Can You Name These Hockey Legends?
Unsurprisingly, ice hockey was first developed in Canada. The game can be traced back to its indigenous roots but from the first indoor game in 1875 it became the national sport for a long while. Nonetheless some pretty amazing athletes and culture has come out of the sport. If you know Winter is going to be six months or longer, you need an aggressive, fast-paced season to help you bide the time. That is what the regular season provides for people up North. With the cumulation of the Stanley Cup playoffs, avid fans see which of their favorite players are awarded with individual titles like the Hart Memorial, Conn Smythe, Veniza, etc. This also distracts Northerners from the fact Winter is actually never not coming.
Wayne Gretzky is credited for popularizing the sport states-side, however the early 2000's build up of franchises like the Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings, and Pittsburg Penguins have also got Americans paying more attention to this cold sport. Hockey has changed and grown with its athletes. Many of the players in the past seventy years have brought innovative techniques or safety measures to the sport like the wrist-shot, butterfly technique, face masks, etc.
Do you recognize these iconic hockey players?
Edmonton Oilers
This Canadian centre is known as "The Great One" and during twenty seasons honed his speed and technical ability to become widely recognized as the greatest hockey player ever. The veteran Canadian journalist Peter Gzowski journalist noted this player was capable of "slowing down time". He was named the NHL's MVP nine times, earned four Stanley Cups with the Oilers and helped popularize hockey in the US during the later days of his career. This player has become a hockey icon internationally.
Montreal Canadiens
With the Canadiens this player made it to five Stanley cup championships. Known as "the blond demon" in French he also played for the Quebec Nordiques and the New York Rangers during his seventeen year career. He was renowned for his smooth skating style and once scored 100 points in six consecutive seasons. He played right wing but generally did not contribute on defence. He is an all time leading scorer in Canadian history with 1,246 points with the team that drafted him, the Habs.
Pittsburgh Penguins
This captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins is seen as one of the most valuable contemporary hockey players. In only his second season he scored 120 points and captured the Art Ross Trophy becoming the only teenager to win such a title. The Canadian centerman won MVP for the Stanley Cup game in 2017. He is the youngest team captain to ever win the Stanley Cup. Despite many hockey related injuries he has been nominated and won numerous individual trophies for goal-scoring, overall leadership, and team player awards.
Chicago Blackhawks
This American right winger has won three Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013, and 2015. He came away with the Hart Memorial Trophy and the Art Ross Trophy in the 2015-2016 NHL season. These individual victories made history as he was the first U.S. born player to win the Hart Trophy. This player was also selected to play on the NHL's Central Division team for the 2017 All-Star Game. The winger has also competed internationally for the United States and in Switzerland individually during the 2012-2013 NHL lockout.
HC Kladno
This Czech right winger was once the youngest and is now the oldest player in the NHL. He has won Art Ross Trophy more than any other non-Canadian player and his career goals stack to being the second most points ever scored in the NHL. He has served both as a captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers. He was counted in the second round of players to be named one of the 100 Greatest NHL players in history.
Boston Bruins
This Canadian defender was widely admired for his ice skating speed and play-making abilities. He showcased how defenders could contribute to strategic offensive plays. The defender holds the record for most points and assists as well as two Art Ross trophies. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979 and was the youngest at that time to be invited at age 31. He led the Boston Bruins to the Stanley Cup twice and was named playoff MVP.
Washington Nationals
This Russian left winger is the captain of the Washington Capitals. In 2005 he joined the NHL and won the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year. He has won the Rocket Richard Trophy six times thus far and led the NHL in goal scoring more than once. He has swept the Hart Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Award in more than season. Finally, he has been named to the First All-Star team five times and was recently formally recognized as one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players.
