The Greatest NHL Player from Each Canadian Province
Tuesday's announcement that Rogers Communications is prepared to invest $5.2 billion to broadcast NHL hockey in Canada over the next 12 years confirms what most already know: The nation is crazy for hockey.
Over the years, the international reach of the game has grown, with a zenith on its way at the Winter Olympics in Sochi next February. Still, hockey is Canada's game; many of the best players in history have hailed from the Great White North.
From coast to coast to coast, here's a look at the very best talent from each Canadian province and the northern territories.
British Columbia: Joe Sakic
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Technically, Steve Yzerman could be considered for this honor. He was born in Cranbrook, in the East Kootenay region, but grew up in the Ottawa area.
Conversely, Scott Niedermayer grew up in Cranbrook but was born in Edmonton. He's disqualified as well.
That leaves the title of "Best B.C. Player" for Burnaby Joe Sakic, who's well deserving.
Drafted 15th overall by the Quebec Nordiques in 1987, Sakic played his entire career with the Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche organization, where he's currently the executive vice president of hockey operations for a resurgent Avalanche squad.
Colorado's long-time captain led the Avs to Stanley Cup wins in 1996 and 2001. Sakic recorded six seasons with 100 points or more, scored 50 goals twice and ran the table in 2001 with the Hart Trophy, the Lester B. Pearson Award, the Conn Smythe Trophy and the Lady Byng Trophy.
In international play, Sakic is a member of the IIHF Triple Gold Club thanks to his gold medals at the 1988 World Junior Championship, 1994 World Championships and 2002 Winter Olympics.
Sakic even has a street named after him. Joe Sakic Way runs through a pod of sporting facilities in his hometown of Burnaby.
Alberta: Mark Messier
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Mark Messier was born in Edmonton, Alberta and won five of his six Stanley Cups right on home turf.
Though he never won an individual scoring title, Messier is second in overall NHL points to only Wayne Gretzky, with 694 goals and 1,193 assists. He's also second overall in playoff points (295) and regular-season games played (1,756) over his 25-year NHL career.
Beyond the stats sheet, Messier was known for the physical aspect of his on-ice game and for his fierce leadership and commitment to winning. His style was a gritty counterpoint to Gretzky's finesse game when the two played together in Edmonton. Messier cemented his legacy as more than just a sidekick when he captained the Oilers to a fifth Stanley Cup two years after Gretzky's departure, then he led the New York Rangers to their first championship in 50 years in 1994.
Messier's a two-time Hart Trophy winner, the 1984 Conn Smythe Trophy winner and has an NHL award named after him—the Mark Messier Leadership award.
Runners-up for Alberta include Johnny Bucyk, Jarome Iginla and Lanny McDonald.
Saskatchewan: Gordie Howe
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The slice of prairie known as Saskatchewan has produced its fair share of important NHLers through the years—none more impressive than Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe.
Howe sits third on the league's all-time points list at 1,850. He's the only professional hockey player to have played in the NHL in five decades, from the 1940s to the 1980s. He's also the only one ever to play in his 50s and the oldest retiree in league history at age 52.
Despite all that, Howe's numbers are lower than they might have been. He initially retired from the NHL after the 1970-71 season due to a wrist issue and spent two years off the ice before re-starting his career playing beside his sons Mark and Marty in the World Hockey Association. Howe spent six seasons in the WHA before it was absorbed into the NHL, and he played his final season with the renamed Hartford Whalers in 1979-80.
Born in 1928 in Floral, Saskatchewan—just outside of Saskatoon—Howe made his debut with the Detroit Red Wings in 1946. He won his first of four Stanley Cup championships in 1950, his first of six Art Ross Trophies in 1951 and his first of six Hart Trophies in 1952.
Howe was a master of blending skill with grit, which is part of the reason why his playing style is so revered to this day.
Manitoba: Jonathan Toews
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Historically speaking, Bobby Clarke of Flin Flon, Manitoba is the best hockey player ever to emerge from the province. Clarke had 1,210 points in 1,144 NHL games and captained the Philadelphia Flyers to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975.
At just 25 years old, Jonathan Toews of Winnipeg already has the two Stanley Cup rings. His list of achievements at such a young age has him tracking to be the best player ever from his home province.
