NHL History: Each Team's All-Time Unsung Hero

Nobody is going to confuse either guy in this photo with being an "unsung hero," but every team has players that have somehow slipped through the cracks of the fanbase's collective memory.

Whether it's an enforcer or a guy that just happened to not wear No. 99, there's always a player that doesn't get the amount of respect that he deserves.

But now those guys will get their sticktap.

Some of the players on this list will be All-Stars, some will even be household names in some areas. But all of them will share something in commonthey all deserve more respect than they've received from hockey fans.

Anaheim Ducks: Steve Rucchin

He ranks third in Anaheim franchise history with 432 points, fourth with 153 goals and second with 616 games played.

Boston Bruins: Pit Martin

Pit Martin scored 36 goals in 111 games in a Boston sweater.

So how is he the organization's "unsung hero?"

Boston traded him to the Chicago Blackhawks...in the deal that brought back Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield.

If the NHL had a "Herschel Walker Trade" that set up a franchise for a decade of dominance, that was it. Thanks, Pit!

Buffalo Sabres: Ryan Miller

How can someone argue that perhaps the best goalie in the game today is an "unsung hero?"

Most hockey fans consider Dominik Hasek the gold standard of goalies in the last 30 years.

But, with 13 more wins, Miller will pass Hasek and become Buffalo's career leader in victories.

Calgary Flames: Gary Roberts

Roberts ranks second in Calgary history in PIM and plus-minus and is fourth in goals scored.

Carolina Hurricanes: Arturs Irbe

To most fans, Cam Ward is the best/only goalie that's ever put on the Carolina sweater. But Irbe was a serviceable netminder for the Canes.

Chicago Blackhawks: Steve Larmer

He is the franchise’s all-time career leader in:

• Plus-Minus (plus-182)
• Game-Winning Goals (49)
• Power Play Goals (153)

He also ranks in the organization’s Top Ten in the following (regular season):

• Games Played: seventh (891)
• Goals: third (406)
• Assists: fifth (517)
• Points: fourth (923)
• Shots: second (2,541)

In the postseason, Larmer ranks:

• seventh in games played (107)
• fourth in goals scored (45)
• fourth in assists (66)
• fourth in points (111)
• second (tie) in game-winning goals (six, with D. Savard)
• second in power play goals (18)

He played in 884 consecutive games with the Blackhawks, and Chicago made the playoffs in every season he wore the sweater. Larmer also won the Calder Trophy in Chicago.

Additionally, only nine right wings from the modern era have been selected for Hall of Fame enshrinement in the last 20 years. Of those nine, only four—Mike Bossy, Joe Mullen, Jari Kurri and Brett Hull—averaged better than a point per game. Larmer did that in Chicago, and to end his career, with the Rangers.

There is a petition out to get the Blackhawks to retire Larmer's sweater.

Colorado Avalanche: Adam Foote

Only Joe Sakic played more games in Denver than Foote, and only Peter Forsberg had a better plus-minus in an Avalanche sweater.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Rick Nash

I'm pretty sure most NHL fans really don't understand how good Rick Nash is because he's been stuck in hockey exile (Columbus).

Nash ranks eighth in the NHL among active players, scoring 0.438 goals per game over his career. Some of the names that are behind him on that list include Marian Hossa, Henrik Zetterberg, Danny Briere, Martin St. Louis, Pavel Datsyuk and both of the Sedins. In fact, his rounded number of 0.438 is equal to Jarome Iginla.

Yet, somehow, the two-time 40-goal scorer and five-time All-Star is never among the top selling sweaters in the league. Maybe now that Jeff Carter's in Columbus, he'll get more notice.

Dallas Stars: Sergei Zubov

I wanted to give the unsung hero in Dallas' history to Brett Hull's skate, but...

Zubov ranks fifth in team history with 104 postseason points (35 G, 69 A).

Detroit Red Wings: Alex Delvecchio

Delvecchio played in 24 seasons with the Red Wings, beginning on March 25, 1951, and ending on November 7, 1973. When his playing career ended, he became the head coach in Detroit.

He ranks fifth in team history with 104 postseason points (35 G, 69 A), and (obviously from the photo) wore the C for the winged wheel. He also won three Lady Byng trophies in Detroit.

So how does a guy with those credentials become an "unsung hero?" When he plays on the same line as one of the greatest players in the game's history, Gordie Howe.

Edmonton Oilers: Jari Kurri

Like Delvecchio, it's really hard to consider someone with a resume as incredible as Kurri's as an "unsung" hero. But when you look back at the Oilers teams he played on (with Gretzky, Messier, Coffey, Anderson, etc), many fans forget that Kurri was the best non-Gretzky scorer on the roster.

Indeed, if you're looking to win a bar bet somewhere this week, here's your Kurri fun fact: Wayne Gretzky ranks second in Oilers' history in postseason points behind Jari Kurri.

Florida Panthers: Scott Mellanby

A one-time captain of the Panthers, Mellanby's 22 game-winning goals rank third in the organization's history. However, his hair might be in the top two...

