose was more of a scorer and natural-born leader than a fi ghter, but, like Howe, he was a vicious foe at times and had a glare that would keep even the toughest opponent honest.

4 DALE HUNTER: While many will remember Hunter for his ultra-aggressive, often-dirty style of play, he was the heart and soul

of every team he played on, only missing the playoffs once in his 20-year career. With 1,020 points, Hunter could score too. Not bad for a guy who spent 3,565 minutes watching from the penalty box.

5 BOBBY CLARKE: He was the toothless face and leader of one of the toughest teams of all-time: the mid-‘70s Flyers, or

Broad Street Bullies. Clarke had an undying motor and was a ruthless warrior on the ice, leading his team to back-to-back Stanley Cups. He also won three Hart Trophies and racked up 1,210 points and 1,453 PIM.

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40 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

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Pekka Rinnebest glove hand

AGE 28

Born Kempele, fin.

Ht 6-5 Wt 207

tEAm nashville

nHL sEAsons 3

drAft 258th, 2004

Pekka Rinne

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best glove handPekka Rinne

Tim ThomasbosTon

2Rinne may gRab moRe

pucks wiTh his glove,

buT Thomas uses his

TRappeR foR a wideR

vaRieTy of saves, swipes,

pushes, leans, shoves

and high fives.

No.

And nowhere is this advan-tage more pronounced than when the Predators are on the penalty kill.

only Cup winner tim thomas had a better save percentage than rinne’s .930 among goalies in 2010-11, a massive reason behind nashville owning the nhL’s fifth-best PK unit.

rinne’s handiness can be traced back to his develop-ment days in finland. several of the world’s best trap-men – Miikka Kiprusoff, Antti niemi, niklas backstrom –

Rinne’s glove hand is the first to react to any shot. No one’s better at

snaring pucks and limited rebounds

flashingleatheR

By Edward Fraser

When the attribute of best glove hand is dis-cussed, the mind immediately searches for a keeper with a swinging bottom-to-top style, dramatically plucking a puck headed to the top shelf a la Patrick Roy, Grant Fuhr and especially

Bill Ranford in the early 1990s.But while the NHL’s current Lord of the Snag has high-end

high shot-grabbing capabilities, it’s the variety of ways Pekka rinne uses the tool that gives him the no. 1 spot.

The 6-foot-5, 207-pound Finn uses his glove in an extremely effective but unorthodox style. rinne, a right-hander who uses a standup/butterfly hybrid technique, will often

grab the puck only a few inches off the ice whereas most goalies would kick such an at-tempt away with their pad.

rinne also catches pucks headed into the core of his body instead of attempting to smother them in his stomach and will reach back-handed completely across his body to snag a puck in lieu of directing it away with his blocker.

The advantage of this approach is the increased suffocation of rebounds, which limits an opposing team’s second chances.

all come from that corner of the world. But Rinne has emerged as a king among men. his paw prevalence has, in large part, made him one of the league’s top stoppers.

A 2010-11 top three finish in both goal-against average and save percentage, as well as a top 10 in shutouts and saves, garnered him the first of what will be many Vezina trophy nominations.

besT glove hand

Shutouts the past three

seasons, tied for best in NHL

20

1. Pekka Rinne, Nsh 27.0%

2. Tim Thomas, Bos 16.2%

– Marc-Andre Fleury, Pit 16.2%

4. Ryan Miller, Buf 13.5%

5. Cam Ward, Car 10.8%

6. Roberto Luongo, Van 5.4%

– Carey Price, Mtl 5.4%

8. Miikka Kiprusoff, Cgy 2.7%

– Dwayne Roloson, TB 2.7%

votingResults

42 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Tim ThomasbesT sTand-up goalie

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door. he didn’t let the fact that, by his 31st birthday, he’d only played four nhL games stop him from chasing down a dream. After he lost his starting job to youngster tuukka rask in 2009-10, he had off-season hip surgery and returned stronger than ever at age 36.

When vancouver Canucks star henrik sedin wandered a little too close to thomas’ crease during the 2011 Stanley Cup final, the scrappy puckstopper leveled him

Thomas’s unorthodox stand-up style-has fooled critics, foiled goal-scorers and flabbergasted fans

sTand-up sTand-ouT

By Ryan Dixon

Tim Thomas is one of the few

goalies who doesn’t butterfly

when a player takes a shot.

trying to pin a label on tim thomas’ goaltending style is about the only thing tougher than attempting to stuff a puck past him.

thomas earns top honors in the stand-up goalie category not because he truly employs an upright

style or relies exclusively on kick saves like goalers of the origi-nal six era, but because he’s one of the very few stoppers in the

league who doesn’t drop down into the butterfly before a shooter even draws his stick back. Also, for the sake of being concise, there is no “best goalie who could probably make the save even if he was hanging upside down from the crossbar by his skate

laces” classification.thomas has always lived by the whatever-it-takes code. When he was a kid growing up in flint, Mich., and times were

a little tough for the family, he started selling apples door-to-

best stand-up goalie

Record-setting save percent-

age in 2010-11, bettering

Dominik Hasek’s .937

standard from 1998-99

.938

1. Tim Thomas, Bos 42.4%

2. Martin Brodeur, NJ 15.2%

3. Pekka Rinne, Nsh 12.1%

4. Roberto Luongo, Van 6.1%

5. Miikka Kiprusoff, Cgy 3.0%

– Henrik Lundqvist, NYR 3.0%

– Carey Price, Mtl 3.0%

– Ilya Bryzgalov, Phi 3.0%

– Jonas Hiller, Ana 3.0%

– Ryan Miller, Buf 3.0%

– Dwayne Roloson, TB 3.0%

– Cam Ward, Car 3.0%

voTingresulTs

with a shove to the chest. Did thomas get away with one when the refs didn’t call a penalty? Perhaps, but then again he’s been getting away with guessing right his whole career if you ask his critics.

After two vezina trophies, one Conn smythe and a stan-ley Cup, we’re guessing the amount of thomas doubters left could probably fit into his goalie bag – which, if he heard them bad-mouthing him, might be where they’d end up anyway.

best stand-up goalietim thomas

martin brodeurnew jersey

2 brodeur stuck with

stand-up netminding

through the butterfly

trend and made himself

a future hall of famer.

No.

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best slapshot Zdeno Chara

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AGE 34

born trencin, svk

ht 6-9 wt 255

tEAm boston

nhl sEAsons 13

drAft 56th, 1996

Zdeno Chara

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 45

best slapshotZdeno Chara

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shea webernashville

2weber’s big blast from

the point is only a hair

less hard than chara’s

and almost as feared.

goalies often get a bad

case of wobbly knees

whenever he winds up.

No.

how hard is Chara’s slap-per? he’s the four-time de-fending hardest shot champ at All-star weekend, with his latest winning shot topping his previous record. Chara, who left the senators for bos-ton in 2006, had his first shot clocked at 105.9 mph at last season’s skills competition in raleigh, n.C. Chara will go for a record fifth straight hard-est shot title this season in, coincidentally, ottawa.

Aside from Chara, only hall of famer Al Macinnis has

Chara’s cannon has broken records, busted bones and shattered the will of many who’ve dared to get in front of it

get out of the way

By George Richards

Zdeno Chara’s big bomb from

the point is the Bruins’

primary weapon on the PP.

When Zdeno Chara was just getting his size-12 skates wet in the nhL, tomas vokoun wasn’t very impressed.

“When he came into the league, he was a very average player,” the Capitals goalie said of

Chara. “not good at all.”It took him a few years to find his way in the league, but after

the senators traded for a 24-year-old Chara at the 2001 draft, sending Alexei yashin in exchange for the second overall pick

(Jason spezza), Chara and bill Muckalt, the hulking 6-foot-9 defenseman found his stride.

today, Chara is captain of the reigning stanley Cup champion with one of the most feared

shots in the league. When the big Bruin un-corks, goalies around the league cringe. And they aren’t the only ones.

Last April, Chara’s booming slapshot took down ryan Callahan of the rangers when he had the audacity to try and block it. “You have to respect a guy like that,” Chara said after being told about Callahan breaking his ankle on impact.

won the title four straight times.

“he has really worked on his game and works as hard as anyone,” vokoun said. “he has plenty of strengths and it isn’t just his shot. he’s a very smart player. but i respect him for that work because he wasn’t very good at all with the islanders and now he could be the best defenseman in the league.”

best slapshot

Power play goals for Chara in 2010-11. That tied for sec-

ond among defensemen

9

1. Zdeno Chara, Bos 47.5%

2. Shea Weber, Nsh 40.0%

3. Alex Ovechkin, Wsh 7.5%

4. Steven Stamkos, TB 2.5%

– Dustin Byfuglien, Wpg 2.5%

votingresults

46 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Phil Kesselbest wrist shot

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AGE 24

born madison, Wisc.

ht 5-11 ht 202

tEAm toronto

nhl sEAsons 5

drAftEd 5th, 2006

Phil Kessel

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 47

best wrist shotPhil Kessel

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alex ovechkinwashington

2no. 8’s most memorable

goals involve sprawling

on the ice or one-hand-

ed dekes, but give ovie

space to unleash his

wrister and he’ll show

you he can whip it good.

No.

were the result of wrist shots. you would too if you were packing his kind of heat.

his release is lightning-quick. Watching Kessel handle the puck, you don’t know if he is going to deke or snap a shot on net. that is why opposing goaltenders look so stunned after so many of his goals. in most cases, they didn’t even know a shot was coming — some-thing toronto Maple Leafs teammate tyler bozak can attest to after being struck by

Blink and you’ll miss it – this Toronto winger’s wrist shot is the fastest and most dangerous blur in the league

a flicK of the wrists

By Mike Traikos

slapshots are for the big and strong. they cave in shin pads and burn holes through nets. they are cannons. but to watch Phil Kessel score a goal with his wrist shot is like watching a hunter kill a bear with a bow-and-arrow. it is silent and deadly accurate.

in a way, it is beautiful.The thing you notice first with Kessel’s wrist shot is the flex.

he makes the stick look like a palm tree in a hurricane, bending it so hard against the ice you expect it to snap in half. But before

it does, the stick violently whips forward as though it were a taut elastic band that has finally been released.

our 40-member panel voted Kessel tied with Alex Ovechkin as

the best wrist shot in the league. Ask Kessel about how he came to have such a hard and accurate wrist shot and he shrugs his shoul-ders. some suggest he uses a junior model, which is lighter and more flexible than other sticks. but it comes down to technique born through years and years of practice.

Kessel fired 325 pucks on net last year (fourth most in the league), most of which

a Kessel shot at practice last season.

“he actually didn’t get a hold of that, thank god,” bozak said after being struck in the ear. “to think if he got a hold of it, i’d be in the hospital. so i’m thankful for that.”

best wrist shot

1. Phil Kessel, Tor 27.0%

– Alex Ovechkin, Wsh 27.0%

3. Alexander Semin, Wsh 8.1%

4. Steven Stamkos, TB 5.4%

– Marian Hossa, Chi 5.4%

– Ilya Kovalchuk, NJ 5.4%

7. Pavel Datsyuk, Det 2.7%

– Sidney Crosby, Pit 2.7%

– Jonathan Toews, Chi 2.7%

– Martin St-Louis, TB 2.7%

– Mike Green, Wsh 2.7%

– Teemu Selanne, Ana 2.7%

– Marian Gaborik, NYR 2.7%

– Zach Parise, NJ 2.7%

votingresults

Phil Kessel has been a con-

sistent 30-goal man his past

three NHL seasons.

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Sidney CrosbybeSt baCkhand Shot

pavel datsyukdetroit

2 Crosby’s is the most

feared baCkhander, but

datsyuk’s is Certainly

the sneakiest. the sliCk-

mitted Center often

buries his baCkhand

before goalies reaCt.

No.

Crosby could do with a back-hand what Pavel bure once did with his forehand: get it on net from anywhere in the offensive zone, always with speed, usually with eleva-tion, and customarily with pinpoint placement.

too much credit was paid then to his nearly flat stick blade; not enough to his remarkable eye-hand coor-dination and innate ability to generate power from his tree-trunk legs through his stone-solid core, unleash-

You can add the baddest backhand in the league to Crosby’s impressivearray of weapons in his arsenal

WiCked Weapon

By Rob Rossi

Sidney Crosby’s powerful

backhand is one of many

ways he can beat netminders.

to properly assess the awesome nature of sidney Crosby’s backhand, an astute hockey fan could point out that only by learning to trust his forehand did ‘the Kid’ become ‘the scorer’ who was on pace for a career-best 64 goals before a concussion cost him the

final 41 games last season.Had he hit that mark, Crosby would have racked up 115 goals

over his fifth and sixth NHL seasons – more than any other player. As it was, he finished half a season with 32 goals last

year, only one fewer than his to-tal from the regular season that preceded the Penguins’ stanley Cup in 2009.

It was those 2009 playoffs that Crosby elevated his goal-

scoring, leading all players with 15 in 24 games, most of them scored from the slot with a wicked wrister that he had gradually developed over his first four seasons.

of course, the wrister was easier for him to get off because by that point Crosby’s backhand was his most feared weapon – and not just because he could saucer a tape-to-tape pass with it while leading a rush. rather,

ing it with hulk-like fore-arms, but controlling it with feather-soft hands.

opponents had to respect Crosby’s backhand more than his forehand, thus creating an impossible challenge for defensemen and goalies. of course, Crosby has become equally dangerous whipping the puck with his forehand as he has matured – a thought, no doubt, that doesn’t please opponents as he returns from the concussion that cost him a rocket richard trophy.

best baCkhand shot

1. Sidney Crosby, Pit 46.7%

2. Pavel Datsyuk, Det 20.0%

3. Daniel Sedin, Van 10.0%

4. Patrick Kane, Chi 6.7%

5. Alex Ovechkin, Wsh 3.3%

– Joe Thornton, SJ 3.3%

– Henrik Zetterberg, Det 3.3%

– Patrick Marleau, SJ 3.3%

– Evgeni Malkin, Pit 3.3%

votingreSultS

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 49

best one-timersteven stamkos

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alex ovechkinwashington

2ovechkin may be no. 2

here, but that says more

about stamkos than the

caps superstar. ovie is

thn’s top goal-scorer

(pg. 14) and has a nifty

one-timer of his own.

No.

plays in various places in the offensive zone, such as the high slot, against the side wall and next to the goal.

the extra attention was part of stamkos’ second-half swoon in 2010-11, in which he scored just five goals in his last 28 games after get-ting off to a huge start to the campaign. but that doesn’t diminish the effectiveness of the one-timer when stamkos gets it off.

former bolts gM Jay feast-er says goalies can prepare

It’s no secret: Stamkos is the NHL’s king of one-timers. Just another weapon for the splendid sniper

lightning strike

By Damian Cristodero

Steven Stamkos grabbed a

share of the Richard Trophy

in his second NHL season.

the thing about steven stamkos’ one-timer is even when goaltenders know it’s coming, it’s so hard and accurate it’s extremely difficult to stop.

“i compare him to (hall of famer) Jari Kurri,” said Lightning television analyst and former Philadelphia

flyers goaltender bobby ‘the Chief’ taylor. “his release is so quick. As a goalie, sometimes you can see the way the stick is going to be going, and you have a pretty good idea where the

puck is going. but because his release is so fast, you have no time to read it. you know it’s coming and you can’t do a thing about it.”

stamkos, 21, usually takes the shot during the power play.

his favorite spot is at the bottom of the left faceoff circle, though last season one of his most memorable goals was Dec. 10 in van-couver where he scored the winning overtime tally against the Canucks on a one-timer from the center of the blueline.

that the Lightning center was off his usual spot was no accident. As teams have tried more and more to stop stamkos from getting his one-timer off, he has set up during power

all they want for stamkos, but it probably won’t help.

“his release is so quick, you can watch all the tape you want,” he said. “you know it’s coming, you know where the shot is coming from and it just doesn’t matter. And let’s face it, he’s just going to continue to get better.”

best one-timer

Power-play goals the past

two seasons. No other NHL

player has more than 30

41

1. Steven Stamkos, TB 68.4%

2. Alex Ovechkin, Wsh 10.5%

3. Alexander Semin, Wsh 7.9%

4. Ilya Kovalchuk, NJ 5.3%

5. Shea Weber, Nsh 2.6%

– Jarome Iginla, Cgy 2.6%

– Mike Cammalleri, Mtl 2.6%

votingresults

50 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

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Milan Lucicbest power forward

AGE 23

born vancouver, b.c.

HT 6-4 WT 220

TEAm boston

nHL sEAsons 4

drAfT 50th, 2006

MILaN LUCIC

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best power forwardMilan Lucic

RYAN GETZLAFANAHEIM

2INjuRIEs sLowEd THE

ducks cApTAIN LAsT YEAR,

buT wHEN GETZLAF Is

HEALTHY, HE’s A TERRoR

cApAbLE oF posTING 90-

pLus poINTs ANd 120 pEN-

ALTY MINuTEs A sEAsoN.

No.

with 23 playoff points and for horton to go 8-9-17 before missing the last four games with a concussion.

though hampered by a sinus issue (addressed with off-season surgery on his oft-broken nose) and playing the final 13 playoff games on a broken toe, Lucic consid-ers 2010-11 an injury-free campaign and looks forward to another.

only 23 as he enters his fifth season, he has adapted to life without center Marc

Boston’s Lucic has always been a tough customer, but now he’s added top offensive acumen to his resume

MauLingby MiLan

By Mike Loftus

Maybe he didn’t score in this past post-season as consistently as he did during his breakout 2010-11 campaign, but Milan Lucic was still a big man making big plays in big games.

take a look at linemate nathan horton’s game 5 and Game 7 overtime goals against Montreal in the first play-off round of 2011. that’s Lucic holding the puck as horton got open, daring the Canadiens to try to take it away.

or look at vancouver’s defense in games 2-7 of the stanley Cup final. No Dan Hamhuis, be-cause the 6-foot-1, 210-pounder didn’t play again (he had sports hernia surgery in late June) after stepping up to hit the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Lucic in game 1.

two fears of opposing players were realized in 2010-11: Lucic, whose power forward reputation had previously exceeded his statistics, led boston with 30 goals after scoring 34 his first three years and found a way to be effective when he wasn’t scoring in the post-season (five goals – all in the last 15 games – and 12 points). He created space for his center, David Krejci, to lead the league

savard, learned to deal with high expectations and remained an intimidating, physical winger (no. 1 on boston’s hits list) despite having fewer fights – only seven last year.

“It was definitely a great year,” Lucic said. “i hope this keeps going.”

bEsT powER FoRwARd

Hits thrown by Lucic last year

to lead the Bruins

167

1. Milan Lucic, Bos 22.5%

2. Ryan Getzlaf, Ana 20.0%

3. Corey Perry, Ana 15.0%

4. Rick Nash, Clb 12.5%

5. Jarome Iginla, Cgy 10.0%

6. Ryan Kesler, Van 7.5%

7. Alex Ovechkin, Wsh 2.5%

– Mike Knuble, Wsh 2.5%

– Marian Hossa, Chi 2.5%

– Anze Kopitar, LA 2.5%

– Bobby Ryan, Ana 2.5%

votingresuLts

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Jonathan ToewsbesT leader

AGE 23

born winnipeg, Man.

ht 6-2 wt 210

tEAm chicago

nhl sEAsons 4

drAft 3rd, 2006

JonaThan Toews

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best leaderJonathan toews

nicklas lidstromdetroit

2the nhl’s current elder

statesman, lidstrom has

been a wings fixture for

the past two decades

and is respected not

only in detroit, but

throughout the league.

No.

pinnacle of his sport as a leader. the Winnipeg native has long been a captain on teams and used his drive to lead by example. “for myself, there was no alternative,” toews said. “one level after another, you get better.”

At 15, he set off on his own to play for shattuck-st. Mary’s prep school in Min-nesota. After flirting with the Western League, he then headed off to north Dakota, where his excellent freshman season made him the third

Toews may be young, but he’s won at every level in hockey. This captain is already the sporting king of Chicago

the chief blackhawk

By Ryan Kennedy

it’s the type of nickname you’d never give yourself and one you’d hope won’t stick from someone else. but still in the early years of his career, Chicago blackhawks center Jonathan toews is already saddled with ‘Captain serious.’

Despite wearing the ‘C’ in Chicago, toews is fair game for chirpers in the dressing room, more so because of his nor-mally reserved air. Dave bolland calls him the worst Call of Duty player on the team, while toews points out wryly he’s got better

things to do than play video games. best friend and wingman Patrick Kane mis-cheviously claims toews even holds their greatest triumph together against him – Kane’s overtime goal against Phila-

delphia that claimed Chicago’s first Stanley Cup in 49 years. “the joke between us was that i was the last guy off the bench because i wanted to be 100 percent sure it was in,” toews said. “he’ll say it’s because i wanted to score it.”

toews can take solace in the fact he won the Conn smythe trophy that night and, as captain, was the first to hoist the Stanley Cup over his head. At just 23, he had reached the

pick overall in the draft. he could have jumped straight to the show, but decided another year of schooling would serve him best.

Already a Cup champ and an olympic gold medalist, ‘Captain serious’ clearly knows how to make the right decisions.

best leader

Points in 22 games during

the Hawks 2010 cup run

29

1. Jonathan Toews, Chi 22.5%

2. Nicklas Lidstrom, Det 20.0%

3. Jarome Iginla, Cgy 15.0%

4. Zdeno Chara, Bos 10.0%

5. Chris Pronger, Phi 7.5%

– Shane Doan, Phx 7.5%

7. Sidney Crosby, Pit 5.0%

– Martin St-Louis, TB 5.0%

9. Tim Thomas, Bos 2.5%

– Mark Recchi, Bos 2.5%

– Eric Staal, Car 2.5%

votingresults

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Manny Malhotrabest faceoff Man

AGE 31

born mississauga, ont.

ht 6-2 wt 220

tEAm vancouver

nhl sEAsons 12

drAft 7th, 1998

Manny Malhotra

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best faceoff manmanny malhotra

jonathan toewschicago

2No.

“so many things go into that split second,” Malhotra said. “Anticipation, seeing the puck come out, knowing who you are going up against, what they are trying to do, position on the ice, time and score. All those things come into account.”

so too does the linesman, who is among many things Malhotra studies, not so much on video before a game, but during the contest.

if winning faceoffs is a bal-ance of skill and will – “the

The quickest and slickest off the draw, Malhotra has owned his opposition inside the faceoff circle

dominator of the dot

By Kevin Woodley

Manny Malhotra has no problem talking about the things that make him the best faceoff man in the nhL. because if the Canucks’ pivot has learned anything in his 12 years on the draw, it’s that the secrets to his ongoing success won’t help anyone

else beat him on one.“that was one of the biggest things i learned from Craig Mac-

tavish early in my career (with the rangers),” Malhotra said. “As much as he tried to teach me, he said it’s all about personal preference and learning what works for you. it’s about developing a book not just on other players, but a book on yourself.”

for Malhotra, that means getting low to the ice, both with his center of gravity and his bottom hand, giving him “a feeling of being more stable or stronger.”

given the 31-year-old has been up over 60 percent in the circle the past two seasons and consistently above 55 percent since the lockout, it’s working. But finding that zone isn’t all that goes into being the league’s best on faceoffs.

biggest things are anticipa-tion and strength” – then the will portion is a mixture of preparation before a draw and battle during it.

“you have to put in time and repetitions and learn from mistakes,” he said. “but once you are in the moment it depends on how much you want to battle for that puck.”

for the past six seasons, few have wanted it more.

best faceoff man

Career faceoff winning percentage

55.2

1. Manny Malhotra, Van 30.0%

2. Jonathan Toews, Chi 22.5%

3. Ryan Kesler, Van 12.5%

4. David Steckel, NJ 10.0%

5. Patrice Bergeron, Bos 7.5%

6. Joe Thornton, SJ 5.0%

– Pavel Datsyuk, Det 5.0%

– Jarret Stoll, LA 5.0%

9. Paul Gaustad, Buf 2.5%

votingresults

‘captain serious’ takes

every part of his game

seriously. his faceoff

wins have increased

every year, culminat-

ing in a career faceoff

percentage of 55.8.

56 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Cal Clutterbuckbest hitter

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AGE 23

BORN Welland, ont.

HT 5-11 WT 213

TEAM Minnesota

NHL SEASONS 3

DRAFT 72nd, 2006

Cal ClutterbuCk

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dustin brownlos angeles

2the kings’ captain has

the quantitative (top

three every year since

the lockout) and qualita-

tive (check out youtube)

data to prove he’s one of

the premier bangers.

No.

the quintessential Cal Clutterbuck moment came in november.

Like a bowling ball rolling down the alley, Clutter-buck took out two Columbus blue Jackets with one hit before finding a loose puck and

scoring the winning goal in a 3-2 Minnesota victory. He buried the puck as Jan Hejda and Jakub voracek were busy shaking off the

cobwebs, causing then-coach Todd Richards to quip, “He took out the five and seven pin on one play.”

It was a vintage play for the Wild’s wrecking machine, who at 23 has led the nhL in hits in all three of his seasons.

night after night, Clutterbuck, who at 5-foot-11 is built like a bull, throws his weight around, finishing each and every check.

“I just don’t enjoy it when I’m not buzz-

Many an NHLer had paid the

price for attempting to go

around Cal Clutterbuck.

ing around,” he said. “When I have a couple blah shifts, i sit there on the bench and tell myself, ‘go do something. you’re not doing anything. go stir the pot or hit somebody hard.’ ”

Clutterbuck’s father, tim, says his son never “got in much trouble” as a kid, so he and his wife, Jocelyn, never imagined they’d be raising a future agitator/heavy hitter.

“Before contact came into hockey, i wasn’t sure how the hitting would work with him. His size was always sort of average,” Tim Clut-terbuck said. “So when they started hitting, i was actually surprised how he took to it. i thought, ‘that’s the sort of thing that’ll wear off.’

“The thing is, it never re-ally wore off. he hits harder than he looks like he should be able to.”

Clutterbuck, who learned his rough and tumble ways during his junior hockey days with the St. Michael’s Majors and the oshawa generals, takes a lot of flak for not backing up his physicality with fights.

He’s had just seven tilts in his nhL career and none last season, but there’s little doubt that for somebody who hits as much as he does (1,010 in 230 games), he does it cleanly (207 penalty minutes).

“I take pride in that,” Clut-terbuck said.

No one in the NHL doles out as much pain as Clutterbuck. No one has more fun doing it, either

Wild About hitting

By Michael Russo

best hitter

Average hits per game

in his 230 NHL contests

4.4

1. Cal Clutterbuck, Min 17.5%

2. Dustin Brown, LA 15.0%

– Milan Lucic, Bos 15.0%

4. Douglas Murray, SJ 12.5%

5. Zdeno Chara, Bos 10.0%

6. Shea Weber, Nsh 5.0%

– Niklas Kronwall, Det 5.0%

– Dion Phaneuf, Tor 5.0%

9. David Backes, StL 2.5%

– Ryan Callahan, NYR 2.5%

– Shane Doan, Phx 2.5%

– Steve Downie, TB 2.5%

– Chris Neil, Ott 2.5%

– Cory Sarich, Cgy 2.5%

votingresults

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Marian Gaborikbest skater

AGE 29

born trencin, svk

ht 6-1 wt 204

tEAm n.y. rangers

nhL sEAsons 10

drAft 3rd, 2000

Marian Gaborik

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best skaterMarian Gaborik

Pavel datsyukdetroit

2 datsyuk isn’t the fastest

Player in the league, but

he’s definitely the sliP-

Periest. the shifty red

Wings center is nearly

imPossible to knock off

the Puck.

No.

new York Rangers star Marian gaborik is far from the most rugged nhLer around. however, the right winger is better than any other player in one regard: skating.

“he’s not fearless and he’s not durable,” one nhL scout said of gaborik. “but look at the beauty of his (skating) strides. Because he’s so smooth, so fluid with his

skating, he might come across to the average fan as if he’s not putting any effort into it. but that’s not true at all. he’s just so technically proficient at it, he doesn’t have to look like he’s

squeezing all he can out of his legs. it just comes naturally to him.”

the swift-skating slovak isn’t known for going into the dirty areas of the ice, so he often uses his speed to beat defenders wide.

Marian Gaborik only needs

the smallest of openings to

blow by defenders.

He has benefitted from his blazing strides since he first arrived in the nhL with Min-nesota back in 2000.

in 2003, gaborik’s third year in the league, he made his first All-Star Game ap-pearance and won the fastest skater competition in a lap time of 13.713 seconds. And in a 2011 nhL poll conducted by the Canadian broadcast-ing Corporation and the nhL Players’ Association, Gaborik was selected by his peers as the league’s best skater – and by a considerable margin. he garnered 26 percent of the votes, while superstar sidney Crosby was a distant second with 17 percent.

it’s that ability to get to anywhere on the ice easier and quicker than anyone else that forces gaborik’s opponents to respect him. if defenders slip even just a little behind gaborik, they know there’s no catching up.

“if you’re defending against him, all it takes is for you to lose a quarter-step on him – by catching a rut, or by shifting your weight in the wrong direction – and he’ll blow right past you,” the scout said. “Defensemen have to give him a very generous amount of room out there, because they’ve been made aware, either through experi-ence or coaching direction, that his hands aren’t the only weapon he’s able to hurt you with.”

The best make it look easy. And Gaborik’s sublime strides are the simplest of them all

GallopinGGabbie

By Adam Proteau

best skater

Points in 345 games

since the end of the lockout

363

1. Marian Gaborik, NYR 15.0%

2. Pavel Datsyuk, Det 12.5%

3. Alex Ovechkin, Wsh 10.0%

4. Michael Grabner, NYI 7.5%

– Duncan Keith, Chi 7.5%

6. Martin St-Louis, TB 5.0%

– Ilya Kovalchuk, NJ 5.0%

– Mason Raymond, Van 5.0%

9. Jonathan Toews, Chi 2.5%

– Sidney Crosby, Pit 2.5%

– David Booth, Fla 2.5%

– Jay Bouwmeester, Cgy 2.5%

– Andrew Cogliano, Ana 2.5%

– Drew Doughty, LA 2.5%

– Cam Fowler, Ana 2.5%

– Nathan Gerbe, Buf 2.5%

– Claude Giroux, Phi 2.5%

– Sergei Gonchar, Ott 2.5%

– Mike Green, Wsh 2.5%

– Patrick Marleau, SJ 2.5%

– Jeff Skinner, Car 2.5%

votinGresults

60 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

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Pavel Datsyukbest Defensive forwarD

AGE 33

born sverdlovsk, rus.

ht 5-11 wt 194

tEAm detroit

nhl sEAsons 9

drAft 171st, 1998

Pavel Datsyuk

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best defensive forwardPavel datsyuk

ryan keslervancouver

2kesler finally won the

selke this past season.

ironically, kesler’s de-

fensive responsibilities

were reduced, but the

canucks pivot is still a

matchup terror.

No.

round pick. but he worked hard on that aspect of his game and now takes just as much pride in neutralizing opponents as he does in scor-ing himself.

Datsyuk won the selke trophy as best defensive forward three years in a row, from 2007-08 to ’09-10 and, despite missing nearly one-third of the 2010-11 season with injuries, still finished third in selke balloting behind ryan Kesler and Jona-

An unheralded sixth round pick, Datsyuk has become a superstar for his play at both ends of the ice

defensive wizard

By Ansar Khan

Pavel Datsyuk led the NHL in

takeaways three of the past

five seasons.

Pavel Datsyuk dazzles opponents and entertains fans with his wide array of slick moves, which have made the Detroit red Wings forward one of the top offen-sive players in the nhL.

but it’s Datsyuk’s play without the puck that has garnered him more individual accolades.

nobody is better at sneaking up on opponents and strip-ping them of the puck. that stealth ability, coupled with his lightning-fast hands and knack for winning

puck battles, has made Datsyuk the premier defensive forward in the league for the past several seasons.

“he is so good with his stick, taking away the puck from opposing players,” said Wings goaltender Jimmy howard. “Just when you think you might have him beat, he reaches out and extends his stick and he’s gone the other way. some of the stuff he does, you’re just in pure amazement.”

ironically, Datsyuk was not regarded as a good defensive player when he entered the nhL in 2001-02 as a late-blooming sixth

than toews. Datsyuk plays against the opponents’ top lines and is the team’s best faceoff man. he led the nhL in takeaways three of the past five seasons and finished second in another.

“that’s where it usually starts, where he gets most of his offensive chances from,” said teammate Johan fran-zen. “he has great speed and is so strong on the puck. he’s a smart player. he’s tough to play against at both ends.”

best defensive forward

Career plus-minus in 662 regular season games

187

1. Pavel Datsyuk, Det 48.7%

2. Ryan Kesler, Van 35.9%

3. Patrice Bergeron, Bos 7.7%

4. Jonathan Toews, Chi 5.1%

5. Kris Draper, retired 2.6%

votingresults

62 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

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best grinder dave bolland

AGE 25

born mimico, ont.

ht 6-0 wt 180

tEAm chicago

nhl sEAsons 4

drAft 32nd, 2004

dave bolland

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best grinderdave bolland

ryan callahanny rangers

2the new rangers captain

puts up good numbers,

but this hard-nosed

forward epitomizes the

typical john tortorella

team: gritty, hard-work-

ing and full of heart.

No.

Maybe Dave Bolland doesn’t fit the classic de-

scription of a grinder, but that doesn’t mean the Blackhawks’ center isn’t one.

Let’s call Bolland a hybrid grinder.There isn’t a way Bolland

doesn’t contribute on the ice. He’s one of the top checking centers in the NHL. He’s physi-cal, he agitates, has a nasty streak and won’t

be exchanging Christmas cards with either Henrik or Daniel Sedin anytime soon.

Bolland annoyed and frus-

trated the Sedins the past two years in the playoffs, earning

the nickname of the ‘Rat’ from his apprecia-

tive teammates.“He’s versatile,” said Hawks GM Stan Bow-

man. “If you look back to his junior days, he was a 100-point scorer, but the reason he’s so

Dave Bolland is at his best

in the spotlight. He has 34

points in 43 playoff games.

valuable is he embraces the role as a player who doesn’t need the limelight. He doesn’t need the points.

“There aren’t too many guys that are accepting of a role where, ‘I’m going to go out and stop the other team’s best player and if I score in the process, that’s great.’ I guess in my mind, typically your grinders are maybe a little less talented than Bol-land, but he certainly takes that role and runs with it.”

The Hawks wouldn’t have won the Stanley Cup in 2010 without Bolland matching up successfully against the likes of Henrik Sedin, Joe Thornton and Mike Richards.

Even in last spring’s first-round playoff loss to Vancouver, the Hawks battled back from a 3-0 hole to force overtime in Game 7 largely because of Bolland’s return from a concussion for Game 4. The Hawks barely lost in a defensive struggle.

Bolland has the hands and skill to be the Hawks’ second-line center, but coach Joel Quenneville fights the urge to play him there.

“I think we’re a special team when you have him slotted as a third-line center,” the bench boss said. “As a team, we’ve done pretty well with him when he gets that checking assignment. I don’t think you want to change that role or job description for him.”