Toews skipped the usual Canadian major junior development route to attend a U.S. prep school, then play college hockey at the University of North Dakota for two years. He was drafted third overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2006.
By the time Toews started his professional career, he had already collected gold medals at the IIHF Under-17 tournament, two World Junior Championships and the 2007 World Championships.
Toews was named captain of the struggling Blackhawks after just one season with the team. After five years out of the playoff picture, Chicago made the postseason in its first year under Toews' leadership, then advanced all the way to the Western Conference Final. A year later, the Blackhawks won their first Stanley Cup in 50 years, a feat they repeated in 2013.
Toews won the Conn Smythe Trophy as Chicago's most valuable playoff performer in 2010. He joined the IIHF Triple Gold Club with an Olympic victory for Team Canada in 2010. He also won the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 2013, illustrating his commitment to strong play at both ends of the ice.
Toews has already collected a career's worth of trophies and accolades. Did I mention he's only 25?
He's on track to have his name listed among the best in hockey once he hangs up his skates.
Ontario: Wayne Gretzky
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With apologies to all the other terrific players who have emerged from Canada's most populated province, it's impossible to choose anyone but Wayne Gretzky as the greatest ever from Ontario.
Gretzky was born in the small southern Ontario city of Brantford in 1961 but started attracting the attention of the hockey world at a very young age. He began his professional career at 17 with the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association. Financial problems meant that Gretzky played just eight games with the Racers before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers, team that was eventually absorbed by the NHL when the two leagues merged in 1979.
During his 21-year career in the National Hockey League, Gretzky shattered record after record. His 2,857 career points are nearly 1,000 more than second-place Mark Messier. He was an immediate sensation, putting up 51 goals and 137 assists in his first NHL campaign and building on his numbers from there. He holds countless single-season and career-scoring records that might never be broken.
Gretzky won four Stanley Cups in Edmonton between 1984 and 1988, but he was traded to Los Angeles in the summer of '88 by cash-strapped Oilers owner Peter Pocklington. Gretzky's time in the U.S.A. is largely credited for popularizing hockey in the South. He went on to play one season in St. Louis before retiring as a New York Ranger at age 37.
While he had some good seasons in in L.A. and New York, Gretzky never quite replicated the success he had in Edmonton. Those heady early years are why he's remembered as the best ever to play the game.
Quebec: Maurice 'Rocket' Richard
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Canada's most distinct—and second-most populated—province offers plenty of contenders for the title of "Best Player Ever from Quebec."
You could choose a difference-making goaltender like Martin Brodeur or Patrick Roy. You could go with a great talent who overcame challenge after challenge like Mario Lemieux or a top-level defenseman like Ray Bourque. You could look at the great names of the Montreal Canadiens' dynasties like Guy Lafleur or Jean Beliveau.
Atop that heady list sits Maurice "Rocket" Richard, born in 1921 in Montreal.
From 1942 to 1960, Richard collected 965 points in 978 games and won eight Stanley Cups, including five in a row during the last five years of his career. He was also the first NHL player ever to score 50 goals, and he did it in 50 games. His feats as the greatest scorer of his era are immortalized each year when the NHL awards its Rocket Richard Trophy to its leading scorer.
New Brunswick: Danny Grant
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According to QuantHockey's list of New Brunswick-born NHLers, only two active players hail from the maritime province. Brad Malone has played three games with the Colorado Avalanche this year while spending most of his time with the AHL Lake Erie Monsters, while Patrice Cormier is having a similar season with the Winnipeg Jets and St. John's IceCaps.
New Brunswick has produced goalie Rollie Melanson and NHL coaches John Stevens and Rick Bowness but in terms of pure hockey, its best player ever was Danny Grant.
Born in 1946 in Fredericton, Grant was a skill winger who played for the Montreal Canadiens, Minnesota North Stars, Detroit Red Wings and Los Angeles Kings in his 14-year NHL career.
Grant won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 1969. His most productive season was his first in Detroit. Playing on a line with Marcel Dionne, he became just the 12th player in NHL history to crack the 50-goal plateau in 1974-75.
Injuries slowed Grant after that season, and he retired in 1979 at the age of 33.
