Name These 35 Hockey All-Star NHL Players In 5 Minutes Or Less
- by Chris Roberts
- – on
- in Sports
The National Hockey League (NHL) is at an all-time high in popularity in the United States with the expansion Vegas franchise and subsequent interest in markets like Seattle and Kansas City. It's also as healthy as it has ever been in Canada with superstars Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews playing in Edmonton and Toronto respectively and small-market Winnipeg emerging as one of the league's best teams. An increase in teams often leads to a watered-down product with less talent spread across each team, but that hasn't been the case as Vegas has also been one of the best teams in the league in its first year of existence. Players that were under-utilized on other teams (Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson, etc.) are proving themselves as quality players with increased opportunity.
Given the influx and increase of stars in the league, it's becoming more and more difficult to recognize and remember the league's All-Stars. It might be easy in the NBA where players are visible at all times, not to mention smaller rosters, but it can be a difficult task in the NHL. That's why casual fans might have trouble naming all of the 35 All-Stars listed below. It might be easy for the most hardcore fans, so we've scattered a few players from the early 2000s and late-90s to add to the challenge.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
A native of Sicamous, British Columbia, this hard-nosed defenseman was originally selected 49th overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft and spent 11 seasons with the team before being dealt to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for P.K. Subban. Surprisingly, he has never won the Norris Trophy as the league's best defenseman despite producing more than 50 points in three seasons. He has 501 points in 867 career regular season games and won the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award in 2016.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
A 27 year old native of Bern, Switzerland, this Nashville Predators blueliner is among the best and most underrated in the league. He was a second-round pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft and made his NHL debut in the 2011-12 season, playing 52 games and recording 16 points. He had an offensive breakthrough two seasons later, when he recorded 40 points in 72 games and has since reached a career-high of 61 points. He has 47 points through 65 games this season.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
A 32 year old native of Regina, Saskatchewan, this Anaheim Ducks star is among the league's best playmakers and has consistently produced near a point-per-game pace throughout his career; in fact, he has 870 points through 910 career regular season games. He had the best season of his career in 2008-09, when he registered a career-best 91 points in 81 games. He won a Stanley Cup two seasons prior as a member of the Ducks and also has 118 points in 121 career playoff games.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
Once one of the most highly-touted junior prospects in all of hockey, this Toronto native is now a 34 year old center on the back end of his career. He has just 25 points in 72 games this season with the Dallas Stars, but is just two seasons removed for a 33-goal campaign. He was at his best with the Ottawa Senators, the team for which he played from 2002 to 2014. He has twice recorded at least 90 points as a member of the Senators and presently has 887 points in 983 career regular season games.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
One of the most overpaid forwards in the league, this player cashed in significantly on a long-term contract with the Minnesota Wild in 2012. He had just come off a stretch in which he recorded at least 65 points in four consecutive seasons, save for the 2010-11 season in which he missed most of the year due to injury, and averaged near a point-per-game in his first three seasons with the Wild. However, it has been downhill since the 2015-16 season.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
The likely recipient of this year's Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender, this 6-foot-5 Finnish netminder was selected by the Nashville Predators in the eighth round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft and came to North America the following year to play for Nashville's AHL affiliate in Milwaukee. He took over as Nashville's full-time starting goaltender in 2008 and has since compiled an impressive career record of 309-164-66 to go along with a 2.36 goals against average and .919 save percentage. He should at least move into the top-20 all-time for wins if he plays another two seasons.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
If the first six players were too easy, try identifying this German-born sniper who last played in the NHL during the 2014-15 season as a member of the Anaheim Ducks. He was relatively ineffective in his final three seasons in the league, but prior to that was a top goal scorer. He scored 50 goals in back-to-back seasons as a member of the Ottawa Senators and also played for the Atlanta Thrashers, San Jose Sharks, and Minnesota Wild. He concluded his NHL career with 791 points in 869 career regular season games.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
From one former great goal scorer to a current league-best scorer, this Tampa Bay Lightning star is a front-runner for this year's Hart Trophy as most valuable player. Selected in the second round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, the 24 year old played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) before making the leap to the NHL. He only recorded 18 points as a rookie, but has since produced single-season point totals of 65, 66, 85, and 94 and counting this season. The Russian winger also has 42 points in 45 career playoff games.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
One of the best goaltenders in the league year in and year out, this Connecticut-born netminder played college hockey with the University of Massachusetts-Amherst after being selected in the third round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by the Los Angeles Kings. The team pegged Jonathan Bernier as its goaltender of the future, but this goalie quickly proved himself as the best in the system. He played 44 games in 2008-09, his first full season in the league, and has since led the Kings to two Stanley Cups; he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2012.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
