Sidney Crosby and the 30 Biggest NHL Careers Cut Short by Injury

NHL players put their physical well-being on the line every time they jump out onto the ice. The same things that make hockey so exciting (the speed and the physical nature of the game) also make it incredibly dangerous.

Players are always just one fraction of an inch away from some kind of injuries. Even the most skilled players sometimes suffer horrific injuries that cut short their careers.

Here are some of the top players whose careers have been cut short by injuries.

Steve Moore

He's not one of the sport's best players, but one of the most notable moments in hockey because of the ugly incident.

Steve Moore had played just over 60 games in his pro career before the severe concussion sustained from Bertuzzi's cowardly cheap shot forced him out of the game.

Moore still suffers from post-concussion syndrome all these years later.

It's hard to say he's one of the top players who has had this happen to him, but at the same time we never got a good sense for what type of a career he was going to have.

Pat Peake

Peake was a promising young talent when he was drafted by the Washington Capitals with the 14th overall pick.

His career was shortlived, however, as he only played a grand total of five seasons in the NHL. Of those five seasons, he only played more than 18 games twice.

His career was cut short when he shattered his heel trying to beat out an icing call in a playoff game. 

After that injury, Peake only played another five games over the next two seasons.

Stan Mikita

Stan Mikita played over 20 seasons in the NHL, but his career was hindered by his chronic back injuries.

These injuries clearly took a toll on Mikita as he went from being a 30-goal scorer to not being able to crack the 20 goals for each of his last five seasons.

Jeff Beukeboom

Aside from having one of my favorite names in the history of the NHL, Jeff Beukeboom was a very good stay as a home-style defender.

He was a part of four Stanley Cup-winning teams in both Edmonton and New York.

He was a very physical defender, and as such that style led him to have multiple concussions throughout his career, the worst of which came on one of the worst cheap shots in the league. 

While he had a successful career, he did have five seasons in which he played just about half of the season or less because of injuries.

Matthew Barnaby

Matthew Barnaby is one of the most hated players in the history of the NHL, but the impact he had on games cannot be denied.

He was a pest in every single possible sense of the word that could get teams off of their games and also put the puck in the net.

Barnaby had his career shortened when he suffered a concussion in a fight back in 2007. He was close to the end of his career, but that concussion really finished things off.

Dan Blackburn

Dan Blackburn was a promising young goalie for the New York Rangers that backed up Mike Richter early in his career.

When Richter went down with his concussion, Blackburn was thrust into the spotlight.

He played well at first, but the pressure of playing every single game definitely got to him.

His talent was still there, but a shoulder injury forced him to retire after just two years in the league.

Peter Mueller

Peter Mueller was a former top-10 draft pick by the Phoenix Coyotes.

Mueller has so much talent but has been unable to showcase it for the past couple of seasons as a result of concussions.

He tried to get back into the lineup at the start of this season but was ineffective in the few games that he did play before sitting out with more concussion injuries.

Mueller provides a perfect example of how difficult it can be for a player to come back from concussions when the symptoms linger.

Mickey Redmond

Mickey Redmond was the seventh member of the NHL and firest Detroit Red Wing to break the 50-goal mark.

Redmond also played with the Montreal Canadiens early in his career, winning a few Stanley Cups with them in his time there.

Redmond was forced to retire after just nine seasons because of a back injury.

Keith Primeau

Keith Primeau was another Philadelphia Flyers captain that saw his career shortened because of concussions.

He wasn't a flashy player by any stretch of the imagination, but he was the very definition of a power forward.

He was also an incredible leader. Primeau was just forced out of the game too early.

Scott Stevens

Scott Stevens was one of the most punishing defenders of his time. He played 22 seasons in the NHL, but his career was cut short.

In the playoffs the year before he retired, Stevens took a slap shot to the head that gave him a concussion that eventually forced him from the game forever.

Nonetheless, Stevens had a long and prosperous NHL career.

