Breaking into the league in 1984-85, Lemieux began dominating, even scoring a goal on his very first shift. He would break Gretzky's strangle-hold on the scoring and MVP races, taking three Hart's and six Art Ross' through his career.
He helped lead Pittsburgh to back-to-back Stanley Cups in the early '90s before injuries began to take their toll.
Finally getting the best of him, Lemieux retired following the 1997 season to battle lymphoma.
He would make a triumphant return to the game, taking his place as an impact player. It would be short lived, however, as he began to battle chronic back problems that plagued him until his second retirement in 2005.
Lemieux left the game with a tremendous resume but left many wondering what might have been. He registered an incredible 1,723 points in just 915 career games.
He battled Gretzky for several years for the title of "League's Most Dangerous Scorer.”
We'll never know just how far Le Magnifique may have gone, but he delighted and wowed fans for years and sparked the only legitimate debate of someone being better than Gretzky.
So why Super Mario? If all that didn't do it for you, his physical skills may never be matched.
Blessed with great size and reach, Lemieux dangled the puck on a string and placed it where ever he pleased, often embarrassing defenders and goaltenders alike. He simply was a joy to watch.
If it took you this long to figure out who the starter is, shame on you. It should have been obvious when I even started the team. Since I broke down everyone else, I have to do the same here.
Wayne Gretzky is the greatest player the game has ever seen. Doubted by some to be too small and fragile to play in the NHL, he broke into the league in 1979-80 and proceeded to dominate.
He would rip off 13 straight 100 point seasons, including an incredible four 200 point seasons. He would set NHL records for goals (92), assists (163) and points (215) in a season and hit 1,000 career points in just six seasons (!!!!!).
His hardware case is equally impressive. Capturing nine Hart Trophies (eight in a row), 10 Art Ross Trophies (seven in a row), five Lady Byng's, two Conn Smythe's and five Pearson's (four in a row). Those go nicely with his 45 (by my count) NHL records.
He left the game following the 1998-99 season with career marks of 894 goals, 1,963 assists, and 2,857 points, averaging a stupefying 1.921 points per game throughout his career.
So why...ok, you know what? There is no "why" here. The stats show it all.
Gretzky was simply the smartest player to ever play the game. He wasn't tremendously gifted and wasn't the best skater (described as deceptive). He made up for it by having hockey vision like no other, seeing plays before they unfolded and hitting teammates before they knew they were open.
Gretzky arguably made the career of Jari Kurri (500+ career goals) and led the Oiler juggernaut of the '80s. He was just as good in the playoffs as he was in the regular season (1.83 points-per-game in his playoff career).
Simply put: Wayne Gretzky was the greatest player of any lifetime. He did things that may never been seen again and dominated like no other.
These things make him "The Great One.” These things make him the greatest of all-time. These things make him the center of the All-Time NHL Team.
Note: I'm strongly considering an honorable mention piece, just doing a quick career look at each guy, followed by why they could have been on this team. Depends on what you guys think. Let me know if it's something you'd like to see.
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7 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.
7 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.
7 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
7 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
4 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"
2 months 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
2 months 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.
2 months 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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