A cover athlete for EA Sports' NHL franchise and recipient of the Calder Memorial Trophy, Conn Smythe Trophy, Art Ross Trophy, Hart Memorial Trophy, and Ted Lindsay Award, this Chicago Blackhawks winner has pretty much done it all since entering the league in 2007. He's a three-time Stanley Cup winner and has a remarkable 123 points in 127 career playoff games to go along with 822 points in 814 career regular season games. He was the first overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
This Calgary Flames left winger wasn't taken until the fourth round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft because of his diminutive 5-foot-9, 157-pound stature - he was even smaller back then. However, his talent was evident in his collegiate career, particularly in his third season with Boston College, when he recorded 80 points in 40 games and won the Hobey Baker Award as the top collegiate player in the nation. He has since produced 286 points in 307 career regular season games with the Flames and won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy last season.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
NHL players too often get criticized for not having - or showing - enough personality and, while that may be true, it wasn't the case with this retired player turned analyst, who was the most liked and hated player in the league in the 1990s and early 2000s, depending on who you asked. The eighth overall pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, he spent eight seasons with the team before joining the Phoenix Coyotes. He also played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks. He retired in 2009 with 1,216 points in 1,363 career regular season games.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
If you've reached this far and haven't done as well as you would have thought and still get this one wrong, you may as well never do another hockey-related trivia quiz again as it doesn't get much easier than the face of the NHL. Although he's only in his third year in the league, this player has already won the Art Ross Trophy, Hart Memorial Trophy, and Ted Lindsay Award and would have won the Calder Memorial Trophy if his rookie season wasn't cut short due to injury. He recorded a league-best 100 points in 2016-17 and has 90 points in 73 games this season for an abysmal Edmonton Oilers team.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
No, you're not looking at a photo of a caveman or Star Wars' Chewbacca. The accompanying photo is of a San Jose Sharks star defenseman who won the James Norris Memorial Trophy last season and has been one of the league's best players in the second half of 2017-18 following a slow start to the year. Originally drafted as a forward by the Minnesota Wild, he made the seamless transition to defense later in his career and has thrived since joining the Sharks in 2011. He produced at least 60 points in each of the past three seasons and is two away from doing so again this year.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
A native of Toronto, Ontario, this star defenseman has instead been embraced by Montreal. He was selected by the Canadiens with the 43rd overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and went on to play more than 400 games with the team through six seasons. He won the James Norris Memorial Trophy in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season after posting 38 points in 42 games and has since recorded at least 50 points in four of the next five seasons. Despite being dealt to the Nashville Predators, he's still lauded in Montreal for his philanthropy.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
A 26 year old native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, this center has seen his career take off this season since being dealt from the Philadelphia Flyers to the St. Louis Blues. He has a career-best 62 points in 73 games for the Blues. A former fifth overall pick of the Los Angeles Kings, he was dealt to the Flyers in 2011 as part of a package of Mike Richards. He has 310 points as well as 273 penalty minutes through 506 career regular season games.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
This former first overall pick of the Quebec Nordiques produced one of the most iconic NHL All-Star moments when he pointed to where he was going to shoot while on a breakaway against Dominik Hasek, shot there, and actually scored. He's not a Hall of Fame worthy player, but he had an excellent career, playing in 1,200 career regular season games between the Nordiques, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Phoenix Coyotes, Calgary Flames, and Minnesota Wild, and recording 885 points.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
A 23 year old native of Russia, this netminder is not only one of the best young goaltenders in the league, but one of the best goaltenders period. Selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning with the 19th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, he served as a backup to Ben Bishop for two seasons before taking on the bulk of the duty last season. He has played excellent this season as the team's clear No. 1 goaltender, posting a 41-14-3 record to go along with a 2.54 goals against average and a .922 save percentage.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
A native of New Rochelle, New York, this 29 year old defenseman is now playing in his home state with the Rangers after playing seven seasons between the Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, and Washington Capitals. He was a star with the Blues, posting four consecutive 40-plus point seasons from 2013 to 2017, but has been limited to 46 games in his first season with the Rangers. The former first-round pick now has 321 points in 536 career regular season games.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
nudeniably the league's meanest, most physical blueliner, this 6-foot-9, 250-pound native of Slovakia was a third-round pick of the New York Islanders in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, but the team gave up on him after four seasons. He later went to the Ottawa Senators, where he added an offensive element to his game, recording at least 40 points in each of his last two seasons with the team. Unfortunately for the Sens, the team decided to re-sign Wade Redden instead of this player, who is now in his 12th season with the Boston Bruins. He won the James Norris Memorial Trophy in 2009.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
Although he was born in California, this Toronto Maple Leafs franchise player was born in Arizona and grew up an avid Coyotes fan. He is the first star player to come from the state and had tremendous hype after being the first overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. The hype further intensified after he became the first player in league history to score four goals in his first career game. He finished the year third in goal scoring with 40 and now has 119 points in 135 career regular season games.