Nova Scotia: Sidney Crosby
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If we'd had Bleacher Report slideshows a decade ago, defenseman Al MacInnis would surely have gotten the nod as the best player ever from Nova Scotia.
Ten years from now, Nathan MacKinnon will likely work his way into the conversation.
For now, in 2013, the honour has to belong to Sidney Crosby. Born in 1987 in Cole Harbour, Crosby's early promise had him touted as the heir to Wayne Gretzky in Canadian hockey—"The Next One."
Crosby was drafted first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2005, right after the season-long lockout. He didn't disappoint, becoming the youngest player in NHL history to win the scoring title in just his second year and also snagging both the Hart Trophy and the Lester B. Pearson Award.
The Pittsburgh Penguins won their Stanley Cup in 2009, when Crosby was 22, but concussion issues and other injury problems have caused bumps in the road for the captain.
Crosby has been healthy so far in 2013-14 and is perched atop the scoring race with 33 points in 26 games. The scorer of Team Canada's famous "Golden Goal" in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver will be a key player as the group looks to defend its title in Sochi this February.
Prince Edward Island: Brad Richards
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Canada's smallest province in both size and population, Prince Edward Island has produced an impressive slate of NHLers for its size.
In the past, journeymen like Al MacAdam, Gerard Gallant and Errol Thompson have hailed from the province most famous for its potato harvest. At present, the NHL boasts islanders Adam McQuaid of the Boston Bruins, Steve Ott of the Buffalo Sabres and the province's best ever, Brad Richards of the New York Rangers.
Like many others on this list, Richards has a Stanley Cup, a Conn Smythe Trophy and a Lady Byng Trophy on his resume—in his case, from 2003-04 with Tampa Bay. The 33-year-old was born in Murray Harbour in 1980 but attended boarding school in Saskatchewan to jump-start his hockey career, where he met future teammate Vincent Lecavalier.
After a rough season with the New York Rangers last year, Richards has experienced a rebirth under new coach Alain Vigneault and looks to have his game back on track. With 17 points in 25 games this season, Richards continues to add to his totals atop the best-ever list from P.E.I., with a total of 833 career points in 925 games.
Newfoundland and Labrador: Michael Ryder
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Canada's most easterly province, Newfoundland has a culture all its own.
A happy-go-lucky energy surrounds the residents, who'll talk your ear off in an accent that you may or may not be able to decipher. Newfoundlanders like to have a good time.
Longtime CBC play-by-play man Bob Cole hails from the region and has done his part to shine the spotlight on its hockey-playing native sons. The best of the bunch are playing in the NHL today.
Carbonear native Danny Cleary has had a solid NHL career since entering the league in 1997, but the title of "Best Ever" goes to Michael Ryder.
Born in Bonavista in 1980, Ryder was an eighth-round draft choice in 1998 who made a name for himself in the minor leagues before finally getting a shot with the Montreal Canadiens in 2003. He put up consistent numbers for 10 years with the Habs, Boston Bruins and Dallas Stars before returning to Montreal for a second tour of duty last season, then signing with the New Jersey Devils.
All told, Ryder has 439 points in 702 career games and won a Stanley Cup with Boston in 2011.
Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut: Geoff Sanderson
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Despite all the snow and ice, Canada's sparsely populated northern territories have not been fertile breeding grounds for pro hockey talent.
The Yukon has spawned just two NHLers ever, according to hockeyreference.com. Bryon Baltimore appeared in two games with the Edmonton Oilers in 1980 while Peter Sturgeon managed six games with the Colorado Rockies from 1979-81. Jordin Tootoo has amassed a 536-game NHL career and hails from Nunavut, but he was born in Churchill, Manitoba. The cream of the crop is definitely Geoff Sanderson, headlining a class of four from the Northwest Territories.
Sanderson was born in Hay River in 1972 and drew enough attention with the Swift Current Broncos in junior to get drafted by the Hartford Whalers in the second round in 1990. Sanderson tallied back-to-back 40-goal seasons with the Whale early in his career. In total, he put up seven seasons with 20 goals or more during his tour through eight teams around the NHL.
In total, Sanderson's fellow NWT natives managed 10 NHL games. He finished his career with 1,104, scoring 355 goals and 345 assists for a total of 700 points.
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