Los Angeles Kings: Marty McSorley

McSorley was asked to do pretty much one thing, and only one thing, in his careerprotect Wayne Gretzky's backside. And he did that. Say what you will for his tactics (and the angle of his stick blade in crucial playoff games), but McSorley's game will forever be taken for granted because of his physical approach.

Minnesota Wild: Andrew Brunette

Since we're not considering the North Stars, the now-Chicago Blachawks forward Brunette would be the surprising holder of the second-highest number of goals and third-most games played in the albeit brief history of the Minnesota Wild.

Montreal Canadiens: Chris Chelios

After distinguished years with Chicago and Detroit (and whatever that was with the Thrashers), many fans forget that Chelios is the last member of the Habs to win the Norris Trophy (in 1988-89).

He was also a key member of the 1986 Cup champions. But Montreal traded him for a local hero, Denis Savard, and the rest is history...literally.

Chelios played in 19 NHL seasons after leaving Montreal.

Nashville Predators: David Legwand

It was hard to choose between Legwand and Ryan Suter, but we went with the franchise's all-time leader in points.

Yes, David Legwand's 448 points are the highest total in the history of the Nashville Predators. (Now go win a drink in any bar in America with that nugget of knowledge.)

New Jersey Devils: John MacLean

MacLean's biggest impact for the Devils came in the postseason, where he registered 74 points in 88 career playoff games.

Included in that number are four game-winners and 11 power-play goals.

New York Islanders: Billy Smith

The Islanders were THE team of the early 1980s, owning the NHL and the Stanley Cup until the Oilers took it away. But on a team that included players like Mike Bossy, Bryan Trottier and Denis Potvin, many fans forget that someone had to keep the puck out of the net.

Smith might get lost in history because of his simple name, but the 1983 Conn Smythe-winner was a huge part of the last four-pete in NHL history.

New York Rangers: Andy Bathgate

He left the Rangers in 1964 after accumulating 729 points in 719 games at a time when averaging a point-per-game wasn't very common. Especially for the blue shirts.

Yet, it took until February 22, 2009, for his name and number to join other icons of the organization where it belongs in the rafters.

Ottawa Senators: Zdeno Chara

Yes, the captain of the defending Stanley Cup Champions is an unsung hero...of another team.

Chara only played 299 games in Ottawa but racked up 24 power-play goals and 10 game-winners in that short amount of time. While his career will ultimately be remembered for the days he's spending in Boston, he was a solid contributor in Ottawa as well.

Philadelphia Flyers: Brian Propp

Propp was a five-time All-Star and ranks second all time in Flyers history in goals (369) and third in points (849).

Yet, the beginning of his career was overshadowed by the great Bobby Clarke, he shared the spotlight with Tim Kerr through the 1980s, and the legend of Eric Lindros arrived in Philly at the end of his time at the Spectrum.

Because he never held the crown in Philly to himself, Propp has never received the recognition he deserves.

Phoenix Coyotes: Shane Doan

One of the really good players in the game that nobody cares about because he's stuck in the desert, Doan deserves better.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Jean Pronovost

At this point in history, if your last name isn't Lemieux, Jagr, Crosby, Malkin or Fleury, you're going to be overlooked by the average hockey fan.

Pronovost was the Pens for most of the 1970s, and his 42 game-winning goals is still third in the team's history behind only Mario and Jagr.

San Jose Sharks: Patrick Marleau

Another current players on the list, but that's what happens when teams were born after The Great One left Edmonton.

Here's your incredible Marleau stat: his 68 game-winning goals are 32 more than the second-highest total in the franchise's history (J. Cheechoo).

St. Louis Blues: Glenn Hall & Jacques Plante

In 1968-69, these two legends of the game shared the only Vezina Trophy in the history of the St. Louis Blues.

They also led the Blues to the Stanley Cup Finals, where the famous photograph of a flying Bobby Orr was taken with a shocked Hall in the net.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Freddy Modin

At this moment, he ranks third in Lightning history in game-winning goals and fourth in goals.

At some point, Steven Stamkos will bump him down the list in both categories.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Charlie Conacher

It's so hard to consider a Hall of Famer an unsung hero, but it's almost impossible to find a player on a team with such a well-chronicled history like the Leafs to consider "unsung" at all. It's like saying Yogi Berra was an unsung hero for the Yankees.

But Conacher has been overshadowed in Leafs history by some of the biggest names to ever play the game. Because he played in the 1930s, his greatness is foreign to most new hockey fans.

Vancouver Canucks: Daniel Sedin

It's hard to put someone on the current roster of a defending conference champion on this list...

But most fans assume Daniel is the lesser Sedin.

Indeed, if you asked the average NHL fan "Who is the all-time leader in game-winning goals in the history of the Canucks franchise?" Odds are they wouldn't say Daniel Sedin.

Washington Capitals: Olie Kolzig

His 301 wins in a Caps sweater are only...173 more than any other goalie in the franchise's history.

Winnipeg Jets: TBD

If we're only considering the current incarnation of the name, they haven't played a game yet.

And, on the current roster, the player everyone in the NHL should know is Andrew Ladd. He's too good for Dustin "Big Buffet" Byfuglien to be the only All-Star on that roster this year.