Montreal Canadiens
This Canadian goaltender was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 2005, he became the starting goalie in the 2007-08 season. In the 2015 season he was awarded the Ted Lindsay, Jennings, Vezina, and Hart trophies becoming the first goalie to win all four individual awards in the same season. In 2014 he brought home a gold from defending the Canadian goal at the Sochi Winter Olympics. In 2016 he went undefeated to win his first World Cup Of Hockey Championship. This past season he could only start 12 games due to a knee injury.
Edmonton Oilers
This Canadian centre kept his career in hockey going after he retired off the ice. He became general manager of the New York Rangers after his career as an athlete with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Ranger, and Vancouver Canucks. He is the only player to have captained two of these teams to the Stanley Cup championships. His nicknames include "the Messiah" and "the Moose" for his strength and his strategic ability. He was named one of the 100 greatest NHL players in 2017.
Montreal Canadians
This Quebecois centre was nicknamed "Le Gros Bill" and was the second player ever to score 1,000 points in his career. He has had seventeen Stanley Cup championships, the most by any individual to date (both as an athlete and an executive) and all with the Montreal Canadiens. He was part of the first group to be named the 100 Greatest NHL Players. He was an athlete in the NHL from 1953 to 1971 and won two Hart trophies, one Art Ross trophy, and a Conn Smythe trophy.
Boston Bruins
This Canadian defenceman won the Norris trophy five times. He was named to the All-Star team nineteen times, with thirteen being on the first team. To date he is the Boston Bruin's longest serving captain where he made an immediate impact during his rookie season of 1979-1980. He later played for the Canada Cup in 1981, 1984, and 1987. He ended his NHL career with his first Stanley Cup, won while playing with Colorado Avalanche. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004 and ranks first in all NHL defencemen in career goals, assists, and points.
Montreal Canadians
Known as "the Rocket," this player starred for eighteen seasons with the Montreal Canadiens. He was the first player in NHL history to score 50 goals in one season and the first to reach 500 career goals. He was a member of a high-scoring forward line called the "punch line" and a member of eight Stanley Cup championship teams. For the last four he led the Canadiens as team captain. He was inducted immediately into the Hockey Hall of fame in 1961.
Chicago Blackhawks
This Canadian left-winger was dubbed by fans as "the Golden Jet," and opposing teams would assign players just to shadow him. He was fast and could shoot the ball hard on the ice. He won the Hart trophy twice and the Art Ross Trophy three times as well as leading the NHL in goals seven times. His career spanned from 1957-1980 during which he played mostly for the Chicago Black Hawks but also the Winnipeg Jets and the Hartford Whalers.
Dallas Stars
This left winger helped team Canada win a gold metal in the 2014 Winter Olympics at Sochi. He is the brother of a current defenceman on the Montreal Canadiens. This forward was the NHL's second leading highest scorer last season. He's captain of the Dallas Stars and plays well with their top line centre; together they have yielded an average of more than a point per game. He is currently signed to play with the Stars until the 2024-2025 season.
Detroit Red Wings
This centre spent his entire career playing for the Detroit Red Wings and captained them for two decades beginning 1986-1987 at the young age of twenty-one. This series of events gave him the nickname "the Captain". He led the Red Wings to three Stanley Cup championships and won plenty of individual awards during his career. These included the Peasron Award, the Conn Smythe Trophy, and the Selke Trophy. He scored a high of 155 points in one season and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He serves as the current general manager of Tampa Bay Lightning.
Edmonton Oilers
This Canadian defenceman played for nine teams during his career from 1980 to 2001. He holds the record for most goals by a defenceman in a season, with 48 in 1985-1986. He is also one of the two defencemen to score 100 in a season more than once-- he did it in fact five times. For the NHL he ranks second in all-time in goals, assists, and points only edged out by Ray Bourque. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Oilers retired jersey number 7 in 2005.
Boston Bruins
Athletically active from 1963 to 1981, this Canadian centre played for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins, and the New York Rangers. He became the first NHL player to score 100 points a season and set an early record at 126. He led the League in goals for six consecutive seasons between 1969 to 1975 and would win the Art Ross trophy several times along the way. He is known for his scrappy rebounds and his aggressive offence. Though many of his records have been smashed by Gretzky he's remained relevant by becoming a coach, executive, and national broadcaster.
