Canada's Golden Hockey Chain

Maurice Richard

Gordie Howe

Bobby Hull

Bobby Orr

Orr is the only defenceman on the list and not only was he the best player to ever play the position, he revolutionized hockey by his style of play. There would be no offensive minded defencemen in hockey today if it wasn't for Bobby Orr. Paul Coffey and others like him, owe their existence to No. 4. Orr is the only defenceman to win the NHL scoring title twice. The popular image of Orr is of a defenceman making an end to end rush at blazing speed and finishing with a hard shot into the net. Orr joined the Boston Bruins in 1966-67 for a then record salary of $25,000 and immediately turned a perpetual doormat into an instant contender. The Bruins would continue to rise until 1970, when Orr scored the Stanley Cup winning goal that ended a Cup drought for Boston of nearly 30 years. The famous picture of Orr flying in the air after being tripped is one of hockey's enduring images, to be commemorated with a statue in Boston in the near future. But not even Orr and his illustrious comrades could break the hex that Montreal held on Boston in the playoffs. Backed by Ken Dryden's spectacular goaltending, Montreal completed what many fans consider the greatest upset in Stanley Cup history in 1971. The Bruins would win the Cup again, in 1972 and reach the finals in 1974 where they were beaten by the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, Philadelphia. But most of the Boston players and hockey historians regard the Orr years as the dynasty-that-should-have-been, or the dynasty-that-wasn't. Even now, it is hard to fathom why the Bruins did not win more Cups. Meanwhile Orr's record setting career was nearing towards its end because of physical tragedy. He injured his left knee so often and it was operated on so many times, that it became virtually useless at playing hockey. Because of the injury, Boston refused to renew Orr's contract and he signed with Chicago, where he vainly tried a come back for two years until he gave up and retired. Before retiring, Orr had one last moment of glory, being named the most valuable player in the 1976 Canada Cup. Orr had missed the famous 1972 series against the USSR because of his knee injury, and was anxious to test himself against international competition. In his only international tournament, he again proved he was the best player in the world. His record NHL totals for a defenceman were 270 goals and 645 assists, for 915 points in only 657 games played, totals that must be regarded as only half, or only two thirds the total points he might have amassed, if he had played a full career without injury.

Guy Lafleur

Wayne Gretzky

Hockey's greatest scorer, so far, was a legend long before he joined the NHL. The most amazing thing about Wayne Gretzky is that he would join a league, years in advance before he should have, and still dominate it. Never mind his NHL records, his childhood statistics are legendary. He was playing in a league with 10 year olds at the age of six. By the age of 10, Gretzky had scored 385 goals and 120 assists in only 85 games. By age 13, he had scored over 1,000 goals. He was so good that other players' parents would dislike him, including some of his own teammates. Gretzky had a brief one-year junior career with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, but it was enough to set a single season scoring record. The NHL did not sign players under 20, but the WHA wanted more credibility by signing Canada's next hockey phenomenon. Gretzky signed a personal services contract with the owner of the Indianapolis Racers worth $1.75 million. Hockey was not going to survive in Indianapolis and the fact he had signed a personal services contract enabled the Racers to sell Gretzky to the Edmonton Oilers for $700,000. He would later sign a 10-year personal services contract with the Oilers owner, Peter Pocklington, worth $3 million with options for 10 more years. The highlight for Gretzky during his one WHA year was the opportunity to play with his idol, Gordie Howe, on a line with his son Mark, against team from Russia in the WHA's all star game. The league folded next year and Edmonton joined the NHL which allowed them to keep Gretzky. It was expected that Gretzky would have more trouble scoring in the tougher, defensive-minded NHL, but he ended up tying Marcel Dionne for the scoring title with 137 points. So began the onslaught on the NHL scoring book. The Oilers began to build their team around Gretzky. Their first notable success was the sweep of the fallen dynasty from Montreal in 1981. Edmonton would win its first Stanley Cup in 1984 and three others by 1988. By then, Gretzky had amassed too many records to count. The most noteworthy was a record 92 goals in 1981-82, and a record 163 assists and 215 points in 1985-86. He also destroyed Maurice Richard's record of scoring 50 goals in 50 games by scoring 50 in 39 games in 1981. Then came "The Trade." It had been rumored for some time during 1988, and Gretzky's father had kept the news from him until the season was over. Pocklington was having financial difficulties elsewhere and saw Gretzky as a "wasting asset" who had passed his prime. Several teams were interested and Los Angeles Kings were selected. It has been suggested that the Kings were chosen because of Gretzky's friendship with the Kings owner, Bruce McNall; because the Kings were the only team who could pay what Gretzky wanted; and because it would help his new wife's acting career. Whatever the reason, it was an unfortunate destination because it came at the price of much of Gretzky's future NHL glory. It was bad enough that Gretzky was being traded from a team which had been built around him in which he had so much natural chemistry. But Los Angeles had been a doormat for years and now had no idea what to do with hockey's greatest player. Once again, the old adage would prove true: the great player on the great team would win the Stanley Cup, but not the great player on his own. The move to Los Angeles may have done wonders for Gretzky's wallet, but it was mostly a disaster for his remaining NHL career. The move pleased the NHL though, which anointed Gretzky as a builder of California hockey which would lead to new teams in San Jose and Anaheim. Meanwhile the Kings ineptly tried to build a team around Gretzky as Edmonton had done, but could not find the chemistry. In desperation, they traded for Gretzky's old line mate, Jari Kurri. That combination was good enough to get Los Angeles to the Stanley Cup finals where they were defeated by Montreal. Later, after McNall became a jailbird, Gretzky spent some time in St. Louis and then finished his career with the New York Rangers where he was reunited with Mark Messier. Perhaps if Gretzky had been traded to a city with a real hockey environment, where there was pressure to win the Stanley Cup every year, and therefore the management was under the gun to get results, things would have turned out better. Most of Gretzky's old teammates from Edmonton would win one more championship with the team before the dynasty was dismantled. Many would later win more Cups with other teams. It is a bitter irony that the player most responsible for establishing one of hockey's greatest dynasties should never win the Stanley Cup again, once the beloved crest was torn from his jersey. Gretzky also had a distinguished international career, most notably in the Canada Cups of 1984 and 1987. In the latter contest, he played on a line with Mario Lemieux whom he was to call the greatest player he ever played with. With Dale Hawerchuk's help, the two would engineer the goal that won the Canada Cup for the host country. Gretzky will always be in an endless, undecided debate with Bobby Orr about who was Canada's greatest hockey player. It may be impossible to decide because they played different positions. All that remains is to list Gretzky's greatest record: 1,487 games played, 894 goals, 1,963 assists, and 2,857 points.

Mario Lemieux

The Only Break In The Chain

Sidney Crosby