Here we are. The stretch run. The final position for our All-Time NHL Team. And what a doozy it was to pick.
I would just like to note that this was the most difficult foursome to come up with as a ton of guys had every right to be here.
I'm omitting names like Jean Beliveau, Bryan Trottier, Joe Sakic, Ron Francis, Stan Mikita, Marcel Dionne and Phil Esposito from the list. That should tell you how special these four men are.
And with that, our first reserve is the longest serving captain in NHL history with 19 seasons of service. It's none other than Motown hero Steve Yzerman.
Steve Y broke into the league in 1983-84, placing second in the Calder voting. After his third season, he would take the helm as captain. Yzerman would continue racking up the points and led the Wings to their first Stanley Cup in 42 years in 1997, picking up two more victories in 1998 and 2002.
For all of his accomplishments, his trophy case is pretty bare, housing a Selke, a Conn Smythe, and a Pearson, most notably.
He did, however, appear in 10 All-Star games and finished his legendary career sixth all-time on the NHL scoring list and second in most team categories (Gordie Howe leading those) except assists, with his 1,063 being the best.
Why Yzerman? Steve was the consummate professional. Never an attention grabber with his words, Yzerman was all business on the ice and led by example.
He was also one of the most consistent scorers of all-time, as example by his 1,755 career points.
As great of a leader as Stevie Y was, our next reserve is known to be the ultimate leader. The master of guarantees, it's Mark Messier.
A third round pick, Messier started his pro career in the WHA, settling in with the Edmonton Oilers through the WHA-NHL merger.
Combining with Gretzky, Kurri, and others, Messier would become a key cog for those dominant Oilers teams of the '80s. After Gretzky's departure in '88, Messier managed to lead the Oil to another Cup win in 1990, taking the Hart trophy with him that season.
Messier would also become famous for his time as a member of the New York Rangers. During the 1994 playoffs, with his Rangers trailing the Devils 3-2 in the Conference Finals, Messier boldly guaranteed a win in game six.
In one of the greatest playoff moments in sports history, Messier delivered a hat trick to help the Rangers pull off the win, leading them to their first Stanley Cup in 54 years.
Messier would leave the game as the second leading scorer all-time, trailing only friend and former teammate Wayne Gretzky.
So why is Messier here? He's arguably the greatest leader the game has known. As clutch as you can get, Messier was as fierce and competitive a player as there's ever been.
He also turned out to be one of the most durable ever, as well, playing in 1,756 career games.
Next up, without a doubt the most talented of the guys on this list and possibly the most talented guy to ever come into the league. He dropped jaws everywhere he went, saved hockey in Pittsburgh; it's Le Magnifique Mario Lemieux
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6 months ago
Honorable mention piece would be nice. There are a handful of guys who probably merited consideration for this list. Alas, the only one who has any room to be in question is Yzerman. And that is a very small space for either Marcel Dionne and Phil Esposito. I still agree with all your picks. Look forward to your next article.
6 months ago
i agree with the picks, but come on, joe sakic should be thrown in there. look at all he has accomplished and look at his style of leadership.
6 months ago
My Top 5 Centers...
1. Wayne Gretzky
2. Steve Yzerman
3. Mario Lemieux
4. Phil Esposito
5. Marcel Dionne
My 6th and 7th would be Messier then Sakic.... I love Messier but I love the old time hockey with Dionne and Esposito... any of those guys will always be in mostly everybody's top 5 though, its hard to choose
6 months ago
Another great piece Ryan—I feel however there's an ENORMOUS bias here towards modern day players!
For instance: how on earth does Stan Mikita, Phil Esposito, Jean Beliveau not make the list over Steve Yzerman?
We're talking about guys who led the league in scoring numerous times, won multiple MVP awards, and in Beliveau's case won 10 Stanley Cups..Steve Yzerman was a great team leader, dominant player in the late 80's and early 90's, and probably my favorite all-time center—but I think these other three guys are clearly a notch above him.
My Top 10 Centers:
1) Wayne Gretzky
2) Mario Leimeiux
3) Jean Beliveau
4) Phil Esposito
5) Stan Mikita
6) Bobby Clarke
7) Mark Messier
8) Brian Trottier
9) Howie Morenz
10) Henri Richard
Honorable Mention: Stevie Y, Marcel Dione, Joe Sakic
3 months ago
Great list, I agree with every single person on it. All four players were dominate on the ice and displayed great leadership. Just as a side note, many people for some reason believe that Mario Lemieux retired because of his lymphoma, which isn't the case. Lemieux retired because he hated where the NHL was with the trap and what all the expansion teams did to the NHL. He said in 1997 before he retired that he would if the commisioner didn't do something about the obstruction lesser skilled players did to defend against players such as Lemieux. I thought this too until i read The Hockey News special edition magazine "Moments That Changed the Game"
about 1 month ago
Yzerman was a terrific player, but he was no Bryan Trottier. People forget that at one time, Trottier was considered the best all around player in the world. He could do it all: score; pass; play great defense; and hit. I saw him many times hip check an opponent better than most defensement could. As a hockey fan since the 60s my list is as follows:
1. Gretzky and Lemieux. Gretzky had the longer career, but Lemieux would have been better had he not had his injury/health issues.
3. Bryan Trottier
4. Mark Messier
5. Phil Esposito
Honorable Mention: Steve Yzerman; Jean Beliveau; Bobby Clarke; Pat LaFontaine
about 1 month ago
Great list, but you like most others, are vastly overrating the abilities of Mark Messier (perhaps the most overrated player of all time in any major sport). I watched him play almost every night in the same era as Bryan Trottier, Steve Yzerman, and Joe Sakic (all of whom were far more talented than Messier).
I can't even stress to you how MUCH better a player Trottier was then Messier, who was widely regarded as Gretzky's stooge until later on in his career. Messier was to Gretzky for the Oilers what Pippen was to Jordan for the Bulls. Messier owes most of his overblown reputation to the magic of The Great One.
Espo, Dionne and even Denis Savard and Peter Stasney were also significantly better players then the greatly overrated Messier. The myth of Messier is one of the greatest NHL propaganda stories ever told. You had to be there to understand what I mean. He was a terrific player, ...but top 5 centers of all time? Not even close.
about 1 month ago
All great and valid points, but I think that Messier proved that he wasn't a product of Gretzky when he won 2 cups and a Hart Trophy without The Great One. All the names mentioned were tremendous players, but I felt that leaving Mess off the list would be wrong. Trot, Stevie Y and Sakic would have all made great additions to list as well.
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