This former junior star has embraced his newfound shutdown role on the high-octane Blackhawks

an unlikely agitator

By Tim Sassone

best grinder

1. Dave Bolland, Chi 10.5%

2. Ryan Callahan, NYR 7.9%

– Scott Hartnell, Phi 7.9%

4. Cal Clutterbuck, Min 5.3%

– Milan Lucic, Bos 5.3%

– Tomas Holmstrom, Det 5.3%

– Troy Brouwer, Wsh 5.3%

– Dan Cleary, Det 5.3%

– Brad Marchand, Bos 5.3%

10. Steve Ott, Dal 2.6%

– Claude Giroux, Phi 2.6%

– Andrew Ladd, Wpg 2.6%

– Jordan Staal, Pit 2.6%

– Shawn Thornton, Bos 2.6%

– Gregory Campbell, Bos 2.6%

– David Clarkson, NJ 2.6%

– Ryane Clowe, SJ 2.6%

– Curtis Glencross, Cgy 2.6%

– Chris Kelly, Bos 2.6%

– Brooks Laich, Wsh 2.6%

– John Madden, UFA 2.6%

– Maxime Talbot, Phi 2.6%

– Nate Thompson, TB 2.6%

  –  Raffi Torres, Phx  2.6%

– Daniel Winnik, Col 2.6%

votingresults

64 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Steve OttbeSt peSt

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AGE 29

born summerside, P.e.i.

ht 6-0 wt 192

tEAm dallas

nhL sEAsons 8

drAftEd 25th, 2000

Steve Ott

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best peststeve Ott

sean averyny rangers

2His trasH-talking is leg-

endary, as are His antics

botH on and off tHe ice.

avery’s most recent

enemies include PHilly’s

Wayne simmonds and

even tHe laPd.

No.

butch is a scout for the stars and his intense determina-tion shows in ott’s work ethic. but ott said he got his attitude and timing from his mom, Debby, who also served in the military.

“you didn’t want to get on the bad side of my mom,” ott said. “she would let you hear all about it. i probably picked up my mouth from her.”

ott is far from just a pest. he’s also a primary penalty-killer and one of the top faceoff men on the stars.

Ott is a world-class pain in the rump, but he brings more to the ice than just the ability to annoy

the texas tOrmentOr

By Mike Heika

there’s a great YouTube video where steve ott is trying to annoy then-Anaheim Ducks winger Mike brown through the Plexiglas between the benches, just like your kid brother used to bother you in the back seat of the car.

that is the genius of ott.As much as he can go crazy at times, he is more of an annoy-

ance – a constant itch that never goes away. he picks at op-ponents using goofy faces, taunting looks and funny lines, just as much as he does with a well-placed stick jab or face-wash.

in fact, the humor he uses to embrace his job is one of the ways he makes the game fun for his teammates and even the opposition.

“sometimes you see the other team laugh-ing at him,” said teammate stephane robidas. “he keeps everything loose and fun. People get annoyed by him, but i think they also respect what he’s doing.”

ott is an interesting mix. An army brat who traveled around Canada, he learned to adapt in school with toughness and humor. his dad

And his 22 goals in 2009-10 proved he can put the puck in the net as well.

“i’ve found the thing that kills the other team most is when i score a goal,” ott said. “that’s something that really gets under their skin.”

best Pest

Penalty minutes last season

was a career-high

183

1. Steve Ott, Dal 22.5%

2. Sean Avery, NYR 20.0%

3. Brad Marchand, Bos 15.0%

– Alex Burrows, Van 15.0%

5. Dan Carcillo, Chi 5.0%

– Cal Clutterbuck, Min 5.0%

– Patrick Kaleta, Buf 5.0%

8. David Bolland, Chi 2.5%

– Matt Cooke, Pit 2.5%

– Maxim Lapierre, Van 2.5%

– Tuomo Ruutu, Car 2.5%

– Jordin Tootoo, Nsh 2.5%

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Ryan Keslerbest penalty KilleR

AGE 27

born livonia, Mich.

ht 6-2 wt 202

tEAm vancouver

nhl sEAsons 7

drAft 23rd, 2003

Ryan KesleR

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best penalty killerryan kesler

jordan staalpittsburgh

2it’s the big three, not

the big two. sidney

crosby and evgeni

malkin are the penguin

centers who score, but

it’s staal who eats up

the minutes on the pk.

No.

Why is Ryan Kesler the best penalty-killer in the league? start with the fact he helps his team start with the puck.

faceoffs have always been a critical part of penalty killing, but their

significance is heightened even more now that every power play begins with an of-fensive zone draw. Often, the outcome of that

initial faceoff can dictate the pace of the entire two-minute mismatch.

if the attacking team controls, it can settle in and generate chances, but if the defensive

squad snags possession, it can clear the puck, not only killing precious time, but often deny-ing its opposition an opportunity to find its rhythm.

in 2010-11, Kesler went 135-116 on

In addition to his career high

in goals (41), Ryan Kesler had

a plus-24 in 2010-11.

shorthanded draws, good for a winning percentage of 54 percent. that meant, more often than not, he gave his vancouver Canucks a chance to fire the puck the length of the ice and get set for a counterattack or get off the ice and on the bench for a valuable breather.

the runaway 2011 selke Trophy winner – Kesler fi-nally won best defensive forward honors on his third nomination with 105 of 127 first-place votes – is a puck hound, but has also evolved into a disciplined enough player to know when to chase and when to sit back and stay in a lane.

When he does see an opening, Kesler is more than capable of making a team pay. While Alex burrows is the Ca-nuck best known for burying when a man down, Kesler’s strong wrist shot helped him pace vancouver with three goals and four points while shorthanded in 2010-11.

While the addition of former Shark and faceoff wizard Manny Malholtra (pg. 54) allowed coach Alain vigneault to give Kesler more offensive freedom in 2010-11, the second-line center is still the club’s defensive heart and soul.

the gritty American has been among the club’s top five in average shorthanded ice time per game for the past five seasons.

When the Vancouver Canucks find themselves a man down, they turn to the gritty Kesler to even the odds

the great equalizer

By Ryan Dixon

best penalty killer

Fewer first-place vote

than Datsyuk for 2010 Selke

1

1. Ryan Kesler, Van 21.1%

2. Jordan Staal, Pit 10.5%

3. Mike Richards, LA 7.9%

4. Brad Marchand, Bos 5.3%

– Maxime Talbot, Phi 5.3%

– Alex Burrows, Van 5.3%

– Pavel Datsyuk, Det 5.3%

– Jamie Benn, Dal 5.3%

– Hal Gill, Mtl 5.3%

10. Zbynek Michalek, Pit 2.6%

– Chris Pronger, Phi 2.6%

– Nicklas Lidstrom, Det 2.6%

– Nate Thompson, TB 2.6%

– Shea Weber, Nsh 2.6%

– Henrik Zetterberg, Det 2.6%

– Manny Malhotra, Van 2.6%

– Pascal Dupuis, Pit 2.6%

– Darren Helm, Det 2.6%

– Torrey Mitchell, SJ 2.6%

– Pekka Rinne, Nsh 2.6%

votingresults

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George Parrosbest fiGhter

AGE 31

tEAm anaheim

NHL yEArs 6

Ht 6-5 wt 228

borN washington, Pa.

drAftEd 222nd, 1999

GeorGe Parros

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best fightergeorge Parros

colton orrtoronto

2A concussion hAs

slowed him down of

lAte, but orr’s bouts

with ottAwA’s mAtt

cArkner Are keeping

the bAttle of ontArio

Alive right now.

No.

As nice and rewarding as it is to have a degree from an ivy League university on your mantle, it doesn’t do any good when it comes time to drop the gloves on the ice and exact a bit of frontier justice.

When it comes to doing the dirtiest of jobs on the ice, Princeton gradu-ate george Parros does it with zeal for the Anaheim Ducks and his success rate in scrap-

ping makes him one of the league’s top heavyweights.

Parros led the nhL in fighting majors last season with 27. the popular website

Hockeyfights.com judged the 31-year-old right winger to have won 12 decisions and earned a draw 12 other times while only los-ing three brawls. based on the competition he tends to take on, that’s a pretty remarkable result for a dance card.

Fans love the George Parros

moustache; fighters fear the

Anaheim enforcer’s fists.

Many enforcers are full of personality and often become fan favorites with their teams. Parros has taken that bond to the next level in Anaheim.

not only does his success in winning his fights energize the home crowd, but the 6-foot-5 right winger has generated a huge follow-ing thanks to his persona, created largely by the thick, dark mustache he’s worn the majority of his pro career.

fans of his often refer to themselves as being part of “Parros nation” and a number of them can be seen wearing similar-looking fake ’staches that are sold in the team store at the honda Center.

but the bond goes beyond his appearance. Parros is one of the Ducks’ most charitable players and notably grows his hair long each year to have it cut and donated to Locks of Love, which makes wigs for children who have had medical hair loss.

how much do the Ducks think of their enforcer? the club petitioned for his name to be engraved among his teammates on the stanley Cup in 2007 despite appear-ing in only 32 regular season games. two years later, the team re-signed him to a three-year extension.

Many players have to do a dirty job, but few do it with more class.

Parros may have graduated from Princeton, but his real education is at the school of hard knocks

by george, he’s tough

By Eric Stephens

best fighter

Career fights in 367 regular season games over six sea-

sons. His goal total is 16

129

1. George Parros, Ana 20.5%

2. Colton Orr, Tor 12.8%

3. Steve MacIntyre, Pit 10.3%

4. Matt Carkner, Ott 7.7%

– Deryk Engelland, Pit 7.7%

– Zenon Konopka, Ott 7.7%

7. Jarome Iginla, Cgy 5.1%

– Brandon Prust, NYR 5.1%

– Shawn Thornton, Bos 5.1%

10. Milan Lucic, Bos 2.6%

– Zdeno Chara, Bos 2.6%

– Paul Bissonnette, Phx 2.6%

– Jared Boll, Clb 2.6%

– Dan Carcillo, Chi 2.6%

– Michael Rupp, NYR 2.6%

– John Scott, Chi 2.6%

votingresults

70 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Nicklas Lidstrombest power pLay poiNt maN

lubomir visnovskyanaheim

2the highest-scoring

blueliner in 2010-11, this

puck-moving duck is

a steadying influence

on the power play. it

doesn’t hurt that he

also has a big shot.

No.

the Detroit Red Wings were down 3-0 in the second round of the 2011 playoffs against san Jose, when captain nicklas Lidstrom made the sort of play only he could make.

getting his body in front of a henrik Zetterberg feed, Lidstrom swatted the puck goalward out of mid-air. it one-hopped the ice and jumped into the roof of the net

behind startled sharks goalie Antti niemi. the power play goal helped propel the Wings to their first win of the series and push the sharks all the way to a

deciding seventh game. it’s that hand-eye coordination that helped

make Lidstrom the choice as the nhL’s best power play point man. no player in the league keeps more pucks in at the blueline than Lidstrom, whose knack for picking pucks

With Nicklas Lidstrom at the

point, the Wings had the fifth-

best power play in 2010-11.

out of the air with his stick is incredible.

“the guy is magical,” said todd bertuzzi.

Lidstrom’s work with the man advantage, where he’s collected 128 career power play goals with his booming, accurate shot, is a combina-tion of ability and cleverness.

he’ll deliberately miss the net to take advantage of Joe Louis Arena’s live back boards, banking the puck to a wide-open teammate for a slam-dunk goal. his puck-moving skills in the attack-ing zone are smooth and his passes are crisp. he reads the play exceptionally well, finding open seams to create shooting opportunities.

“he makes it easy,” said brian rafalski, who played alongside Lidstrom on De-troit’s power play point from 2007-11. “if i gave the puck to him, i could jump up the ice. If I could find space, he’d find me.”

thn’s panel of experts also recognized Lidstrom as the most respected player, best defenseman and player with the highest panic thresh-old. Lidstrom also finished second to Jonathan toews in the voting for best leader. no surprise to his teammates.

“he’s the best player in the league and he’s the backbone of our team,” said niklas Kro-nwall. “We got a lot of great players in here, but none as good as nick.”

Ever after two decades at the helm, this Detroit defenseman is still the best in the league at running the PP

Hockey’s poiNt guard

By Bob Duff

best power play qb

Years of age when Lidstrom

scored his first career hat

trick in December, 2010. He

became the oldest blueliner

to get three goals in a game

40

1. Nicklas Lidstrom, Det 47.2%

2. Lubomir Visnovsky, Ana 8.3%

– Dan Boyle, SJ 8.3%

4. Brad Richards, NYR 5.6%

– Shea Weber, Nsh 5.6%

6. Drew Doughty, LA 2.8%

– Sidney Crosby, Pit 2.8%

– Duncan Keith, Chi 2.8%

– Sergei Gonchar, Ott 2.8%

– Mike Green, Wsh 2.8%

– Tobias Enstrom, Wpg 2.8%

– Matt Carle, Phi 2.8%

– Kris Letang, Pit 2.8%

– Chris Pronger, Phi 2.8%

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best interviewtim thomas

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martin brodeurnew jersey

2brodeur gets credit

for always delivering

an honest, insightful

answer to scores of

journalists, even after

20 years of much the

same questions.

No.

tim Thomas can be an interviewer’s nightmare and dream – all in the space of the same question.

there are times when you put a query to thomas and it is followed by an awkward, uncomfortable si-lence. that is until you come to the

realization thomas is not content to spew the standard hockeyspeak players are famous for.

you soon understand thomas is not staring into space, he’s actually thinking of an intel-

ligent response. thomas has an enormous amount of respect for the position he is in as a hockey spokesman and he cares about how the words come out.

he speaks with a refreshing sense of honesty without sounding brash or boastful. he has a wonderful, dry wit that sometimes requires the interviewer to meet him halfway. he wants to make sure the

There’s often a moment of

silence before Tim Thomas

responds to questions.

words he uses accurately portray what he’s trying to say, so if he doesn’t have any pertinent thoughts on a subject or doesn’t know the answer, he simply admits it.

he does it when you’re speaking to him 1-on-1 and when he’s speaking to a large group. his scrums during the Stanley Cup final were insightful and interesting during a time of the year when most players are too focused on the task at hand. When roberto Luongo com-plained he had complimented thomas, but had not received any kind words from him, thomas replied, “i guess i didn’t realize it was my job to pump his tires.”

thomas won our poll as the best interview in the game. Most of the other names you see on the list are players who look you in the eye and are mostly up front and honest with answers.

thomas is a man who can spin a yarn. once he talked about a time he was bow hunting in northern Mani-toba and got trapped up in a tree while an enormous black bear hovered below. the way he described the bear clack-ing his teeth together made you feel like you were up in the tree with him.

it took thomas years to get to the nhL. if he had been given a chance to talk his way there, it would have been much quicker.

No doubting Thomas is the man scribes want to talk to when it comes to getting a thoughtful response

the thinker in repose

By Ken Campbell

best interview

1. Tim Thomas, Bos 15.4%

2. Martin Brodeur, NJ 10.3%

– Chris Pronger, Phi 10.3%

4. Paul Bissonnette, Phx 7.7%

5. Adrian Aucoin, Phx 5.1%

– Jarome Iginla, Cgy 5.1%

– Teemu Selanne, Ana 5.1%

– Martin Biron, NYR 5.1%

9. Max Talbot, Phi 2.6%

– Jonathan Toews, Chi 2.6%

– Sidney Crosby, Pit 2.6%

– Mark Recchi, retired 2.6%

– Steve Ott, Dal 2.6%

– Daniel Briere, Phi 2.6%

– David Backes, StL 2.6%

– Zenon Konopka, Ott 2.6%

– Kevin Bieksa, Van 2.6%

– Adam Burish, Dal 2.6%

– Mike Commodore, Det 2.6%

– Cam Janssen, NJ 2.6%

– Joffrey Lupul, Tor 2.6%

– P.K. Subban, Mtl 2.6%

votingresults

72 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Jarret StollbeSt Shootout Shooter

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AGE 29

Born Melville, sask.

Ht 6-1 Wt 215

tEAm los angeles

nHL sEAsons 7

drAft 36th, 2002

Jarret Stoll

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 73

best shootout shooterJarret stoll

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pavel datsyukdetroit

2the dazzling speed and

moves of datsyuk are

daunting in 1-on-1 situa-

tions. he’s third all-time

with 26 shootout goals,

behind Jussi Jokinen

and slava kozlov.

No.

ing staff, stoll decided not to stray from what had made him so successful.

the 1-2 punch of stoll and goalie Jonathan Quick, who was a perfect 10-0 in shoo-touts in 2010-11, made the Kings virtually impossible to beat if overtime couldn’t decide a victor (Jonathan bernier was in net for the Kings’ only two shootout losses). that being said, stoll is still not convinced shoot-outs are the best way to go. “the league made the deci-

Stoll’s homework on goalie tendencies combined with a lethal wrist shot makes him the man after 65 minutes

automaticweapon

By Jonathan Davis

some call him ‘the Closer,’ others ‘Mr. Automatic.’ either way there is no questioning the success of Kings center Jarret stoll when it comes to the shootout. stoll was 9-for-10 last season with four game-deciding goals. he was second in total shootout goals to Alex tanguay,

who had 10 goals in 16 attempts, but stoll’s 90 percent success rate was tops among shooters with more than five attempts. not bad for a guy who came into the season just 4-for-13 in his

shootout career. “A little bit of luck and paying

more attention to goalies’ tenden-cies,” stoll said, explaining his newfound success.

Whatever the goalie’s tendency was, stoll often used his blistering wrist shot that usually found the top corner above the netminder’s glove. According to one Kings source, when stoll was being sent out for the shootout at a game in boston, he was contemplating trying something other than his patented shot, but was quickly informed if he tried something new and missed, he need not come back to the bench. While there was a definite tone of sarcasm from the coach-

sion shootout wins wouldn’t count in the tiebreaker and i think that was the right way to go,” he said. “it’s fun for the fans and if it gets us an extra point, we’ll take it.”

best shootout shooter

Jussi Jokinen shootout goals

is the NHL career record

28

1. Jarret Stoll, LA 36.8%

2. Pavel Datsyuk, Det 15.8%

3. Alex Tanguay, Cgy 10.5%

4. Jonathan Toews, Chi 7.9%

– Jussi Jokinen, Car 7.9%

6. Steven Stamkos, TB 2.6%

– Sidney Crosby, Pit 2.6%

– Martin St-Louis, TB 2.6%

– Bobby Ryan, Ana 2.6%

– Brad Boyes, Buf 2.6%

– Erik Christensen, NYR 2.6%

– Thomas Vanek, Buf 2.6%

– Radim Vrbata, Phx 2.6%

votingresults

74 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Linus Omarkbest shOOtOut mOve

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AGE 23

born overtornea, swe.

ht 5-10 ht 174

tEAm edmonton

nhl sEAsons 1

drAft 97th, 2007

Linus Omark

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 75

best shootout moveLinus omark

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pavel datsyukdetroit

2how do you get a goalie

to bite on a move so

hard he slides out of

the crease? red wings

fans are familiar with

the phrase “datsyukian

deke” for a reason.

No.

omark shrugged. “that’s my game, i do stuff like that, so why should i stop at this level? of course it’s bad if it doesn’t work, but if you think like that, it’ll happen. if you don’t think that, it’ll work.”

Whether faking a deke before flipping the puck over a goalie’s head or doing a spin-o-rama at the blueline, omark is far from bor-ing. And even further from controversy. While fans love the showboating, opponents have mixed feelings.

Oilers forward Omark is the league’s Michelangelo of the shootout – and he has the YouTube clips to back it up

one sLick swede

By Rob Tychkowski

it takes the hands of a surgeon, the mind of an artist and the guts of a tightrope walker.

And skin as thick as a gator’s doesn’t hurt, either, because when those fancy hot-dog shootout moves don’t work, there’s a long line of opponents and haters waiting

to shove that failure in your face.but when they do work, and Linus omark’s conversion per-

centage is making them worth the effort, Internet traffic shifts into overdrive and a cult hero is born.

“if he’s got the jam to be that creative and do something extraordinary, great,” said oilers coach tom renney. “it’s enter-tainment and 19,000 people

have a hell of a time watching. i’m sure goal-ies think ‘what’s this little bugger going to do next.’ ”

In his first shootout attempt in his first nhL game, with the outcome on the line, the youtube Kid did a full-speed spin-o-rama at the blueline before scoring the winner against tampa bay. eight months later, inter-net videos of it generated over a million hits.

“i’ve done it before, i know it works,”

“i didn’t think it showed a lot of respect,” said tampa’s steve stamkos. “i mean, you don’t see Crosby or ovechkin doing that and they’re the two best players in the game. i don’t know why he did that.”

Cocky?“you can say that, or you

can say he’s very confident,” said oilers goalie nikolai Khabibulin. “We kind of need that kind of confidence.”

best shootout move

1. Linus Omark, Edm 23.5%

– Pavel Datsyuk, Det 23.5%

3. Jussi Jokinen, Car 5.9%

– Martin St-Louis, TB 5.9%

– Mike Ribeiro, Dal 5.9%

– Mikhail Grabovski, Tor 5.9%

7. Bobby Ryan, Ana 2.9%

– Erik Christensen, NYR 2.9%

– Thomas Vanek, Buf 2.9%

– Radim Vrbata, Phx 2.9%

– Kris Letang, Pit 2.9%

– Anze Kopitar, LA 2.9%

– Mats Zuccarello, NYR 2.9%

– P-M Bouchard, Min 2.9%

– Matt Cullen, Min 2.9%

– Wojtek Wolski, NYR 2.9%

votingresuLts

76 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Henrik Lundqvistbest sHootout goaLie

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ff Z

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tty

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eSAGE 29

born Are, swe.

Ht 6-1 Wt 195

tEAm n.y. rAngers

nHL SEASonS 6

DrAft 205th, 2000

Henrik Lundqvist

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 77

best shootout goaliehenrik lundqvist

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jonathan quicklos angeles

2quick was a perfect 10-0

in shootouts last sea-

son and is an impressive

22-7 during his three-

year career. he has an

overall save percentage

of .734 in shootouts.

No.

nowadays, a large percent-age of goalies use the but-terfly to stop shots. Lundqvist is different.

Although he does use the butterfly sometimes, he’ll keep shooters guessing by kicking out a leg or even stay-ing on his feet to make a save. And he’s not afraid to make a quick pokecheck to knock the puck away, such as when he stopped slick-handed Steven Stamkos cold with the move in an 11-round shootout with the Lightning on Dec. 23 last season.

Swedish stopper uses size, quickness and patience to stonewall shooters in hockey’s ultimate 1-on-1 battle

drama on the line

By Adam Scully

Henrik Lundqvist excels in his

positioning against shooters

and the puck.

Whether posing as one of People magazine’s 100 most beautiful people, sitting courtside at a New York Knicks game with Justin Bieber or kicking out pucks at top speeds, Henrik Lun-dqvist shines with confidence.

Ever since the NHL implemented the shootout in 2005-06, ‘King Henrik’ has taken the league by storm. He holds the record with 37 career shootout victories and his career .768 shootout save percentage is second amongst goalies who have faced 100

or more shots in the contest.The 29-year-old native of

Are, Sweden, stymies shooters using his size and quickness. He’s patient when shooters break in on him and doesn’t bite

on leg kicks or pump fakes. He ensures his hands are in front of his body as the skater approaches, allowing him to be in control of his movements.

When Lundqvist does get caught out of position, he’s explosive in recovery and can slide back in time to make stunning saves. But most of the time, his positioning has him fooling players and making the high-pressure job look easy.

Lundqvist knows the lows that come with losing a shoo-tout, particularly the loss to the Flyers in the final game of 2009-10 that cost the Rangers a post-season berth. But as the league’s premier shootout stopper, he’s tasted victory more often than not.

And you know he enjoys them, punctuating many of his shootout victories with a jubilant fist pump.

best shootout goalie

Save percentage in 46 shootout shots last season

.848

1. Henrik Lundqvist, NYR 57.9%

2. Jonathan Quick, LA 23.7%

3. Marc-Andre Fleury, Pit 10.5%

4. Pekka Rinne, Nsh 2.6%

– Tim Thomas, Bos 2.6%

– Ryan Miller, Buf 2.6%

votingresults

78 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Stephen WalkombeSt referee

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bill mccrearyreferee

2The Nhl’s seNior sTaTes-

maN amoNg zebras,

mcreary reTired lasT

seasoN aT age 56 wiTh

1,737 games uNder his

belT. ThaT’s secoNd oNly

To Kerry fraser.

No.

the league’s supervisor of of-ficials in 2005 just as changes were being implemented at the end of the lockout.

In that role, Walkom not only met with officiating crews, but also explained things to players, coaches and fans in a series of league videos.

Sharks coach Todd McLel-lan cites Walkom’s wide range of experience in group-ing the 48-year-old North Bay, Ont., native among those officials who have helped

Walkom has the unique perspective of bookending ref duty around a stint as NHL’s supervisor of officials

authority figure

By David Pollak

Players and coaches want the same thing from an NHL referee: consistent calls and open lines of communi-cation. Though no one wearing the orange armband on a striped shirt is perfect, those traits are what they say they get from Stephen Walkom.

“Anytime a referee will give you the time to plead your case, whether he answers you that you’re right or wrong, at least he gives you a chance to say your piece,” said NHL veteran Owen

Nolan, who spent his share of time dealing with officials during his five seasons as captain of the San Jose Sharks. “He’s always done that for me.”

As for Walkom’s consistency, Nolan draws a baseball analogy.

“It’s almost like a pitcher with an um-pire,” the 39-year-old veteran said. “They all have certain tendencies and there are some things you can get away with a little bit more. But he’s been pretty even the whole way through.”

Credit all refs with knowing the rules, of course, but Walkom likely knows the intent behind several better than most. After 15 years on the ice as an NHL referee, he became

improve lines of communica-tion over the past six NHL seasons.

Beyond that, McLellan said, Walkom falls into the category of referees who understand that hockey has an emotional side.

“They let you blow off a little bit of steam,” the Sharks coach said, “yet they’re still very much in control of the game.”

besT referee

Referees are typically on

payroll each NHL season

38

1. Stephen Walkom 23.3%

– Bill McCreary 23.3%

3. Kelly Sutherland 16.7%

4. Paul Devorski 13.3%

5. Dan O’Halloran 10.0%

6. Wes McCauley 3.3%

– Tim Peel 3.3%

– Don van Massenhoven 3.3%

– Brad Watson 3.3%

votingreSultS

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 79

best linesman

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mike Cvik

jean morinlinesman

2Voting for best lines-

man came down to

a three-way battle

between mike cVik, jean

morin and jay sharrers.

all haVe more than 1,000

games nhl experience.

No.

of course, you can’t talk to a linesman about the issue of simply dropping the puck instead of throwing players out of the faceoff circle. Cvik is aware so many want to just get the game going, but is adamant about the impor-tance of making it fair.

“you want every player to know they’ll have a fair shake and won’t lose because the other guy is cheating,” Cvik said. “if you let one guy get away with cheating, you lose the respect of the other cen-

Whether it’s breaking up fights or making sure faceoffs are fair,Cvik commands respect around league

a tower of power

By Randy Sportak

Mike Cvik is one NHL official

who can literally look at

Zdeno Chara eye to eye.

At 6-foot-9, linesman Mike Cvik has the size to com-mand respect from nhL players.

“he’s a gentle giant out there,” said Calgary flames center Brendan Morrison. “(Officials) have a difficult job, so it’s best to treat them with respect. if you

treat them with respect, they’ll be respectful towards you. “Mike doesn’t lose his cool. he’s one of those who likes to get

in a conversation and that makes guys more comfortable.”Cvik, with more than 1,500 nhL games, has

earned it in other ways over the years.

such as the night in vancouver when trevor Linden became the Canucks’ all-time leading scorer.

fans were standing to cheer their star player, but there was an edict from the league to drop the puck as soon as possible. Cvik, who officiated Western League games when Linden was with the Medicine hat tigers, decided it was time to fix a “hole” in the ice.

“it was important to let the crowd cheer trevor,” Cvik said. “the crowd cheered trevor for a good two minutes.

“he came over and said thanks.”

ters. i threw Jonathan toews out a few times and finally went over to him in a tv timeout and said, ‘you have to trust i’ll make it fair and stop cheating.’

“he stopped cheating and he won the next four faceoff draws.”

best linesman

On Cvik’s sweater indicates

the season he was hired

88

1. Mike Cvik 19.0%

– Jean Morin 19.0%

– Jay Sharrers 19.0%

4. Shane Heyer 14.3%

5. Pierre Racicot 9.6%

6. Greg Devorski 4.8%

– Scott Driscoll 4.8%

– Andy McElman 4.8%

– Jonny Murray 4.8%

votingresults

80 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Hayley Wickenheiserbest Women’s player

Br

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esAGE 33

born shaunavon, sask.

Ht 5-10 Wt 171

tEAm university of calgary

IntErnAtIonAL StAtS:

GP-41 G-31 A-37 PT-68 PIM-34

Hayley WickenHeiser

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 81

best women’s playerHayley wickenheiser

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meghan agostateam canada

2the mercyhurst college

grad was mVP of the

2010 olymPics women’s

tournament in Vancou-

Ver, leading canada with

nine goals and 15 Points

in fiVe games.

No.

enheiser’s former teammate, Cassie Campbell-Pascall. “she’s by far the most consis-tent player i’ve ever played with. We’ve maybe had someone with better skills, like a Danielle goyette, or someone who’s a better goal-scorer, like Jayna hefford. but i think hayley is the complete package. And she just does it year-in and year-out.”

one of the game’s greatest leaders herself, Campbell-Pascall often saw Wicken-heiser provide leadership

Wickenheiser has been the face of women’s hockey for almost 20 years. The 2014 Olympics will be her last

all Hail Hayley

By Adam Proteau

Hayley Wickenheiser first

captained Canada to a gold

medal in 1998.

it’s still up for debate whether hayley Wickenheiser is the greatest female hockey player of all-time. but it isn’t debatable she’s the best there is right now, nor that she’s been the best for a very long period.

Wickenheiser, 33, has done as much individually as any-one in the sport – including being named MvP at the 2002 and 2006 olympic games and setting a record in 2010 for career olympic goals (16) – but when you start looking at her lengthy,

phenomenal resume and adding up all the team-based achievements, you get a better sense of her impact.

she has been the most dangerous player on Cana-dian national teams that have

won three olympic gold medals, six world championships and 12 four nations Cups. She first made Team Canada as a 15-year-old and has been dominating at the elite level for 18 years. And even now, after she’s already announced the 2014 sochi games will be her last, Wickenheiser is an integral part of her team’s strategy.

“i think consistency is what sets hayley apart,” said team Canada legend and Wick-

with her actions, not her words.

“she’s not a talker in the room at all,” Campbell-Pascall said. “she’s not the type of player who would speak up in the dressing room and say something. her leadership is on the ice and it’s in her hard work, her work ethic in the gym. she’s someone players look to emulate in terms of her work ethic.”

best women’s Player

Games in various secondary men’s pro leagues in Europe

43

1. Hayley Wickenheiser, Can 38.1%

2. Meghan Agosta, Can 33.3%

3. Marie-Philip Poulin, Can 14.3%

4. Meghan Duggan, USA 4.8%

– Angela Ruggiero, USA 4.8%

– Shannon Szabados, Can 4.8%

votingresults

82 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

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Detroit Red Wingsbest Development oRganization

developmentnashville

2nashville may not have

flashy stars, but the

preds consistantly

develop nhlers, as 16

players on the team,

including ryan suter,

were home drafted.

No.

were 25. the Wings handle player development like Paul Masson handles wine – no prospect is rushed before his time.

in being named the best development organization, the Wings bucked the odds established by a panel of scouts who rank prospects every year in thn’s future Watch. Detroit regularly ranks among the bottom teams, mainly due to the fact it never has high picks in its system. Datsyuk was never a top-50 prospect in future Watch in his development

The secret to a two-decade dynasty: become the gold standard in the NHL for drafting and developing talent

scouting foR success

By Brian Costello

the entry draft is hockey’s great equalizer. teams finishing at the bottom of the standings get first crack at the next wave of incoming talent. Cellar-dwelling regulars of past decades such as Quebec (Colorado), Pittsburgh and Chicago placed low enough long

enough to build championship teams.so why is it the Detroit red Wings are universally recognized

as the organization that best develops talent year after year? the Wings haven’t had a top-10 pick in the draft in 20 years.

Their average first pick in that span has been 41st overall. Yet seven of Detroit’s first picks since 1992 have stanley Cup rings. A team such as Columbus, on the other hand, has had 10 top-10 picks

since 2000 and just one playoff berth (and no wins) to show for it.

that’s the difference between drafting and developing.

the red Wings, with assistant gM Jim nill calling the scouting shots, have selected the likes of Pavel Datsyuk, henrik Zetterberg, Jonathan ericsson, valtteri filppula, Johan franzen and Darren helm with picks in the third round or later. none of them made the jump to regular nhL duty for at least another three seasons of development or until they

years and Zetterberg peaked out at No. 24 in 2002. And of the late-round prospects who do develop later on, few are well known by the scouting community until years after the draft. Prospects either de-velop well under the Wings’ tutelage or it’s the biggest aberration of all-time.

best development team

1. Detroit 42.1%

2. Nashville 18.4%

3. Buffalo 7.9%

– Los Angeles 7.9%

– Washington 7.9%

6. Philadelphia 5.3%

7. Montreal 2.6%

– San Jose 2.6%

– Pittsburgh 2.6%

– New Jersey 2.6%

votingResults

Picks since 1992 who have

played at least 300 games

14

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 83

highest panic thresholdnicklas lidstrom

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chris prongerphiladelphia

2Few deFensemen in the

league are better at

carrying the puck out

oF his own zone and

considering passing

options than the crusty

37-year-old pronger.

No.

swedes aren’t generally known as high-strung. shy? Quiet? introspective? yes. Panic-stricken? not so much. so it’s no surprise a swede leads the list of players with the highest panic threshold.

you also don’t play 20 years in the NHL if you’re a nervous Nelly. And you defi-nitely don’t become a playoff MvP, 10-time first-team all-star, seven-time Norris Trophy

winner and sure-fire, first-ballot hall of famer like nicklas Lidstrom.

Ask any player about the sub-lime blueliner and they’ll wax

poetically about how calm, cool and collected he is, how poised he is with the puck and how he exudes quiet confidence.

When the red Wings broke their 42-year stanley Cup drought in 1997, Lidstrom was central to the cause. he wasn’t an offensive

Nicklas Lidstrom has both a

poker face and the guts of a

burglar in on-ice situations.

force that post-season, but he made arguably the play that ultimately got Detroit over the hump.

the simmering rivalry between Detroit and the Colorado Avalanche that had boiled over a year earlier with the Claude Lemieux-Kris Draper incident was roiling again as the teams met in the Western Conference final a second consecutive year.

it was Lidstrom who, in game 2, saved a tying goal with just a few minutes to play. he swooped in behind goaltender Mike vernon and batted a scott young shot out of and away from a wide-open net. Already down 1-0 in the series, a loss would’ve been hard to overcome. instead the red Wings won that game 4-2 and the series in six.

Plays like that are often overlooked when speaking of Lidstrom’s greatness. yes, he’ll likely finish his career as one of the five highest-scoring blueliners ever, but it’s the angles he plays on defense, the extra second he takes to explore passing out-lets and the escapability he has defending the forecheck that separate him from the rest of the pack.

All of those skills are based on Lidstrom’s innate abil-ity to calmly and rationally survey situations and react in the best way possible: without panicking.

They don’t come any calmer or cooler than Lidstrom. His in-game patience is as renowned as his all-world skills

ice water in his veins

By John Grigg

highest panic threshold

Plus-minus career total

attests to his composed play

429

1. Nicklas Lidstrom, Det 48.6%

2. Chris Pronger, Phi 11.4%

3. Pavel Datsyuk, Det 8.6%

4. Sidney Crosby, Pit 5.7%

– Tim Thomas, Bos 5.7%

6. Ryan Kesler, Van 2.9%

– Zdeno Chara, Bos 2.9%

– Jonathan Toews, Chi 2.9%

– Dan Boyle, SJ 2.9%

– Tomas Kaberle, Car 2.9%

– Patrick Kane, Chi 2.9%

– Drew Doughty, LA 2.9%

votingresults

84 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Dallas StarsbeSt cheerleaDerS

an

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dia

Ice GIrls 19 members

NHl seasoNs 7

left megan

ceNter Kaime

rIGHt meagan

DallaS StarS

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 85

best cheerleadersdallas stars

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chicago blackhawkscheerleaders

2in chicago, they’re called

the blackhawks ice crew.

during tV timeouts, they

clean up loose snow on the

ice. down side is, Very few

men go to concessions dur-

ing these stoppages in play.

