NHL Power Rankings: Each Team's Unsung Hero from the 2010-11 Season

Every team has an unsung hero. 

An "unsung hero" is a guy who might not get the media attention he deserves, but has earned the respect of his peers.

An unsung hero is a guy who may not score the high light reel goal, but is willing to go into the dirty areas an score the greasy goals. 

Here is a list of every team's unsung hero from the 2010-2011 season. 

As usual, please feel free to comment with your opinion on who should be labelled as each team's unsung hero. 

Anaiem Ducks—Ray Emery

Ray Emery came in to the Ducks line up late in the season and played extraordinary for them. 

He finished the regular season with a 9-2 record with a .926 save percentage. 

He also got virtually no credit for his efforts, evidence of this is that Emery is yet to earn a contract. 

Atlanta Thrashers—Andrew Ladd

Andrew Ladd has been able to fly under the radar in Atlanta, this will not happen in Winnipeg. 

Ladd earned captaincy in just his first season in Atlanta. Where he earned career highs in both goals and points. 

Ladd will be leaned on heavily in the team's first season as the Jets. 

Boston Bruins—Marc Savard

Marc Savard must have served as inspiration for the Boston Bruins. 

He was arguably the team's hero inside the dressing room, but just another concussion victim to the media. 

Inspiration goes a long way towards success and Marc Savard provided that for the Bruins. 

Buffalo Sabres—Nathan Gerbe

Nathen Gerbe is the shortest player in the NHL. 

But he sure doesn't play like it. 

Nathan doesn't appear to be scared of anyone on the ice, as seen in this picture. 

He also plays a almost fearless style of play that has to be admired by his teammates. 

Calgary Flames—Mark Giordano

On a team with defensive super stars like Robyn Regeher and Jay Bowmeester, Mark Giordano has quickly made a name for himself. 

He finished the season first among Flames defence men in goals, assists and points. 

This will only give him more opportunities to score this upcoming season where he should be a real offensive force from the back end. 

Carolina Hurricanes—Joe Corvo

Joe Corvo was one of the best defence men on the Carolina Hurricanes roster. 

Corvo finished the season 11 goals and 29 assists and was effectively the power play quarterback for the Hurricanes.

Corvo was arguably under appreciated by the team and league, as proof by the Hurricanes signing Thomas Kaberle and then trading Corvo to the Bruins. 

Chicago Blackhawks—Dave Bolland

Dave Bolland, along with Jonathan Toews, is the heart of the Chicago Blackhawks. 

This is proof in the playoffs, for the first three games of the Blackhawks first round playoff series with the Vancouver Canucks, Bolland was injured. 

Bolland would return to play in game 4 where the Blackhawks would win the next three games and lost in overtime of game 7. 

Bolland was a huge factor in these games, he was effective in shutting down the Sedin twins and was even an offensive threat. 

Colorado Avalanche—Chris Stewart

Chris Stewart was the hero of the end of the Avalanche season. 

Stewart was traded from the St. Louis Blues in the middle of the season. 

Upon arriving to Colorado, Stewart caught fire, he ended up scoring 30 points in his last 36  games. 

People did take notice of Stewart's success upon being traded, but not enough, it is rare that mid season trades have such success.

Columbus Blue Jackets—Antoine Vermette

Antoine Vermette may have been playing out of his comfort zone last season. 

Vermette, typically the defensive type, was forced into first line centre duties with with Rick Nash and RJ Umberger as his wingers. 

Vermette preformed admirably and deserves some credit for his ability to adapt to his playing partners. 

Vermette should end up back in his comfort zone this season, with the team's acquisition of Jeff Carter. 

Dallas Stars—Loui Eriksson

Loui Eriksson is the most underrated player in the league. 

The Dallas Stars have a great young super star in Eriksson, the problem is, the league does not know about him yet. 

Eriksson finished the season with 27 goals and 46 assists. He finished only four points behind big free agent fish Brad Richards. 

Detroit Red Wings—Danny Cleary

Dany Cleary has been the unsung hero for the Detroit Red Wings for years. 

On a team that has forewords named Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and Todd Bertuzzi, Dany Cleary gets left out of the limelight. 

Cleary is a great defensive player with an offensive touch, the type of guy you need to go deep into the post season. 

Edmonton Oilers—Shawn Horcoff

Shawn Horcoff is the captain of the Edmonton Oilers, so he may not be as unsung as the others on this list. 

However, the mentoring Horcoff has been providing to the young stars on the Oilers is unmeasurable. 

Horcoff has been able to teach the likes of Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Magnus Paajarvi and Linus Omark what life is like in the NHL. 

This advice is crucial to the Oilers success in the near future. 

Florida Panthers—David Booth

David Booth is the offensive threat of the future for the Florida Panthers. 

Last season, Booth finished with 21 goals and 28 assists, good enough for third on the team in points. 

Booth easily the biggest fan favourite among Florida's fans. 

With many off season acquisitions, Florida will be a much improved team and Booth's statistics should improve as well. 

Los Angeles Kings—Ryan Smyth

Ryan Smyth has been the heart and soul of every team he has played for. 

He has the uncanny need to go into the dirty areas to get the puck. 

Smyth is not a great skater, does not have a good shot or the hands to deke around defencemen, he has the heart and determination to get it done, his way. 

Ryan Smyth finished with 23 goals and 24 assists and was an integral part in getting the Kings back into the post season. 