Detroit Red Wings
This Ukranian-Canadian goaltender played twenty-one seasons for the NHL. He played for five NHL teams and at the time of his death was the all-time leader for defensive goaltending with 447 wins. He played during the Original Six era and was recognized won the Vezina trophy four times. He was also recognized as the 100 best players in the NHL. He likely did not graduate high school but won Rookie of the Year in the US and American hockey leagues when he joined in the late 1940's.
Washington Capitals
This Canadian goaltender currently plays for the Washington Capitals. He spent his junior career in the Western Hockey League with the Saskatoon Blades and joined the NHL in 2010. He had his first shutout in 2011 against the Edmonton Oilers, blocking 22 of their shots and giving the Capitals a proud 5-0 win. In 2017 the goaltender became the third one in league history to record 40 wins in three consecutive seasons. He was also a recipient of the 2016 Vezina trophy after having a .922 save percentage during that season.
St.Louis Blues
This American rightwinger is one of five players to have a record score of fifty goals in fifty games. He was a member of two Stanley Cup victors, the Dallas Stars and the Detroit Red Wings. He also played for the St.Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, and Phoenix Coyotes. He was part of the second group of players to be named one of the 100 greatest NHL players. He made the first All-Star team on three occasions and won the Hart trophy and the Pearson award. This player was renowned for his sniping abilities.
Detroit Red Wings
This Canadian rightwinger is regarded as one of the most well-rounded players. Ambidextrous and a twenty-three time All-Star he was rightly nicknamed "Mr.Hockey" for his superhuman abilities. He played twenty-five seasons for the Detroit Red Wings beginning in 1946 and created several new records under their team to later be broken only by Wayne Gretzky. He won six Hart trophies and was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1972 to only come out of retirement a year later and join the WHA and play until he was 52.
New York Islanders
This Canadian rightwinger played for the New York Islanders for a decade and was an integral part of their four year defence of the Stanley Cup in the 1980s. He contributed by scoring consecutive Stanley Cup winning goals. He is the NHL's all-time leader in average goals per season. He was the second player (behind Maurice Richard) to score fifty goals in fifty games. In 2017 he became one of the second group of players to be named 100 Greatest NHL Players.
Montreal Canadiens
This Canadian goaltender is credited with popularizing face masks. After receiving a slap shot to the face resulting in 21 stitches he refused to return to the ice without a face mask. During his decade with the Canadiens the team won the Stanley Cup six times. He often instructed his teammates from behind the play and went on to coach and manage the Quebec Nordiques after playing for the St.Louis Blues, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Boston Bruins. In 2017 he was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players.
Pittsburgh Penguins
This Canadian centre was known as "the Magnificent One" or "Le Magnifique" on the ice and is the only player to score one goal in each of the five possible situations in a single NHL game. Though 6'4" he is extremely agile and a gifted skater, able to get past defencemen, and had 10 seasons of 100 points or more. As an athlete he led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup in the early nineties but had to retire early due to chronic back pain and other injuries. He is the current owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Ottawa Senators
This Swedish defenceman currently serves as captain of the Ottawa Senators. He has won the James Norris Memorial trophy twice in 2012 and 2015. The first time he won this title he was not yet twenty-three. Prior to joining the NHL he played in his native Scandinavian country. He came to prominence in the 2011-2012 season when he was voted in to the National Hockey All-Star Game along with three other of his team members. He likes to stick his tongue out when playing.
Los Angeles Kings
This Canadian defenceman plays for the Los Angeles Kings and serves as alternate captain. At eighteen he joined the NHL and is now a two-time Stanley Cup champion. After Canadian victories in Vancouver and Sochi he is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist. He made waves as early as his major junior career winning a World Junior Championship gold medal and being awarded the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the OHL's best defenceman. He won the Norris trophy for best NHL defenceman in 2016.