No.

back) and that the dancers on the risers are executing their kicks and pirouettes properly. And, everyone’s hair has to be fabulous, of course.

in a state where cheerlead-ing is just behind football in popularity, it’s no surprise Dallas has the top squad in the latter category. “i’ve cheered since i was nine,” said Kaime, a veteran ice girl. “it’s what you do.”

With so much of a talent pool to draw from, getting into the ice girls is competi-

There’s something about cheerleading and Dallas that go together. The Stars’ Ice Girls reinforce that notion

three cheers for dallas

By Ryan Kennedy

Ice Girls such as Robbyn and

Katharina are tested for their

hockey knowledge.

When you want the most accurate answer, you go to an expert. so if you need any proof that Dallas has the best cheerleaders in the nhL, take in this anecdote about Paul bissonnette:

the Phoenix Coyotes enforcer, better known on twitter as ‘biznasty,’ had publicly stated the stars’ ice girls needed to have a calendar, like some of the other cheerleading squads in the nhL. When the Coyotes came to town, the whole

crew signed a picture for their biggest fan, with a message attached: “Dear Paul, thanks for the kind words. but we hope you still lose tonight!”

Fun, flirty – that’s the Ice Girls in a nutshell and in texas, cheerleading is serious busi-ness. the Dallas squad takes pride in the craft and the girls are put through their paces by a co-ordinator with all the right moves on her resume: Wendy Dutton, former cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys and Mavericks. “they have hockey tests,” Dutton said. “i quiz ’em.”

the boss also tapes her crew at regular in-tervals to make sure the girls on the ice have the proper posture while skating (shoulders

tive and the work is hard. ev-ery week during the season, the group has a training session that lasts five or six hours, including classroom time.

the end product is a closely knit unit that has a little bit of southern charm that puts the group over the top. After all, you don’t mess with texas.

best cheerleaders

1. Dallas 26.7%

2. Chicago 20.0%

3. Carolina 16.7%

4. Florida 10.0%

5. Los Angeles 6.7%

– Nashville 6.7%

7. Anaheim 3.3%

– Edmonton 3.3%

– New Jersey 3.3%

– NY Islanders 3.3%

votingresults

86 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Calgary Flamesbest masCot

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youppi!montreal

2the former montreal

expos baseball mascot

was adopted by the

canadiens in 2005 and

has been charming the

habs faithful ever since

with his crazy antics.

No.

by a bone, naturally – and a t-shirt gun.

take the time he became another chapter in the battle of Alberta on a dreary night in January, 2003. the flames had a 4-0 lead with seven minutes remaining and har-vey was offering his sympa-thy to the edmonton oilers.

the oilers didn’t take kindly to the dog leaning on the glass behind them and began spraying him with water. edmonton coach Craig Mactavish had enough

Calgary’s pesky pooch loves to make life miserable for opposing teams, much to the delight of Flames fans

Houndingopponents

By Randy Sportak

Harvey’s guile and goofiness

has earned him the adoration

of Flames fans.

harvey the Hound is the original, the pioneer of nhL mascots. to top it off, he’s still the best. but it was no easy road.

When harvey made his debut at a Calgary flames game in february 1984, it was without fanfare.

“Within 10 seconds, someone told me, ‘go to hell!,’ ” recalled grant Kelba, who created harvey and convinced the flames to give a full-time mascot a shot.

thankfully, everybody persevered and a few years later, harvey the hound — a name Kelba came up with while en route to his debut — had become a staple part of the team. truth is, during some lean

seasons, he was the best part of the flames. nearly 200 dog years later, the hound is going strong, even through the introduction of big screens, ice girls, power rings and ear-splitting music after every whistle.

over the years, harvey has been given ideas by players who can’t help but catch some of his antics during the game. the hound has also found ways to gain attention, well beyond the usual fare of a drum – hit

and grabbed the first part of harvey he could, which happened to be his tongue, pulling it out of the dog’s mouth. Amazingly, the oilers stormed back to make it a 4-3 game and nearly tied it.

good thing they didn’t, because we’re sure harvey would have received the old yeller treatment if the flames lost that game. And the nhL would be without its best and most beloved mascot.

best mascot

1. Cgy (Harvey the Hound) 35.7%

2. Montreal (Youppi!) 17.9%

3. Nashville (Gnash) 14.3%

4. Buffalo (Sabretooth) 7.1%

– San Jose (S.J. Sharkie) 7.1%

6. Atlanta (Thrash) 3.6%

– Chi (Tommy Hawk) 3.6%

– Los Angeles (Bailey) 3.6%

– TB (ThunderBug) 3.6%

– Toronto (Carleton) 3.6%

votingresults

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 87

best intermissionnashville Predators

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montrealintermission

2the habs have always

been fun to watch, but

a combination of lights,

lasers and projections

on the ice make the time

between periods a joy

for fans as well.

No.

arena will go dark and they’ll just play music on the P.A.,” he said. “but it’s really a fes-tive atmosphere at intermis-sion and unique to nashville.”

When there isn’t music playing, nashville fans are treated to some obscure entertainment. the color-ful human slinky moves around, fans take part in sumo wrestling competi-tions and animal mascots called Zooperstars perform a choreographed dance. sometimes, young players

No team serves up intermission fun like the Predators, who have patented ‘Hockeytonk’ entertainment

nashvillenights

By Connie Jensen

Carrie Underwood and a

cabal of country stars have

entertained Preds fans.

smack-dab in the heart of nashville is broadway Av-enue, the home of bridgestone Arena and the nashville Predators. honky-tonks align the street, paying hom-age to where Music City gets its nickname.

With all the musical history, it comes as no surprise the Preds organization wanted to incorporate some boot scoo-tin’ boogie into their 17-minute intermissions. that’s why they put a stage at the Zamboni-end of the arena.

the platform allows for local garage bands to get exposure, but has also housed country stars such as season-ticket holder vince gill, who often plays for

the fans. During the Preds first-ever playoff round win, big names such as Carrie Un-derwood (married to nashville center Mike fisher), big & rich and gretchen Wilson all took to the Wildhorse saloon band stage.

ryan Porth, a season-ticket holder and blogger at smashville 24/7 says the stage is what sets nashville’s intermission apart from the rest of the league. “i’ve been to multiple arenas and during the intermission they’ll just have maybe trivia with the fans, or the

from the nashville youth hockey League take part in drills with gnash, the Preds’ mascot. but the big highlight came this past season.

on feb. 5, rocker Alice Coo-per, a Wings fan while grow-ing up in Michigan, joined gill for a set during a game against Detroit. “everybody was rocking out and really loving it,” Porth said. “no one was really on the concourse. everybody stayed (in their seats) so it was pretty unique and cool to see.”

best intermission

1. Nashville 21.0%

2. Montreal 15.8%

3. Chicago 10.5%

– Los Angeles 10.5%

– Washington 10.5%

– Toronto 10.5%

7. NY Rangers 5.3%

– Calgary 5.3%

– Carolina 5.3%

– Vancouver 5.3%

votingresults

88 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Chicago BlackhawksBest jersey

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best jerseyChicago blackhawks

jerseymontreal

2the montreal canadiens’

bleu, blanc et rouge

jersey uses its classy

color scheme to buoy

one of the most iconic

logos in all of profes-

sional sports.

No.

teams have cribbed ideas from the Chicago sweater. in popular culture, it’s hard to think of national Lampoon’s Christmas vacation without picturing Chevy Chase in his “griswold” blackhawks jersey.

And while nhL glory in Chicago has historically been in short supply, the City of broad shoulders will always have the 1961 squad that ruined a Montreal Canadiens dynasty, plus the youthful 2010 edition that brought the

The brainchild of a ballroom dancer, Chicago’s sophisticated jersey tops some stylish competition

blaCkhawk Crowned

By Ryan Kennedy

The colorful Hawks crest has

spawned many imitations –

the best form of flattery.

in her heyday, irene Castle was a star, a trailblazer and a style icon. And while ballroom dancing made her famous, her most lasting legacy actually came at the other end of the athletic spectrum.

Castle was married to Major frederic McLaughlin in 1926 when he bought a new franchise in the nhL, which he named the Chicago black hawks. the movie starlet and owner’s wife quickly put a stamp on both the team and hockey history

when she designed the squad’s uniform, complete with its iconic indian-head logo.

over the years, the black-hawks (the name was con-densed to one word by former owner bill Wirtz in 1986)

have worn sweaters of red, black and white, with varying stripes and sometimes a circle around the famous logo. but no matter the variation, they’ve always looked good. the Chicago jersey is always a front-runner, if not the winner, when best jersey in hockey comes up and it’s no surprise that imitation has fol-lowed them as a form of flattery.

from the Portland Winterhawks to the Uni-versity of north Dakota fighting sioux, many

stanley Cup back to town 49 years later.

Most notably, in an era when teams with logos and nicknames referencing native Americans have either been changed or publicly shamed as racist, the Chicago black-hawks sweater and logo have been lauded as a respect-ful tribute. for a ballroom dancer, perhaps irene Castle knew what she was doing in the hockey world, after all.

best jersey

1. Chicago 47.5%

2. Montreal 20.0%

3. Boston 7.5%

4. San Jose 5.0%

– Detroit 5.0%

6. Toronto 2.5%

– NY Rangers 2.5%

– Philadelphia 2.5%

– Nashville 2.5%

– Colorado 2.5%

– Calgary 2.5%

votingresults

90 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Chicago BlackhawksBest Business savvy

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NHL seasoNs 85

Cups 3

years betweeN Cups 49

Left bobby huLL

CeNter Denis savarD

rigHt stan Mikita

BlaCkhawks

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 91

best business savvyChicago blackhawks

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detroitbusiness of hockey

2no longer the ‘dead

things’ they were once

known as, the red wings

are money in the bank

both on the ice and off,

making them one of the

most popular nhl teams.

No.

games started appearing on local television. former Chicago Cubs president John McDonough was hired to fast-track the hawks’ mar-keting philosophies. young talent secured through high draft picks turned fortunes around on the ice and before too long attendance ramped up and the blackhawks were making friends again.

even the legends were welcomed back.

“it’s great to be part of the family again,” said hall

Chicago’s new-look organization didn’t take long to get back in the city’s good graces

from blaCk to gold

By Brian Costello

Rocky Wirtz turned around

his late father’s franchise and

Chicago has thanked him.

had The Hockey News turned a morbid cheek a de-cade ago and put out a special magazine called the Worst of everything in hockey, the Chicago black-hawks would have been a fairly prominent team. not only were the hawks dreadful on the ice earlier

this century, they were being run by a dinosaur owner, bill Wirtz, who didn’t believe in spending money to make money.

‘Dollar bill’ served as team president for more than four decades and had a reputation for being a hall of fame tightwad. he wouldn’t allow Chicago home games to be shown on tv unless they were picked up by a national broadcaster. Wirtz also burned

bridges with former blackhawks greats, who invariably left Chicago with sour tastes in their mouths. blackhawks fans blamed Wirtz for a stanley Cup drought that was approach-ing a half-century.

All that began to change when Wirtz’s son rocky took over running the franchise (bill Wirtz passed away sept. 26, 2007). it wasn’t long before he altered some of the business strategies his father stubbornly maintained.

of famer bobby hull. “there were a lot of years when i was not welcome here and i have rocky Wirtz to thank for making amends. it’s great being back with the fans and to see guys like stan Mikita and tony esposito welcomed back as well.”

Chicago, which ended its Cup drought at 49 years in 2010, was voted the team with the best business savvy in the nhL. it could be be-cause the franchise has risen from deep, dark depths.

best business savvy

1. Chicago 21.2%

2. Detroit 15.2%

3. Washington 12.1%

4. Tampa Bay 9.1%

– Toronto 9.1%

6. Montreal 6.1%

– Pittsburgh 6.1%

– Vancouver 6.1%

9. San Jose 3.0%

– Los Angeles 3.0%

– Boston 3.0%

– Minnesota 3.0%

– Philadelphia 3.0%

votingresults

92 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

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Mike EmrickbEst announcing voicE

chris cuthberttsn

2cuthbert’s high-pitched

voice sets him apart

from his peers. his

call of sidney crosby’s

‘golden goal’ at the 2010

olympics will go down

as one of the best ever.

No.

and hope that would at least get you to progress ahead.”

even with all the accolades that have come emrick’s way, peers say he has not changed. Analyst Darren Pang praises emrick’s level of preparation, but likes this even more: “he treats everybody in the game with such great respect. he has such great integrity as a person.”

At the core of emrick’s pro-fessionalism is the mantra of doing the right thing. Unable to work the 2009 Winter

Long-time voice of the Devilswas honed through perseverance,preparation and professionalism

listEn to thE ‘doc’

By Jim Gintonio

Mike Emrick has graced the

airwaves with his calls for

more than 40 years.

the old Toledo Sports Arena, a since-demolished 5,230-seat riverfront arena in ohio, always will hold a special meaning for Mike ‘Doc’ emrick. he used that venue as a springboard for a hockey broadcasting career that is almost entering its fifth decade.

emrick was recognized for his body of work later this year by being inducted into the United states hockey hall of fame. but back in 1973, while calling his first professional game for Port

huron of the now-defunct international League against the toledo hornets, he never saw any of that coming. All he wanted was a chance to prove himself, half-jokingly saying both he and the players in the league

were two phone calls away from the nhL.“not only did our players have pretty

distant hopes of ever making it, i think i did, too,” said emrick, who announced this summer that he’s leaving as voice of the new Jersey Devils to work exclusively for nbC. “but what i was encouraged to do all along, not only by my parents, but the people i worked with, was just to keep working and keep following true with your work every day

Classic due to illness, he left all his game notes for his replacement, Dave strader.

“i still have them,” strader said. “the hotel told me i had an envelope at the front desk and it was Doc’s personal research, with a little note basically saying, ‘thanks for doing this.’ here he is, thank-ing me, like who wouldn’t step in given that opportu-nity?”

best announcing voice

1. Mike Emrick 33.3%

2. Chris Cuthbert 13.9%

– Jim Hughson 13.9%

4. Bob Cole 11.1%

5. Rick Jeanneret 5.6%

– Budd Lynch 5.6%

7. Pat Foley 2.8%

– John Shorthouse 2.8%

– Chuck Kaiton 2.8%

– John Forslund 2.8%

– Jim Martin 2.8%

– Lou Nolan 2.8%

votingrEsults

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 93

best broadcast tandem

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2from jim hughson’s

straightforward, gim-

mickless play calling to

craig simpson’s astute

analysis, the hockey

night in canada tandem

are two of the best.

No.

regular viewers of Dallas stars games have gotten used to the esoteric references, graduate-school vo-cabulary, original catchphrases and general tongue-twisting of tv analyst Daryl reaugh who, along with long-time play-by-play partner ralph strangis,

turns ordinary nhL games into three-hour examinations of life, liberty and the pursuit of hockey.

reaugh is known as ‘razor’ for his last name and not his sharp wit (though either would work). Like most former goal-

ies – reaugh played 27 games for the edmonton oilers and hartford Whalers – special attention is paid to the position, with his most famous phrase used for the most dramatic saves:

“Larceny!” regular viewers collect “ra-zorisms,” the off-hand nuggets he tosses in during a broadcast. An example: “it’s prison rules down there at ice level.”

together, the duo is awfully good at calling a hockey game – something stars fans have appreciated for years, to the point where the tv broadcast is simulcast on radio not by necessity but by popular demand.

hockey fans around the world have known reaugh from the years he contributed the color commentary to eA sports’ series of nhL

games – including razorisms such as “sergei Zubov can pass to a teacup” and “i only hope the second period is as good as the first” – alongside Jim hughson.

strangis sometimes joins Reaugh on his flights of fancy, but typically plays the straight man. he had the call when brett hull netted the stanley Cup winner for the stars in 1999: “hull scores! yes! yes! yes!”

strangis started out as the analyst on Minnesota north stars games, moved south with the franchise and became the play-by-play man in 1993. reaugh joined him from the hartford Whalers in 1996, and the rest, as reaugh might say, is “mastodonic.”

Dallas’ dynamic duo turns theordinary into the extraordinary forviewers and listeners of the Stars

ralph ‘n’ razor

By Luke DeCock

best broadcast tandem

Seasons Strangis and Reaugh have been the Stars’

broadcast team

15

1. Strangis/Reaugh 17.9%

2. Hughson/Simpson 10.7%

– Rosen/Micheletti 10.7%

4. Miller/Ferraro 7.1%

– Weber/Crisp 7.1%

– Edwards/Brickley 7.1%

7. Emrick/Resch 3.6%

– Cole/Neale 3.6%

– Jeanneret/Neale 3.6%

– Mishkin/Esposito 3.6%

– Foley/Olczyk 3.6%

– Hahn/Remenda 3.6%

– Kelly/Pang 3.6%

– Kerber/Chase 3.6%

– Lange/Bourque 3.6%

– Maher/Rogers 3.6%

– Miller/Fox 3.6%

votingresults

DaRyL REaugH &RaLPH StRaNgiS

94 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

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Hershey BearsBest aHl team

seasons 73

Reg. season titles 8

caldeR cups 11

lost in final 11

playoff gaMes 556

avg. att. ’10-11 9,800

HersHey Bears

bRyan helMeR &gReg aMadio

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best ahl teamhershey bears

chicago wolvesamerican league

2Despite having the nhl

Blackhawks in town,

the wolves Draw nearly

8,000 a game. in 10 years,

they’ve never haD a

losing season, winning

two calDer cups.

No.

wonderful, veritable museum for any visitor.

While playing in the AhL doesn’t guarantee a spot in the big league, many nhLers have called themselves a bear, including ron hextall and vinny Prospal, plus a host of current Washington Capitals.

some players who went on to hockey success beyond the AhL have retired in the her-shey area and it’s no wonder. thanks largely to its main corporate benefactor, it’s a

For many aspiring NHLers, there aren’t any better places to play on the way up to the big time

hershey’s Kiss

By Adrian Dater

Bears defender John Carlson,

center, is now a go-to man on

the Washington blueline.

hershey, Pa., is best known for a certain confection. but it also has a rich hockey history and tourists shouldn’t feel obliged just to visit the iconic choco-late factory for a fun day out.

the hershey bears are the American League’s longest-running franchise, joining in 1938 after first being known as the hershey b’ars of the tri-state League in 1932.

A total of 2,280 regular season and playoff games were hosted by the bears at hersheypark Arena from 1936-2002. in

1962, the building also hosted Wilt Chamberlain’s nbA record 100-point game, but much more hockey was played in the old barn – replaced in 2002 by the current giant Center.

in 2010, the bears won their 11th Calder Cup, most of any AhL team. the following season, the bears led the league in attendance (392,005). not many AhL rinks were built on a $65 million budget, but that was the case with the 10,500-seat giant Center. it’s a nicer building than a handful of nhL arenas.

but hersheypark Arena is still standing – it’s the practice facility for the bears and is a

clean, family-friendly area with gentle rolling hills and scenic vistas. the hershey Lodge is a wonderful, old-school motor inn and is the place to stay.

yes, the air does in fact smell like chocolate in large parts of the city. What, is that a problem?

Best ahl team

Games played by franchise leader Mike Nykoluk

972

1. Hershey Bears 56.3%

2. Chicago Wolves 12.6%

3. Binghamton Senators 9.4%

4. Manchester Monarchs 6.3%

– Portland Pirates 6.3%

6. Hamilton Bulldogs 3.1%

– Houston Aeros 3.1%

– W-B/Scranton Penguins 3.1%

votingresults

96 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Calgary Red Milebest CelebRation zone

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Calgary’s red hot playoff run, coupled with the smokin’ locals, prove the Red Mile is No. 1

sizzling stRetCh

By Brian Costello

Combine a large number of fans packed onto pedestrian-only streets, great weather, cold beverages, a fa-vorite team trying to achieve hockey history, some girls gone wild, and

what do you get? hockey’s best-ever celebra-tion zone.

fans who experienced the Calgary flames run to the 2004 Stanley Cup final got to wit-

ness these shenanigans every night on the red Mile.

the red Mile rose to promi-nence in the spring of 2004. Located near the heart of

downtown Calgary, it extended eight blocks on 17th Avenue sW, where there are a number of restaurants, bars and patios. on game nights, the bars were buzzing and as the flames continued to advance, they got more difficult to get into.

“The first round, the bars were busy, but not packed,” said glen scott, co-owner of bob the fish, a popular watering hole that anchors one end of the red Mile. “by the second round, you had to reserve a table before games and after a win you’d have trouble getting in.”

by the third round, all the establishments were packed, so happy fans just strolled the red Mile. by that time, police had shut down 17th Ave., to motorists, making it a pedestrian-only strip before and after games. if that wasn’t an invitation to come by and celebrate, nothing was. good ol’ Western hospitality.

by the fourth round, the hockey world found out about it. tens of thousands of fans hung out – some literally – in the celebration zone on game days. it was a sea of red and the atmo-sphere was incredible. talk about, er, exposure.

“During one game early in the playoffs that year,” scott said, “i was at a bar in the saddledome when this gorgeous girl at a table next to us just lifted her top. i think she was cel-ebrating a goal. then before you know it, they’re doing it on the street.”

the red Mile gained popularity when some females upped the ante, lifting their tops when the flames scored. Calgary’s success turned into Mardi gras. it was paradise for male fans. they could get away with cheap lines like “shirts off for Kiprusoff” as

a tribute to their star goalie. in short order, the website flamesgirls.com – which no longer exists – was getting millions of hits across the world.

it was said Calgary’s run to within one win of the stanley Cup in 2004 turned the city Cup crazy. Literally. b and C cups mostly, but A, D and e cups were welcome as well.

the flames lost to tampa bay in seven games and haven’t won a playoff series since. but there isn’t an adult male hockey fan who doesn’t know about the red Mile.

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 97

best celebration zonecalgary red Mile

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rue ste-catherinemontreal

2the meeting place for hockey’s

most passionate fans, along

with their spirit of choice,

after playoff wins – and there

have been plenty. former mayor

Jean drapeau deemed it “the

usual route” for cup parades.

No.

At its peak, 50,000 people

turned Calgary’s Red Mile

into pedestrian gridlock.

best celebration zone

1. Calgary 50.0%

2. Montreal 14.3%

– Pittsburgh 14.3%

4. Tampa Bay 7.1%

– Carolina 7.1%

– Buffalo 7.1%

votingresults

Playoff series wins since the Flames lost to Tampa in the 2004 final. Calgary’s lost in

the first round four times and missed the playoffs twice

0

98 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

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nassau coliseumn.y. islanders

2it may be one of the

most disdained arenas

in the league right now,

but at least isles media

can delight in a nice

view of the game at old-

school nassau.

No.

tion to the main press box where television and radio stations broadcast new york rangers games, newspaper beat writers got their own quarters low in a corner.

talk about a different view. nothing beat being up close and personal with the action at your end. you could almost feel the hits.

the view wasn’t the only thing different, either. At the garden, the writers became part of the crowd. you clearly heard the insults thrown out

Covering a Rangers game got you up close and personal – especially with the Blueshirts’ rowdy faithful

new York’S Super bowl

By Guy Curtright

Writers become part of the

crowd at Rangers games; that

has its pros and cons.

With the opening of each new arena, the press box seemed to be pushed higher and higher. Players almost became specks and the puck was nearly invisible.

It became difficult to say which was the worst press box for viewing a game. in ottawa, you seemed to be the farthest from the ice, but maybe it was just an optical illusion. Whether in Dallas, st. Louis, Chicago, Philadelphia or

Washington, it was like you were peering down from a low-flying airplane.

because of that, you didn’t mind being in the middle of new Jersey swampland when you covered a Devils game. the

view outside may not have been much, but the view from the arena’s lower press box made up for it.

in the Meadowlands, you were at the top of the lower bowl and perfectly situated between the bluelines. What a great place to cover a hockey game. then the Devils moved to newark. Up to the rafters the media went.

that left Madison square garden with the best and most unique viewing spot. in addi-

at players. sometimes you were insulted yourself.

As a visiting writer, i once tried to come to the aid of a beleaguered goalie for the expansion Atlanta thrashers, but the young boy heckling netminder norm Maracle would have none of it. “your writing sucks, too,” he yelled back at me in his new york accent.

now Msg is undergoing a major renovation. times change. not always for the better.

best vantage point

1. MSG, NYR 56.5%

2. Nassau, NYI 13.0%

3. Pengrowth, Cgy 8.7%

4. AA Center, Dal 4.3%

– Rexall Place, Edm 4.3%

– Bell Centre, Mtl 4.3%

– HP Pavilion, SJ 4.3%

– Xcel Energy, Min 4.3%

votinGreSultS

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best public relations departmentsan Jose sharks

pr departmentchicago

2as the team’s fortunes

changed on the ice, so

did the attention paid

and the requests made.

Brandon faBer, adam

rogowin and paul Ken-

nedy do a Bang-up joB.

No.

in an era when media are arriving at the rink in many new forms, the san Jose sharks’ media relations depart-ment has developed a reputation of being accommodating and supportive to those covering the nhL from out of

town and in the bay Area.“it’s a lot easier to try to be helpful and

nice than it is to shut people out,” said san Jose’s director of media relations scott em-mert. “We’re trying to sell the team, sell our players. it’s not rocket science what we do. it’s

more having the willingness to cooperate and foster a good relationship.”

the sharks’ staff, which includes assistants tom holy and ryan stenn, won the Dick Dill-

Joe Thornton is a popular

man and his gatekeepers

make sure he’s comfortable.

man Award four consecutive years from 2007-2010 and was a finalist last season. The honor, which is presented by the Professional hockey Writers Association, recog-nizes “fairness, cooperation, efficiency, accuracy and a willingness to help facilitate interviews.”

in a market that also en-compasses san francisco and oakland, accounting for as many as 300 media creden-tials per season, it can be difficult fulfilling everyone’s requests.

“the media sometimes think you’re not doing enough by them…the hockey staff may think you’re doing too much,” emmert said. “We’ve joked about it. Unless one of those sides is mad at you, you probably aren’t do-ing your job.”

During the season, game days can be very long. em-mert and his staff can work as many as 16 hours a day in and around hP Pavilion. And since the sharks are always playoff contenders, the year’s never too short, either.

but as emmert says, “We’re very lucky to be able to do what we do. it’s nice that people recognize us and we hope we’ll continue to be able to earn that respect. the game is about the players and we’re just the support staff behind the scenes. but at the same time, we do take our job very seriously.”

San Jose’s public relations department juggles a lot of responsibility and does so with the utmost professionalism

public perception

By Jeremy Rutherford

Best pr department

Games averaged by Sharks in past four years, including playoffs. That’s a lot of inter-views to arrange and game

notes to print out

94

1. San Jose 26.3%

2. Chicago 15.8%

3. Washington 10.5%

– Boston 10.5%

5. Philadelphia 7.9%

6. Carolina 5.3%

– Minnesota 5.3%

– Anaheim 5.3%

– Atlanta 5.3%

10. Nashville 2.6%

– Phoenix 2.6%

– Calgary 2.6%

votingresults

100 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Henrik Lundqvistbest dressed

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t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 101

best dressedHenrik Lundqvist

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sean averyn.y. rangers

2avery is no stranger to

the fashion world: in

2009 he partnered with

design house common-

wealth utilities and is

friends with designer

icon vera wang.

No.

Last December, a day after Forbes magazine had named henrik Lundqvist and sean Avery as two of the 15 best-dressed athletes in professional sports, the rang-ers goaltender and left winger were sitting together in the visitors’ dressing room in

ottawa. someone asked about the survey and their fashion preferences.

“i’d say my style is more european – boots, tight-fitting jeans and shirts. your look is good, but more classic,” Lundqvist told Avery, who disagreed and opened a debate on designers. not your basic post-morning skate stuff,

where t-shirts and sneakers are the domi-nant attire.

Avery, who interned for Vogue magazine one summer, is more of a fashionista than the 29-year-old Lundqvist that once appeared at

Henrik Lundqvist likes to

show up at photo shoots with

his own wardrobe.

a hugo boss show in berlin. but the taller Lundqvist – whether strolling down the corridor in a dark suit and thin tie or his preferred open-collared white shirts, or a sweater draped just-so – exudes a casual, effortless elegance. that’s one of the reasons Lundqvist, who was married in early August to long-time girlfriend therese Andersson, was named the best-dressed nhL player in thn’s best of everything poll.

in new york, you’ll often find Lundqvist sporting tiger of sweden, a clothing line, and shopping at reiss, a branch of the London-headquartered store on West broadway in soho, not far from where he and Avery are partners in a bistro called tiny’s.

Lundqvist’s international flair was evident during a television interview last season, when he wore tiger jeans, a reindeer jacket from swedish brand stephen f., a shirt by Atlas Design, suede boots from J. bloom and Prada sunglasses.

“i’ve tried to get the guys to dress better,” Lundqvist said. “i’m getting there. i don’t think it has to be a certain style. it’s about feel-ing comfortable and being self-confident about how you dress and look. i think if you look good, you feel good and you play better.”

As the brightest star on Broadway, ‘King Henrik’ has the clothes to go with his place among Manhattan royalty

tHe royaL wardrobe

By Steve Zipay

best dressed

Most Beautiful People in the

World – People magazine’s

famous list, which Lundqvist

made back in 2006

100

1. Henrik Lundqvist, NYR 48.1%

2. Sean Avery, NYR 7.4%

3. Steven Stamkos, TB 3.7%

– Alex Ovechkin, Wsh 3.7%

– Ilya Kovalchuk, NJ 3.7%

– Henrik Zetterberg, Det 3.7%

– Dustin Byfuglien, Wpg 3.7%

– Maxime Talbot, Phi 3.7%

– Ryan Getzlaf, Ana 3.7%

– Patrick Sharp, Chi 3.7%

– Brent Burns, SJ 3.7%

– Brian Gionta, Mtl 3.7%

– Mike Modano, retired 3.7%

– Marc Savard, Bos 3.7%

votingresuLts

102 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Montrealbest arena food

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air canada centertoronto

2the acc has something

for everyone: Patrons

have more eclectic

oPtions like sushi and

red wine in addition

to gourmet twists on

standard arena fare.

No.

Montreal’s epicurean de-light begins with the bun.

“first off, it’s cut on the top, unlike most in the U.s.,” Williamson said. “they put butter or margarine on it and they throw it on the griddle, but it’s not greasy, it’s flavor-ful. they’re incredibly fast serving them to you, too. I was able to eat four and not miss much of the action.

“I never ask what goes into the meat of a hot dog be-cause i probably don’t want

The home of the poutine is also the home of the best arena food in the NHL: Montreal offers a culinary treat

la cuisine Magnifique

By Mike Wyman

The Bell Centre menu passes

the taste test for those with

more discerning palates.

Comparing rink food is not an easy task. Menus vary widely from one locale to another, with offerings spanning the gap between fast food and fine dining. bring regional specialities into the mix and the job gets even tougher.

But there is one staple that is available throughout the NHL, that lowest common denominator of arenas from tampa to Tuktoyaktuk, the oft-maligned but nonetheless overwhelmingly

popular hot dog.And the best of the bunch

is the chien chaud at the bell Centre in Montreal. At least that’s what Steve Williamson

claims. And he ought to know. in the fall of 2007, the florida resident spent a month on the road, hitting all 30 NHL barns in as many days. He exhausted his vacation time and frequent-flyer points, but he managed to find the frankfurter counter in all but one rink.

“I had fish tacos in Anaheim,” Williamson said. “but i made up for it last year. i was in L.A. and went to a Ducks game and had that 30th hot dog.”

to know. i tried one with ketchup, one with mustard, one just plain and one with everything on it.

“i know it sounds old school, but for that particu-lar hot dog, i think ketchup worked best.”

Does Williamson often chow down on dogs away from the arena?

“At home? no way. i don’t think I even know how to make a hot dog. that’s some-one else’s job.”

best arena food

1. Montreal 40.0%

2. Toronto 10.0%

3. Chicago 5.0%

– NY Rangers 5.0%

– Carolina 5.0%

– Dallas 5.0%

– San Jose 5.0%

– Tampa Bay 5.0%

– Pittsburgh 5.0%

– Philadelphia 5.0%

– Buffalo 5.0%

– Phoenix 5.0%

votingresults

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 103

best neighborhoodnashville

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neighborhoodmontreal

2the nhl’s winningest

team has given fans a

lot of reasons to cel-

ebrate over the years.

during the playoffs, it’s

a pure party atmosphere

around the bell centre.

No.

Heaven,’ is part outfitter and part nightclub. other at-tractions include The Stage and The Second Fiddle, not to mention restaurants and bars to satisfy any craving of mind, body and soul – all within four or five blocks of the arena’s main entrance.

virtually everyone who exits Bridgestone following a Predators game quickly gets drawn inside a nearby venue by the music, the sounds of merriment, the lure of a cold beverage, the possibility to

Hot food, cold drinks and tons of live music: Downtown Nashville has the NHL’s best post-game entertainment

the music city mile

By David Boclair

Music City isn’t a traditional

hockey market, but fans there

sure party like it is.

bridgestone Arena is a major league venue, one that attracts (among other things) concerts by the big-gest names in the music industry on days when the Nashville Predators are on the road or simply have the night off.

right across the street are the minor leagues.The honky-tonks of lower Broadway are the proving grounds

in Music City, UsA, the places where aspiring artists hone their craft and attempt to attract attention. there are a dozen clubs or more within four blocks of the arena

where live music plays prior to faceoffs, after faceoffs, well into the night and first thing the next morning.

The centerpiece of it all is Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, where some of the biggest names in country music history drank between sets on the Grand Ole Opry in the days when the ven-erable radio show took place at the Ryman Auditorium, just across the back alley.

Next door is Legend’s Corner, a modern take on the traditional dive bar. Robert’s Western World, which dubs itself ‘Hillybilly

witness music’s next best thing, or all of the above.

It is, all at once, ground zero for the city’s tourism industry and square one for those who hope to make it in the music business.

That combination makes it the best surrounding neigh-borhood for any of the NHL’s 30 arenas.

best neighborhood

1. Nashville 34.4%

2. Montreal 18.8%

3. NY Rangers 12.6%

4. Los Angeles 9.4%

– Boston 9.4%

– Columbus 9.4%

7. Washington 6.3%

votingresults

104 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

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Slap ShotbeSt hockey movie

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best hockey movieslap shot

miraclemovie

2Kurt russell embodies the

spirit of legendary team

usa olympic coach herb

brooKs in this feel-good

story of a bunch of college

Kids who shocKed the world.

No.

their season around – and in turn, get chased around from town to town by a busload of ever-partying, diehard fans.

you see joy in the gleeful way Chiefs gM Joe Mcgrath (played by another movie icon, strother Martin) de-scribes the penalty box, er, antics of a player he coached in omaha in 1948.

even co-lead character (and newman’s foil) ned braden – a ‘Debbie Downer’ wet blanket of a character – eventually sees the light

Hockey’s greatest movie provided a peak into a previously unknown world and unforgettable characters

the gang’sall here

By Adam Proteau

Paul Newman played the role

of player-coach Reggie Dun-

lop in the 1977 cult classic.

year after year, hollywood churns out a handful of hockey movies. And year after year, they disappear into ignominy. The Love Guru, anyone? Most Valuable Primate? how about Score: A Hockey Musical? (i’ll wait for you to throw up before i continue.)

there is, however, one hockey movie that will be remembered for the rest of time as the film that best captured the history and spirit of the sport at the professional level. that movie is, of course, Slap Shot.

it isn’t just the spot-on hockey scenes that make Slap Shot the ideal hockey film. It also isn’t defined by its super-salty language (that any elite player will tell you accurately reflects the professional game) or by letter-perfect casting (including the immortal Paul newman starring as player/coach reg Dunlop). nor does the most original ending to a climactic hockey game in cinematic history set it apart from all the rest.

