NHL's Greatest Players

Who are the greatest hockey players? A question that is often asked in sports entertainment and is commonly discussed in magazines, on television shows, websites, newspapers, amongst friends and by fans in homes and bars bars all around the world. This can be a hard thing to decide and analyze without being in front of the TV all the time watching as many games as possible. Like any other list that evaluates people, this usually leads to differing opinions and brings forth the perspectives of hockey fans. Who is to say how a forward playing today would fare against goaltenders of old who did not have the same equipment we see today? Or how the goaltenders would fare against composite and aluminum shaft hockey sticks? How would old players fare in selecting hockey goalie masks? There are always the arguments of players size, the size of the rinks, equipment, changes in rules, watered down talent due to the number of teams, how the games are officiated, and the flavour of the day when it comes to coaching styles and philosophies. Are the greatest players of all time the most talented? Not necessarily since one could have great talent but injuries have been known to ruin the most promising careers. Nonetheless, when people start looking to name the all-time best hockey players they usually agree on the top five. The NHL has been lucky to have had some of the most explosive and gifted athletes in all of sport. The fastest game on ice has wowed fans from the get go, and some players have definitely had a much greater impact than others.

We begin our list with a set of ten that are most likely to be agreed by most hockey minds. Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Bobby Orr, Gordie Howe, Maurice Richard, Doug Harvey, Terry Sawchuk, Jean Beliveau, Bobby Hull, Eddie Shore, Jacques Plante, Guy Lafleur, Glenn Hall, Phil Esposito, and Stan Mikita come from different eras of the NHL and have truly excelled at their positions. Individual ratings within this group can be left to the hockey fan. Here are the cream of the crop, the top fifteen:

Wayne Gretzky	Mario Lemieux	Bobby Orr	Gordie Howe	Maurice Richard
Doug Harvey	Terry Sawchuk	Jean Beliveau	Bobby Hull	Eddie Shore
Jacques Plante	Guy Lafleur	Glenn Hall	Phil Esposito	Stan Mikita

As mentioned earlier, judging hockey players is a very subjective task. It often depends on whether you have followed a particular player's career, whether you have watched them play numerous times, if they were part of your favourite (or least favorite) team, etc. So the second list is a personal compilation of some very good hockey players who have wowed NHL fans over the last two decades. Many may belong in the same grouping as the "All-time greats", but they surely had very large impacts on their respective teams and in many cases, the game of hockey as a whole.

This second list of current and former players includes Ray Bourque, Mark Messier, Marcel Dionne, Patrick Roy, Mike Bossy, Paul Coffey, Brett Hull, Steve Yzerman, Jaromir Jagr, Joe Sakic, Mike Modano, Dominik Hasek, Ron Francis, Bryan Trottier and Chris Chelios.

Ray Bourque	Mark Messier	Marcel Dionne	Patrick Roy	Mike Bossy
Paul Coffey	Brett Hull	Steve Yzerman	Jaromir Jagr	Joe Sakic
Mike Modano	Dominik Hasek	Ron Francis	Bryan Trottier	Chris Chelios