Minnesota Wild—Cal Clutterbuck

Cal Clutterbuck is easily the biggest fan favourite on the Minnesota Wild roster. 

Cal is one of the few guys in the league with the ability to beat you with his hands and his fists. 

Cal finished the season 19 goals, 15 assists and 79 PIM. 

Montreal Canadiens—David Desharnais

David Desharnais is the definition of "unsung hero". 

He does not recieve the media attention that almost every other member of the Canadiens, but remains an integral part of the team.

Desharnais spent most of his career in the minors, but was given the chance this season to play when their was a hole in the roster due to injury.

David took full advantage of the opportunity he was given and impressed head coach Jacques Martin enough to keep him around for the duration of the season.    

Nashville Predators—David Legwand

David Legwand has been a Nashville Predator since the franchise opened. 

He owns the franchise record for most goals, assists and points.

Legwand is one of the heart and soul guys that every team needs.

They are not the type to wow the fans, just the ones that keep the team together.

New Jersey Devils—Brian Rolston

Brian Rolston has 17 years in the league. 

A vetran presence like that can really help a group of young players. 

It can also be a huge aid when the team is in a slump. 

The New Jersey Devils were in one of the biggest slump of the season at the start of the year, but eventually got themselves out of the rut and actually made a run at a playoff spot.

New York Islanders—Michael Grabner

Michael Grabner did recieve accolades for his wonderful season, but arguably, not enough. 

Grabner won the fastest skater competition at the NHL All-Star Game and was nominated for the Calder Trophy as the league's best rookie. 

But Grabner was a decent third as far as consideration goes for the Calder. 

New York Rangers—Marc Staal

Known for his shut down capabilities, Marc Staal found his offensive touch this season. 

Marc finished the regular season with seven goals and 22 assists. 

Marc does his business quietly and it is rare that anyone takes notice. 

Ottawa Senators—Ryan Shannon

In what was a season to forget for many of the players on the Ottawa Senators, Ryan Shannon was a bright spot. 

Shannon, usually given a defensive role, finished with 27 points, a career high. 

He was also the only player on the Senators roster with a positive +/- record, he was +3. 

Philadelphia Flyers—Scott Hartnell

Scott Hartnell had a good season this year. 

Hartnell had 24 goals and 25 assists, but was left under the radar because of the talent on the Flyers roster. 

Hartnell definitely deserves more attention than he gets. 

Phoenix Coyotes—Keith Yandle

If Loui Eriksson is the most under rated player in the NHL, Keith Yandle is a close second. 

Because Yandle plays in Phoenix, is talents are usually over looked. 

His team mates have claimed that Yandle is the best player on the ice 75% of the time, which is high praise for a guy who few know about.

Yandle finished third among defence men in points with 59. 

Pittsburgh Penguins—Jordan Staal

Jordan Stall missed half the season due to injury, so his stats are distorted. 

In 42 games, Jordan had 30 points, which in an 82 game schedule, jordan would have had around 60 points. 

Jordan is a reliable defensive foreword with an offensive touch. 

On a team with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Marc-Andre Fleury, Jordan Staal is often over looked. 

San Jose Sharks—Ryane Clowe

Ryane Clowe is another one of those guys who would be super stars if his team was not already filled with them. 

Clowe finished the regular season with 62 points. 

Ryane had a career high in almost all personal stats, and looks to go up from here. 

St. Louis Blues—T.J. Oshie

T.J. Oshie looks to be the future and present of the St. Louis Blues franchise. 

Oshie has the skill sat of few others, he just needs to work on his finishing. 

In an injury plagued season, Oshie finished with 34 points, but was an integral part of the team during the games he did play. 

Tampa Bay Lightning—Teddy Purcell

Teddy Purcell had a breakout season for the Tampa Bay Lightning, the problem was, no one else took notice. 

Purcell finished the season with 51 points, his previous career high was 16. 

The reason the Lightning went so far in the post season was that they such deep scoring, Purcell is a prime example of this. 

Toronto Maple Leafs—Mikhail Grabovski

On a team where many people struggled, Mikhail Grabovski mustered together a career season. 

It is hard to have an unsung hero in Toronto, the city with the most media coverage of their team of all the NHL cities. 

Grabovski may have been not unsung in the sense of his role and his play being unnoticed, but Mikhail's season was underrated. 

Grabovski would have had a point-per-game season if he would have had a decent supporting cast to help him, that I am convinced. 

Mikhail should become the number one scorer on the Maple Leafs for next year, surpassing Phil Kessel. 

Vancouver Canucks—Manny Malhotra

Manny Malhotra is definitely the unsung hero of the Vancouver Canucks. 

Much like Jordan Staal and Ryane Clowe, Malhotra would have been a star on a team with a weaker roster. 

Malhotra is a defensive specialist and one of the best faceoff guys in the entire league. 

Manny showed his value in the 2011 Stanley Cup FInals where he returned in Game 2 after what many people thought was a career threatening eye injury. 

Malhotra became a source of inspiration for the team and may very well be one of the reasons why the Canucks game one game away from winning the Stanley Cup. 

Washington Capitals—John Carlson

John Carlson had a remarkable rookie season this year.

Carlson was able to quarterback the power play when Mike Green was injured or struggling.

John finished the regular season with 37 points, good enough for fourth among rookie defencemen.