What makes Slap Shot the quintessential hockey film is simple: the sheer joy coursing through the body of the movie.

you see it in the scenes where newman’s sad-sack Charlestown Chiefs have turned

during his final game, with the famous striptease.

When nhLers retire, the word they inevitably refer-ence when describing what they’ll miss the most is the “camaraderie” of the dressing room. that’s the heartbeat of Slap Shot. it is an exercise in camaraderie, a chemistry experiment gone hilariously right. you know you want to put down your race car track and stinkin’ root beer and watch the perfect hockey movie again.

best hocKey movie

1. Slap Shot 57.5%

2. Miracle 22.5%

3. Les Chiefs 5.0%

– Mystery, Alaska 5.0%

5. Net Worth 2.5%

– A Sept. to Remember 2.5%

– The Rocket 2.5%

– Youngblood 2.5%

votingresults

106 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

The Hockey Song By Stompin’ Tom ConnorsBeST HoCkey Song

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born saint john, n.b.

first rEcord 1967

Albums 20

junos won 6

ordEr of cAnAdA 1996

Tom ConnorS

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 107

best hockey songthe hockey song by stompin’ tom connors

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big leagueby tom cochrane

2the canadian rocker’s

1988 hit is the anthem of

hockey parents every-

where who dream what

he screams: ‘my boy’s

gonna play in the big

league.’

No.

the Hockey Song will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2013. here’s hoping it lives on forever.

While the Hockey Night in Canada theme that was snapped up by tsn from the CbC is considered by many to be the

anthem for the greatest game on ice, it’s the stompin’ tom Connors hit written in 1973 that still resonates.

in fact, these days it’s played in every arena in the league, but that wasn’t always the case and stompin’ tom can thank the ot-tawa senators for the fact his hit was chosen as the most popular

hockey tune by a panel of writers.While Connors is off in seclusion writing

a new album with no cellphone or email, the saint John, n.b. native – who has put out

Stompin’ Tom’s anthem has

been played at Senators

games since 1992-93.

more than 20 albums in his career – will be thrilled to learn the popularity of the song is still going strong.

After returning to the nhL in 1992-93, the senators dusted off The Hockey Song and started playing it at the Civic Centre. no, it wasn’t done to get the crowd riled up, but it did get them sing-ing along and it’s tough to get people off their hands in ot-tawa. the Maple Leafs soon followed suit in toronto.

“it didn’t take off overnight either,” Connors said in a 2008 interview. “i didn’t even know the senators were play-ing it…i hadn’t even heard it watching the games. People were telling me ‘they’re play-ing your hockey song (in ot-tawa).’ that’s how i got wind of it. it became a sleeper and what i mean by that is radio didn’t care to know anything about it.

“they still don’t play it.”the song has since become

a national symbol – eA sports has used the anthem to market their nhL video games and when late-night host Conan o’brien brought his show to toronto, Connors was invited to sing on-air.

the senators still use the song at scotiabank Place.

“it’s a song where people either start stomping their feet or clapping their hands,” said glen gower, the senators director of game entertain-ment.

The best song you can name? It’s the good ol’ hockey song – Stompin’ Tom’s 1973 tune is still going strong

the hockey Anthem

By Bruce Garrioch

best hockey song

1. The Hockey Song 34.2% Stompin’ Tom Connors

2. Big League 7.9% Tom Cochrane

– Brass Bonanza 7.9% Jack Say

– Chelsea Dagger 7.9% The Fratellis

5. Right Back Where… 5.3% Maxine Nightingale

– Here Come the Hawks 5.3% Dick Marx Orchestra

– Fifty-Mission Cap 5.3% The Tragically Hip

8. Get Ready for This 2.6% 2 Unlimited

– Goalie 2.6% Atom & His Package

– God Bless America 2.6% Smith/Hart

– Hockey Paradise 2.6% Seven Williams

– I Make Dough, You Get Glory 2.6% Kathleen Edwards

– Little Bit South of Saskatoon 2.6% Sonny James

– O Canada 2.6% Calixa Lavalee

– Pretenders 2.6% Foo Fighters

– Saturday Night 2.6% Nickelback

– Zamboni Song 2.6% Martin Zeller

votingresults

108 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

anaheim ducks Greatest Team ever

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Team facTs

debut season

1993-94 (33-46-5)

games +/- .500

-47

playoff record

55-43playoff streak

4 yrs(2006-2009)

1. randy carlyle * 266 2. ron wilson 120 3. craig hartsburg 80 4. mike babcock 69 5. pierre page 26 6. bryan murray 24 7. guy charron 14

stanleycups

top coaching wins

1

for a Ducks team already featuring future hall of famers scott nieder-mayer and teemu selanne, the trade that brought Chris Pronger from edmonton instantly made Anaheim

a stanley Cup favorite. “i think at the begin-ning of the season we felt we had the team to go all the way,” said goaltender Jean-sebastien giguere. “that was our year to do it. We went to the conference final the year before with-out expectation and we improved our team that summer.”

Anaheim stormed out of the gates, drop-ping just two games in regulation in its first 25 contests. not only did the Ducks have skill, but headlined by the surly, 6-foot-6 Pronger, they were nasty. enforcers george Parros and shawn thornton, plus the hard-nosed travis Moen racked up 39 fights during the regular season. to add to the fray, gM brian burke picked up an old favorite of his in brad May, who was acquired in late february for an extra dash of leadership and pugilism. “We

were a heavily penalized team,” said center ryan getzlaf.

no kidding. in 21 playoff games, the rug-ged Ducks were shorthanded an incredible 121 times, but thanks to a penalty kill led by defensive wizards sammy Pahlsson and rob niedermayer – who along with Moen formed a devastating shutdown line throughout the run – Anaheim managed to stay alive with an 86.8 percent kill rate and even netted two shorthanded goals along the way.

Anaheim steamrolled through the com-petition, losing just five games en route to capturing its first Stanley Cup, including a 4-1 series shellacking of the ottawa senators in the final. “We played hard, no matter what situation we were in,” getzlaf said. “Up in the game, down in the game, it didn’t matter – we were a confident group.”

Captain niedermayer passed the Cup to his brother Rob in a fitting tribute to the team’s defensive capabilities, while selanne got his first title in his 14th NHL season.

From fists and fist-pumps to black eyes and Stanley’s silver, Anaheim’s best were rough, tough and ultra-skilled

RuGGed RinGs

anaheim Ducks | 2006-07

Rob and scott niedermayer were shutdown siblings for the champion Ducks.

most points 110 (2006-07)

most wins 48 (2006-07)

most losses 46 (1993-94)

most goals 258 (2006-07)

win streak 7 (1998-99)

losing streak 8 (twice)

shutouts 9 (2002-03)

captains 8

coaches 7

gms 6

teamrecords

Years the team was known

as the Mighty Ducks of

Anaheim. The name was

adjusted prior to 2006-07

13

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 109

anaheim ducksall-Time Team

2007-11

bobbyryan

1994-04

steverucchin

2005-11

coreyperry

’94-96, ’99-02

olegtverdovsky

1996-06

ruslansalei

1993-01

guyhebert

all-Time second Team

best

player

ever

’95-01, 05-11

gp 774

g 410

a 461

pts 871

pim 381

the ‘finnish flash’ has had two brilliant stints with anaheim,

including his 48-goal stanley cup season in 2006-07.

Anaheim’s first-ever draft pick had blazing speed and a dynamic scoring touch.

Big, strong and a whole lot of nasty, pronger was the missing piece needed for the 2007 Cup.

Getzlaf has the hands to score more, but prefers to be one of the league’s best passers.

In net for the 2007 Cup win, but best known for his superhuman, Conn Smythe performance in ’03.

The face of the franchise for five seasons, winning the cup and conn smythe in 2007.

Five playoff appearances in six seasons, including the franchise’s only stanley cup in 2007.

Teemuselanne

right wing

1994-2003

gp 606

g 300

a 369

pts 669

pim 213

2006-09

gp 220

g 36

a 114

pts 150

pim 285

2005-11

gp 430

g 126

a 289

pts 415

pim 417

2000-10

gp 447

w 206

l 163

t/o 59

so 32

2005-10

gp 371

g 60

a 204

pts 264

pim 306

2005-11

gp 492

w 226

l 169

o 57

po 36-26

paulkariya

chrispronger

ryangeTzlaf

J-sgiguere

scoTTniedermayer

randycarlyle

left wing

defense

center

goalie

defense

coach

points 1. teemu selanne * 871

2. paul kariya 669

3. Steve Rucchin 432

4. Ryan Getzlaf * 415

5. corey perry * 369

6. scott niedermayer 264

7. andy Mcdonald 259

8. bobby ryan * 202

9. Matt cullen 200

10. chris kunitz 192

goals 1. teemu selanne * 410

2. paul kariya 300

3. corey perry * 168

4. Steve Rucchin 153

5. Ryan Getzlaf * 126

6. bobby ryan * 105

7. andy Mcdonald 92

8. chris kunitz 81

9. Matt cullen 65

10. Petr Sykora 64

pims 1. Dave Karpa 788

2. ruslan salei 735

3. george parros * 727

4. Jason Marshall 706

5. todd ewen 650

6. stu grimson 583

7. corey perry * 537

8. Ryan Getzlaf * 417

9. Warren rychel 416

10. Vitaly Vishnevsky 403

games played 1. teemu selanne * 774

2. Steve Rucchin 616

3. paul kariya 606

4. ruslan salei 594

5. samuel pahlsson 527

6. corey perry * 450

7. Jean-sebastien giguere 447

8. guy hebert 441

9. Ryan Getzlaf * 430

10. Matt cullen 427

goalie wins 1. Jean-sebastien giguere 206

2. guy hebert 173

3. Jonas hiller * 89

4. Mikhail Shtalenkov 34

5. Ilya Bryzgalov 26

6. Martin gerber 17

7. dominic roussel 12

8. curtis Mcelhinney 11

9. ron tugnutt 10

10. Steve Shields 9

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

all-Timenumbers

110 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

boston bruins Greatest team Ever

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debut season

1924-25 (6-24-0)

games +/- .500

+527

playoff record

275-287-6playoff streak

29 yrs(1968-96)

2 shore (1926-40) 3 hitchman (1925-34) 4 orr (1966-76) 5 clapper (1927-47) 6 esposito (1967-75) 7 neely (1986-96) 8 bucyk (1957-78)15 schmidt (1936-55)24 o’reilly (1971-85)77 bourque (1979-2000)

1. art ross 361 2. milt schmidt 245 3. don cherry 231 4. gerry cheevers 204 5. claude julien * 179 6. harry sinden 153 7. tom johnson 142 8. brian sutter 120 9. lynn patrick 117 10. terry o’reilly 115

stanleycups

retired numbers

top coaching wins

6

in the beginning of the nhL’s expansion era, the boston bruins captured their second stanley Cup championship in three years in 1971-72.

the starting point was the incompa-rable bobby orr, whose name was well known long before he got to boston. out of the play-offs since 1959, Boston finally had something to look forward to with orr.

the savior arrived in 1966-67 at the age of 18. While he was nearly everything he was supposed to be, orr still wasn’t enough. Coached for the first time by nearly as fresh a face as orr’s – harry sinden, 34 – the bruins finished last in the NHL despite Orr’s Calder trophy, second all-star season.

fortunately, a critical link to boston’s long-ago golden era was still in place.

Hall of Famer Milt Schmidt had just fin-ished his second stint coaching the talent-challenged bruins in 1965-66 when team president Weston Adams sr. made him gM.

With more talent on the roster and sinden

proving to be savvy bench boss, the ’67-68 Bruins earned the first of an unprecedented 29 consecutive playoff berths.

the ’68-69 squad was an offensive power-house – the first NHL team to top 300 goals.

“however you wanted to play, we could do it,” orr said. “Physical, skilled…i mean, our team was just so good.”

one playoff round in ’68 became two in ’69 and by 1970 Boston wasn’t to be denied.

only the rangers, who edged Montreal for the fourth and final East Division playoff slot, put up a post-season fight. After 29 years, the stanley Cup had returned to boston.

two years later, it was back again, after the highly motivated bruins gutted out a tough, six-game final against the Rangers.

but if anything gnaws at the bruins of that era, it’s that they didn’t win in 1971.

“We basically blew it,” said Dallas Smith, orr’s frequent defense partner. “the next year we knew we had to use our heads a little more.”

The crescendo of an unbelievable streak began in Beantown with the arrival of No. 4

’ 72 rEiGn: orr shinEs

boston bruins | 1971-72

bobby orr brought hope back to boston and two more stanley Cups, too.

most points 121 (1970-71)

most wins 57 (1970-71)

most losses 47 (twice)

most goals 399 (1970-71)

win streak 14 (1929-30)

losing streak 11 (1924-25)

shutouts 15 (1927-28)

captains 18

coaches 28

gms 7

teamrecords

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 111

boston bruinsAll-time team

1935-54

woodydumart

1936-55

miltschmidt

1936-52

bobbybauer

1979-00

raybourque

1927-47

ditclapper

1928-39

tinythompson

All-time second team

1966-76

gp 631

g 264

a 624

pts 888

pim 924

the best defenseman of all-time, orr changed the way the position

was played. he was a magician with the puck.

a respected captain, bucyk was a model of consistency, scoring 20 or more goals 15 times.

the punishing rearguard made opponents have nightmares. he won the hart trophy four times.

esposito sniped 60 or more goals four times and helped boston win two stanley cups.

in his rookie year, brimsek re-corded 10 shutouts and won the calder, vezina and stanley cup.

the quintessential power forward scored 50-plus goals three times before an injury ended his career.

the winningest coach in bruins history was also an innovator, designing the first helmet and net.

bobbyorr

defense

1957-78

gp 1,436

g 545

a 794

pts 1,339

pim 436

1926-40

gp 543

g 103

a 176

pts 279

pim 1,038

1967-75

gp 625

g 459

a 553

pts 1,012

pim 512

1938-49

gp 444

w 230

l 144

t/o 70

so 35

1986-96

gp 525

g 344

a 246

pts 590

pim 921

1924-45

gp 728

w 361

l 277

t/o 90

po 27-33-5

johnbucyk

eddieshore

philesposito

frAnkbrimsek

cAmneely

Artross

left wing

defense

center

goalie

right wing

coach

Points 1. ray bourque 1,506

2. John bucyk 1,339

3. phil esposito 1,012

4. rick middleton 898

5. bobby orr 888

6. wayne cashman 793

7. Ken hodge 674

8. terry o’reilly 606

9. cam neely 590

10. peter mcnab 587

goals 1. John bucyk 545

2. phil esposito 459

3. rick middleton 402

4. ray bourque 395

5. cam neely 344

6. Ken hodge 289

7. wayne cashman 277

8. bobby orr 264

9. peter mcnab 263

10. don marcotte 230

Pims 1. terry o’reilly 2,095

2. mike milbury 1,552

3. Keith crowder 1,261

4. ray bourque 1,087

5. wayne cashman 1,041

6. ted green 1,029

7. eddie shore 1,038

8. fern flaman 1,002

9. lyndon byers 959

10. dallas smith 936

games Played 1. ray bourque 1,518

2. John bucyk 1,436

3. don sweeney 1,052

4. wayne cashman 1,027

5. terry o’reilly 891

6. rick middleton 881

7. don marcotte 868

8. dallas smith 861

9. dit clapper 833

10. p.J. axelsson 797

goalie wins 1. tiny thompson 252

2. frank brimsek 230

3. gerry cheevers 229

4. eddie Johnston 180

5. tim thomas * 161

6. gilles gilbert 155

7. andy moog 136

8. byron dafoe 132

9. Jim henry 93

10. reggie lemelin 92

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

best

Player

ever

All-timenumbers

112 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

buffalo sabres Greatest Team ever

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Team facTs

debut season

1970-71 (24-39-15)

games +/- .500

+271

playoff record

124-132playoff streak

11 yrs(1975-85)

2 tim horton (1972-74)

7 rick martin (1971-81)

11 gilbert perreault (1970-87)

14 rene robert (1971-79)

16 pat lafontaine (1991-96)

18 danny gare (1974-81)

1. lindy ruff * 526 2. scotty bowman 210 3. floyd smith 143 4. john muckler 125 5. ted sator 96 6. rick dudley 85 7. joe crozier 77 8. ted nolan 73 9. marcel pronovost 52 10. roger neilson 39

stanleycups

retired numbers

top coaching wins

0

not only was 1974-75 a breakout season for the buffalo sabres, it was also a coming out party for the franchise’s famed ‘french Connection’ line.

Led by the trio of rene robert, gilbert Perreault and rick Martin, who combined for 291 regular season points (89 more than the season prior), the sabres won 49 games. in the conference final, Buffalo bested the jug-gernaut Montreal Canadiens – who began a run of four straight stanley Cups the next year – and advanced to the final for the first time in franchise history.

Up against the mighty Philadelphia flyers, the Sabres lost the first two games on the road and entered a virtual must-win situation at home in game 3.

but the ‘broad street bullies’ weren’t the only obstacle the sabres had to overcome to secure a victory. Due to unusually hot weather in buffalo, thick fog covered the ice for large portions of the contest. the soup made it

tough for players to see much of anything in front of them on the ice.

“every three or four minutes we’d have to go out and skate around with towels to try and get the fog off,” Martin said in 2010.

nevertheless the game continued and in overtime the ‘french Connection’ connected.

taking a pass from Perreault in the flyers zone, Robert fired a shot through goaltender bernie Parent’s legs, giving the sabres a 5-4 victory and new life in the series. but the celebrations were short-lived. buffalo lost two of the next three games, giving Philadelphia its second straight stanley Cup.

“it was great to get there, but there has to be a winner and a loser and unfortunately we were the loser,” said Martin, who passed away in 2011 at age 59.

it took the sabres 24 years to return to the final (losing on Brett Hull’s skate-in-crease goal for Dallas) and the franchise is still look-ing for its first Stanley Cup, but that 1974-75 team was something special.

A deep fog couldn’t slow down the Sabres’ famous French trio…only the Philadelphia Flyers could

QuiTe a connecTion

buffalo sabres | 1974-75

Gilbert Perreault (No. 11) led buffalo’s most potent trio back in the 1970s.

most points 113 (twice)

most wins 53 (2006-07)

most losses 44 (1986-87)

most goals 354 (1974-75)

win streak 10 (twice)

losing streak 8 (2002-03)

shutouts 13 (twice)

captains 24

coaches 15

gms 6

teamrecords

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 113

buffalo sabresall-Time Team

1991-96

patlafontaine

1982-90

philhousley

1973-87

billhajt

2003-active

ryanmiller

all-Time second Team

best

player

ever

the two-time 50-goal scorer was able to fool goalies with his blistering slapshot and agility.

Whether it was his pad, back, mask, arm or toe, hasek did

whatever it took to stop the puck. his six vezina trophies say it all.

the 2005-06 jack adams recipient is easily the longest tenured coach in the nhl.

1971-81

gp 681

g 382

a 313

pts 695

pim 475

1992-01

gp 491

w 234

l 170

t/o 70

so 55

’97-active

gp 1,066

w 526

l 390

t/o 150

po 57-44

rickmarTin

dominikhasek

lindyruff

left wing

coach

points 1. gilbert perreault 1,326

2. Dave andreychuk 804

3. rick martin 695

4. Craig ramsay 672

5. phil housley 558

6. rene robert 552

7. Don luce 526

8. mike foligno 511

9. Danny gare 500

10. miroslav satan 456

goals 1. gilbert perreault 512

2. rick martin 382

3. Dave andreychuk 368

4. Danny gare 267

5. Craig ramsay 252

6. mike foligno 247

7. miroslav satan 224

8. rene robert 222

9. Don luce 216

10. alexander mogilny 211

pims 1. rob ray 3,189

2. mike foligno 1,450

3. larry playfair 1,392

4. brad may 1,323

5. matthew barnaby 1,248

6. lindy ruff 1,126

7. jim schoenfeld 1,025

8. mike ramsey 924

9. mike hartman 890

10. jerry Korab 870

games played 1. gilbert perreault 1,191

2. Craig ramsay 1,070

3. mike ramsey 911

4. rob ray 889

5. bill hajt 854

6. Dave andreychuk 837

7. Don luce 766

8. alexei Zhitnik 712

9. rick martin 681

10. ric seiling 664

goalie wins 1. Dominik hasek 234

2. ryan miller * 221

3. Don edwards 156

4. martin biron 134

5. tom barrasso 124

6. bob sauve 119

7. Daren puppa 96

8. roger Crozier 74

9. gerry Desjardins 66

10. jacques Cloutier 50

center defense defense goalie

goalie

although short in stature, the speedster sniped more than 45 goals three times.

1974-81

gp 503

g 267

a 233

pts 500

pim 686

dannygare

right wing

the steady rearguard earned his mark as a defensive D-man and was part of the ‘miracle on ice.’

1979-93

gp 911

g 73

a 256

pts 329

pim 924

mikeramsey

defense

the tough-as-nails blueliner dropped the gloves with anyone who crossed his path.

1972-85

gp 584

g 45

a 183

pts 228

pim 1,025

jimschoenfeld

defense

1982-01

DaveanDreyChuK

left wing

1971-79

renerobert

1970-87

gp 1,191

g 512

a 814

pts 1,326

pim 500

the face of the franchise for 17 years, perreault holds almost every sabres offensive record.

gilberTperreaulT

center

all-Timenumbers

right wing

114 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

calgary flames greatest Team ever

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Team facTs

debut season

1972-73 (25-38-15)

games +/- .500

+134

playoff record

94-114playoff streak

16 yrs(1976-91)

9 lanny mcdonald (1981-89)

30 mike vernon (’82-94, ’00-02)

1. bob johnson 193 2. fred creighton 156 3. terry crisp 144 4. dave king 109 5. darryl sutter 107 6. al macneil 107 7. mike keenan 88 8. brian sutter 87 9. brent sutter * 81 10. bernie geoffrion 77

stanleycups

retired numbers

top coaching wins

1

Al MacInnis was a deserving win-ner of the Conn smythe trophy the year the flames won their only Cup in 1989. but if not for the he-roics of goalie Mike vernon in the

opening round, Macinnis would have spent most of that spring on the golf course.

Do a youtube search for the greatest glove saves of all-time and you’ll see a couple ver-non stops from overtime in the seventh and deciding game of an opening-round series with vancouver. “i can still see that glove save he made on tony tanti,” said flames original play-by-play man Peter Maher. “And i can still see the one he made on stan smyl.”

Ask around and you’ll hear about other saves he made in overtime April 15, 1989 on trevor Linden, Petri skriko and greg Adams.

the regular season champion flames sur-vived that opening round against a Canucks team that finished 43 points behind them, then had little trouble with nemesis Wayne Gretzky, in his first season with the Kings.

Calgary swept Los Angeles and disposed of Chicago in five games, setting the stage for a rematch of the 1986 final with the Canadiens, the no. 2 team during the season.

Calgary was first or second in the league in goals for, goals against, power play and penalty killing. the offense was initiated by puck-moving blueliners Macinnis and gary Suter and executed by finishers such as 50-goal men Joe Mullen and Joe nieuwendyk.

“everything was pointing towards a Calgary-Montreal showdown,” said Lanny Mc-Donald, who scored the go-ahead goal in the clinching game 6. “We had quite a few guys from that ’86 team. We had great goaltending, phenomenal depth. our three centers were Joe nieuwendyk, Doug gilmour and Joel otto. Where are you going to find two better offen-sive guys and one better checker?”

the flames even traded away a young brett hull, they were so deep up front.

“that team had everything,” Maher said. “There didn’t seem to be a flaw.”

Calgary lost to Montreal in 1986, but added depth and clutch saves put the Flames over the top three years later

showdown in cowTown

calgary flaMes | 1988-89

calgary’s win in Montreal was sweet revenge from its loss three years earlier.

most points 117 (1988-89)

most wins 54 (1988-89)

most losses 41 (TWICE)

most goals 397 (1987-88)

win streak 10 (1978-79)

losing streak 11 (1985-86)

shutouts 11 (2003-04)

captains 19

coaches 16

gms 6

teamrecords

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 115

calgary flamesall-Time Team

1973-81

ericvail

1980-85

kentnilsson

1988-99

theorenfleury

1980-88

paulreinhart

1999-11

robynregehr

1982-02

mikevernon

all-Time second Team

best

player

ever

1995-active

gp 1,106

g 484

a 522

pts 1,006

pim 766

he’s a leader who scores big goals, drops the gloves, runs the power play and does community work.

What more can you ask for?

the 1986 calder winner com-bined nifty offensive awareness with booming bodychecks.

the finn relies on raw athleticism to always be square to the puck. has great vision through screens.

macinnis patrolled the calgary power play with a booming shot that terrified opposing goalies.

‘badger’ bob led calgary to the playoffs each of his five seasons, including the Cup final in ’86.

jaromeiginla

right wing

1985-94

gp 617

g 128

a 437

pts 565

pim 872

2004-active

gp 482

w 262

l 156

t/o 55

so 37

1981-94

gp 803

g 213

a 609

pts 822

pim 950

1982-87

gp 400

w 193

l 155

t/o 52

po 25-27

garysuTer

miikkakiprusoff

al macinnis

bobjohnson

defense goalie

defense

coach

points 1. Jarome iginla * 1,006

2. theoren fleury 830

3. al macinnis 822

4. Joe nieuwendyk 616

5. gary suter 565

6. kent nilsson 562

7. guy chouinard 529

8. gary roberts 504

9. eric vail 452

10. paul reinhart 444

goals 1. Jarome iginla * 484

2. theoren fleury 364

3. Joe nieuwendyk 314

4. gary roberts 257

5. kent nilsson 229

6. lanny mcDonald 215

7. al macinnis 213

8. eric vail 206

9. hakan loob 193

10. guy chouinard 193

pims 1. tim hunter 2,405

2. gary roberts 1,736

3. Joel otto 1,642

4. Jim peplinski 1,467

5. theoren fleury 1,339

6. ron stern 1,288

7. Willi plett 1,265

8. al macinnis 960

9. gary suter 872

10. robyn regehr 802

games played 1. Jarome iginla * 1,106

2. robyn regehr 826

3. al macinnis 803

4. theoren fleury 791

5. Joel otto 730

6. Jim peplinski 711

7. gary suter 617

8. Jamie macoun 586

9. gary roberts 585

10. Joe nieuwendyk 577

goalie wins 1. miikka kiprusoff * 262

2. mike vernon 262

3. Dan bouchard 168

4. rejean lemelin 144

5. phil myre 76

6. trevor kidd 72

7. roman turek 63

8. rick Wamsley 53

9. pat riggin 51

10. fred brathwaite 51

defenseright wing

the heart and soul of the flames eclipsed the point-per-game mark in four of his calgary seasons.

1986-97

gp 585

g 257

a 248

pts 505

pim 1,736

garyroberTs

left wing

goalie

nieuwendyk scored clutch goals and won a lot of important draws during the flames’ cup run.

1987-95

gp 577

g 314

a 302

pts 616

pim 330

joenieuwendyk

center

left wing defensecenter

all-Timenumbers

116 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

carolina hurricanes Greatest Team ever

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debut season

1979-80 (27-34-19)

games +/- .500

-191

playoff record

59-68playoff streak

7 yrs(1986-92)

2 glen wesley (1994-08)

10 ron francis (’81-91, ’98-04)

17 rod brind’amour (2000-10)

1. paul maurice * 376 2. peter laviolette 167 3. jack evans 163 4. larry pleau 81 5. rick ley 69 6. paul holmgren 54 7. don blackburn 42 8. jimmy roberts 26 9. pierre mcguire 23 10. larry kish 12

stanleycups

retired numbers

top coaching wins

1

few would argue losing a year of hockey over a labor dispute was a good thing, but it sure helped the Carolina hurricanes.

When play resumed after the 2004-05 lockout, the ‘new nhL’ was born and no team transitioned better or faster than the hurricanes. Coach Peter Laviolette believed the nhL would be steadfast this time after many failed crackdowns on obstruction and preached discipline with his team, penalizing them with extra laps at practice any time a soft hook was used in place of hard stride.

“early on, i think we had the best grasp of any team on the rules,” said captain rod brind’Amour midway through the 2005-06 season. “right from Day 1 at training camp, before we ever stepped on the ice, we had a meeting and (Laviolette) said there would be consequences for hooking, holding and interference. the point was driven home that these things would not be allowed moving forward.”

The other ramification of the lockout was it forced eric staal into a year of American League hockey. staal had a modest 31-point season as a 19-year-old rookie in 2003-04, but after a year of minor league seasoning, he became an nhL star as a sophomore, leading the Canes with 45 goals and 100 points.

Carolina’s other young hero didn’t emerge until the second game of the playoffs when a 22-year-old Cam Ward replaced Martin ger-ber in goal. the Canes had already lost game 1 of their first round series with Montreal and dropped game 2 in overtime, falling behind 2-0 with two home-ice losses.

but after being exposed to playoff hockey in the extra-time setback, Ward started game 3 and won his next seven outings. Carolina eliminated Montreal and new Jersey, then won seven-game series over buffalo and Edmonton to claim its first Stanley Cup in franchise history, with Ward becoming the first rookie goalie to win the Conn Smythe since Patrick roy in 1986.

Few knew what to expect in the NHL’s new era, but the Hurricanes embraced post-lockout hockey from Day 1

winninG GambiT

carolina hurricanes | 2005-06

cam Ward guided carolina to its only cup and took the conn smythe, too.

most points 112 (2005-06)

most wins 52 (2005-06)

most losses 54 (twice)

most goals 332 (1985-86)

win streak 9 (twice)

losing streak 9 (1982-83)

shutouts 6 (4 times)

captains 13

coaches 11

gms 8

teamrecords

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 117

carolina hurricanesall-Time Team

1990-98

geoffsanderson

2000-10

rodbrind’amour

2001-11

erikcole

1979-82

markhowe

1985-91

davebabych

1998-04

artursirbe

all-Time second Team

best

player

ever

1981-91

’98-04

gp 1,186g 382a 793

pts 1,175pim 684

the ultimate canes captain led by example and made any player around him better. he joined the

hall of fame in 2007.

an intelligent winger and creative playmaker with a quick, under-rated shot.

feared by opposing forwards crossing the blueline, he racked up more than 150 Pim six times.

the ultimate two-way forward could play on a top line or play a checking role shutting down stars.

cool as a frozen cucumber, the unflappable Ward is on pace for 400 wins by the time he’s 34.

the steady rearguard shut things down on the canes blueline for years. won his only cup in 2006.

known league-wide as a players’ coach, maurice does a remarkable job developing young talent.

ronfrancis

center

2005-10

gp 372

g 119

a 215

pts 334

pim 176

1984-91

gp 463

g 31

a 144

pts 175

pim 1,110

1984-99

gp 708

g 250

a 294

pts 544

pim 1,439

2005-active

gp 346

w 175

l 126

t/o 33

so 16

1994-08

gp 913

g 51

a 176

pts 333

pim 620

1996-03 ’08-active

gp 895w 376l 378

t/o 141po 25-28

raywhiTney

ulfsamuelsson

kevindineen

camward

glenwesley

paulmaurice

left wing

defense

right wing

goalie

defense

coach

points 1. ron francis 1,175

2. kevin dineen 544

3. eric staal * 504

4. rod brind’amour 473

5. Jeff o’neill 416

6. Pat verbeek 403

7. blaine stoughton 377

8. geoff sanderson 369

9. erik cole 363

10. ray ferraro 351

goals 1. ron francis 382

2. kevin dineen 250

3. eric staal * 226

4. blaine stoughton 219

5. Jeff o’neill 198

6. geoff sanderson 196

7. Pat verbeek 192

8. sylvain turgeon 178

9. rod brind’amour 174

10. erik cole 168

pims 1. kevin dineen 1,439

2. torrie robertson 1,368

3. Pat verbeek 1,144

4. ulf samuelsson 1,110

5. adam burt 875

6. Paul macdermid 744

7. randy ladouceur 717

8. mark Janssens 712

9. ron francis 684

10. glen wesley 620

games played 1. ron francis 1,186

2. glen wesley 913

3. kevin dineen 708

4. rod brind’amour 694

5. Jeff o’neill 673

6. adam burt 626

7. eric staal * 560

8. erik cole 557

9. sami kapanen 520

10. niclas wallin 517

goalie wins 1. cam ward * 175

2. arturs irbe 130

3. mike liut 116

4. sean burke 107

5. Peter sidorkiewicz 71

6. greg millen 62

7. steve weeks 40

8. kevin weekes 39

9. martin gerber 38

10. John garrett 36

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

all-Timenumbers

118 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

chicago blackhawks greatest Team Ever

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iGH

t: D

en

is B

ro

De

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/nH

li v

iA G

et

ty

im

AG

es

TEam facTs

debut season

1926-27 (19-22-3)

games +/- .500

-168

playoff record

216-236-5playoff streak

28 yrs(1970-97)

1 glenn hall (1957-67)

3 pierre pilote (1955-68)

3 keith magnuson (1969-80)

9 bobby hull (1957-72)

18 denis savard (’80-90, ’95-97)

21 stan mikita (1958-80)

35 tony esposito (1969-84)

1. billy reay 516 2. bob pulford 185 3. rudy pilous 162 4. mike keenan 153 5. joel quenneville * 141 6. darryl sutter 110 7. paul thompson 104 8. craig hartsburg 104 9. orval tessier 99 10. brian sutter 91

stanleycups

retired numbers

top coaching wins

4

the only team ever to win five consecutive Cups should have, by all rights, made it six in a row. Chi-cago’s ‘Kids and the hall.’ ruined it.

the Montreal Canadiens dynasty of the late 1950s should have carried into the early 1960s because most of their future hall of famers were in their prime. Jean beliveau, ‘boom boom’ geoffrion, Dickie Moore, Doug harvey, henri richard and Jacques Plante are among hockey’s best players ever.

the opening-round series between the habs and the young hawks was a David vs. goliath battle. the habs dominated the regular season, while the hawks were just five games above .500. Chicago’s greenhorns included 22-year-old bobby hull and 20-year-old stan Mikita. good thing the hawks had a 29-year-old superstar between the pipes.

“We had glenn hall in goal,” is how hull summed up Chicago’s 1961 Cup victory 49 years later. “if he’s not the greatest to ever play goal, then he’s one of the greatest.”

After getting blitzed 6-2 in the opening game, Chicago bounced back for a 4-3 win in game 2. game 3 turned out to be the pivotal match. When Murray balfour scored 12:12 into the third overtime period, it was like the bells going off to signal Apollo Creed he was in for a long battle with young rocky balboa.

“i couldn’t believe how ready they were to be knocked off,” Mikita recalled. “We went into the series with gumption, but it wasn’t until that triple overtime game that it regis-tered with us: this could be really big.”

the Canadiens rallied in game 4, but then hall blanked the habs in back-to-back 3-0 games to complete Chicago’s upset. Montreal had gone 88 straight games without being shut out. Chicago beat the fourth-place red Wings 4-2 to win the 1961 Cup.

“i was too young to appreciate how impor-tant it was,” hull said. “this was going to be one of many that we were going to win.”

turns out, Chicago didn’t win its next title for another 49 years.

These young, proven Hawks had no business knocking off the five-time champions. But they did

sTopping a dynasTy

chicago blackhawks | 1960-61

Fresh face brigade included bobby hull, stan Mikita, bill hay and glenn hall.

most points 112 (2009-10)

most wins 52 (2009-10)

most losses 51 (1953-54)

most goals 351 (1985-86)

win streak 9 (2008-09)

losing streak 12 (1950-51)

shutouts 15 (1969-70)

captains 35

coaches 37

gms 9

teamrecords

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 119

chicago blackhawksall-Time Team

1939-52

dougbentley

’80-90, ’95-97

denissavard

1993-02

tonyamonte

1935-45

earlseibert

1977-91

dougwilson

1969-84

tonyesposito

all-Time second Team

best

player

ever

1957-72

gp 1,036

g 604

a 549

pts 1,153

pim 640

one of the most feared offensive players in the game, goalies always

knew when his hook was on the ice. Known for his heavy shot.

mikita was a phenomenal skater and a nifty passer. he sits 14th all-time in career points.