Mike Richter

Mike Richter is one of the best goalies in New York Rangers history, and was responsible for several highlight-reel saves thanks to his athleticism and unbelievable reactions.

Richter played 13 years in the NHL but was forced into retirement after suffering two concussions in an eight-month span.

One of the best American-born goalies the NHL has ever seen, it was unfortunate to see his career cut short.

Paul Kariya

Paul Kariya is best known for the time that he spent with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, though he also played for the Colorado Avalanche, the Nashville Predators and the St. Louis Blues for a time.

Kariya was a special player with an amazing combination of speed and skill.

He retired officially over this past summer and very clearly pointed a finger at concussions and head shots in the comments he released at his retirement.

While he played 15 seasons of hockey, concussions definitely shortened several of those and brought an end to a remarkable career.

Adam Deadmarsh

Adam Deadmarsh never received enough credit for the way he played the game.

He was a very talented player who combined skill and grit just as well as anybody who has ever played the game.

He worked hard every single time he was on the ice and had magic hands in front of the net. This guy could deflect anything and do it well.

However, Deadmarsh was forced to retire at age 27 following only nine seasons in the NHL.

He was a glue guy that really made teams better because of his work ethic, and it was sad that he lost so much of his career to concussions.

Geoff Courtnall

Geoff Courtnall had a long and successful career in the NHL that lasted 16 seasons.

Though 16 may be a big number, he had two seasons towards the end of his career in which he played fewer than 25 games.

This occurred due to a few concussions he suffered over the course of his career. In reality, he played closer to about 14 full NHL seasons due to his concussion issues.

Chris Drury

Chris Drury only played 12 seasons in the NHL and was one of the most clutch performers in the league during his time.

All in all, he had a very healthy career, playing fewer than 70 games only once.

That, however, was the season with a knee injury that caused him to miss the majority of what ended up being his last season in the NHL.

That one injury cut short the very great career of a clutch player.

Marc Savard

This injury to Marc Savard was one of those that really got people thinking more and more about head shots.

Savard did manage to come back from this hit, but later he had another concussion after a hit from Matt Hunwick.

Savard was shut down for this entire season before the 2011-2012 season even began.

He has not yet officially retired, but considering the severity of the concussions he's had it wouldn't be a surprise to anybody.

Such a shame to lose such a skilled player this way.

Pavel Bure

Pavel Bure was one of the most talented Russian players to ever come over to the NHL, and that is saying a lot.

Bure provided an incredible combination of speed and talent that left several people's jaws constantly fixed to the ground.

Bure's career was cut short by a combination of concussions and leg injuries.

It's a shame, because this guy was incredibly fun to watch.

Ace Bailey

Ace Bailey was a talented player back in the 1920s and 1930s for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

He led the league in scoring in the 1928-1929 NHL season and was part of the 1932 Stanley Cup Championship team in Toronto.

Bailey's successful career was brought to a horrifying end when he was the victim of a vicious hit from behind by Eddie Shore.

The hit ended with Bailey falling to the ice and fracturing his skull.

His career was immediately ended.

Rick DiPietro

Rick DiPietro had so much potential when he came into the NHL but he has just never been able to stay healthy.

A first overall draft pick by the Islanders and an NHL All-Star, DiPietro has been hampered by a bad knee.

So much potential, but he just hasn't ever been able to stay healthy.

Eric Lindros

The hit that really changed the landscape of Eric Lindros' career is one of the best-known hits in hockey.

When Lindros came into the league, he was supposed to be the next big thing. The guy that would dominate the game in the '90s the way that Gretzky dominated the game in the '80s.

Lindros had several good years and was a dominant force, but concussions changed the path of his career.

Eight concussions will do that to a guy.

Rick Martin

Rick Martin busted onto the scene with the Buffalo Sabres, scoring 40 goals or more in four of his first five seasons as a pro.

Martin was having a fantastic career until he was injured in a game against the Washington Capitals when he was kicked in the knee by the Washington goalie.

This kick caused serious knee damage from which he was never able to recover.

