Top 10 Current Players Without a Stanley Cup Victory

One of the toughest things to do in sports is retire without having won a championship, and it's even tougher when you've been close to tasting victory but came up short.

In hockey, the dream is hoist the Stanley Cup, and doing so fulfills the dreams every NHL player has had since they were kids.

For example, when Ray Bourque finally won the Stanley Cup in 2001 with the Colorado Avalanche, it was one of the greatest moments in hockey history because we all saw what the Cup meant to him.

I will try to avoid putting very young players who haven't won the Cup yet on this list like Steven Stamkos, Claude Giroux, Anze Kopitar, etc. These guys will have their shot at glory.

Let's look at the top active players who have yet to win a Stanley Cup, and who are hoping they have a Bourque-like moment before they finally retire.

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Nicholas Goss is a Boston Bruins featured columnist for Bleacher Report and was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston.

Saku Koivu

Saku Koivu came into the league in 1995 and played for the Montreal Canadiens for over a decade. He has spent the last few seasons with the Anaheim Ducks, who are a Stanley Cup contender this season.

Koivu is a class act and fully deserving of winning a Cup. He's been a very good player for a long time.

Daniel Alfredsson

Daniel Alfredsson has had a great career with the Ottawa Senators after being drafted in the sixth round of the 1994 NHL Draft.

Alfredsson is the franchise leader in games player, goals, assists and points.

The closest he's come to winning the Cup was 2007 when his Senators lost to the Anaheim Ducks in five games in the Stanley Cup Final.

Jarome Iginla

Jarome Iginla plays the game well, he plays it hard and he's one of the classiest guys in the NHL. Most hockey fans would tell you if there's anyone in the league that deserves a Cup the most, it's probably Iginla.

At age 34, Iginla is still a top offensive player, but the Calgary Flames won't be Stanley Cup contenders during the rest of his career. Will he finally be traded to a Cup contender this season?

The closest Iginla came to winning the Cup was in 2004 when the Flames lost in the final to the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games.

Shane Doan

Shane Doan has played his entire career for the Phoenix Coyotes, starting when the franchise drafted him in 1995 as the Winnipeg Jets.

Doan is loyal to the Phoenix Coyotes and will likely retire with the team, but he won't win a Stanley Cup if he does that.

With over 1,000 games played and over 700 career points, Doan deserves his shot at glory.

Ilya Kovalchuk

Ilya Kovalchuk has been an elite player for many seasons, and is one of the best pure goal scorers the NHL has seen in a while, but his success in the regular season hasn't carried over into the playoffs.

His teams have never won a playoff series, and he has a combined postseason record of 1-8.

Joe Thornton

Joe Thornton is the most criticized playoff performer in recent memory, but he has failed numerous times with great regular season San Jose Sharks teams in the playoffs.

Last season, Thornton played well win the playoffs but didn't get the support needed from his teammates.

The Sharks have perhaps their most complete team ever this season, so maybe this is finally the year for Big Joe?

Roberto Luongo

For over a decade, Roberto Luongo has been a top goalie in the NHL, but his numerous playoff failures, including last year's Stanley Cup debacle against the Bruins, have prevented some talented Vancouver Canucks teams from winning hockey's ultimate prize.

Some players simply don't have what it takes to rise up in clutch moments, and Luongo may be one of these guys.

Henrik and Daniel Sedin

For a decade, the Sedin twins have been top offensive players, but that level of play hasn't been seen on a consistent basis during their playoff runs.

They came close to winning the Stanley Cup against the Boston Bruins, but both of them played very poorly throughout the seven-game series.

Henrik was the NHL scoring champ in 2010, Daniel in 2011, but they need that scoring production in the playoffs to give the Vancouver Canucks franchise their first ever Cup title.

Ryan Smyth

Ryan Smyth has played over 1,000 career NHL games since making his professional debut in 1994 with the Edmonton Oilers.

Smyth has been a very good winger for a long time, and scored 23 goals with 24 assists last season for the Los Angeles Kings, proving he can be a valuable offensive player at age 35.

For his career, Smyth has 356 goals and 405 assists. Quite impressive numbers.

Alex Ovechkin

I hesitate putting Alexander Ovechkin on here because he's so young and will have plenty of Cup chances, but after numerous playoff failures, he needs to be included.

Ovechkin himself has played pretty well in the playoffs, but he hasn't been able to carry his team to the Stanley Cup Final yet.

Again, plenty of time for Ovechkin to win multiple Cups.