Combined offensive awareness with harsh intensity. won three consecutive norris trophies.

larmer scored more than a point per game seven times and had an epic consecutive games streak.

mr. goalie’s athleticism and durability allowed him to play a remarkable 502 straight games.

an offensive d-man with a nasty streak, Chelios had more than 200 pim three times.

although he never won a champi-onship, Reay posted five straight seasons with 40 or more wins.

bobbyhull

left wing

1958-80

gp 1,394

g 541

a 926

pts 1,467

pim 1,270

1955-68

gp 821

g 77

a 400

pts 477

pim 1,205

1980-93

gp 891

g 406

a 517

pts 923

pim 475

1957-67

gp 618

w 275

l 229

t/o 106

so 51

1990-99

gp 664

g 92

a 395

pts 487

pim 1,495

1963-77

gp 1,012

w 516

l 335

t/o 161

po 57-60

sTanmikiTa

pierrepiloTe

sTevelarmer

glennhall

chrischelios

billyreay

center

defense

right wing

goalie

defense

coach

points 1. stan mikita 1,467

2. bobby hull 1,153

3. denis savard 1,096

4. steve larmer 923

5. doug wilson 779

6. dennis hull 640

7. pit martin 627

8. Jeremy roenick 596

9. tony amonte 541

10. bill mosienko 540

goals 1. bobby hull 604

2. stan mikita 541

3. steve larmer 406

4. denis savard 377

5. dennis hull 298

6. tony amonte 268

7. Jeremy roenick 267

8. bill mosienko 258

9. Ken wharram 252

10. pit martin 243

pims 1. Chris Chelios 1,495

2. Keith magnuson 1,442

3. al secord 1,426

4. dave manson 1,322

5. phil russell 1,288

6. stan mikita 1,270

7. bob probert 1,210

8. pierre pilote 1,205

9. eric nesterenko 1,012

10. denis savard 1,005

games played 1. stan mikita 1,394

2. bobby hull 1,036

3. eric nesterenko 1,013

4. bob murray 1,008

5. doug wilson 938

6. dennis hull 904

7. steve larmer 891

8. denis savard 881

9. Chico maki 841

10. pierre pilote 821

goalie wins 1. tony esposito 418

2. glenn hall 275

3. ed belfour 201

4. Jocelyn thibault 137

5. murray bannerman 116

6. mike Karakas 114

7. Charlie gardiner 112

8. nikolai Khabibulin 90

9. denis deJordy 90

10. al rollins 81

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

all-Timenumbers

120 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

colorado avalanche Greatest Team ever

le

ft:

els

a/a

lls

po

rt;

rig

ht:

Mic

ha

el M

ar

tin

/nh

li v

ia g

et

ty

iM

ag

es

Team facTs

debut season

1979-80 (25-44-11)

games +/- .500

+41

playoff record

132-117playoff streak

11 yrs(1995-06)

3 J-c tremblay (1972-79)

8 marc tardif (1979-83)

16 michel goulet (1979-90)

19 Joe sakic (1988-09)

26 peter stastny (1980-90)

33 patrick roy (1995-03)

77 ray bourque (2000-01)

1. michel bergeron 265 2. bob hartley 193 3. marc crawford 165 4. Joel quenneville 131 5. tony granato 104 6. pierre page 98 7. Joe sacco * 73 8. ron lapointe 33 9. Jacques demers 25 10. dave chambers 19

stanleycups

retired numbers

top coaching wins

2

the talent-laden 2000-01 Colo-rado Avalanche was a team on a mission.

When ray bourque, whom the Avalanche acquired in 2000,

decided to come back for one last kick at stanley’s can, it became a source of inspira-tion for the team to give the wily old vet an opportunity to raise the Cup for the first time. everybody was on board with ‘Mission 16W,’ a moniker derived from the 16 wins needed to take home stanley.

The Avalanche didn’t lose their first game until oct. 30 and only went through one extended losing skid all year, dropping four in a row to start February. Colorado finished with a 52-16-14 record for 118 points, earn-ing the franchise’s second Presidents’ trophy in five years. In the first round of the playoffs, the Avalanche faced their division rivals from vancouver, who they easily swept aside. in round 2, the Avs gave up a 3-1 series lead to the Los Angeles Kings, but came away with

a 5-1 game 7 win. And, despite losing Peter forsberg to a freak injury for the rest of the playoffs, Colorado trumped the Blues in five games in the Western final.

the stanley Cup was a back-and-forth tilt against the new Jersey Devils. After new Jersey took a 3-2 series lead it was perhaps a slice of destiny that played a part in Colo-rado’s ultimate comeback.

heading to new Jersey for game 6, the Avs took the bus to Continental Airlines Arena off the new Jersey turnpike.

“someone pointed out that it was exit 16W,” said gM Pierre Lacroix. “i couldn’t be-lieve it.” Patrick roy posted his fourth shutout of the playoffs and the Avs forced the series back to Denver for game 7, which they won 3-1 to cap off ‘Mission 16W.’

the journey was made complete when the customary awarding of the Cup to the captain was presented to Joe sakic. he immediately passed it off to an emotional bourque, who finally got to hoist the chalice.

The star-studded Colorado lineup was given a dose of inspiration from future Hall of Famer Ray Bourque

mission possible

colorado avalanche | 2000-01

ray Bourque never played another game after lifting the cup in June, 2001.

most points 118 (2000-01)

most wins 52 (2000-01)

most losses 61 (1989-90)

most goals 360 (1983-84)

win streak 12 (1998-99)

losing streak 14 (1990-91)

shutouts 11 (2001-02)

captains 9

coaches 13

gms 6

teamrecords

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 121

colorado avalancheall-Time Team

1980-89

antonstastny

1994-11

peterforsberg

1995-00

claudelemieux

1995-00

sandisozolinsh

2000-06

robblake

1980-85

danbouchard

all-Time Second Team

1988-09

gp 1378

g 625

a 1016

pts 1641

pim 614

twenty seasons, two stanley cups, one conn smythe, a hart trophy

and the franchise leader in almost every offensive category.

four straight 50-goal seasons, goulet retired as the highest scoring left winger of all-time.

tenacious and tough, foote anchored the blueline in two tours of duty.

Quietly one of the franchise’s most prolific scorers, including his league-leading 50 in 2002-03.

stuck it to montreal with his cup win with the avs in ’96 and brought the club another in ’01.

a solid, stay-at-home defender and good foot soldier for nearly a decade.

took the avs to the Western con-ference final in his first four years, winning one stanley cup.

joeSakic

center

1979-90

gp 813

g 456

a 489

pts 945

pim 613

91’-04, ’07-11

gp 967

g 56

a 203

pts 259

pim 1,279

’98-active

gp 910

g 357

a 400

pts 757

pim 302

1995-03

gp 478

w 262

l 140

t/o 65

so 37

1988-97

gp 524

g 34

a 107

pts 141

pim 431

1998-03

gp 359

w 193

l 118

t/o 57

po 49-31

michelgouleT

adamfooTe

milanhejduk

paTrickroy

curTiSleSchyShyn

bobharTley

left wing

defense

right wing

goalie

defense

coach

Points 1. Joe sakic 1,641

2. peter stastny 1,048

3. michel goulet 945

4. milan hejduk * 757

5. peter forsberg 755

6. anton stastny 636

7. dale hunter 464

8. valeri kamensky 414

9. alex tanguay 400

10. mats sundin 334

goals 1. Joe sakic 625

2. michel goulet 456

3. peter stastny 380

4. milan hejduk * 357

5. anton stastny 252

6. peter forsberg 217

7. valeri kamensky 166

8. dale hunter 142

9. adam deadmarsh 138

10. alex tanguay 137

Pims 1. dale hunter 1,562

2. steven finn 1,514

3. paul gillis 1,351

4. adam foote 1,279

5. randy moller 1,002

6. mario marois 778

7. adam deadmarsh 723

8. peter stastny 687

9. gord donnelly 668

10. Jeff odgers 634

games Played 1. Joe sakic 1,378

2. adam foote 967

3. milan hejduk * 910

4. michel goulet 813

5. peter stastny 737

6. alain cote 696

7. anton stastny 650

8. steven finn 605

9. peter forsberg 591

10. paul gillis 576

goalie wins 1. patrick roy 262

2. dan bouchard 107

3. peter budaj 101

4. david aebischer 89

5. stephane fiset 84

6. mario gosselin 79

7. clint malarchuk 62

8. craig anderson 51

9. Jose theodore 42

10. ron tugnutt 35

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

best

Player

ever

all-TimenumberS

122 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

columbus blue jackets Greatest team ever

bo

th

: Ja

mie

Sa

ba

u/N

hLi v

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et

ty

im

aG

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team facts

debut season

2000-01 (28-39-9-6)

games +/- .500

-161

playoff record

0-4playoff streak

1 yr(2009)

1. ken hitchcock 125

2. dave king 64

3. gerard gallant 56

4. scott arniel * 34

5. doug maclean 24

6. claude noel 10

stanleycups

top coaching wins

0

noted as a defense-minded coach, Ken hitchcock’s game plan helped elevate Columbus to the playoffs for the first time in 2008-09, eight seasons into the

franchise’s existence.but the backbone to any good team,

defense-first or not, is a good goalie. And while 20-year-old steve Mason garnered much attention by posting 10 shutouts and earning the Calder trophy, ‘hitch’ said he was impressed by how the youngster handled the increasing expectations.

“i thought he was immune to the pressure,” hitchcock said. “his ability to play the way he did really helped us sell to the rest of the players on the commitment necessary. once we could see we could play and win one-goal games, the buy-in was pretty easy.”

the maturation of the team’s captain and offensive catalyst as a two-way player was also important in Columbus’ development. rick nash saw his plus-minus improve by

nine, but he also put up his highest point-total in his career to that point and accumulated 40 goals for the second time.

but aside from the two stars, hitchcock attributes much of the success to the team’s defense corps, namely the top pairing of Jan hejda and off-season free agent signing Mike Commodore.

“hejda and Commodore gave us a pair that was able to check down the best players,” hitchcock said. “When we had players we knew could compete against the other team’s top guys it became a lot easier for the coach-ing staff.”

And, despite getting swept by the second-seeded Red Wings in the first round, qualify-ing for the playoffs for the first time went a long way in finally establishing Columbus as a legitimate nhL franchise.

“i think making the playoffs validates your team,” hitchcock explained. “(it) was a relief to everybody in the city because it made us feel a part of the nhL.”

After eight long seasons, the Jackets finally break through to the playoffs thanks to Mason and the mastermind

at last,the dance

columbus blue jackets | 2008-09

steve mason didn’t start 2008-09 with Columbus, but he had a great finish.

most points 92 (2008-09)

most wins 41 (2008-09)

most losses 47 (2001-02)

most goals 226 (2008-09)

win streak 6 (2005-06)

losing streak 8 (Twice)

shutouts 11 (Twice)

captains 5

coaches 7

gms 2

teamrecords

More goals surrendered than

scored by the defense-mind-

ed Jackets in 2008-09, their

only playoff season to date

4

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 123

columbus blue jacketsall-time team

2000-06

geoffsanderson

2008-active

antoinevermette

2000-08

davidvyborny

2001-11

rostislavklesla

2008-active

fedortyutin

2000-06

marcdenis

all-time second team

best

player

ever

2002-active

gp 592

g 259

a 229

pts 488

pim 528

nash is the Jackets’ leader and the

team’s only bona fide superstar. He’s a punishing power forward

who has highlight-reel hands..

The first Norwegian-born player to suit up for an NHL All-Star Game (2002).

Always a dependable blueliner, Spacek made the Blue Jackets’ special teams much better.

Whitney provided leadership to the Blue Jackets’ young core dur-ing their first few seasons.

The southpaw is technically sound and an excellent puckhan-dler. Had 10 shutouts in 2005-06.

The hulking defender was always reliable in the defensive zone, twice putting up a plus-20 rating.

‘Hitch’ provided defensive struc-ture, leading the Jackets to their first playoff appearance in 2009.

ricknash

left wing

2000-04

gp 188

g 27

a 81

pts 108

pim 99

2002-04

gp 153

g 16

a 56

pts 72

pim 139

2000-03

gp 151

g 45

a 95

pts 140

pim 36

2008-active

gp 173

w 77

l 67

t/o 23

so 18

2007-11

gp 302

g 11

a 56

pts 67

pim 163

2006-10

gp 284

w 125

l 123

t/o 36

po 0-4

espenknutsen

jaroslavspacek

raywhitney

stevemason

janhejda

kenhitchcock

center

defense

right wing

goalie

defense

coach

points 1. Rick Nash * 488

2. David Vyborny 317

3. Nikolai Zherdev 181

4. Geoff Sanderson 168

5. R.J. Umberger * 158

6. Manny Malhotra 145

7. Kristian Huselius * 142

8. Ray Whitney 140

9. Jason Chimera 136

10. Jakub Voracek 134

goals 1. Rick Nash * 259

2. David Vyborny 113

3. Geoff Sanderson 88

4. Nikolai Zherdev 76

5. R.J. Umberger * 74

6. Jason Chimera 62

7. Kristian Huselius * 58

8. Tyler Wright 57

9. Antoine Vermette * 53

10. Manny Malhotra 53

pims 1. Jody Shelley 1,025

2. Jared Boll * 737

3. Rick Nash * 528

4. Rotislav Klesla 508

5. Derek Dorsett * 439

6. Tyler Wright 436

7. Jason Chimera 372

8. Duvie Westcott 299

9. Ole-Kristian Tollefsen 273

10. Adam Foote 255

games played 1. Rick Nash * 592

2. David Vyborny 543

3. Rotislav Klesla 515

4. Jody Shelley 380

5. Manny Malhotra 344

6. Jason Chimera 331

7. Tyler Wright 309

8. Jan Hejda 302

9. Jared Boll * 291

10. Nikolai Zherdev 283

goalie wins 1. Marc Denis 84

2. Steve Mason * 77

3. Pascal Leclaire 45

4. Fredrik Norrena 35

5. Ron Tugnutt 34

6. Mathieu Garon 22

7. Fred Brathwaite 4

8. Martin Prusek 3

9. Jean-Francois Labbe 3

10. Ty Conklin 2

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

all-timenumbers

124 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

dallas stars Greatest team Ever

Le

ft:

Ste

ph

en

Du

nn

/ALLS

po

rt

; r

igh

t: g

Le

nn

JA

me

S/n

hLi v

iA g

et

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im

Ag

eS

tEam facts

debut season

1967-68 (27-32-15)

games +/- .500

-29

playoff record

154-153playoff streak

7 yrs(1980-86)

7 neal broten (‘80-95, ‘96-97)

8 bill goldsworthy (1967-76)

19 bill masterton (1967-68)

1. ken hitchcock 277 2. dave tippett 271 3. glen sonmor 174 4. bob gainey 165 5. jack gordon 116 6. marc crawford 79 7. lorne henning 68 8. pierre page 63 9. ted harris 48 10. wren blair 48

stanleycups

retired numbers

top coaching wins

1

there was talent on the 1999 stan-ley Cup champions, but even more impressive, there were characters. “What was great about that team was it was something interesting

every day,” said Craig Ludwig. “We could have fights in practice, just dig at each other in the locker room and then have a party that same night. but no matter what happened, we all showed up ready to play.”

in building the stars, gM bob gainey made some impressive decisions. After trading for Joe nieuwendyk (in exchange for pros-pect Jarome iginla), he took a chance on two defensemen who weren’t fitting in with their current teams. Darryl sydor had lost all confidence in Los Angeles, while Sergei Zubov didn’t understand what Mario Lemieux wanted in Pittsburgh.

but what gainey and assistant coach rick Wilson saw were two guys with tremendous skill who were in need of confidence boosts.

the pair was given the chance to play

23 minutes a game, most of the time with nieuwendyk’s line. that left the shutdown pair of Derian hatcher and richard Matvichuk to support a line that was learning to play great defense (led by Mike Modano and Jere Lehtinen).

Modano was tasked with defending against the other teams’ best players. “We knew Mike had tremendous skills and we needed to find a way to get him out on the ice more,” said coach Ken hitchcock. “so instead of protect-ing him, we challenged him.”

the stars clinched the stanley Cup over buffalo in game 6 when brett hull scored a controversial goal in triple overtime.

hull’s skate was in the crease, but gainey had researched the rule and found an excep-tion when the player had control of the puck, which he believed extended to rebounds. “the rule was very clear and we brought it to the league’s attention during the playoffs,” gainey said at the time. “i think it helped that we had already had that discussion.”

Dallas created a fine-tuned machine to win its first Stanley Cup title, even prepping for Hull’s contentious winner

pErfEction in planninG

dallas stars | 1998-99

Ken Hitchcock’s stars laughed together and celebrated together.

most points 114 (1998-99)

most wins 53 (2005-06)

most losses 53 (twice)

most goals 346 (1981-82)

win streak 7 (4 times)

losing streak 10 (1975-76)

shutouts 11 (twice)

captains 20

coaches 20

gms 10

teamrecords

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 125

dallas starsall-time team

1999-11

brendenmorrow

’80-95, ’96-97

nealbroten

1980-89

dinociccarelli

1979-89

craighartsburg

1995-09

darrylsydor

2000-10

martyturco

all-time second team

1989-10

gp 1,459

g 557

a 802

pts 1,359

pim 928

mr. everything to the franchise, modano was captain, won a

stanley cup and is tops in every major offensive category.

lit the lamp steadily for a decade through as a member of the up-and-down north stars.

Played big minutes and quarter-backed the power play during the club’s heyday.

won the selke trophy three times and played his entire career with the stars.

‘the eagle’ saved his best for the stars in the playoffs, posting a brilliant 1.84 gaa.

big, punishing defenseman was team captain and a defensive stalwart on the blueline.

his suffocating defensive systems turned the stars into an elite team in the late 1990s.

mikemodano

center

1982-92

gp 753

g 342

a 380

pts 722

pim 537

1996-09

gp 839

g 111

a 438

pts 549

pim 254

1995-10

gp 875

g 243

a 271

pts 514

pim 210

1997-02

gp 307

w 160

l 95

t/0 44

so 27

1991-03

gp 827

g 71

a 223

pts 294

pim 1,380

1996-02

gp 504

w 277

l 160

t/o 67

so 47-33

brianbellows

sergeizubov

jerelehtinen

edbelfour

derianhatcher

kenhitchcock

left wing

defense

right wing

goalie

defense

coach

Points 1. mike modano 1,359

2. neal broten 867

3. brian bellows 722

4. dino ciccarelli 651

5. bobby smith 554

6. sergei Zubov 549

7. dave gagner 534

8. Jere lehtinen 514

9. bill goldsworthy 506

10. tim young 494

goals 1. mike modano 557

2. brian bellows 342

3. dino ciccarelli 332

4. neal broten 274

5. bill goldsworthy 267

6. dave gagner 247

7. Jere lehtinen 243

8. steve Payne 228

9. brenden morrow * 226

10. bobby smith 185

Pims 1. shane churla 1,883

2. basil mcrae 1,567

3. derian hatcher 1,380

4. willi Plett 1,137

5. brenden morrow * 1,088

6. brad maxwell 1,031

7. mark tinordi 1,015

8. steve ott 1,014

9. mike modano 922

10. dennis o’brien 836

games Played 1. mike modano 1,459

2. neal broten 992

3. Jere lehtinen 875

4. sergei Zubov 839

5. derian hatcher 827

6. curt giles 760

7. brian bellows 753

8. brenden morrow * 749

9. richard matvichuk 733

10. fred barrett 730

goalie wins 1. marty turco 262

2. ed belfour 160

3. cesare maniago 145

4. gilles meloche 141

5. Jon casey 128

6. don beaupre 126

7. andy moog 75

8. darcy wakaluk 54

9. Pete loPresti 43

10. Kari lehtonen * 40

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

best

Player

ever

all-timenumbers

126 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

detroit red wings greatest team ever

le

ft:

Br

uc

e B

en

ne

tt S

tu

dio

S/G

et

ty

im

aG

eS

; r

iGh

t: h

ho

f

team facts

debut season

1926-27 (12-28-4)

games +/- .500

+329

playoff record

312-273-1playoff streak

20 yrs(1939-58, 1991-11)

1 terry sawchuk (’49-55,

’57-64, ’68-69)

7 ted lindsay (’44-57, ’64-65)

9 gordie howe (1946-71)

10 alex delvecchio (1951-73)

12 sid abel (’38-43, ’45-52)

19 steve yzerman (1983-06)

1. jack adams 413 2. scotty bowman 410 3. sid abel 340 4. mike babcock * 304 5. tommy ivan 262 6. jacques demers 137 7. bryan murray 124 8. jimmy skinner 123 9. dave lewis 100 10. alex delvecchio 82

stanleycups

retired numbers

top coaching wins

11

the Red Wings didn’t just steamroll to the franchise’s fifth Stanley Cup, they also turned a slimy sea crea-ture into a symbol of dominance. During the second period of the

Cup-clinching fourth game against Montreal at the Olympia, an octopus was fired onto Detroit’s home ice for the first time. The rest, as the cliche goes, is history.

So, too, is the raw power of the ’51-52 outfit. The Wings became the first team since the introduction of the best-of-seven format in 1943 to go a perfect 8-0 en route to the Cup. Much of the credit goes to 22-year-old sophomore goalie Terry Sawchuk, who didn’t allow a goal in four games at home.

Overall, he stopped 213 of 218 shots in the playoffs and went 277 minutes and 54 sec-onds without allowing a goal at the Olympia.

“You could throw a handful of rice at him and he’d catch every grain,” marveled team-mate Ted Lindsay.

Sawchuk was one of seven future Hall of

Famers in the lineup – three of whom played on one line. Gordie Howe led the league with 47 goals and 86 points in 70 games, while Lindsay’s 69 points ranked him second. The two men flanked veteran center Sid Abel to form ‘The Production Line,’ the most feared trio in hockey. Defenseman Red Kelly and sophomores Alex Delvecchio and Marcel Pronovost were also legends in the making for a team that led the league in goals scored and fewest allowed, while finishing with 100 points. The outfit was coached by Tommy Ivan, inducted into the Hall as a builder.

In addition to the Art Ross Trophy, Howe also took home the Hart as league MVP, while Sawchuk claimed the Vezina. Howe, Sawchuk, Lindsay and Kelly were named first-team all-stars that season.

“That’s the best Detroit team I’ve ever han-dled – best by far,” said GM Jack Adams in the Wings dressing room after the Cup-clinching game. “When you put legs and heart together you’ve really got something.”

History is made as Wings sweep to the Cup and a tentacled ocean dweller makes his Olympia debut

detroit’s great eight

detRoit Red Wings | 1951-52

the Wings put out ‘the Rocket’ and shut down the Habs in the 1952 final.

most points 131 (1995-96)

most wins 62 (1995-96)

most losses 57 (1985-86)

most goals 369 (1992-93)

win streak 9 (7 times)

losing streak 14 (1981-82)

shutouts 13 (1953-54)

captains 35

coaches 26

gms 11

teamrecords

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 127

detroit red wingsAll-time team

’38-43, ’45-52

sidabel

1951-73

alexdelvecchio

1955-68

normullman

1938-50

jackstewart

1950-65

marcelpronovost

1944-50

harrylumley

All-time second team

1946-71

gp 1,687

g 786

a 1,023

pts 1,809

pim 1,643

Mr. Hockey was the definition of consistent – 17 seasons with

better than a point per game. He played competitively into his 50s.

Though just 5-foot-8, 163 pounds, ‘Terrible’ Ted Lindsay knew how to intimidate opponents.

One of the best defenders and ambassadors in the game, Kelly won the Lady Byng four times.

‘Stevie Y’ captained the Red Wings for 20 years, eventually winning three Stanley Cups.

The moody goalie took home four Vezina Trophies and had five seasons with a GAA under 2.00.

Four Cups, a Conn Smythe, seven Norris Trophies, a 12-time all-star and still one of the game’s best.

Jack Adams built the foundation of the Red Wings early on and coached his teams to three Cups.

gordiehowe

right wing

’44-57, ’68-69

gp 862

g 335

a 393

pts 728

pim 1,423

1947-60

gp 846

g 162

a 310

pts 472

pim 253

1983-06

gp 1,514

g 692

a 1,063

pts 1,755

pim 924

1949-69

gp 734

w 352

l 244

t 130

so 85

1991-active

gp 1,494

g 253

a 855

pts 1,108

pim 486

1927-47

g 964

w 413

l 390

t 161

p0 52-52-1

tedlindsAy

redkelly

steveyzermAn

terrysAwchuk

nicklAslidstrom

JAckAdAms

left wing

defense

center

goalie

defense

coach

Points 1. Gordie Howe 1,809

2. Steve Yzerman 1,755

3. Alex Delvecchio 1,281

4. Nicklas Lidstrom * 1,108

5. Sergei Fedorov 954

6. Norm Ullman 758

7. Ted Lindsay 728

8. Pavel Datsyuk * 651

9. Brendan Shanahan 633

10. Reed Larson 570

goals 1. Gordie Howe 786

2. Steve Yzerman 692

3. Alex Delvecchio 456

4. Sergei Fedorov 400

5. Ted Lindsay 335

6. Norm Ullman 324

7. Brendan Shanahan 309

8. John Ogrodnick 265

9. Nicklas Lidstrom * 253

10. Tomas Holmstrom * 232

Pims 1. bob probert 2,090

2. joey kocur 1,963

3. Gordie Howe 1,643

4. Gerard Gallant 1,600

5. Ted Lindsay 1,423

6. Darren McCarty 1,302

7. Dennis Polonich 1,242

8. Reed Larson 1,127

9. Gary Bergman 1,101

10. Brendan Shanahan 1,037

games Played 1. Gordie Howe 1,687

2. Alex Delvecchio 1,549

3. Steve Yzerman 1,514

4. Nicklas Lidstrom * 1,494

5. Kris Draper 1,137

6. Marcel Pronovost 983

7. Tomas Holmstrom * 952

8. Sergei Fedorov 908

9. Kirk Maltby 908

10. Norm Ullman 875

goalie wins 1. terry sawchuk 351

2. Chris Osgood 317

3. Harry Lumley 163

4. Roger Crozier 131

5. Tim Cheveldae 128

6. Greg Stefan 115

7. Dominik Hasek 114

8. Manny Legace 112

9. Jim Rutherford 97

10. roy edwards 95

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

best

Player

ever

All-timenumbers

128 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

edmonton oilers Greatest team ever

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team facts

debut season

1979-80 (28-39-13)

games +/- .500

+64

playoff record

152-99playoff streak

13 yrs(1980-92)

3 al hamilton (1972-80)

7 paul coffey (1980-87)

9 glenn anderson (’80-91, ’96)

11 mark messier (1979-91)

17 jari kurri (1980-90)

31 grant fuhr (1981-91)

99 wayne gretzky (1979-88)

1. glen sather 464 2. craig mactavish 301 3. ron low 139 4. john muckler 75 5. ted green 65 6. kevin lowe 32 7. pat quinn 27 8. tom renney * 25 9. george burnett 12 10. bryan watson 4

stanleycups

retired numbers

top coaching wins

5

With names like Wayne gretz-ky, mark messier, Jari Kurri, glenn anderson, grant fuhr and Paul Coffey, you have to wonder how the 1983-84

edmonton oilers lost a game at all.but at that time in history, the oilers were

still the new kids on the block. four years into its nhL sojourn, edmonton had won two smythe Division titles and reached the Cup final once. The Oilers were built on offense and speed. not only was the franchise young, but the players on the ’83-84 roster were still in their early-to-mid-20s.

“there was a little bit of naivety; we were all young and inexperienced,” said goalie andy moog. “that burned off as we moved through to our first Cup final and lost to the islanders. Collectively we had our eyes opened about what commitment was.”

the young oilers had been manhandled in the 1983 Cup final by the dynastic and more experienced new york islanders. the next

season, the oilers plowed through Winni-peg in three games, outlasted division- and province-rival Calgary in seven games and swept minnesota, setting the stage for a Cup rematch with the islanders.

After splitting the first two games, the Oil-ers surprised with back-to-back blowouts in games 3 and 4.

“We felt we had an edge. We had all the experience, we had the youth and then we had an edge tactically,” moog said. “(assistant coach) John muckler gave us a little insight in how to beat the islanders up the ice.”

Prior to the decisive game, gretzky spoke to his teammates, explaining just how much this last win would mean and inspiring his team to push through the finish line.

“Wayne stood up in the dressing room before the game and said all the individual awards he’s won could never compare to win-ning the stanley Cup,” messier said.

edmonton won 5-2 and was crowned champion and slayer of the islanders.

Young Oilers learned to win by losing to the mighty Islanders then mastering the art of a dynasty

new titansemerGe

edmonton oilers | 1983-84

Wayne Gretzky led the parade with 35 points as edmonton won cup no. 1.

most points 119 (twice)

most wins 57 (1983-84)

most losses 50 (1992-93)

most goals 446 (1983-84)

win streak 9 (2000-01)

losing streak 11 (1993-94)

shutouts 8 (3 times)

captains 13

coaches 10

gms 4

teamrecords

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 129

edmonton oilersAll-time team

’94-07, ’11-active

ryansmyth

1979-91

markmessier

1980-91, ’96

glennanderson

1985-91

stevesmith

1981-91

charliehuddy

1987-96

billranford

All-time second team

1979-88

gp 696

g 583

a 1,086

pts 1,669

pim 323

he’s known as ‘the great one’ for a reason. he’s the best player in

the history of the game and rede-fined the term “dominant.”

the feisty finn was great at dis-tracting opponents, but had a nice scoring touch, too.

the steady rearguard kept op-ponents to the outside and had a very efficient, active stick.

not only did kurri score at a torrid pace, he was an exceptional penalty-killer as well.

all fuhr did was win as an oiler. Whether the score was 1-0 or 8-7, he’d make big saves at key times.

one glance at his stats and you’d think he was a forward. he was the catalyst to the power play.

sather took a group of teens and evolved them into an overpower-ing group of men.

wAynegretzky

center

1984-93

gp 522

g 178

a 258

pts 436

pim 759

1979-88

gp 1,037

g 74

a 309

pts 383

pim 1,236

1980-90

gp 754

g 474

a 569

pts 1,043

pim 348

1981-91

gp 423

w 226

l 117

t/o 54

so 9

1980-87

gp 532

g 209

a 460

pts 669

pim 693

1979-94

gp 842

w 464

l 268

t/o 110

po 122-60

esAtikkAnen

kevinlowe

jArikurri

grAntfuhr

pAulcoffey

glensAther

left wing

defense

right wing

goalie

defense

coach

Points 1. Wayne gretzky 1,669

2. Jari kurri 1,043

3. mark messier 1,034

4. glenn anderson 906

5. Paul coffey 669

6. doug Weight 577

7. ryan smyth * 549

8. esa tikkanen 436

9. shawn horcoff * 401

10. ales hemsky * 395

goals 1. Wayne gretzky 583

2. Jari kurri 474

3. glenn anderson 417

4. mark messier 392

5. ryan smyth * 265

6. Paul coffey 209

7. craig simpson 185

8. esa tikkanen 178

9. doug Weight 157

10. craig mactavish 155

Pims 1. kelly buchberger 1,747

2. kevin mcclelland 1,291

3. kevin lowe 1,236

4. mark messier 1,122

5. steve smith 1,080

6. dave semenko 981

7. lee fogolin 886

8. georges laraque 826

9. glenn anderson 798

10. louie debrusk 797

games Played 1. kevin lowe 1,037

2. mark messier 851

3. glenn anderson 845

4. kelly buchberger 795

5. ryan smyth * 770

6. Jari kurri 754

7. craig mactavish 701

8. Wayne gretzky 696

9. charlie huddy 694

10. shawn horcoff * 684

goalie wins 1. grant fuhr 226

2. bill ranford 167

3. tommy salo 147

4. andy moog 143

5. dwayne roloson 78

6. curtis Joseph 76

7. Jussi markkanen 35

8. mathieu garon 32

9. ron low 30

10. ty conklin 27

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

best

Player

ever

All-timenumbers

130 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

florida panthers Greatest team ever

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team facts

debut season

1993-94 (33-34-17)

games +/- .500

-150

playoff record

13-18playoff streak

2 yrs(1996-97)

1. jacques martin 110 2. peter deboer 103 3. doug maclean 83 4. terry murray 79 5. roger neilson 53 6. mike keenan 45 7. duane sutter 22 8. bryan murray 17 9. rick dudley 13 10. john torchetti 10

stanleycups

top coaching wins

0

After missing the playoffs by one point in both of the franchise’s first two years of existence, the ‘year of the rat’ proved to be a special one for the Panthers.

The luck was foreshadowed at the begin-ning of 1995-96 at the team’s home-opener when Scott Mellanby set off what would become the team’s calling card. Shortly before they took the ice, a rat scurried into the dress-ing room and made a beeline for the Panthers’ leading scorer that season.

“As it got to me, really out of self defense more than anything – and probably fear – I just one-timed it,” Mellanby chuckled. “Prob-ably the best one-timer of my career because I certainly wasn’t going to rival Brett Hull.”

Mellanby scored two goals that night, which led goalie John Vanbiesbrouck to remark the right winger had achieved the “rat trick.” It was a theme that began to pick up steam, culminating in a shower of plastic rats raining on the ice after each home goal.

The Panthers began the season with 14 wins in 18 games and didn’t stumble until they wrapped up the year with a 6-12-2 stretch, leaving them fourth in the conference.

What followed was an unlikely run to the Stanley Cup final from a team of checkers who might have been considered spare parts on other clubs. Vanbiesbrouck was spectacu-lar, posting a .932 save percentage and 2.25 goals-against average with a 12-10 record in his most successful playoffs.

After beating Boston, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, however, the Panthers ran into a strong Colorado Avalanche squad that over-whelmed them in the final.

The Panthers lost 3-1, 8-1 and 3-2 in the first three games and forced Game 4 into the third overtime period, before Uwe Krupp put the Cinderella run to rest.

“It amazes me how well that team did, period,” Mellanby said of his Panthers. “That team had a unique chemistry and I wish you could bottle it.”

Young franchise was searching for its identity when Scott Mellanby found it with a one-timer

southern rat pack

florida panthers | 1995-96

the panthers captured the imagination of florida in the spring of 1996.

most points 98 (1999-00)

most wins 43 (1999-00)

most losses 44 (2001-02)

most goals 254 (1995-96)

win streak 7 (3 times)

losing streak 13 (1997-98)

shutouts 9 (2009-10)

captains 5

coaches 10

gms 8

teamrecords

Playoff round victories since being swept by the Colorado

Avalanche in the 1996 Stanley Cup final

0

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 131

florida panthersall-time team

1995-11

radekdvorak

2001-active

stephenweiss

1993-01

scottmellanby

1993-99

gordmurphy

1993-02

paullaus

1993-98

johnvanbiesbrouck

all-time second team

2000-06

gp 317

W 108

l 154

t/o 41

so 26

saw more rubber than a tire factory in his five seasons in the

sunshine state and still put up stellar numbers.

crafty winger led the cats in scor-ing his first two seasons and was second to Pavel Bure in his third.

bouwmeester was a stud on the Panthers blueline, averaging 24:58 of ice time in six seasons.

franchise leader in goals, assists and points, but never took the panthers to the post-season.

big-time tough and seriously underrated, Svehla missed only three games in seven seasons.

had 90-point seasons and scored nearly 60 goals in each of his two full campaigns with the cats.