Vladimir Konstantinov

Vladimir Konstantinov was a powerful defender and one of the most unforgiving of his time.

As an opponent he was an easy guy to dislike. As a teammate you were thrilled to have him on your side.

Konstantinov's career was cut short as he was being driven home by a reckless driver (whose license had already been revoked) when he ran his car into a tree.

Konstantinov suffered brain damage and paralysis from this injury and was never able to play hockey again.

It was one of the most emotional moments in hockey history when Detroit won the cup in 1998 and he was wheeled out on this ice to celebrate with his teammates.

Cam Neely

Cam Neely was one of the most dominant power forwards in hockey.

He was so strong that people couldn't move him out of the way, and he had a shot that would quite literally dent the twine.

Neely was the victim of an ugly knee-to-knee hit that changed the course of his career. He played for a little bit after the injury, but was never the same and was always in pain.

Neely's career would have been brilliant had he not been injured that way.

Pat Lafontaine

Pat Lafontaine had an amazing career that got him into the Hockey Hall of Fame, but his career was definitely hurt by concussions.

He suffered six concussions in his career, which caused him to miss several long stints in his career.

Had Lafontaine not missed those long periods of time, he might have gone down as one of the greatest ever to play the game.

When he was healthy, Lafontaine scored more than 40 or 50 goals pretty much every year.  This is a guy who had 148 points in a season!

Lafontaine was a great player.

Bernie Parent

Bernie Parent was a Vezina-winning goalie and former Stanley Cup Champion in his time with the Flyers.

He played 13 seasons in the NHL, but could have played longer if it wasn't for an errant stick that caught him in the eye during a game.

This eye injury affected his vision permanently and force him to retire.

Sidney Crosby

Crosby is still young and has a chance to come back from his concussion, though it may take the rest of this season still.

If he is able to come back, his career will still have been shortened due to the fact that he missed nearly two seasons.

If he isn't able to come back then it is a horrible loss for the game of hockey. Whatever your feelings are about Sidney Crosby, nobody can deny his incredible skill and the popularity he helped bring to the NHL.

Peter Forsberg

Watching Peter Forsberg play is one of my favorite things about having grown up in Denver, Colorado.

As a kid who loved hockey, to see the way that Forsberg did absolutely everything so well and made it look so easy made watching hockey an amazing experience.

It is one of the saddest things in the world that Forsberg could never get his foot figured out.

He was truly a special player whose career was tragically short.

Mike Bossy

Mike Bossy became a legend of the game by dominating the league with the New York Islanders, winning four straight Stanley Cups.

Bossy only played 10 seasons in the NHL, which makes his numbers that much more outstanding.

In 10 years, he amassed 1126 points in 752 games (which is almost exactly 1.5 points per game), including 573 goals.

In his entire career he only scored fewer than 50 goals in a season once, and that was the final season of his career when he only played 63 games and had a bum back because of his injuries.

Imagine if this guy had another seven to eight healthy years left in the league.

Bobby Orr

Bobby Orr revolutionized the position of defenseman and the NHL game itself.

Orr was easily the best skater of the era in which he played, and he showcased that night after night.

He made quite a lot of people look very silly.

Orr, however, suffered several knee injuries that eventually made it hard for him to walk, let alone skate.

He played 12 NHL seasons and won several awards.

He is a legend of the game that nobody will forget, but his career was cut short by injuries.

Mario Lemieux

Mario Lemieux is the only player to ever come within a whiff of Wayne Gretzky's single-season goal-scoring, assists and points records. He was simply one of a kind.

His career was shortened by his bouts with cancer that saw him miss entire seasons before making a comeback in the mid 1990s.

He even made a second comeback in the year 2000 after having been out of hockey for several years and looked as though he hadn't missed a beat.

If Super Mario hadn't been derailed by cancer, it's scary to think of how much better his numbers could have been.

Kevin Goff is a Featured Columnist for the Colorado Avalanche and NHL on Bleacher Report. For more NHL news and discussion,