In today's NHL, young guns like Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Toews, to name just a few, are the centers of attention.
But a handful of elder-statesmen have proven that even though this may be a young man's game, age is just a number, not a verdict.
They have defied common sense, ignored the law of regression and refused to let up. They have played integral roles on their respective teams.They've been tested and have proven their reliability, time and time again.
They are ageless wonders, guys who work hard and continue to perform year-in-and-year-out.
Honorable Mention: Nikolai Khabibulin, 38, Edmonton Oilers
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Nikolai Khabibulin had a couple of off years but, at age 38, is back to playing at a high level.
The "Bulin Wall" sports a 6-0 record with a .098 goals-against average and .963 save percentage.
He's always been able to perform when called upon, as he showed by leading Chicago to the Western Conference Finals at age 36.
No. 15: Mike Knuble, 39, Washington Capitals
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Mike Knuble has scored at least 24 goals every year since the lockout.
He's always been effective crashing the net and putting in rebounds. They're never pretty goals, but they count just the same.
This season, Knuble has seven points in 12 games, and is currently on pace for 47 points, very close to his usual output.
No. 14: Vaclav "Vinny" Prospal, 36, Columbus Blue Jackets
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Prospal averages close to 50 points a season when he’s healthy, which has been the case more often than not.
He's one of the more underrated play-making forwards in hockey, and he's showing it once again this season, racking up 11 points in 14 games with the Blue Jackets.
Prospal's making the New York Rangers regret letting him get away, and is on pace for 64 points, a total he's not likely to accumulate but should get close to.
No. 13: Andrew Brunette, 38, Chicago Blackhawks
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Brunette finished with 46 points last season, and has reached the 50s and 60s over the last few years.
With just six points in 14 games this year, it appears his production level is finally tapering off, but his consistency this late in the game has been something special.
No. 12: Ray Whitney, 39, Phoenix Coyotes
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Whitney's point totals since the lockout: 55, 83, 61, 77, 58, 57.
He's an excellent playmaker and skater, and "The Wizard" has racked up 14 points in 13 games this season.
He will, in all likelihood, finish with 50-60 points again.
Nothing out of the usual for a 39-year old hockey player, right?
No. 11: Shane Doan, 35, Phoenix Coyotes
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Doan notched 60 points in 2010-11, and has 10 points in 13 games this season.
He's still one of the best playmakers in the game and consistently puts up respectable numbers on an offensively-anemic Phoenix Coyotes squad.
To put things in perspective, the last time Doan had other good forwards to play with was when Jeremy Roenick and Keith Tkachuk skated in the desert.
No. 10: Chris Pronger, 37, Philadelphia Flyers
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Pronger doesn’t put up the amount of points he used to, but he's still an intimidating force and one of the best hitters in the game.
He can still move the puck though, and had seven points through his first eight games this season, before he was sidelined with an injury.
No. 9: Daniel Alfredsson, 38, Ottawa Senators
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Okay, so his best days are behind him and he had an off-year last season, in which he missed 28 games.
Having said that, Alfredsson had seven points in 10 games this season before going down with an injury, and he's scored over 70 points in two of the last three years.
No. 8: Patrik Elias, 35, New Jersey Devils
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Elias had a disappointing 2009-10 campaign, in which he missed 22 games and put up “just” 48 points during that span.
He responded with 62 points the next year, and has notched 11 points in 12 games this season.
Age has yet to slow down the Czech winger, and it doesn't look that's going to happen for quite some time.
No. 7: Dwayne Roloson, 42, Tampa Bay Lightning
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Roloson has struggled a bit to start this season, but he led Tampa Bay to the Eastern Conference Finals after being traded by the Islanders.
Among his recent accomplishments are a 58-save performance against Toronto and a Stanley Cup Finals appearance with the Edmonton Oilers.
Oh, and he's 42-years old.
Like a fine wine, "Roli" has seemingly improved with age, though he'll probably hang 'em up at the end of this season.
No. 6: Milan Hejduk, 35, Colorado Avalanche
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Hejduk has managed to score 54-plus points in three of his last four seasons.
The lone "bad" year came in 2009-10, when he missed 26 games and still racked up 44 points in the 56 contests he appeared in.
Hejduk is currently on pace for 40 points, with seven points in 14 games this year, but he should surpass that mark.
No. 5: Jaromir Jagr, 39, Philadelphia Flyers
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Jagr was out of the NHL for the last three seasons, averaging nearly a point per game in the KHL during that span.
His last NHL season was 2007-08, and he had 71 points as a member of the New York Rangers that year.
This season, Jagr has been on an absolute tear, racking up 15 points in 14 games. He's on pace for an unrealistic 87 points, but he’ll still finish with numbers that players nearly half his age wish they could have.
No. 4: Martin Brodeur, 39, New Jersey Devils
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Injury woes have plagued him in recent years, but, when healthy, Marty Brodeur is still one of the better goalies in the league.
Last season marked the first time in his entire, 18-season NHL career, that he had a losing record. There aren't many goaltenders who can say that.
No. 3: Tim Thomas, 37, Boston Bruins
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Thomas won a Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins last season, and though his team's been off to a disappointing start, you wouldn't know it by looking at his stats.
He currently sports a 5-4 record—including a shutout—a 2.00 goals-against average and .931 save percentage.
Originally a ninth-round draft pick of the Quebec Nordiques in 1994, Thomas fell off the hockey map, only to resurface after the lockout.
Since that time, he hasn't looked back.
Thomas has captured a pair of Vezina Trophies (2009, 2011), a Conn Smythe Trophy in 2011 and an Olympic silver medal with Team USA in 2010. He's also been named to the last three NHL All-Star Games.
He's been superb and figures to be a mainstay in the Bruins' crease for the next little while.
No. 2: Teemu Selanne, 41, Anaheim Ducks
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Selanne racked up double his age in points last season—80—and with 14 points in 14 games this year, is on pace to do it again.
An incredibly accurate shooter, Teemu knows how to score goals, and his ability to do so has never changed.
This is likely the end of the line for the Finish Flash, and if he's not a sure-fire Hall of Famer, I don't know who is.
No. 1: Nicklas Lidstrom, 41, Detroit Red Wings
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Lidstrom won the Norris Trophy last year with 62 points, and has put up between 49 and 82 points every year since the lockout. He won three Norris Trophies in a row from 2006-2008.
This season, Lidstrom has 10 points in 12 games and is currently on pace for 68 points.
He's one of the best in NHL history, and he's proven that every year he's played.
He's the ultimate example of an ageless wonder, because even at 41 years of age, Lidstrom's still very likely the top defenseman on the planet right now.
Comments are welcome.
Follow Daniel Friedman on Twitter: @nyifaceoff360
Nicklas Lidstrom collected his seventh Norris Trophy this summer.
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