Took Florida to the Cup final in 1996 and has the highest winning percentage of any cats coach.

robertoluongo

goalie

1997-01

gp 273

g 97

a 130

pts 227

pim 109

2002-09

gp 471

g 53

a 150

pts 203

pim 329

2000-08

gp 567

g 188

a 231

pts 419

pim 597

1994-02

gp 573

g 61

a 229

pts 290

pim 603

1998-02

gp 223

g 152

a 99

pts 251

pim 134

1995-98

g 187

W 83

l 71

t/o 33

po 13-14

raywhitney

jaybouwmeester

ollijokinen

robertsvehla

pavelbure

dougmaclean

left wing

defense

center

defense

right wing

coach

Points 1. Olli Jokinen 419

2. scott mellanby 354

3. stephen weiss * 333

4. nathan horton 295

5. Viktor Kozlov 291

6. Robert Svehla 290

7. Radek Dvorak 268

8. rob niedermayer 266

9. Pavel Bure 251

10. ray whitney 227

goals 1. Olli Jokinen 188

2. scott mellanby 157

3. Pavel Bure 152

4. nathan horton 142

5. stephen weiss * 124

6. Radek Dvorak 113

7. rob niedermayer 101

8. Viktor Kozlov 101

9. ray whitney 97

10. David Booth * 87

Pims 1. paul laus 1,702

2. peter worrell 1,375

3. scott mellanby 953

4. bill lindsay 609

5. Robert Svehla 603

6. Olli Jokinen 597

7. Ed Jovanovski * 549

8. rob niedermayer 435

9. brad ference 432

10. Brian Skrudland 401

games Played 1. Radek Dvorak 613

2. Robert Svehla 573

3. Olli Jokinen 567

4. stephen weiss * 557

5. scott mellanby 552

6. paul laus 530

7. rob niedermayer 518

8. bill lindsay 506

9. jay bouwmeester 471

10. nathan horton 422

goalie wins 1. roberto luongo 108

2. John Vanbiesbrouck 106

3. Tomas Vokoun 101

4. Mark Fitzpatrick 43

5. Trevor Kidd 28

6. ed belfour 27

7. craig anderson 24

8. Sean Burke 23

9. Mike Vernon 18

10. scott clemmensen * 17

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

best

Player

ever

all-timenumbers

132 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

los angeles kings greatest Team ever

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Team facTs

debut season

1967-68 (31-33-10)

games +/- .500

-224

playoff record

69-113playoff streak

9 yrs(1974-82)

16 marcel dionne (1975-87)

18 dave taylor (1977-94)

20 luc robitaille (1986-94,

1997-01, 2003-06)

30 rogie vachon (1971-78)

99 wayne gretzky (1988-96)

1. andy murray 215 2. bob pulford 178 3. terry murray * 126 4. larry robinson 122 5. tom webster 115 6. bob berry 107 7. barry melrose 79 8. pat quinn 75 9. robbie ftorek 65 10. marc crawford 59

stanleycups

retired numbers

top coaching wins

0

it was a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs for the 1992-93 Los Angeles Kings, but in the end they finished as the greatest edition in franchise history.

the Kings were coming off a 10th overall finish and a first-round exit in the playoffs the season prior. rookie coach barry Melrose planned to put the onus on young-sters, guys in their early 20s with just a year or two of experience in the league, most notably on the blueline. “We might take some lumps early,” Melrose said prior to the season.

Those knocks came earlier than expected when superstar center Wayne gretzky was lost with a herniated disc in his back during training camp. At the time, there was specula-tion gretzky would have to retire and the Kings were just hoping he’d return at some point during the season.

instead of folding, however, the surprising Kings were on pace to set a team record for wins after 25 games. but the hockey gods are a fickle group and by the halfway mark L.A.

had stumbled. gretzky returned for game 39, but Melrose was already benching stars such as future hall of famer Jari Kurri.

Paul Coffey was traded to Detroit after scor-ing 57 points in 50 games and Kelly hrudey, the team’s no. 1 netminder, fell into what he described as the worst slump he had ever gone through. “We had to fight tooth-and-nail to resurrect my career,” hrudey said.

Los Angeles finished sixth in the Campbell Conference and was primed to lose early in the playoffs. but it didn’t happen.

the Kings bested division rivals Calgary and Vancouver in the first two rounds. They then went the distance with toronto in the conference final, winning 5-4 in Game 7 thanks to gretzky’s hat trick and game-win-ning goal.

the Kings moved on to face Patrick roy and the Montreal Canadiens for the Cup, losing the championship 4-1, but made a name for themselves with their first and only trip to the Stanley Cup final.

L.A. went further than ever before with a chaotic squad that came together at the perfect time

silver surfers

los angeles kings | 1992-93

Wayne gretzky overcame back woes to lead aspirited charge in 1993.

most points 105 (1974-75)

most wins 46 (3 times)

most losses 52 (1969-70)

most goals 376 (1988-89)

win streak 9 (2009-10)

losing streak 11 (2003-04)

shutouts 10 (2000-01)

captains 13

coaches 22

gms 8

teamrecords

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 133

los angeles kingsall-Time Team

1977-85

charliesimmer

1988-96

waynegretzky

1980-90

jimfox

2008-active

drewdoughty

1986-99

steveduchesne

1988-96

kellyhrudey

all-Time second Team

best

player

ever

1975-87

gp 921

g 550

a 757

pts 1,307

pim 461

Dionne was L.A.’s first marquee superstar. He had six seasons with 50 or more goals and has the fifth

most points in NHL history.

The highest-scoring left winger in NHL history had at least 44 goals eight times over his career.

Rock-steady and a hard-rock bodychecker, Norstrom captained the Kings from 2001-07.

Sits third or better on the Kings all-time in games played, goals, assists and penalty minutes.

Diminutive stopper had a quick glove and cat-like reflexes. He had five or more shutouts four times.

Known for his blistering shot and bone-crushing bodychecks, Blake was a great two-way D-man.

Murray is the first Kings coach to have 35 or more victories in three consecutive seasons.

marceldionne

center

’86-94, ’97-01,’03-06

gp 1,077g 557a 597

pts 1,154pim 924

1995-07

gp 780

g 14

a 128

pts 142

pim 583

1977-94

gp 1,111

g 431

a 638

pts 1,069

pim 1,589

1971-78

gp 389

w 171

l 148

t/o 66

so 32

’90-01, ’06-08

gp 805

g 161

a 333

pts 494

pim 1,231

1999-06

gp 480

w 215

l 176

t/o 89

po 10-14

lucrobiTaille

maTTiasnorsTrom

daveTaylor

rogievachon

robblake

andymurray

left wing

defense

right wing

goalie

defense

coach

points 1. Marcel Dionne 1,307

2. Luc Robitaille 1,154

3. Dave Taylor 1,069

4. Wayne Gretzky 918

5. Bernie Nicholls 758

6. Butch Goring 659

7. Rob Blake 494

8. Jim Fox 479

9. Charlie Simmer 466

10. Mike Murphy 457

goals 1. Luc Robitaille 557

2. Marcel Dionne 550

3. Dave Taylor 431

4. Bernie Nicholls 327

5. Butch Goring 275

6. Wayne Gretzky 246

7. Charlie Simmer 222

8. Mike Murphy 194

9. Jim Fox 186

10. Alexander Frolov 168

pims 1. Marty McSorley 1,846

2. Dave Taylor 1,589

3. Jay Wells 1,446

4. Rob Blake 1,231

5. Ian Laperriere 1,017

6. Sean O’Donnell 940

7. Luc Robitaille 924

8. Jay Miller 865

9. Mark Hardy 858

10. Tony Granato 821

games played 1. Dave Taylor 1,111

2. Luc Robitaille 1,077

3. Marcel Dionne 921

4. Rob Blake 805

5. Mattias Norstrom 780

6. Butch Goring 736

7. Mike Murphy 673

8. Mark Hardy 616

9. Jay Wells 604

10. Bernie Nicholls 602

goalie wins 1. Rogie Vachon 171

2. Kelly Hrudey 145

3. Jonathan Quick * 96

4. Mario Lessard 92

5. Jamie Storr 85

6. Stephane Fiset 80

7. Felix Potvin 61

8. Gary Edwards 54

9. Mathieu Garon 44

10. Bob Janecyk 41

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

all-Timenumbers

134 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

minnesota wild Greatest team ever

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/nh

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iGh

t: Ji

m m

cis

aa

c/G

et

ty

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aG

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team facts

debut season

2000-01 (25-39-13-5)

games +/- .500

-25

playoff record

11-18playoff streak

2 yrs(2007-08)

1. jacques lemaire 293 2. todd richards 77

stanleycups

top coaching wins

0

Little was expected of the 2002-03 Minnesota Wild after their first two campaigns as an expansion outfit proved lackluster. but a record-setting post-season vaulted the

franchise into relevancy and provided the team’s best season.

Carried by a 20-year-old Marian gaborik and a solid team game plan led by players such as Pascal Dupuis and Andrew Brunette, as well as Jack Adams Award-winning coach-ing by Jacques Lemaire, Minnesota clinched its first playoff spot as the Wild after a 42-win regular season.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Wild found themselves down 3-1 to the Avalanche before rallying to win Game 5 on the road and game 6 at home in overtime. back in Denver for a do-or-die Game 7, the Wild knocked out the Avalanche 3:25 into overtime on a goal by the veteran brunette.

“It was such a rewarding goal, not just for myself, but for the entire team,” Brunette said.

In the West semifinal, the Wild again found themselves down 3-1, this time against the Canucks, heading for a Game 5 on enemy ice.

“This was different than the Colorado series, we felt we deserved to be up 3-1,” Brunette said. “We had a lot of confidence and liked the way we were playing and just wanted to keep it up.”

that belief propelled the Wild to a domi-nating 7-2 win in Game 5 and they again came from behind to claim the series in seven games.

Although they were swept by Jean-Sebas-tien giguere and the Mighty Ducks in the conference final – scoring just a single goal in the series – the Wild became the first and only team in nhL history to come back from two 3-1 deficits in a single post-season.

“We all accepted and cherished our roles that season,” Brunette said. “We were all unselfish in the way we played.

“We just all wanted to be a winner and we worked on our roles to do that.”

Wild rode the defense-first philosophy of coach Lemaire in rallying from 3-1 deficits to make the final four

comeback kids

minnesota wild | 2002-03

the wild knocked off Colorado and Vancouver in the spring of 2003.

most points 104 (2006-07)

most wins 48 (2006-07)

most losses 39 (2000-01)

most goals 235 (2006-07)

win streak 9 (2006-07)

losing streak 8 (2010-11)

shutouts 8 (twice)

captains 22

coaches 2

gms 2

teamrecords

Goal-scoring has always been an issue in Minnesota. The Wild have never ranked among the top 16 teams in

any of their 10 seasons. They topped out at 17th in 2007-

08 with 2.68 goals per game

17

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 135

minnesota wildall-time team

2005-08

brianrolston

2000-08

weswalz

2002-active

pierre-marcbouchard

2000-06

williemitchell

2008-active

marekzidlicky

2001-06

dwayneroloson

all-time second team

best

player

ever

2000-09

gp 502

g 219

a 218

pts 437

pim 301

the smooth-skating speedster may be brittle, but he’s a dynamic

sniper and the only superstar minny has ever had.

missed only three games in six seasons with the wild and potted more than 20 goals three times.

big-bodied blueliner has an all-around skill set, including a big blast from the point.

Finnish pivot is a skilled two-way center now entering his prime years with the wild.

backstrom has been the backbone of the wild since 2006 behind a punchless offense.

Solid, stay-at-home d-man has provided the wild with stability for a decade.

defensive mastermind led the wild to an improbable western conference final run in 2002-03.

marian gaborik

right wing

’01-04, ’08-11

gp 489

g 119

a 202

pts 321

pim 106

2003-11

gp 453

g 55

a 128

pts 183

pim 325

’05-active

gp 433

g 96

a 221

pts 317

pim 306

’06-active

gp 281

w 141

L 91

o 35

so 22

’01-active

gp 681

g 25

a 100

pts 125

pim 292

2000-09

gp 656

w 293

L 265

t/o 188

po 11-18

andrewbrunette

brentburns

mikkokoivu

niklasbackstrom

nickschultz

jacqueslemaire

left wing

defense

center

goalie

defense

coach

points 1. marian Gaborik 437

2. andrew brunette 321

3. mikko koivu * 317

4. pierre-marc bouchard * 305

5. brian rolston 202

6. brent burns 183

7. wes walz 182

8. pascal dupuis 141

9. Filip kuba 132

10. nick Schultz * 125

goals 1. marian Gaborik 219

2. andrew brunette 119

3. mikko koivu * 96

4. brian rolston 96

5. pierre-marc bouchard * 89

6. wes walz 82

7. pascal dupuis 67

8. antti laaksonen 55

9. brent burns 55

10. antti miettinen 51

pims 1. matt Johnson 698

2. derek boogaard 544

3. willie mitchell 333

4. brent burns 325

5. mikko koivu * 306

6. marian Gaborik 301

7. nick Schultz * 292

8. wes walz 272

9. brad brown 267

10. Stephane Veilleux 254

games played 1. nick Schultz * 681

2. marian Gaborik 502

3. andrew brunette 489

4. pierre-marc bouchard * 485

5. brent burns 453

6. wes walz 438

7. mikko koivu * 433

8. Stephane Veilleux 361

9. Filip kuba 357

10. pascal dupuis 334

goalie wins 1. niklas backstrom * 141

2. manny Fernandez 113

3. dwayne roloson 62

4. Josh harding * 28

5. Jose theodore 15

6. Jamie mclennan 5

7. anton khudobin 4

8. wade dubielewicz 1

9. derek Gustafson 1

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

all-timenumbers

136 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

montreal canadiens Greatest team ever

le

ft:

De

nis

Br

oD

eu

r/n

Hli v

ia G

et

ty

im

aG

es

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t: P

icto

ria

l P

ar

aD

e/G

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team facts

debut season

1917-18 (13-9-0)

games +/- .500

+1,007

playoff record

410-291-8playoff streak

24 yrs(1971-94)

1 plante

2 harvey

3 bouchard

4 beliveau

5 geoffrion

7 morenz

9 m. richard

10 lafleur

12 moore

cournoyer

16 h. richard

lach

18 savard

19 robinson

23 gainey

29 dryden

33 roy

1. toe blake 500 2. dick irvin 431 3. scotty bowman 419 4. cecil hart 196 5. pat burns 174 6. claude ruel 172 7. jean perron 126 8. guy carbonneau 124 9. newsy lalonde 122 10. bob berry 116

stanleycups

retired numbers

top coaching wins

23

it might be difficult to believe, but the Montreal Canadiens actually had a los-ing record against the Boston Bruins in 1976-77. After one of those losses superstar Guy Lafleur said, “I will never

accept losing. Never. The law of averages is bound to catch up with us, but that’s no excuse for a bad performance.”

And, that, in a nutshell, is what made the ’76-77 Canadiens the greatest collection of talent in the history of the game.

The Canadiens opened that season with a 10-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, finished it with a 2-1 overtime win over the Boston Bruins in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final and in between, they were the most elec-trifying, dominant and unstoppable team the NHL has ever seen. All told, they established 21 NHL records that season, including a 132-point performance that still stands as the league’s benchmark. Their goal differential of 216 is by far the best in NHL history, 40 ahead of the next-best mark (set by the ’77-78 Habs).

“When we scrimmaged, you were playing against the best players in the world,” recalled Peter Mahovlich. “You couldn’t help but get better because we had a bunch of guys who loved to be on the ice.”

When you consider Montreal’s dominance that season, you must look at it through the prism of a four-year run in which the Habs won four Stanley Cups and established them-selves as arguably the most dominant dynasty in the history of the sport.

In those four years, the Canadiens lost just 46 games – an average of 11.5 per season.

To trace the lineage of that team, you have to go back a few years prior to the 1970-71 campaign, when the Canadiens shocked the hockey world by stunning the powerhouse Bruins in the first round of the playoffs en route to the Stanley Cup.

As dominant as those teams were, however, they were not the 1976-77 Canadiens, the standard by which all other great teams in the NHL will continue to be measured.

A record-smashing collection of Hall of Famers created a season better than any other in league history

kinG of the dynasties

montreal canadiens | 1976-77

Guy Lafleur and the Habs lost just eight regular season games in 1976-77.

most points 132 (1976-77)

most wins 60 (1976-77)

most losses 40 (twice)

most goals 387 (1976-77)

win streak 12 (1967-68)

losing streak 12 (1925-26)

shutouts 22 (1928-29)

captains 25

coaches 25

gms 16

teamrecords

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 137

montreal canadiensall-time team

1922-38

aureljoliat

1922-37

howiemorenz

1971-85

guylafleur

1921-25

spraguecleghorn

1966-81

sergesavard

1970-79

kendryden

all-time second team

best

player

ever

1942-60

gp 978

g 544

a 421

pts 965

pim 1,285

The first player to score 50 in a season and 500 in his career, ‘The Rocket’ beat goalies with his stare

even before he took his shot.

Won six Stanley Cups and had the second-highest point total of the NHL’s pre-expansion era.

One of the all-time great bluelin-ers, he was talented, smart and dictated the tempo of a game.

Graceful, gifted, classy yet tough, Beliveau guided the Habs to their five straight Cups in the 1950s.

A hockey innovator and legendary pioneer, Plante stopped pucks with eye-popping numbers.

A fierce competitor with intimi-dating size, ‘Big Bird’ was a defen-sive stud and an offensive force.

The mastermind behind the five-Cup dynasty of the 1950s and three more Cups in the ’60s.

mauricerichard

right wing

1951-63

gp 654

g 254

a 340

pts 594

pim 575

1947-61

gp 890

g 76

a 371

pts 447

pim 1,042

1951-71

gp 1,125

g 507

a 712

pts 1,219

pim 1,029

1952-63

gp 556

w 311

l 134

t 108

so 58

1972-89

gp 1,202

g 197

a 686

pts 883

pim 706

1955-68

g 914

w 500

l 255

t 159

po 82-37

dickiemoore

dougharvey

jeanbeliveau

jacquesplante

larryrobinson

toeblake

left wing

defense

center

goalie

defense

coach

points 1. Guy Lafleur 1,246

2. Jean Beliveau 1,219

3. Henri Richard 1,046

4. Maurice Richard 965

5. Larry Robinson 883

6. Yvan Cournoyer 863

7. Jacques Lemaire 835

8. Steve Shutt 776

9. Bernie Geoffrion 759

10. Saku Koivu 641

goals 1. Maurice Richard 544

2. Guy Lafleur 518

3. Jean Beliveau 507

4. Yvan Cournoyer 428

5. Steve Shutt 408

6. Bernie Geoffrion 371

7. Jacques Lemaire 366

8. Henri Richard 358

9. Aurel Joliat 270

10. Mario Tremblay 258

pims 1. Chris Nilan 2,248

2. Lyle Odelein 1,367

3. Shayne Corson 1,341

4. Maurice Richard 1,285

5. John Ferguson 1,214

6. Mario Tremblay 1,043

7. Doug Harvey 1,042

8. Jean Beliveau 1,029

9. Doug Risebrough 959

10. Henri Richard 928

games played 1. Henri Richard 1,256

2. Larry Robinson 1,202

3. Bob Gainey 1,160

4. Jean Beliveau 1,125

5. Claude Provost 1,005

6. Maurice Richard 978

7. Yvan Cournoyer 968

8. Guy Lafleur 961

9. Serge Savard 917

10. Guy Carbonneau 912

goalie wins 1. Jacques Plante 314

2. Patrick Roy 289

3. Ken Dryden 258

4. Bill Durnan 208

5. George Hainsworth 167

6. Michel Larocque 144

7. Jose Theodore 141

8. Gerry McNeil 119

9. Charlie Hodge 115

10. Rogie Vachon 110

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

all-timenumbers

138 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

Nashville predators Greatest team ever

le

ft:

Br

uc

e B

en

ne

tt/G

etty

Im

aG

es

; r

IGh

t: P

hIl

lIP

ma

cc

allu

m/G

et

ty

Im

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es

team facts

debut season

1998-99 (28-47-7)

games +/- .500

-14

playoff record

14-26playoff streak

4 yrs(2004-08)

1. barry trotz * 455

stanleycups

top coaching wins

0

it was an historical moment for a star-crossed franchise. the 2006-07 nashville Predators, small-market sell-ers for most of their existence, landed the biggest name available at the nhL

trade deadline.Peter forsberg, ‘foppa’ to his admirers,

came to Music City in a blockbuster deal that sent left winger scottie Upshall, defenseman Ryan Parent, plus the Predators’ first and third round selections in the 2007 draft to the Philadelphia flyers.

the move sent a bold message to a group of players in the midst of putting together nashville’s best year to date, a campaign that would see the Preds rack up 110 points in the regular season.

“he was one of the best players of the 1990s,” said David Legwand, the first draft pick in Predators history. “it was awesome to have him and learn from him.”

The Predators finished second in points in the Western Conference, but were unfor-

tunately stuck behind division rival Detroit, thus relegating nashville to the fourth seed and a date with the potent san Jose sharks, who dispatched them in five games.

for a team used to losing assets due to financial constraints, the Preds marched out an impressive roster in 2006-07, one which featured forwards Paul Kariya, Jason Arnott, Alexander radulov and steve sullivan (whose season was cut short by a major back injury). tomas vokoun was rock-steady in goal, while Kimmo timonen led the defense corps.

“that was the most talented team we’ve had,” said barry trotz, the only coach the Preds have known. “they were a good group. they believed they could win the Cup and that was the first time we believed we could. the downside was we never got to see that because we had a lot of people out with inju-ries come playoff time.

“if we could have stayed healthy, i would have liked to see if we could’ve done some damage.”

Forsberg, Kariya, Vokoun help Preds make noise in regular season, but injuries derail deep playoff push

thrilliNG aNd illiNG

nashville predators | 2006-07

peter Forsberg was a marquee trade deadline acquisition by nashville.

most points 110 (2006-07)

most wins 51 (2006-07)

most losses 47 (1998-99)

most goals 272 (2006-07)

win streak 8 (2005-06)

losing streak 7 (1999-00)

shutouts 10 (twice)

captains 5

coaches 1

gms 1

teamrecords

Preds regulars were minus

players in 2006-07, a testa-

ment to the team’s overall

defensive prowess

3

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 139

Nashville predatorsall-time team

2005-07

paulkariya

2006-10

jasonarnott

1998-06

scottwalker

1998-07

kimmotimonen

2003-10

danhamuis

1998-07

tomasvokoun

all-time second team

best

player

ever

2005-active

gp 402

g 80

a 134

pts 214

pim 323

whether he’s blistering slapshots through nets or making opponents

forget their names, shea weber is one of the best defensemen today.

a masterton winner, sullivan is one of four predators to score 30 goals in a season.

the 2010 olympian is a steady influence in the defensive zone and can chip in with offense.

the longest-tenured predator leads the team in almost every offensive category.

rinne combines raw athleticism with efficient technical play. One of the game’s best goalies today.

erat is able to beat defensemen wide with his blazing speed and his quick shot fools goalies.

the only coach in franchise his-tory has always had the utmost respect from all of his players.

sheaweber

defense

2003-11

gp 317

g 100

a 163

pts 263

pim 175

2005-active

gp 463

g 31

a 161

pts 192

pim 366

1998-active

gp 768

g 169

a 279

pts 448

pim 398

2006-active

gp 177

w 95

l 54

t/o 18

so 20

2001-active

gp 616

g 140

a 262

pts 402

pim 370

1999-active

gp 984

w 455

l 398

t/o 131

po 14-26

stevesullivaN

ryaNsuter

davidlegwaNd

pekkariNNe

martiNerat

barrytrotz

left wing

defense

center

goalie

right wing

coach

points 1. david legwand * 448

2. martin erat * 402

3. kimmo timonen 301

4. j-p dumont 267

5. steve sullivan 263

6. scott walker 247

7. greg johnson 238

8. jason arnott 229

9. cliff ronning 226

10. shea weber * 214

goals 1. david legwand * 169

2. martin erat * 140

3. jason arnott 107

4. steve sullivan 100

5. scott walker 96

6. scott hartnell 93

7. greg johnson 93

8. j-p dumont 93

9. cliff ronning 81

10. shea weber * 80

pims 1. jordin tootoo * 633

2. scott hartnell 544

3. scott walker 465

4. david legwand * 398

5. dan hamhuis 375

6. cale hulse 370

7. martin erat * 370

8. ryan suter * 366

9. kimmo timonen 348

10. drake berehowsky 327

games played 1. david legwand * 768

2. martin erat * 616

3. kimmo timonen 573

4. greg johnson 502

5. dan hamhuis 483

6. ryan suter * 463

7. jerred smithson * 444

8. scott hartnell 436

9. scott walker 410

10. jordin tootoo * 409

goalie wins 1. tomas vokoun 161

2. pekka rinne * 95

3. mike dunham 81

4. chris mason 58

5. dan ellis 49

6. anders lindback * 11

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

all-timeNumbers

140 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

new jersey devils Greatest Team ever

le

ft:

B B

en

ne

tt/G

etty

Im

aG

es

; r

IGh

t: G

ra

IG a

Be

l/n

hlI v

Ia G

et

ty

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Team facTs

debut season

1974-75 (15-54-11)

games +/- .500

-134

playoff record

122-106playoff streak

13 yrs(1997-10)

3 ken daneyko (1983-03)

4 scott stevens (1991-04)

1. Jacques lemaire 276 2. doug carpenter 100 3. brent sutter 97 4. pat burns 89 5. robbie ftorek 88 6. larry robinson 87 7. John cunniff 59 8. tom mcvie 57 9. Jim schoenfeld 50 10. claude Julien 47

stanleycups

retired numbers

top coaching wins

3

in the mind of former Devils winger randy McKay, the 1999-00 new Jersey team was more talented than the 1994-95 squad that won the organization’s first Stanley Cup.

“in ’95, a lot of things went right for us,” said McKay. “In 2000, we had a lot more speed and we had more talent, top-to-bottom.”

Forwards Petr Sykora and Bobby Holik were smart and steady; blueliners Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer played tough, responsible defensive hockey; goalie Martin brodeur was an all-star; and gM Lou Lam-oriello repatriated veteran Claude Lemieux from Colorado. As well, young players, such as center scott gomez and defenseman brian Rafalski, emerged as key contributors.

The Devils season had its share of lows. They lost 10 of 16 games starting in mid-Feb-ruary – and with eight regular-season games remaining, GM Lou Lamoriello replaced head coach Robbie Ftorek with assistant coach and former NHL great Larry Robinson.

Robinson’s player-friendly approach was manna from heaven to a team worn down by Ftorek’s iron-fisted ways. The results of the relaxed-yet-focused Devils were on display: New Jersey swept Florida in the first round, dispatched Toronto in six games, then rallied to beat Philadelphia in the conference final.

In the Cup final, New Jersey faced the defending champion Dallas Stars. The Devils stomped Dallas in Game 1, but the Stars fought back and their triple overtime, 1-0 win in Game 5 extended the series to a sixth game in Dallas, which New Jersey won on a double-overtime goal by Jason Arnott.

To Lemieux, the Devils’ 1999-00 team was as balanced as it was talented.

“There were a lot of expectations on guys like (2000 Conn Smythe Trophy-winner) Scotty Stevens, Brodeur and myself,” Lemieux said, “but the Maddens and Gomezes...who chipped in at the right time late in the year and in the playoffs were valuable, too.

“It was just a very talented team.”

Controversial late-season coaching change helps relax players, vault them to franchise’s second championship

a fTorekin The road

new jersey devils | 1999-2000

larry robinson, top right, earned a Cup ring after a late-season appointment.

most points 111 (2000-01)

most wins 51 (2008-09)

most losses 56 (1983-84)

most goals 308 (1992-93)

win streak 13 (2000-01)

losing streak 14 (1975-76)

shutouts 14 (2003-04)

captains 15

coaches 24

gms 5

teamrecords

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 141

new jersey devilsAll-Time Team

2005-active

zachparise

1984-91

kirkmuller

’90-95, ’99-00

claudelemieux

1983-03

kendaneyko

1999-07

brianrafalski

’86-96, ’98-01

christerreri

All-Time second Team

best

player

ever

1993-active

gp 1,132

w 625

l 350

t/0 137

so 116

Brodeur is the definition of consis-

tency. He has four Vezinas, three Stanley Cups and had 11 straight

seasons with 35 or more wins.

Elias is known for using speed to beat defenseman wide. He’s had 30 or more goals four times.

One of the most punishing hitters ever, Stevens was the Devils’ blue-

line super stud for 13 seasons.

A key cog to two championship squads, Holik was a tough, big-bodied two-way center.

The best skater in Devils history, Niedermayer was key to New Jersey winning three Cups.

The all-time leading goal-scorer in Devils history had 10 seasons with 20 or more goals.

The winningest coach in Devils history morphed the squad into a successful defense-first team.

mArTinbrodeur

goalie

1995-active

gp 961

g 335

a 481

pts 816

pim 459

1991-04

gp 956

g 93

a 337

pts 430

pim 1,007

’92-02, ’08-09

gp 786

g 202

a 270

pts 472

pim 863

1992-04

gp 892

g 112

a 364

pts 476

pim 478

1983-98

gp 934

g 347

a 354

pts 701

pim 1,168

’93-98, ’09-10

gp 509

g 276

a 166

pts 67

t 35-26

pATrikeliAs

scoTTsTevens

bobby holik

scoTTniedermAyer

johnmAcleAn

jAcqueslemAire

left wing

defense

center

defense

rght wing

coach

points 1. Patrik Elias * 816

2. John MacLean 701

3. Kirk Muller 520

4. Scott Niedermayer 476

5. Bobby Holik 472

6. Aaron Broten 469

7. Scott Gomez 450

8. Scott Stevens 430

9. Bruce Driver 399

10. Jamie Langenbrunner 385

goals 1. John MacLean 347

2. Patrik Elias * 335

3. Bobby Holik 202

4. Kirk Muller 185

5. Pat Verbeek 170

6. Zach Parise * 163

7. Aaron Broten 162

8. Wilf Paiement 153

9. Brian Gionta 152

10. Randy McKay 151

pims 1. Ken Daneyko 2,519

2. Randy McKay 1,418

3. John MacLean 1,168

4. Scott Stevens 1,007

5. Pat Verbeek 943

6. Joe Cirella 938

7. Bobby Holik 863

8. Colin White 848

9. Krzysztof Oliwa 724

10. David Maley 683

games played 1. Ken Daneyko 1,283

2. Martin Brodeur * 1,132

3. Patrik Elias * 961

4. Scott Stevens 956

5. John MacLean 934

6. Scott Niedermayer 892

7. Jay Pandolfo 819

8. Bobby Holik 786

9. Sergei Brylin 765

10. Randy McKay 760

goalie wins 1. Martin Brodeur * 625

2. Chris Terreri 118

3. Glenn Resch 67

4. Sean Burke 62

5. Alain Chevrier 53

6. Craig Billington 43

7. Scott Clemmensen 32

8. Michael Plasse 28

9. Doug Favell 21

10. Ron Low 16

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

All-Timenumbers

142 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

New York islaNders Greatest Team ever

bo

th

: b

ru

ce

be

nn

ett S

tu

dio

S/G

et

ty

im

aG

eS

Team facTs

debut season

1972-73 (12-60-6)

games +/- .500

-69

playoff record

134-106playoff streak

14 yrs(1975-88)

5 denis potvin (1973-88)

9 clark gilles (1974-86)

19 bryan trottier (1975-90)

22 mike bossy (1977-87)

23 bob nystrom (1972-86)

31 billy smith (1972-89)

1. al arbour 740 2. terry simpson 81 3. peter laviolette 77 4. ted nolan 74 5. scott gordon 64 6. mike milbury 56 7. steve sterling 56 8. butch goring 41 9. rick bowness 38 10. jack capuano * 26

stanleycups

retired numbers

top coaching wins

4

from the outside looking in, the casual observer might not think the 1982-83 new york islanders were the best team the franchise has ever iced. but ask one of the best players

in franchise history and he’ll beg to differ.“i think we were a machine at that point,”

said hall of fame defenseman Denis Potvin. “We were so grooved and so emotionally sharp. it was just such a joy to play; every-thing was automatic.”

the islanders were stacked, led by bryan trottier, Mike bossy, team captain and three-time norris trophy winner Potvin, all-time grinder Clark gillies and goaltender billy smith. behind the bench, the islanders were led by coach Al Arbour; and pulling the strings was gM bill torrey.

A tough schedule, nagging injuries and a certain level of complacency put the team into a funk that lasted much of the regular season, but in March, things changed. And during the season’s final six weeks, the Isles turned a

corner and began playing a game reminiscent of Cup seasons past. Lines were set, injuries healed and the stars – though they’d been putting up what today would be outstanding numbers – began playing like stars again. the islanders were back – and hungry.

the isles beat Washington, the rangers and bruins in the playoffs before facing Wayne gretzky, Mark Messier and the rest of the Edmonton Oilers in the Cup final. New York swept the series in four games, scoring 17 goals along the way and holding the vaunted Edmonton attack to just six with a dogged determination to play tough team defense.

the 1983 Cup made the isles one of the most dominant teams ever. they made it back to their fifth final in a row in 1984, winning a record 19 consecutive post-season series en route, which only added to the argument.

“I think we played 120 playoff games in five years,” Potvin said. “how many nhLers in his-tory have played 120 playoff games? And we did it in five consecutive years.”

Dynastic Islanders squad overcame injuries, complacency to hammer Oilers in Cup final

well isle’dmachiNe

new york islanders | 1982-83

Bryan Trottier wasn’t the captain, but was a great islanders’ leader.

most points 118 (1981-82)

most wins 54 (1981-82)

most losses 60 (1972-73)

most goals 385 (1981-82)

win streak 15 (1981-82)

losing streak 12 (twice)

shutouts 10 (1975-76)

captains 12

coaches 15

gms 5

teamrecords

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 143

New York islaNdersall-Time Team

1978-86

johntonelli

1984-91

patlafontaine

1972-86

bobnystrom

1995-2004

kennyjonsson

1981-89

tomasjonsson

1974-81

glennresch

all-Time second Team

best

player

ever

1973-88

gp 1,060

g 310

a 742

pts 1,052

pim 1,354

big, bruising D-man was as skilled as he was tough, scoring nearly a

point per game and anchoring the isles’ blueline for 15 seasons.

big, mean and skilled, gillies is a hall of famer and a prototype for today’s power forward.

paired with potvin, the soft-hand-ed swede was part of one of the league’s best power play units.

equal parts shutdown center and playmaking pivot, trottier is the archetypal two-way middleman.

infamous for guarding his crease by any means necessary, smith was money come crunch time.

no one in nhl history has more goals per game (.76) than the isles’ sublime sniper. enough said.

only scotty bowman has more wins as an nhl bench boss than the isles legend.

deNispoTviN

defense

1974-86

gp 872

g 304

a 359

pts 663

pim 891

1977-86

gp 622

g 52

a 317

pts 369

pim 574

1975-90

gp 1,123

g 500

a 853

pts 1,353

pim 798

1972-89

gp 675

w 304

l 230

t 104

so 22

1977-87

gp 752

g 573

a 553

pts 1,126

pim 210

1973-94

gp 1,499

w 739

l 537

t 223

po 119-79

clarkgillies

sTefaNperssoN

BrYaNTroTTier

BillYsmiTh

mikeBossY

alarBour

left wing

defense

center

goalie

right wing

coach

points 1. bryan trottier 1,353

2. mike bossy 1,126

3. Denis potvin 1,052

4. clark gillies 663

5. brent sutter 610

6. pat lafontaine 566

7. john tonelli 544

8. bob bourne 542

9. bob nystrom 513

10. Derek king 499

goals 1. mike bossy 573

2. bryan trottier 500

3. Denis potvin 310

4. clark gillies 304

5. pat lafontaine 287

6. brent sutter 287

7. bob bourne 238

8. bob nystrom 235

9. Derek king 211

10. john tonelli 206

pims 1. mick vukota 1,879

2. rich pilon 1,525

3. garry howatt 1,466

4. Denis potvin 1,356

5. bob nystrom 1,248

6. Duane sutter 893

7. clark gillies 891

8. eric cairns 814

9. bryan trottier 798

10. gerry hart 783

games played 1. bryan trottier 1,123

2. Denis potvin 1,060

3. bob nystrom 900

4. clark gillies 872

5. bob bourne 814

6. mike bossy 752

7. patrick flatley 712

8. brent sutter 694

9. billy smith 675

10. Derek king 638

goalie wins 1. billy smith 304

2. glenn resch 157

3. rick Dipietro * 127

4. kelly hrudey 106

5. roland melanson 77

6. glenn healy 66

7. tommy salo 62

8. mark fitzpatrick 51

9. chris osgood 49

10. garth snow 44

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

all-TimeNumBers

144 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

new york rangers greatest Team ever

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debut season

1926-27 (25-13-6)

games +/- .500

-36

playoff record

197-212-8playoff streak

10 yrs(1978-87)

1 ed giacomin (1965-75) 2 brian leetch (1987-04) 3 harry howell (1952-69) 7 rod gilbert (1960-77) 9 andy bathgate (1952-64) 9 adam graves (1991-01)11 mark messier (’91-97, ’00-04)

35 mike richter (1989-03)

1. emile francis 342 2. lester patrick 281 3. frank boucher 181 4. tom renney 164 5. roger neilson 141 6. herb brooks 131 7. phil watson 119 8. colin campbell 118 9. john tortorella * 94 10. fred shero 82

stanleycups

retired numbers

top coaching wins

4

there are few places in the world that know how to party like new york City. And in 1994, the big Apple celebrated the Rangers’ first stanley Cup since 1940 with the

biggest party the nhL has ever seen.“three generations of rangers fans had not

seen a championship,” said tv analyst glenn healy, the 1993-94 team’s backup netminder. “you can imagine the thirst for them to cel-ebrate the championship…from the parade to radio City Music hall, it was an incredible ride with incredible emotion.”

the mug itself went through so much in 1994 the rules surrounding its stewardship were changed and the hall of fame’s keepers of the Cup were created. no longer were play-ers simply handed stanley and told to go on their merry way, the Cup now had 24/7-chap-erones who guarded it like a newborn baby.

the rangers began with a 4-5-0 start and new coach Mike Keenan was quoted as saying it’d take until Christmas before the players

got used to his system – and presumably him as well. but it didn’t take that long. by nov. 14 the Blueshirts were 12-5-2, in first place, atop the league in power play and penalty-killing percentage and had nine shorthanded goals.