Montreal Canadiens
This Canadian defenceman played for the Montreal Canadiens for seventeen seasons, enjoying the success of six Stanley Cups. He later played a few seasons for the Los Angeles Kings. He was nicknamed "Big Bird" for his size though was light on his skates. In the late seventies and early eighties he was a member of team Canada. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995. Since retirement he has taken over as temporary head coach for the New Jersey Devils and the Los Angeles Kings.
Edmonton Oilers
This Canadian goaltender began with the Edmonton Oilers in the 1980's and helped them with a total of five Stanley Cups. He was seven time All-Star and was the first black player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003. He was named the best goaltender in NHL history by the famous Wayne Gretzky. He played in two Canada Cups and the 1989 World Championships where he won a silver medal. After retirement he worked as a goaltending coach to Pheonix Coyotoes and Calgary Flames.
Montreal Canadiens
This Canadian goaltender was nicknamed "Saint" because he saved so many lost causes. With the Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche he won four Stanley Cups during his career. He retired in 2003 but in 2004 this goalie was selected as the greatest one in NHL history by sports writers and fans. In 2017 he was named on of the 100 Greatest NHL Players. He is credited with popularizing the butterfly style of goaltending and later became head coach and vice-president of hockey operations for Colorado Avalanche.
Chicago Blackhawks
This Canadian centre played for the Chicago Blackhawks and was their highest drafted player until 2007. He went to set the record of most points by a rookie with 75 in the 1980-81 season. He was renowned for the "Savardian Spin-o-rama," coined specifically for him by sports announcers where he would go around the puck in a full rotation to get past goalies and defenders. He was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000. He began a coaching career with the Blackhawks in 1997.
Chicago Blackhawks
This Slovak-Canadian centre played for the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1960's. He starred in Ontario junior seasons and was adopted by the black hawks in 1959-1960. Their star line with Ken Wharram and Doug Mohns typically led the league in goals scored. He pioneered the use of a stick with curved blades along with teammate Bobby Hull. When he retired in the 1979-1980 season only two other players had scored more in the history of the NHL. In 2017 he was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players.
Chicago Blackhawks
This person was the first Canadian Indigenous player in the National Hockey League. He was invited in in 1954 and started with the Chicago Blackhawks. Before this he was selected as the most valuable player in the Western Canada Junior Hockey League. This player of Cree descent credits a sports directer at his residential school with pushing him to develop his athletic abilities. After retiring he became extensively involved in promoting sports activities for Indigenous children. He was a founding member of the Northern Indian Hockey League.
Hartford Whalers
This Canadian centre was nicknamed "franchise" and played for twenty-three seasons for four different companies. He is considered a sports staple in Hartford, Pittsburgh, and Raleigh. In 2004 upon his retirement this player stood second in all-time career assists and fifth in career points. For the Whalers he served as captain for six years and set a handful of offensive records. Since retirement he become general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes. In 2017 he was part of the second group named the 100 Greatest NHL Players.
Minnesota North Stars
This American centre and is the all-time goal-scoring and points leader amongst American born NHL players. He was a massive influence who helped popularize hockey in Texas and the Southern US. He moved with the Minnesota North Stars to Dallas and in 1999 he helped them win the Stanley Cup despite his broken wrist. He signed with the Detroit Red Wings in 2010-2011 for a year season but returned to Texas to retire. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014.
Quebec Nordiques
This Canadian centre played out twenty-one seasons with the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche. He was named captain in 1992 and was regarded as extremely strategic and a very capable leader. He is one of six Avalanche players to celebrate two of the franchise's Stanley Cup victories. He was named to thirteen NHL All-Star teams and was renowned for his wrist shot. After retiring in 2009 he turned to the business side of the operation and served as an executive advisor. He was recently promoted to vice president of hockey operations.