When the all-star break arrived, new york was firmly atop the standings with 63 points and Keenan, for once, had little to gripe about.

to cap off a long playoff run, new york faced vancouver for the works. the teams had been separated by 27 points in the standings, but the dynamic Pavel bure had been on a tear with vancouver and was backed up offen-sively by trevor Linden. in goal, the Canucks had a similarly hot Kirk McLean.

In what is considered one of the best finals of the modern era, just two goals separated the squads during the seven-game series.

After 54 years, the pressure was finally off – and the party was on.

“it was almost surreal,” said Adam graves. “Winning in new york after 54 years, it’d be tough to experience a greater feeling.”

Captain Messier guides Rangers to much-anticipated championship and all of New York celebrates

54-year iTch

new york rangers | 1993-94

Manhattan went wild when Brian Leetch and Co. paraded stanley around.

most points 112 (1993-94)

most wins 52 (1993-94)

most losses 44 (1984-85)

most goals 321 (1991-92)

win streak 10 (twice)

losing streak 11 (1943-44)

shutouts 13 (1928-29)

captains 26

coaches 33

gms 11

teamrecords

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 145

new york rangersall-Time Team

1991-01

adamgraves

1926-44

frankboucher

1952-64

andy bathgate

1952-69

harryhowell

1926-37

chingjohnson

2005-active

henriklundqvist

all-Time second Team

best

player

ever

’91-97, ’00-04

gp 698

g 250

a 441

pts 691

pim 667

one of the best leaders in all of sport, messier knew how to get the best out of teammates. sits second all time in nhl points.

Used aggression to find his way to the net. scored 20 or more goals in seven consecutive seasons.

Park combined skill and tough-ness, scoring 50 points and snag-ging 100 or more Pim four times.

Cook was one of the first pure power forwards in the nhl. he won two scoring titles.

Always known as a big-game goalie, richter leads the rangers in victories and saves.

Leetch’s remarkable play allowed him to become the first American to win the Conn Smythe in 1994.

‘the cat’ led the rangers to three consecutive seasons with at least 47 wins. Lost the 1972 final.

markmessier

center

1961-74

gp 839

g 262

a 310

pts 572

pim 1,036

1968-76

gp 465

g 95

a 283

pts 378

pim 738

1926-37

gp 475

g 228

a 138

pts 366

pim 386

1989-03

gp 666

w 301

l 258

t 73

so 24

1987-04

gp 1,129

g 240

a 741

pts 981

pim 525

1965-75

gp 654

w 342

l 209

t 103

po 34-41

vichadfield

bradpark

billcook

mikerichTer

brianleeTch

emilefrancis

left wing

defense

right wing

goalie

defense

coach

points 1. rod gilbert 1,021

2. brian leetch 981

3. jean ratelle 817

4. Andy Bathgate 729

5. mark messier 691

6. walt tkaczuk 678

7. ron greschner 610

8. steve vickers 586

9. Vic Hadfield 572

10. adam graves 507

goals 1. rod gilbert 406

2. jean ratelle 336

3. adam graves 280

4. Andy Bathgate 272

5. Vic Hadfield 262

6. Camille Henry 256

7. mark messier 250

8. steve vickers 246

9. brian leetch 240

10. bill cook 229

pims 1. ron greschner 1,226

2. jeff beukeboom 1,157

3. Harry Howell 1,147

4. Dave Maloney 1,113

5. Vic Hadfield 1,036

6. nick fotiu 970

7. lou fontinato 939

8. adam graves 810

9. ching johnson 798

10. Barry Beck 775

games played 1. Harry Howell 1,160

2. brian leetch 1,129

3. rod gilbert 1,065

4. ron greschner 982

5. walt tkaczuk 945

6. jean ratelle 862

7. Vic Hadfield 839

8. jim neilson 810

9. adam graves 772

10. Andy Bathgate 719

goalie wins 1. mike richter 301

2. ed giacomin 266

3. henrik lundqvist * 213

4. Gump Worsley 204

5. john vanbiesbrouck 200

6. dave kerr 157

7. Chuck Rayner 123

8. gilles villemure 98

9. john davidson 93

10. john ross roach 80

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

all-Timenumbers

146 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

ottawa senators Greatest team ever

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debut season

1992-93 (10-70-4)

games +/- .500

-55

playoff record

51-58playoff streak

11 yrs(1997-08)

8 frank finnigan (1924-34)

1. Jacques martin 341 2. bryan murray 107 3. cory clouston 95 4. rick bowness 39 5. John paddock 36 6. craig hartsburg 17 7. dave allison 2 8. roger neilson 1

stanleycups

retired numbers

top coaching wins

0

After years of talented squads that underachieved in the playoffs, the Senators finally broke through in 2006-07, riding a glut of scoring all the way to the Stanley Cup final.

“Our roles were really specified on that team,” said Joe Corvo who patrolled the sens’ blueline for 76 games that year. “We had our scoring line that we depended heavily on and thereafter everybody did their job to a ‘T’. ”

That scoring line was the trio of center Jason Spezza between wingers Daniel Alfreds-son and Dany Heatley. In the regular season, Heatley was fourth in NHL scoring with 105 points, while spezza and Alfredsson each racked up 87. The Sens scored 286 goals in total, second only to the Buffalo Sabres (298 goals), the team Ottawa knocked out in the Eastern Conference final. But for the Senators, the run started in the second half.

“Everything becomes automatic,” Corvo said. “Guys are playing the same way every game and you know they’re going to bring

that effort. It turned into a well-oiled machine and we took that momentum into the playoffs.”

With Ray Emery holding the fort in net, the Sens leaned on their big line in the post-season. Spezza, Heatley and Alfredsson led the NHL in playoff scoring with remarkable synchronicity: each player tallied 22 points in 20 games.

The team lost just once per series in the first three rounds against Sidney Crosby’s Penguins, Martin Brodeur’s Devils and the loaded Sabres squad featuring Daniel Briere, Chris Drury, Thomas Vanek and Ryan Miller.

But in the final, Ottawa faced the big, bad Anaheim Ducks.

Led by behemoth defenseman Chris Pronger, the Ducks outmuscled Ottawa, dis-patching the Sens in five games.

“They bullied us,” Corvo said. “That was their game plan. If you watched any film on us you’d know we weren’t the biggest hitting team or the most physical team. They played their game plan well and frustrated us.”

A sensational trio carried Ottawa

all the way to the final before a feathered flock crushed Cup hopes

Great run, fowl end

ottawa senators | 2006-07

Jason spezza and the sens couldn’t outmuscle the Ducks in the 2007 final.

most points 113 (twice)

most wins 52 (twice)

most losses 70 (1992-93)

most goals 314 (2005-06)

win streak 11 (2009-10)

losing streak 14 (1992-93)

shutouts 10 (2001-02)

captains 7

coaches 8

gms 7

teamrecords

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 147

ottawa senatorsall-time team

1996-02

shawnmceachern

2002-active

Jasonspezza

1997-04

marianhossa

1997-active

chrisphillips

2002-10

antonvolchenkov

2002-08

rayemery

all-time second team

best

player

ever

’95-active

gp 1,056

g 389

a 634

pts 1,023

pim 449

the career senator is still the face of the franchise and is tops in

almost every offensive category as well as games played.

put up some superb numbers in four seasons, including two 50-goal, 100-point campaigns.

blossomed while in ottawa into the surly, skilled blueline behe-moth he is now with the bruins.

He’s still vilified in Ottawa, but was a sens star for seven seasons and hart trophy runner-up.

Despite some post-season flops, still has twice as many sens wins as any goalie in club history.

though banished now to the nhl’s underworld, redden was an instant stud on the sens blueline.

couldn’t get the sens to lord stan-ley’s promised land, but turned them into a perennial contender.

danielalfredsson

right wing

2005-09

gp 317

g 180

a 182

pts 362

pim 324

2001-06

gp 299

g 51

a 95

pts 146

pim 554

1993-01

gp 504

g 218

a 273

pts 491

pim 222

1999-04

gp 283

g 146

a 100

t/o 30

so 30

1996-08

gp 838

g 101

a 309

pts 410

pim 576

1995-04

g 692

w 341

l 235

t/o 116

po 31-38

danyheatley

zdenochara

alexeiyashin

patricklalime

waderedden

jacquesmartin

left wing

defense

center

goalie

defense

coach

points 1. Daniel alfredsson * 1,023

2. Jason spezza * 532

3. alexei yashin 491

4. wade redden 410

5. radek bonk 399

6. marian hossa 390

7. Dany heatley 362

8. mike fisher 348

9. shawn mceachern 304

10. chris phillips * 237

goals 1. Daniel alfredsson * 389

2. alexei yashin 218

3. Jason spezza * 192

4. marian hossa 188

5. Dany heatley 180

6. mike fisher 167

7. radek bonk 152

8. shawn mceachern 142

9. martin havlat 105

10. wade redden 101

pims 1. chris neil * 1,683

2. chris phillips * 655

3. Dennis vial 625

4. wade redden 576

5. zdeno chara 554

6. mike fisher 554

7. Denny lambert 467

8. andre roy 462

9. Daniel alfredsson * 449

10. radek bonk 401

games played 1. Daniel alfredsson * 1,056

2. chris phillips * 945

3. wade redden 838

4. radek bonk 689

5. mike fisher 675

6. chris neil * 659

7. Jason spezza * 526

8. alexei yashin 504

9. marian hossa 467

10. shaun van allen 465

goalie wins 1. patrick lalime 146

2. ron tugnutt 72

3. ray emery 71

4. Damian rhodes 65

5. brian elliott 59

6. martin gerber 49

7. martin prusek 28

8. Dominik hasek 28

9. Jani hurme 25

10. pascal leclaire 16

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

all-timenumbers

148 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

philadelphia flyers Greatest Team ever

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Team facTs

debut season

1967-68 (31-32-11)

games +/- .500

+451

playoff record

209-194playoff streak

17 yrs(1973-89)

1 bernie parent (’67-77, ’73-79)

4 barry ashbee (1970-74)

7 bill barber (1972-85)

16 bobby clarke (1969-84)

1. fred shero 308 2. mike keenan 190 3. pat quinn 141 4. ken hitchcock 131 5. john stevens 120 6. bob mccammon 119 7. terry murray 118 8. paul holmgren 107 9. roger neilson 92 10. peter laviolette * 75

stanleycups

retired numbers

top coaching wins

2

When Fred Shero wrote the famous “Win today and we walk together forever’’ line on his office message board the morning of May 19, 1974,

little did the coach know his Flyers team would not only win a stanley Cup that day, but another the following year.

Corny as it might sound, it was a family. It was the last all-Canadian team to win a stan-ley Cup and without that camaraderie, that esprit de corps, the rare feat of back-to-back crowns might not have happened.

Shero, always a proponent of challenging a player’s intellect rather than his physical talents, worked harder than ever at the mind game. He watched film of the Soviet Red Army team, how it played as a cohesive unit and instituted those same principles. “Toughness was part of it, physical fighting was a small part of it,’’ recalled Bobby Clarke, a three-time Hart Trophy winner. “We had a lot of talent – lots of teams have talent. But they don’t win

the Cup. It was the ability to get everyone to play together for each other.’’

At the end of 1974-75, the Flyers had allowed only 181 goals, fewest in the nhL, riding the superb goaltending of Bernie Par-ent. Their 113 points put them in a tie with Buffalo and Montreal for league supremacy.

The Flyers swept Toronto in the first round, then survived a scare in the second when the New York Islanders came back from their second 3-0 hole of the playoffs to force a game 7, only to fall to the flyers 4-1 in the series finale.

Left winger Bill Barber said the Flyers paid attention to every detail. Owner Ed Snider even invited the players’ fathers and mothers to join them on the road for the games against Buffalo in the final, which was won by the Fly-ers in six games. “Up 3-2, we tried to win that game in Buffalo,” Barber said. “It was a special time, because we had won a Stanley Cup at home (1974) and now we wanted to win one on the road.”

Many teams have the talent to be a Stanley Cup contender, but the ones that win come together as a family

bro sTreeTbullies

philadelphia FlyerS | 1974-75

Fred Shero created a bond between his bullies on their way to a pair of Cups.

most points 118 (1975-76)

most wins 53 (TWICE)

most losses 48 (2006-07)

most goals 350 (1983-84)

win streak 13 (1985-86)

losing streak 9 (2006-07)

shutouts 13 (1974-75)

captains 16

coaches 17

gms 6

teamrecords

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 149

philadelphia flyersall-Time Team

1994-07

johnleclair

1992-00

ericlindros

1980-91

timkerr

1967-78

joewatson

2007-Active

kimmotimonen

1986-99

ronhextall

all-Time second Team

1969-84

gp 1,144

g 358

A 852

pts 1,210

pim 1,453

the three-time mvP did whatever it took to win games for 15 years.

he captained the flyers to two stanley cup titles.

scored more than a point per game four times. often played the point on the power play.

he was masterful at reading plays and was always an excellent shut-down d-man late in games.

leach notched 19 goals in 16 playoff games to win the conn smythe trophy in 1976.

Parent is the only goalie to win the stanley cup, conn smythe and vezina in back-to-back years.

one of the more underrated players of all-time, Howe finally entered the hall of fame in 2011.

Led Flyers to five straight seasons with more than 44 wins. won two Cups and lost in the final once.

BoBBy Clarke

center

1972-85

gp 903

g 420

A 463

pts 883

pim 623

1994-06

gp 738

g 93

A 303

pts 396

pim 406

1974-82

gp 606

g 306

A 208

pts 514

pim 276

1967-79

gp 486

w 232

l 141

t 103

so 50

1982-92

gp 594

g 138

A 342

pts 480

pim 323

1971-78

gp 554

w 308

l 151

t 95

po 48-35

BillBarBer

eriCdesjardins

reggieleaCh

BernieparenT

markhowe

fredshero

LeFt WinG

deFense

riGht WinG

GoALie

deFense

coAch

Points 1. bobby clarke 1,210

2. bill barber 883

3. brian Propp 849

4. rick macleish 697

5. eric lindros 659

6. tim kerr 650

7. john leclair 643

8. mark recchi 627

9. rod brind’amour 601

10. simon gagne 524

goals 1. bill barber 420

2. brian Propp 369

3. tim kerr 363

4. bobby clarke 358

5. john leclair 333

6. rick macleish 328

7. reggie leach 306

8. eric lindros 290

9. simon gagne 259

10. rod brind’amour 235

Pims 1. rick tocchet 1,817

2. Paul holmgren 1,600

3. andre dupont 1,505

4. bobby clarke 1,453

5. dave schultz 1,386

6. dave brown 1,382

7. bob kelly 1,285

8. gary dornhoefer 1,256

9. craig berube 1,138

10. glen cochrane 1,110

games Played 1. bobby clarke 1,144

2. bill barber 903

3. brian Propp 790

4. chris therien 753

5. joe watson 746

6. rick macleish 741

7. bob kelly 741

8. eric desjardins 738

9. gary dornhoefer 725

10. simon gagne 664

goalie wins 1. ron hextall 240

2. bernie Parent 232

3. wayne stephenson 93

4. bob froese 92

5. roman cechmanek 92

6. Pelle lindbergh 87

7. Pete Peeters 85

8. doug favell 76

9. brian boucher 73

10. martin biron 65

LeFt WinG center riGht WinG deFense deFense GoALie

best

Player

ever

all-TimenumBers

150 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

phoenix coyotes Greatest team ever

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team facts

debut season

1979-80 (20-49-11)

games +/- .500

-178

playoff record

32-71playoff streak

7 yrs(1982-88)

9 bobby hull (1972-80)

10 dale hawerchuk (1981-90)

25 thomas steen (1981-95)

27 teppo numminen (1988-03)

1. bobby francis 165 2. wayne gretzky 143 3. john paddock 106 4. dave tippett * 93 5. dan maloney 91 6. barry long 87 7. jim schoenfeld 74 8. tom watt 72 9. bob murdoch 63 10. terry simpson 43

stanleycups

retired numbers

top coaching wins

0

naming a best-ever Phoenix Coyotes team is a little like identifying your favorite shade of beige. none truly stand out for a franchise that hasn’t won a

playoff round since relocating from Winnipeg before 1996-97.

the nod goes to the 2009-10 edition, one which overcame a file for bankruptcy, a legal tug-of-war between Jim balsillie and the nhL, questions about relocation and Wayne gretzky’s departure to post a record-breaking regular season.

because of the litigation and uncertainty surrounding the club’s future, adding high-priced free agents in the off-season wasn’t an option. however, gM Don Maloney adeptly opted to shelve the youth movement and instead cobbled together a collection of vet-erans hungry to prove themselves. the result was a franchise-high 107-point campaign, de-spite prognostications of a last-place finish in the West by thn. “to go from off-ice turmoil

to put the focus back on the ice and on the game itself, i think we’ve come a long way this year,” said coach Dave tippett. “What happens now is we’ve set the bar higher for ourselves moving forward and it’s going to be a chal-lenge to make sure that bar goes up again.”

Keys to success were goalie ilya bryzgalov, whose brilliance earned a vezina nomination, and tippett, whose bench skills put him in the running for the Jack Adams Award.

Without an elite scoring presence, it was all about team play and adherence to systems.

sadly for supporters, the team bowed out yet again in round 1, this time in seven games to Detroit. but the dramatic run to the play-offs set the tone for a brighter future.

“if someone would have told us in training camp we’d finish with 107 points, 50 wins, we would have probably told them they were crazy,” said center vernon fiddler. “We took a great team to game 7, where anything can happen, and they just played better than us in one of the games.”

The Coyotes couldn’t count on a star, so they banded together when the hockey world wrote them off

packmentality

phoenix coyotes | 2009-10

ilya Bryzgalov was the centerpiece of a coyote resurgence in 2009-10.

most points 107 (2009-10)

most wins 50 (2009-10)

most losses 46 (2006-07)

most goals 246 (2005-06)

win streak 9 (TWICE)

losing streak 10 (TWICE)

shutouts 9 (TWICE)

captains 13

coaches 16

gms 7

teamrecords

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 151

phoenix coyotesAll-time team

1981-88

paulmaclean

1981-95

thomassteen

1992-96

teemuselanne

1980-86

davebabych

1983-93

randycarlyle

1994-99

nikolaikhabibulin

All-time second team

best

player

ever

1981-90

gp 713

g 379

a 550

pts 929

pim 478

burst into the ’peg with a 103-point calder-winning

campaign and put up five more 100-point seasons with the Jets.

made a name for himself as one of the league’s top power forwards during his 10 years with the club.

a smooth skater with soft hands, olausson is second only to num-minen in assists and points for ‘d’.

the biggest-name ’yote in arizona and the last active player from the first incarnation of the Jets.

Put up impressive numbers in his final two seasons to seal his selec-tion as the franchise’s best in net.

His 15 years of steady service gave the franchise a stabilizing presence on the blueline.

Won the Jack adams in 2010 after a franchise best 107 points, fol-lowed by 99 points last season.

dAlehAwerchuk

center

1991-01

gp 640

g 323

a 300

pts 623

pim 1,508

1986-93

gp 496

g 86

a 249

pts 335

pim 196

’95-active

gp 1,119

g 296

a 442

pts 738

pim 1,023

2007-11

gp 257

w 130

l 93

o 27

so 21

1988-03

gp 1,098

g 108

a 426

pts 534

pim 405

’09-active

gp 164

w 93

l 51

o 20

po 3-8

keithtkAchuk

fredrikolAusson

shAnedoAn

ilyAbryzgAlov

tepponumminen

dAvetippett

left wing

defense

right wing

goalie

defense

coach

points 1. dale hawerchuk 929

2. thomas steen 817

3. shane doan * 738

4. keith tkachuk 623

5. teppo numminen 534

6. paul maclean 518

7. doug smail 397

8. Jeremy roenick 379

9. laurie boschman 379

10. morris lukowich 345

goals 1. dale hawerchuk 379

2. keith tkachuk 323

3. shane doan * 296

4. thomas steen 264

5. paul maclean 248

6. doug smail 189

7. morris lukowich 168

8. Jeremy roenick 152

9. laurie boschman 152

10. teemu selanne 147

pims 1. keith tkachuk 1,508

2. laurie boschman 1,338

3. shane doan * 1,023

4. Jim kyte 772

5. kris king 762

6. tim Watters 760

7. thomas steen 753

8. randy carlyle 736

9. gord donnelly 726

10. paul maclean 726

games played 1. shane doan * 1,119

2. teppo numminen 1,098

3. thomas steen 950

4. dale hawerchuk 713

5. doug smail 691

6. keith tkachuk 640

7. randy carlyle 564

8. ron Wilson 536

9. paul maclean 527

10. laurie boschman 526

goalie wins 1. Ilya Bryzgalov 130

2. bob essensa 129

3. nikolai khabibulin 126

4. sean burke 97

5. brian hayward 63

6. doug soetaert 50

7. curtis Joseph 50

8. daniel berthiaume 50

9. pokey reddick 41

10. brian boucher 28

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

All-timenumbers

152 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

pittsburgh penguins greatest team ever

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team facts

debut season

1967-68 (27-34-13)

games +/- .500

-129

playoff record

150-127playoff streak

11 yrs(1991-01)

21 michel briere (1969-70)

66 mario lemieux (1984-06)

1. eddie johnston 232 2. michel therrien 135 3. dan bylsma * 114 4. scotty bowman 95 5. johnny wilson 91 6. red kelly 90 7. bob berry 88 8. kevin constantine 86 9. ken schinkel 83 10. marc boileau 66

stanleycups

retired numbers

top coaching wins

3

t he Penguins put an exclamation point on their second straight nhL crown by winning their final 11 games, but getting there wasn’t easy. the champs had to overcome

contract squabbles, critical injuries and, most significantly, the tragic death of their coach.

the secrets to their success? Dazzling depth, top-end talent and fierce desire. “We had spectacular players,” said tsn’s Pierre McGuire, an assistant coach with the ’91-92 club. “It’s scary in terms of what it would cost to keep that team together today.”

the depth chart is an honor roll. start in the middle, with the best player in the league that season, Mario Lemieux, followed by an in-his-prime ron francis. the no. 3 center was bryan trottier. on right wing, 40-goal man Joey Mullen was followed by Mark Rec-chi (then later in the season, rick tocchet), while sophomore Jaromir Jagr flashed signs of his burgeoning brilliance amid a 32-goal year. Left winger Kevin Stevens recorded a team-

best 54 goals and 254 penalty minutes, giving Pittsburgh the top power forward in hockey.

The blueline featured Paul Coffey (until February), Larry Murphy and Ulf and Kjell Samuelsson. The last line of defense was money goalie tom barrasso, while all-time coaching guru scotty bowman pulled the strings after stepping in for Bob Johnson.

“That team could beat you any way,” said Pens vice-president tom McMillan, a reporter in 1992. “They could play a tough game, they could fight, they could play a defensive game and they could blow your doors off.”

yet, despite the riches, they stumbled at times, on occasion badly. Johnson’s passing in november cast a pall, while francis’ contract impasse and Lemieux’s back woes created big challenges. it wasn’t until late April the club finally hit on all cylinders.

“We hung in there,” Murphy said. “After the first couple rounds of the playoffs, it was like we were never going to lose another game.”

they never did.

It wasn’t a cakewalk, at least not until midway through the playoffs when sickly gifted team became unbeatable

adversity conquered

Pittsburgh Penguins | 1991-92

A star-studded Pittsburgh lineup included six sure-fire Hall of Famers.

most points 119 (1992-93)

most wins 56 (1992-93)

most losses 58 (1983-84)

most goals 367 (1992-93)

win streak 17 (1992-93)

losing streak 13 (2003-04)

shutouts 9 (1998-99)

captains 13

coaches 20

gms 9

teamrecords

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 153

pittsburgh penguinsAll-time team

1968-78

jeanpronovost

2005-active

sidneycrosby

1974-85

rickkehoe

2005-10

sergeigonchar

1990-95

larrymurphy

2003-active

marc-andrefleury

All-time second team

best

player

ever

’84-97, ’00-06

gp 915

g 690

a 1033

pts 1723

pim 834

arguably the most talented player in nhl history. only gretzky

(1.92) averaged more points per game than lemieux (1.88).

his scoring prowess in the early 1990s with pittsburgh was matched only by his mean streak.

the only pens defenseman to win the norris trophy with his 83-point campaign in 1980-81.

only player besides gretzky and lemieux to win scoring titles (five) between 1981 and 2001.

held the fort on the back end on offense-first/defense-maybe Pens clubs, especially in the early ’90s.

his effortless strides made him the franchise’s all-time leader in points by a defenseman.

Brought Pittsburgh its first cup in 17 years as a mid-season master-mind replacement in 2008-09.

mAriolemieux

center

’87-95, ’00-02

gp 522

g 260

a 295

pts 555

pim 1,046

1978-84

gp 397

g 66

a 257

pts 323

pim 582

1990-01

gp 806

g 439

a 640

pts 1,079

pim 593

1988-00

gp 458

w 226

l 153

t/o 53

so 22

1987-92

gp 331

g 108

a 332

pts 440

pim 573

’08-active

gp 189

w 114

l 56

t/o 19

po 26-18

kevinstevens

rAndycArlyle

jAromirjAgr

tombArrAsso

pAulcoffey

dAnbylsmA

left wing

defense

right wing

goalie

defense

coach

points 1. mario lemieux 1,723

2. jaromir jagr 1,079

3. rick kehoe 636

4. ron francis 613

5. jean pronovost 603

6. sidney crosby * 572

7. kevin stevens 555

8. syl apps 500

9. martin straka 442

10. paul coffey 440

goals 1. mario lemieux 690

2. jaromir jagr 439

3. jean pronovost 316

4. rick kehoe 312

5. kevin stevens 260

6. sidney crosby * 215

7. mike bullard 185

8. martin straka 165

9. ron francis 164

10. evgeni malkin * 158

pims 1. kevin stevens 1,048

2. troy loney 980

3. rod buskas 959

4. bryan Watson 871

5. paul baxter 851

6. mario lemieux 834

7. gary rissling 832

8. ulf samuelsson 804

9. Jay caufield 714

10. russ anderson 684

games played 1. mario lemieux 915

2. jaromir jagr 806

3. jean pronovost 753

4. rick kehoe 722

5. ron stackhouse 621

6. ron schock 619

7. dave burrows 573

8. bob errey 572

9. martin straka 560

10. ron francis 533

goalie wins 1. tom barrasso 226

2. marc-andre fleury * 184

3. ken Wregget 104

4. denis herron 88

5. jean-sebastien aubin 63

6. les binkley 58

7. greg millen 57

8. roberto romano 46

9. johan hedberg 46

10. jim rutherford 44

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

All-timenumbers

154 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

st. louis blues Greatest team ever

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team facts

debut season

1967-68 (27-31-16)

games +/- .500

-2

playoff record

138-169playoff streak

25 yrs(1980-04)

2 al macinnis (1994-04)

3 bob gassoff (1973-77)

8 barclay plager (1967-77)

11 brian sutter (1976-88)

16 brett hull (1987-98)

24 bernie federko (1976-89)

1. Joel Quenneville 307 2. brian sutter 153 3. andy murray 118 4. scotty bowman 110 5. JacQues demers 106 6. red berenson 100 7. mike keenan 75 8. bob berry 73 9. JacQues martin 66 10. davis payne * 61

stanleycups

retired numbers

top coaching wins

0

the St. Louis Blues were still new to the nhL in 1968-69, but their roster oozed experience.

Led by legendary defenseman Doug harvey, 44, the blues had six

players older than coach scotty bowman, who was 35 at the time. Left winger red berenson said it was that wisdom of harvey, along with other veterans including 40-year-old Jacques Plante, 36-year-olds Jean-guy talbot, Al Ar-bour and glenn hall, and 35-year-old Camille henry, that guided the second-year blues to their second straight Stanley Cup final.

“there was a lot of respect,” said berenson, who led the team with 35 goals and 82 points. “And those players weren’t just old players. they were players who had played for stanley Cup teams, particularly Montreal. if you look at most of the players that were older, it was players that scotty had hand-picked himself to play for st. Louis because he knew they were winners and they knew how to win. that was a big factor.”

The Blues finished atop the Western Divi-sion with a 37-25-14 record. they were also the best defensive team in the league by a long shot, allowing just 157 goals – 39 fewer than second best. their defensive success was thanks to the hall of fame goaltending duo of hall and Plante and a steady blueline patrolled by harvey and Arbour.

“they were as good as it gets,” said beren-son, who’s been the coach at the University of Michigan since 1984. “We didn’t have to score a lot of goals to win a game.”

The Blues cruised to the Stanley Cup final without losing a game, sweeping Philadelphia and Los Angeles, but were swept themselves by the Montreal Canadiens for the second straight year.

“We had a pretty good season,” Bowman said. “Won the Western division, won the playoffs in the West, won the Vezina Trophy, had a player (red berenson) score six goals in one game to tie an all-time record. not a bad season.”

Led by savvy veterans and a pair of all-time great goalies, Blues cruise to second straight Stanley Cup final

expansion sensation

St. LouiS BLueS | 1968-69

Jacques Plante and Al Arbour were veteran stalwarts with the Blues.

most points 114 (1999-00)

most wins 51 (1999-00)

most losses 50 (1978-79)

most goals 352 (1980-81)

win streak 10 (2001-02)

losing streak 13 (2005-06)

shutouts 13 (1968-69)

captains 16

coaches 23

gms 11

teamrecords

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 155

st. louis bluesAll-time team

2001-10

keithtkachuk

1970-79

garryunger

1979-86

joemullen

1967-77

barclayplager

1982-88

robramage

1989-95

curtisjoseph

All-time second team

best

player

ever

1988-98

gp 744

g 527

a 409

pts 936

pim 286

the no. 3 goal-scorer in nhl history owned the best one-timer

ever. his signature blast ended with him down on one knee.

gritty and always game, sutter had seven 20-goal, 100-pim seasons in st. louis.

formed one of best tandems ever with macinnis. Won both the nor-ris and hart in 2000.

the franchise’s leader in all-time offense registered four seasons with 100 or more points.

franchise leader in games played and wins. Won the lester b. pear-son trophy in 1980-81.

the 1999 norris winner could make any power play better thanks to his blistering slapshot.

the winningest coach in blues history led the team to six con-secutive playoff berths.

bretthull

right wing

1976-88

gp 779

g 303

a 333

pts 636

pim 1,786

1995-04

gp 598

g 84

a 272

pts 356

pim 931

1976-89

gp 927

g 352

a 721

pts 1,073

pim 463

1979-85

gp 347

w 151

l 133

t/o 52

so 10

1994-04

gp 613

g 127

a 325

pts 452

pim 551

1997-04

g 593

w 307

l 191

t/o 95

po 34-34

briAnsutter

chrispronger

berniefederko

mikeliut

AlmAcinnis

joelquenneville

left wing

defense

center

goalie

defense

coach

points 1. bernie federko 1,073

2. brett hull 936

3. brian sutter 636

4. garry unger 575

5. pavol Demitra 493

6. al macinnis 452

7. keith tkachuk 427

8. red berenson 412

9. chris pronger 356

10. pierre turgeon 355

goals 1. brett hull 527

2. bernie federko 352

3. brian sutter 303

4. garry unger 292

5. keith tkachuk 208

6. pavol Demitra 204

7. red berenson 172

8. jorgen pettersson 161

9. brendan shanahan 156

10. Wayne babych 155

pims 1. brian sutter 1,786

2. kelly chase 1,497

3. barclay plager 1,115

4. chris pronger 931

5. rob ramage 898

6. bob gassoff 866

7. perry turnbull 829

8. barret jackman * 786

9. bob plager 762

10. jamal mayers 756

games played 1. bernie federko 927

2. brian sutter 779

3. brett hull 744

4. garry unger 662

5. bob plager 615

6. barclay plager 614

7. al macinnis 613

8. larry patey 603

9. chris pronger 598

10. jamal mayers 595

goalie wins 1. mike liut 151

2. curtis joseph 137

3. grant fuhr 108

4. greg millen 85

5. brent johnson 76

6. rick Wamsley 75

7. roman turek 66

8. manny legace 63

9. vincent riendeau 58

10. glenn hall 58

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

All-timenumbers

156 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

san jose sharks Greatest Team ever

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debut season

1991-92 (17-58-5)

games +/- .500

-49

playoff record

76-82playoff streak

7 yrs(2004-active)

1. ron wilson 206 2. darryl sutter 192 3. todd mclellan * 152 4. kevin constantine 55 5. george kingston 28 6. al sims 27 7. jim wiley 17 8. cap raeder 1

stanleycups

top coaching wins

0

the Sharks have been teetering on the edge of glory for many years now. A perennial regular season powerhouse, the team has experienced only minimal playoff

success. the 2003-04 version of the teal and black may not have been loaded with stars and offensive power, but they were young and gelled at the right time.

it was a season that saw the emergence of a new generation in san Jose. the team was led in goal-scoring by 24-year-old Patrick Marleau and 23-year-old Jonathan Cheechoo. both players found the net 28 times and Marleau led the sharks in points with 57. A 25-year-old Marco sturm also had a produc-tive season, netting 21 goals and 41 points. brad stuart, 24, led the rearguards, posting a career-high 39 points.

the sharks believed in their youth move-ment so much they dealt long-time captain owen nolan to the toronto Maple Leafs for Alyn McCauley, Brad Boyes and a first round

pick that later became Mark stuart. this was a move that further solidified management’s commitment to retool.

Depth between the pipes was a non-issue. the sharks had evgeni nabokov starting and a solid backup in vesa toskala. Waiting in the midst was a young finn by the name of Miikka Kiprusoff.

Coming off a season where they didn’t even qualify for the playoffs, the sharks claimed the Pacific Division title with 104 points and got past the st. Louis blues and Colorado Ava-lanche with only three losses. however, they were ousted in the Western Conference final 4-2 by a determined Calgary flames team led by Jarome iginla and Kiprusoff, who the sharks dealt to the flames early in the season.

While the sharks have yet to sink their teeth into the Stanley Cup, the ’03-04 youth movement provided fans with their first of three trips to the NHL’s final four. “It’s a huge step for the whole organization,” nabokov said at the time.

San Jose has iced a lot of competitive teams, but a bunch of emerging kids are the enduring heroes

younG finsflourished

San joSe SharkS | 2003-04

Patrick Marleau was named Sharks captain mid-way through 2003-04.

most points 117 (2008-09)

most wins 53 (2008-09)

most losses 71 (1992-93)

most goals 266 (2005-06)

win streak 11 (2007-08)

losing streak 17 (1992-93)

shutouts 11 (twice)

captains 11

coaches 8

gms 4

teamrecords

Franchise playoff record in Game 6 over the years. The Sharks have won two Game

7s, but rarely get that far

2-6

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 157

san jose sharksall-Time Team

1994-01

jefffriesen

1999-04

vincentdamphousse

2002-09

jonathancheechoo

1998-07

scotthannan

1998-02

garysuter

1993-96

artursirbe

all-Time second Team

best

player

ever

2005-active

gp 465

g 137

a 410

pts 547

pim 315

thornton has changed the person-ality of sharks. he combines crafty

playmaking with an underrated shot to spur a powerful attack.

the longest-serving shark has eclipsed the 30-goal plateau five times and 20 goals nine times.

rathje used his 6-foot-5 frame to intimidate opponents and apply his long reach effectively.

a rough, in-your- face leader, nolan had a knack for scoring goals at clutch times.

never had a standout playoff run for the sharks, but nabokov put together three 40-win seasons.

in just three seasons, boyle has become the franchise leader in points for defensemen.

Wilson coached his teams to four straight seasons with 40 or more wins, but never made the final.

joeThornTon

center

1997-active

gp 1,035

g 357

a 409

pts 766

pim 341

1993-04

gp 671

g 27

a 128

pts 155

pim 439

1995-03

gp 568

g 206

a 245

pts 451

pim 934

1999-10

gp 563

w 293

l 178

t/o 66

so 50

2008-active

gp 229

g 40

a 125

pts 165

pim 189

2003-08

gp 385

w 206

l 122

t/o 57

po 28-24

paTrickmarleau

mikeraThje

owennolan

evgeninabokov

danboyle

ronwilson

left wing

defense

right wing

goalie

defense

coach

points 1. patrick marleau * 766

2. joe thornton * 547

3. owen nolan 451

4. jeff friesen 350

5. jonathan cheechoo 291

6. vincent damphousse 289

7. marco sturm 273

8. mike ricci 263

9. joe pavelski * 244

10. ryane clowe * 215

goals 1. patrick marleau * 357

2. owen nolan 206

3. jonathan cheechoo 165

4. jeff friesen 149

5. joe thornton * 137

6. marco sturm 128

7. joe pavelski * 103

8. mike ricci 101

9. vincent damphousse 92

10. milan michalek 91

pims 1. jeff odgers 1,001

2. owen nolan 934

3. bryan marchment 706

4. jay more 545

5. andrei nazarov 490

6. dody Wood 471

7. scott thornton 439

8. mike rathje 439

9. mark smith 398

10. marcus ragnarsson 392

games played 1. patrick marleau * 1,035

2. mike rathje 671

3. owen nolan 568

4. evgeni nabokov 563

5. marco sturm 553

6. mike ricci 529

7. marcus ragnarsson 519

8. jeff friesen 512

9. scott hannan 508

10. joe thornton * 463

goalie wins 1. evgeni nabokov 293

2. vesa toskala 65

3. arturs irbe 57

4. mike vernon 52

5. steve shields 48

6. antti niemi * 35

7. Kelly hrudey 20

8. chris terreri 19

9. brian boucher 15

10. miikka Kiprusoff 14

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

all-Timenumbers

158 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

tampa bay lightning greatest team Ever

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tEam facts

debut season

1992-93 (23-54-7)

games +/- .500

-223

playoff record

37-32playoff streak

4 yrs(2003-07)

1. john tortorella 239 2. terry crisp 142 3. rick tocchet 53 4. guy boucher * 46 5. jacques demers 34 6. steve ludzik 31 7. barry melrose 5 8. rick paterson 0

stanleycups

top coaching wins

1

the 2003-04 tampa bay Lightning were overflowing with storylines, ranging from a coach feuding with his star player to a key defensive acquisition. The equation wasn’t

traditional, but the results were ideal.The Lightning were coming off their first

playoff season since 1996 and wanted to prove they were capable of more than a one and done. “I think we learned a lot from the season before,” said Jay Feaster, Tampa’s GM at the time. “I felt after 2002-03 we could still show we were going to be Southeast Division champs. The issue was how much further could we go in the playoffs.”

Even through coach John Tortorella’s fight to mould budding star Vincent Lecavalier, it wasn’t long before the Lightning found out it could go all the way. After steamrolling the New York Islanders and Montreal Canadiens in the first two rounds, the Lightning went on to conquer the Philadelphia Flyers in seven, claiming their first Eastern Conference title.

On a roster chock-full of offensive talent, it was the relatively unknown Ruslan Fedo-tenko who scored the winning goal in Game 7 against the Calgary Flames that brought the Stanley Cup to Florida for the first time.

Despite all the star power – Lecavalier, Mar-tin St-Louis, Brad Richards, Dan Boyle, Nikolai Khabibulin and a wily vet and rallying-point (due to his 22 seasons without a Cup) in Dave Andreychuk – Feaster believes it was the off-the-radar acquisition of defenseman Darryl Sydor prior to the trade deadline that made the difference.

“Acquiring him was huge,” Feaster said. “We had to have another experienced defenseman back there if we were going to do anything in the playoffs. It was ‘Syd’ who was the one talking to the team about ‘how you can play your whole career and never have a shot like we have with this kind of team’ and that ‘this is an opportunity that you cannot let go by.’ Between that and his play, if he isn’t part of it, I don’t know if we make that run.”

A mix of superstars and inspirational leaders helped the Lightning bring the first Cup to the Sunshine State

struck by lightning

tampa bay lightning | 2003-04

Dave andreychuk was 40 when he lifted the Stanley Cup for the first time.

most points 106 (2003-04)

most wins 46 (twice)

most losses 55 (1997-98)

most goals 253 (2006-07)

win streak 8 (2003-04)

losing streak 13 (1997-98)

shutouts 9 (2001-02)

captains 8

coaches 8

gms 6

teamrecords

Inches separated 5-foot-8 Martin St-Louis and Boston d-man Zdeno Chara in the Eastern final last season

13

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 159

tampa bay lightningall-time team

1999-06

fredrikmodin

2000-08

bradrichards

1994-99

alexselivanov

1998-04

jassencullimore

’97-06, active

pavelkubina

1993-00

darenpuppa

all-time Second team

best

player

ever

2000-active

gp 785

g 294

a 464

pts 758

pim 218

st-louis is the heart and soul of the bolts. the hart trophy winner

in 2004 has scored more than 90 points four times during his career.

andreychuk’s leadership was an integral reason the lightning won the stanley cup in 2004.

The first overall pick of 1992 de-veloped into a solid NHL D-man in the early years of the lightning.

The first overall pick in 1998 has been very consistent, scoring 20 or more goals 11 times.

‘the bulin Wall’ was tampa bay’s first star goalie. A key cog to the 2004 cup run.

boyle is a smooth-skating defen-seman who makes power plays dangerous.

Even though he’s a rough, intimi-dating and demanding figure, he gets the best out of his players.

martinSt-louiS

right wing

2001-06

gp 278

g 68

a 61

pts 129

pim 201

1992-98

gp 377

g 52

a 133

pts 185

pim 474

2001-06

gp 934

g 351

a 442

pts 793

pim 667

2001-04

gp 192

w 83

l 74

t/o 28

so 14

2001-08

gp 394

g 66

a 187

pts 253

pim 288

2001-08

gp 535

w 239

l 222

t/o 74

po 24-21

daveandreychuk

romanhamrlik

vincentlecavalier

nikolaikhabibulin

danboyle

johntortorella

left wing

defense

center

goalie

defense

coach

points 1. Vincent Lecavalier * 793

2. Martin St-Louis * 758

3. brad richards 489

4. Vaclav Prospal 371

5. brian bradley 300

6. fredrik modin 286

7. chris gratton 259

8. dan boyle 253

9. Steven Stamkos * 232

10. Pavel Kubina * 232

goals 1. Vincent Lecavalier * 351

2. Martin St-Louis * 294

3. brad richards 150

4. fredrik modin 145

5. Vaclav Prospal 127

6. Steven Stamkos * 119

7. brian bradley 111

8. chris gratton 98

9. rob Zamuner 84

10. Alex Selivanov 78

pims 1. chris gratton 828

2. Pavel Kubina * 725

3. Vincent Lecavalier * 667

4. enrico ciccone 604

5. cory sarich 554

6. andre roy 484

7. roman hamrlik 474

8. Steve Downie * 433

9. rudy poeschek 418

10. jassen cullimore 396

games played 1. Vincent Lecavalier * 934

2. Martin St-Louis * 785

3. Pavel Kubina * 610

4. brad richards 552

5. cory sarich 490

6. chris gratton 482

7. rob Zamuner 475

8. Vaclav Prospal 468

9. fredrik modin 445

10. mikael andersson 435

goalie wins 1. nikolai khabibulin 83

2. daren puppa 77

3. john grahame 53

4. Johan Holmqvist 47

5. mike smith 43

6. Kevin Weekes 23

7. corey schwab 21

8. antero niittymaki 21

9. rick tabaracci 20

10. Dwayne Roloson * 18

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

all-timenumberS

160 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

toronto maple leafs Greatest team ever

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team facts

debut season

1917-18 (13-9-0)

games +/- .500

+17

playoff record

251-269-4playoff streak

15 yrs(1931-45)

5 bill barilko (1946-51)

6 ace bailey (1926-34)

nine other numbers are “honored”:

1, 4, 7, 9, 10, 17, 21, 27, 93

1. punch imlach 370 2. pat quinn 300 3. hap day 259 4. dick irvin 216 5. red kelly 133 6. pat burns 133 7. john mclellan 126 8. ron wilson * 101 9. joe primeau 97 10. mike nykoluk 89

stanleycups

retired numbers

top coaching wins

13

if you were looking for a team that employed future hall of fame players at every position – and got crucial con-tributions from the top of the lineup to its bottom – the 1962-63 toronto Maple

Leafs would be your ideal choice.“We were mostly an older team, but we had

some younger guys who could play, too,” said Dick Duff, a member of the ’62-63 Leafs team that won the organization’s 11th stanley Cup.

the Leafs began 1962-63 as defending champs who had just won their first Cup in a decade. And most of the components from that team – including captain george Armstrong, coach-gM Punch imlach, leading scorer frank Mahovlich and starting goalie Johnny bower – were back in blue and white.

toronto had many veteran warriors: red Kelly and tim horton on defense; and Mahov-lich, Armstrong and Dave Keon (an emerging star who hadn’t celebrated his 23rd birthday before the season began) up front. toronto edged Chicago to finish first in the NHL with

a 35-23-12 record and claim their first Prince of Wales Trophy in 15 years. A first round win over Montreal set up a final against Detroit that was a rubber match between the two franchises. the Leafs and Detroit had met 18 times in the playoffs before 1963 – and each team had won nine series.

Toronto won the first two games before Detroit took game 3. but Kelly and Keon combined for three goals and four points for toronto in game 4 – and in game 5, Keon opened the scoring in toronto’s 3-1 series-clinching win.

“We didn’t play well at times during the season,” Duff said, “but we knew what was at stake in the playoffs and the guys came togeth-er so well. everybody stepped up at different times…that’s what makes good teams great.”

When it was over, imlach made clear who his best player was.

“i’d have to take Davey (Keon),” imlach said when asked to pick a playoff MvP. “i wouldn’t trade him for gordie howe.”

Veteran-laded Buds team got big boosts from Keon, Kelly en route to second straight Cup win

re-leafed champions

toronto maple leafs | 1962-63

Hall of fame goaltender Johnny Bower is still beloved by leafs nation.

most points 103 (2003-04)

most wins 45 (3 times)

most losses 52 (1984-85)

most goals 337 (1989-90)

win streak 10 (1993-94)

losing streak 10 (1966-67)

shutouts 13 (1953-54)

captains 18

coaches 36

gms 14

teamrecords

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 161

toronto maple leafsall-time team

1929-39

busherjackson

1942-57

tedkennedy

’19-26, ’30-31

babedye

1930-37

kingclancy

1958-68

allanstanley

1958-69

johnnybower

all-time second team

best

player

ever

1936-48

gp 423

g 201

a 231

pts 432

pim 56

a born leader, apps captained the leafs to three stanley cups in the 1940s while taking two years off

to serve in the second world war.

had 20-plus goals in nine of 11 seasons as a leaf, including his high-water mark of 48 in ’60-61.

tough and talented, salming is the leafs highest-scoring defenseman by nearly 250 points.

the only leaf to lead the league in scoring twice, conacher was also tops or tied in goals five times.

the leafs premier puckstopper had a miniscule 1.98 goals-against average in the post-season.

known now more for his dough-nut empire, horton was an elite d-man in his 18-year leafs career.

led toronto to its four stanley cups in the 1960s, including the leafs’ last in 1967.

sylapps

center

1957-68

gp 720

g 296

a 301

pts 597

pim 782

1973-89

gp 1,099

g 148

a 620

pts 768

pim 1,292

1929-38

gp 326

g 200

a 124

pts 324

pim 411

1936-51

gp 629

w 302

l 224

t 101

so 62

1949-70

gp 1,185

g 109

a 349

pts 458

pim 1,389

’58-69, ’79-80

gp 770

w 370

l 275

t 125

po 44-48

frankmahovlich

borjesalming

charlieconacher

turkbroda

timhorton

punchimlach

left wing

defense

right wing

goalie

defense

coach

points 1. Mats sundin 987

2. darryl sittler 916

3. dave keon 858

4. borje salming 768

5. george armstrong 713

6. ron ellis 640

7. frank Mahovlich 597

8. bob Pulford 563

9. ted kennedy 560

10. rick vaive 537

goals 1. Mats sundin 420

2. darryl sittler 389

3. dave keon 365

4. ron ellis 332

5. rick vaive 299

6. george armstrong 296

7. frank Mahovlich 296

8. wendel clark 260

9. bob Pulford 251

10. ted kennedy 231

pims 1. tie domi 2,265

2. tiger williams 1,670

3. wendel clark 1,535

4. tim horton 1,389

5. borje salming 1,292

6. red horner 1,254

7. bob baun 1,155

8. bob Mcgill 988

9. rick vaive 940

10. todd gill 922

games played 1. george armstrong 1,187

2. tim horton 1,185

3. borje salming 1,099

4. dave keon 1,062

5. ron ellis 1,034

6. Mats sundin 981

7. bob Pulford 947

8. tomas kaberle 878

9. darryl sittler 844

10. ron stewart 838

goalie wins 1. turk broda 302

2. johnny bower 219

3. felix Potvin 160

4. curtis joseph 138

5. Mike Palmateer 129

6. harry lumley 103

7. lorne chabot 103

8. john ross roach 98

9. ed belfour 93

10. bruce gamble 82

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

all-timenumbers

162 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

vancouver canucks Greatest Team ever

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debut season

1970-71 (24-46-8)

games +/- .500

-203

playoff record

100-114playoff streak

6 yrs(1979-84, 1991-96)

12 stan smyl (1978-91)

16 trevor linden (’88-98, ’01-08)

19 markus naslund (1996-08)

1. marc crawford 246 2. alain vigneault * 236 3. harry neale 142 4. pat quinn 141 5. bob mccammon 102 6. phil maloney 95 7. tom watt 52 8. roger neilson 51 9. rick ley 47 10. hal laycoe 44

stanleycups

retired numbers

top coaching wins

0

they set a handful of team records, had a host of individual award win-ners and all-stars and distanced the pack in several key team cat-egories. they even had the stanley

Cup in their grasp, just one home ice win away from satiating 40 years of anticipation.

Ultimately, however, the 2010-11 vancou-ver Canucks will be remembered as one of the best teams not to win professional hockey’s ultimate triumph.

expectations were high for the team from the get-go. the hockey news, in its pre-season yearbook, was among the pundits who predicted the Canucks would win it all.

“the bottom line is we have a better team this year (than last),” said captain and then-reigning nhL MvP henrik sedin. “We know that and with that comes expectations, but i think we’re prepared.”

And by nearly everyone’s estimation, they were. henrik’s twin brother, Daniel, grabbed the mantle of best player for much of the

season, snaring the Art ross trophy for most points and ted Lindsay Award for top performer as selected by his peers. roberto Luongo and Cory schneider, playing behind perhaps the deepest defense in the league, won the Jennings trophy for fewest goals allowed. ryan Kesler was recognized as the best two-way forward in hockey with the selke trophy. Meantime, the Canucks set team standards for points (117) and wins (54) and led the league in goals (258) and power play efficiency (24.3).

After a scare in the first round of the play-offs against Chicago, the Canucks grew stron-ger as the post-season progressed and were heavy favorites to beat Boston in the final. But somewhere between Games 2 and 3 they lost their mojo, sustained personnel setbacks and succumbed in seven games.

“We’re not going to use injuries as (an excuse),” said coach Alain vigneault follow-ing the loss. “it came down to game 7 and we weren’t able to get it done.”

NHL’s consensus best team had everything going for it until the most critical moment

one ThaT GoT away

vancouver canucks | 2010-11

Losing to Boston turned the canucks bench into an area of stunned disbelief.

most points 117 (2010-11)

most wins 54 (2010-11)

most losses 50 (1971-72)

most goals 346 (1992-93)

win streak 10 (2001-02)

losing streak 10 (1997-98)

shutouts 10 (2008-09)

captains 12

coaches 16

gms 10

teamrecords

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 163

vancouver canucksall-Time Team

1978-91

stansmyl

’88-98, ’01-08

trevorlinden

1991-98

pavelbure

1974-84

haroldsnepsts

1971-81

denniskearns

1987-98

kirkmclean

all-Time second Team

best

player

ever

’00-active

gp 810

g 157

a 509

pts 666

pim 458

along with vision, durability and precision passing ability, we can now add leadership to henrik’s growing superstar credentials.

the other brother is the sniper of the sedin twins and the go-to guy on the canucks power play.

the finnish blueliner was an integral part of vancouver’s suc-cess in the early 1990s.

captain canuck for nearly a decade, naslund is the franchise leader in goals and points.

Has put up stellar numbers in five seasons with the canucks, almost taking them to cup glory in 2011.

the top defensive blueliner and premier penalty-killer for 11 seasons in vancouver.

’nucks bench boss has brought in a sound defensive system without stifling the team’s offensive stars.

henriksedin

center

’00-active

gp 787

g 249

a 402

pts 651

pim 324

1990-98

gp 579

g 83

a 238

pts 321

pim 379

1996-08

gp 884

g 346

a 410

pts 756

pim 614

’06-active

gp 331

w 193

l 101

o 33

so 28

1997-09

gp 770

g 93

a 232

pts 325

pim 756

’06-active

gp 410

w 236

l 133

o 41

po 32-27

danielsedin

jyrkilumme

markusnaslund

roberToluongo

maTTiasohlund

alainvigneaulT

left wing

defense

right wing

goalie

defense

coach

points 1. markus naslund 756

2. trevor linden 733

3. stan smyl 673

4. henrik sedin * 666

5. daniel sedin * 651

6. thomas gradin 550

7. pavel bure 478

8. tony tanti 470

9. todd bertuzzi 449

10. don lever 407

goals 1. markus naslund 346

2. trevor linden 318

3. stan smyl 262

4. pavel bure 254

5. tony tanti 250

6. daniel sedin * 249

7. thomas gradin 197

8. todd bertuzzi 188

9. don lever 186

10. greg adams 179

pims 1. gino odjick 2,127

2. garth butcher 1,668

3. stan smyl 1,556

4. harold snepsts 1,446

5. tiger Williams 1,324

6. donald brashear 1,159

7. dana murzyn 900

8. todd bertuzzi 822

9. Jim sandlak 789

10. mattias ohlund 756

games played 1. trevor linden 1,140

2. stan smyl 896

3. markus naslund 894

4. henrik sedin * 810

5. daniel sedin * 787

6. harold snepsts 781

7. mattias ohlund 770

8. dennis kearns 677

9. doug lidster 666

10. thomas gradin 613

goalie wins 1. kirk mclean 211

2. roberto luongo * 193

3. richard brodeur 126

4. dan cloutier 109

5. gary smith 72

6. glen hanlon 43

7. alex auld 39

8. kay Whitmore 36

9. dunc Wilson 34

10. garth snow 33

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

all-Timenumbers

164 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

washington capitals greatest team Ever

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debut season

1974-75 (8-67-5)

games +/- .500

-57

playoff record

86-104playoff streak

14 yrs(1983-96)

5 rod langway (1982-93)

7 yvon labre (1974-81)

11 mike gartner (1979-89)

32 dale hunter (1987-99)

1. bryan murray 343 2. ron wilson 192 3. bruce boudreau * 189 4. terry murray 163 5. jim schoenfeld 113 6. glen hanlon 78 7. gary green 50 8. tom mcvie 49 9. bruce cassidy 47 10. danny belisle 28

stanleycups

retired numbers

top coaching wins

0

the 1997-98 Washington Capitals were no regular season juggernaut, but they bled character, which proved to be a catalyst for an un-likely run to the Stanley Cup final.

the Capitals boasted the league’s top pen-alty kill and the highest winning percentage after trailing in the first period, showcasing their heart and a desire to compete.

With captain Dale hunter, who sits second all-time in penalty minutes, and a new prag-matic bench boss in ron Wilson, the team had a solid backbone.

Up front, they were propelled by franchise points leader Peter bondra, who netted 52 goals that season, along with skilled pivots Adam Oates and Joe Juneau. On the back end, which featured dependable Calle Johansson and free-wheeling Phil housley, the Caps were effective.

the team also had ripening stars Andrew brunette and sergei gonchar, not to mention standout goaltender olaf Kolzig, who posted

a 2.20 goals-against average and .920 save percentage, padding his franchise lead in wins and shutouts.

fueled by a 6-2-1 record down the stretch, the Capitals finished fourth in the East and watched the top three seeds, new Jersey, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, get upended in the first round, clearing the way for the Caps to leverage home ice the rest of the way. They did their part by knocking off boston, ottawa and Buffalo, winning six overtime games.

“We all felt, myself included, that it was destiny,” Kolzig said.

facing off against a dynasty in Detroit, the Caps’ championship dreams came to a sudden halt. The Wings swept the series to capture their second consecutive Stanley Cup.

“you’re just as disappointed as a team who doesn’t make the playoffs because you didn’t win the Cup,” Kolzig said. “But nobody expected us or had any expectations of us to go to the final and lose to Detroit. We kind of hang our hat on that.”

The Capitals took advantage of some first round upsets to make their mark despite being playoff afterthoughts

district of dEstiny

washington capitals | 1997-98

a great playoff run didn’t quell a disappointing ending for olaf Kolzig.

most points 121 (2009-10)

most wins 54 (2009-10)

most losses 67 (1974-75)

most goals 330 (1991-92)

win streak 14 (2009-10)

losing streak 17 (1974-75)

shutouts 9 (1995-96)

captains 14

coaches 14

gms 4

teamrecords

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 165

washington capitalsall-time team

1987-99

kellymiller

1979-89

bengtgustafsson

1979-89

mikegartner

1984-94

kevinhatcher

1989-03

callejohansson

1988-94

donbeaupre

all-time second team

best

player

ever

2005-active

gp 475

g 301

a 313

pts 614

pim 346

ovechkin has taken the term “power forward” to new heights.

a beast on the ice, he has won numerous awards, except the cup.

skilled and tough, hunter is the only nhl player with both 1,000 points and 3,000 penalty minutes.

the 6-foot-3, 218 pound hall of famer is one of the game’s best defensive defensemen ever.

the leading goal-scorer in caps history combined quick feet with a blistering wrist shot.

‘godzilla’ leads most caps goalie stats categories and led the caps to their only final in 1998.

the brash bruiser’s career started in Washington, where his under-rated offensive talents shone.

the winningest coach in caps history had seven straight seasons with at least 38 wins.

alexovechkin

left wing

1987-99

gp 872

g 181

a 375

pts 556

pim 2,001

1982-93

gp 726

g 25

a 177

pts 202

pim 502

1990-04

gp 961

g 472

a 353

pts 825

pim 679

1989-08

gp 711

w 301

l 293

t/o 86

so 35

1982-90

gp 601

g 98

a 331

pts 429

pim 1628

1982-90

g 672

w 343

l 246

t/o 83

po 24-29

dalehunter

rodlangway

peterbondra

olafkolzig

scottstevens

bryanmurray

center

defense

right wing

goalie

defense

coach

points 1. peter bondra 825

2. mike gartner 789

3. alex ovechkin * 614

4. michal pivonka 599

5. dale hunter 556

6. bengt gustafsson 555

7. mike ridley 547

8. calle johansson 474

9. Dennis Maruk 431

10. scott stevens 429

goals 1. peter bondra 472

2. mike gartner 397

3. alex ovechkin * 301

4. mike ridley 218

5. bengt gustafsson 196

6. dave christian 193

7. bob carpenter 188

8. dennis maruk 182

9. Michal Pivonka 181

10. dale hunter 181

pims 1. dale hunter 2,003

2. scott stevens 1,628

3. craig berube 1,220

4. alan may 1,189

5. brendan Witt 1,035

6. kevin hatcher 999

7. mike gartner 770

8. yvon labre 756

9. Greg Adams 694

10. joe reekie 688

games played 1. calle johansson 983

2. peter bondra 961

3. kelly miller 940

4. dale hunter 872

5. michal pivonka 825

6. mike gartner 758

7. rod langway 726

8. olaf kolzig 711

9. Steve Konowalchuk 693

10. kevin hatcher 685

goalie wins 1. olaf kolzig 301

2. don beaupre 128

3. al jensen 94

4. pete peeters 70

5. jim carey 70

6. pat riggin 67

7. jose theodore 62

8. clint malarchuk 40

9. Michal Neuvirth * 38

10. bob mason 35

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

all-timenumbers

166 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

winnipeg jets greatest team ever

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debut season

1999-00 (14-57-7)

games +/- .500

-173

playoff record

0-4playoff streak

1 yr(2007)

1. bob hartley 136 2. john anderson 70 3. curt fraser 64 4. don Waddell 38 5. craig ramsay 34

stanleycups

top coaching Wins

0

Considering the history of the Atlanta thrashers – winner of zero post-season games in a decade of existence – the concept of “best team” is somewhat relative.

Although the new york rangers swept them in the first round, the 2006-07 Thrash-ers won a southeast Division title and made the playoffs, two accomplishments no other Atlanta team can claim.

The ’06-07 Thrashers took a hit before the season, when high-scoring center Marc savard signed with boston in the summer. However, you wouldn’t have known by their record. They started the year with an 8-2-3 mark through the month of october and benefited from solid goaltending by Kari Leh-tonen and a veteran-heavy collection (includ-ing Slava Kozlov, Scott Mellanby and Bobby holik) whose experience was valued by coach Bob Hartley and GM Don Waddell.

“Lehtonen was probably the best goalie in the league for the first two months of that

year and that’s what got them off to a good start,” said former NHL goalie and TV analyst Darren Eliot, who covered all Thrashers games since the team’s inception in 1999.

Still, there’s no doubt who were two straws stirring the drink for that Atlanta team: franchise cornerstone Ilya Kovalchuk and linemate Marian Hossa. Kovalchuk potted 42 goals while Hossa became the first Atlanta player to post 100 points.

Wanting to capitalize on the team’s new-found success, Waddell added two veterans – left winger Keith Tkachuk and defenseman Alexei Zhitnik – at the trade deadline.

Unfortunately, no Thrasher did much of anything come post-season. Atlanta scored just five times on Rangers goalie Henrik Lun-dqvist and bowed out meekly in four games.

“A lot of things unraveled for them very quickly once they made the playoffs,” Eliot said. “that might be the best team the organi-zation has had, but looking back it still seems like it was built like a house of cards.”

In 11 seasons of existence, Atlanta made the playoffs just once and it wasn’t a memorable experience

One and dOne

atlanta thrashers | 2006-07

a solid season was snuffed out following a four-game sweep to the rangers.

most points 97 (2006-07)

most Wins 43 (2006-07)

most losses 57 (1999-00)

most goals 281 (2005-06)

Win streak 6 (2008-09)

losing streak 12 (1999-00)

shutouts 5 (2005-06)

captains 8

coaches 5

gms 2

teamrecords

Points for Marian Hossa in

2006-07, making him the

only Thrasher to hit the

century mark in Atlanta

100

t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g | 167

winnipeg jetsAll-time team

2002-10

slavakozlov

1999-02

rayferraro

2001-04

danyheatley

1999-04

frantisekkaberle

2001-07

andysutton

2007-10

johanhedberg

All-time second team

best

player

ever

2001-10

gp 594

g 328

a 287

pts 615

pim 429

the highest scoring player in thrashers history has dynamic speed and a lightning-quick re-lease that often zips by goalies.

savard anticipated plays and feathered impossible passes. also had an underrated shot.

the swede was a calming pre-sense on any blueline. he read the play well and keeps things simple.

the slovak had his best seasons playing for atlanta, including a 100-point campaign in 2006-07.

the second overall pick in 2002 was the best of a bad lot in goal with a decent season in 2006-07.

one of the top young defensemen in the nhl. rushes the puck well and is solid defensively.

hartley guided the thrashers to their only southeast division win and playoff appearance in 2007.

ilyAkovAlchuk

left wing

2002-06

gp 184

g 63

a 133

pts 196

pim 262

2005-09

gp 303

g 10

a 72

pts 82

pim 184

2005-08

gp 222

g 108

a 140

pts 248

pim 146

2004-09

gp 204

g 94

a 83

pts 17

so 14

2007-active

gp 318

g 26

a 145

pts 171

pim 178

2003-08

g 291

w 136

l 118

t/o 37

po 0-4

MArcsAvArd

niclAshAvelid

MAriAnhossA

kArilehtonen

tobiAsenstroM

bobhArtley

center

defense

right wing

goalie

defense

coach

points 1. ilya kovalchuk 615

2. slava kozlov 416

3. Marian hossa 248

4. Marc savard 196

5. dany heatley 181

6. Patrik stefan 177

7. tobias enstrom * 171

8. bryan little * 149

9. ray ferraro 147

10. todd White 136

goals 1. ilya kovalchuk 328

2. slava kozlov 145

3. Marian hossa 108

4. dany heatley 80

5. bryan little * 68

6. Marc savard 63

7. Patrik stefan 59

8. ray ferraro 56

9. rich Peverley 49

10. jim slater * 47

pims 1. eric boulton 639

2. jeff odgers 532

3. garnet exelby 511

4. Chris tamer 503

5. andy sutton 474

6. denny lambert 434

7. ilya kovalchuk 429

8. Chris thorburn * 362

9. slava kozlov 312

10. jim slater * 280

games played 1. ilya kovalchuk 594

2. slava kozlov 537

3. Patrik stefan 414

4. eric boulton 377

5. jim slater * 371

6. garnet exelby 357

7. Chris tamer 339

8. tobias enstrom * 318

9. Chris thorburn * 313

10. niclas havelid 303

goalie wins 1. kari lehtonen 94

2. johan hedberg 57

3. Pasi nurminen 48

4. ondrej Pavelec * 41

5. Milan hnilicka 29

6. damian rhodes 14

7. Chris Mason * 13

8. Michael garnett 10

9. byron dafoe 9

10. Mike dunham 8

left wing center right wing defense defense goalie

All-tiMenuMbers

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170 | t h e b e s t o f e v e r y t h i n g

By Ken CampbellCampBell’s sCoop

Fr

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Br

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the Best of Everything in Hockey, Part i, was published in 2003. geoff sanderson was anointed the best player ever for the Columbus blue Jackets, as was Cliff ronning for the nashville Predators and scott Mellanby for the florida Panthers. barry trotz

was named the coach for the Predators’ all-time all-star team. one question: Who’s coaching their second all-star team?

you’ve read an entire magazine about the best every nhL team has to offer. here are a few that didn’t make the cut, a per-sonal list gleaned over almost a quarter of a century covering

the game at the nhL level:Place to run in the NHL: the seawall in

vancouver, with a nod to Central Park in new york City and Mount royal in Montreal. there’s something about the warm ocean air and rugged beauty that makes you go farther than you ever thought you could.

Prediction on a player: in 1998-99, steve sullivan was being ridiculously underutilized and underap-preciated as a fourth-liner in toronto. i predicted at the time he would one day be a 30-goal scorer in the nhL. People laughed.

Event. Ever: not even close, the 2010 Winter olympics in vancouver. the pace was frenetic, the atmosphere electric and the level of hockey was better than the game had ever seen.

NHL game. Ever: Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final, June 5, 2006. After years of subjecting its fans to turgid, suffocating play in the playoffs, the nhL had the best of its post-lockout hockey on display in Game 1 of the final between Edmonton and Carolina. the game featured everything from a penalty shot goal by Chris Pronger – the first in the history of the final – to a blown three-goal lead to a monumental gaffe by oilers backup Ty Conklin with 31 seconds left to give Carolina a 5-4 victory.

Junior game. Ever: the 1990 Memorial Cup round-robin game between the oshawa generals and the Kitchener rangers. easily the most exciting game i’ve ever seen between two teams that could not have been more evenly matched. the gens won the game 5-4 in double overtime on a goal by Dale Craigwell. After the game, a radio reporter asked eric Lindros if he thought the game was ever going to end, to which he gave a bewildered look and said: “i knew it would end. i just didn’t know when.”

International game. Ever: The semifinal of the 2000 Un-der-17 hockey Challenge in timmins, ont. ilya Kovalchuk of russia was the story of the tournament, but the most intriguing game was the semifinal between Ontario and USA, which ended in a 6-5 win in a shootout for Ontario. Stephen Weiss scored the winner in the shootout after ontario blew a 2-0 lead, then battled back from a 4-2 deficit.

Steve Sullivan’s potential

wasn’t obvious to everyone at

the beginning of his career.

NHL city: there is absolutely no better place to be on a satur-day night or during the playoffs than Montreal.

Bar: A little hole-in-the wall called Live bait in Philadelphia. Doesn’t even exist anymore. My former colleagues at The Toron-to Star, Damien Cox and Paul Hunter, will second that emotion.

Draft interview: robbie earl, drafted 187th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2004. Earl was expecting to be drafted on the first day, so much so that his grandparents booked their flight out of Raleigh on the second day of the draft and missed his selection. never seen a player so upset. talked about all the guys drafted before him who couldn’t hold his jock strap and how he would show everyone how wrong they were. We’re still waiting, actually.

City for live music: nashville, of course. you don’t even have to be a country music fan to appreciate the scene in that city.

Inspirational moment: Game 5 of the first round playoff series between the Montreal Canadiens and boston bruins, April 17, 2004. Down 3-2 in the series, the Canadiens turned down the house lights at the bell Centre and played “Where the Streets Have No Name” by U2. As the opening guitar riff by The edge rose to a crescendo, they projected images of former habs greats on the ice surface. the Canadiens hit the ice just as the song reached its high point and 21,273 fans went berserk. the bruins didn’t stand a chance. yanic Perreault played the game of his life and the Canadiens won 5-2.

Day to cover hockey: All of ’em.

In a hockey reporting career that has spanned nearly 25 years, there are a lot of “bests” to recall

memoriesso sweet

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