Whis is this NHL All-Star?
A 32 year old native of Calgary, Alberta, this defenseman was briefly the most feared offensive defenseman in the game as a member of the dynamic Washington Capitals. Primarily a power-play specialist, he produced back-to-back 70-plus point seasons in 2008-09 and 2009-10; in fact, he scored a career-high 31 goals during the 2008-09 season, but somehow didn't win the James Norris Memorial Trophy. He signed with the Detroit Red Wings in 2015 and now has 464 points in 787 career regular season games.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
A 28 year old native of Ontario, this defenseman was selected fourth overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft and has been just as impressive as advertises since making the Blues on a full-time basis in the 2010-11 season. He's been among the league's top defensemen in recent seasons and has consistently recorded at least 40 points. He posted a career-high 51 points both in 2011-12 and 2013-14 and is one point away from tying that figure in 2017-18.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
Selected ninth overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, this Ontario native had a relatively inauspicious start to his career, failing to register more than 40 points in seven of his first eight seasons, but has been a catalyst in driving the New York Islanders' offense in the past two seasons. He broke out for a career-high 56 points last season playing alongside John Tavares and has 67 points through 69 games in 2017-18. He also produced a career-high 18 goals.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
The Buffalo Sabres put all of its efforts into tanking in the 2014-15 season in an effort to finish last place and win the draft lottery for the right to select Connor McDavid. The Edmonton Oilers won the draft lottery instead (shocker), leaving the Sabres with this player, who is a budding star himself. A 21 year old native of North Chelmsford, Massachusetts, he registered 56 points as a rookie in 2015-16 and had 57 points the following season in 20 less games. He now has 167 points in 200 career regular season games.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
A 26 year old native of Brampton, Ontario, this current Dallas Stars sniper was also a second overall pick. He was taken by the Boston Bruins and, after a mediocre 22-point rookie campaign, recorded 67 points in his second season. He was dealt to the Stars after his third year in Boston as the Bruins management became concerned with his off-ice lifestyle. However, he has since proven himself as one of the league's top goal scorers. He recorded a career-high 84 points in 2013-14 and now has 497 points in 582 career games.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
Every player on this list has played in an NHL All-Star Game, but this player isn't exactly an All-Star in regard to his skill. Yet, he was voted in to the game by fans in a widespread campaign to expose the ridiculousness of the game itself. Somehow, in the 3-on-3 All-Star Game, he was named MVP and had players carry him around in a moment similar to the end of the film Rudy. The 35 year old retired following the 2015-16 season with a whopping 11 points in 286 career regular season games.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
This 33 year old goaltender won three Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but the team was forced to leave him unprotected in the 2017 expansion draft as it had young goaltender Matt Murray ready to take over. To nobody's surprise, he was selected by the Vegas Golden Knights and has since been a catalyst for the team's success. He has a career-best 2.18 goals against average and .930 save percentage in 41 games for the Golden Knights this season.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
The oldest player on this list, this 50 year old Kamloops, British Columbia native only retired seven years ago after a decorated career in which he played in 1,652 career regular season games and recorded 1,533 points. He won Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes, and the Boston Bruins and produced 147 points in 189 career playoff games. He's currently serving as an assistant coach with the Penguins, the team that drafted him 67th overall back in 1988.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
Despite being regarded as the league's best goaltender, this Montreal Canadiens netminder isn't playing that way this season. The former Vezina and Hart Trophy recipient has an awful 3.03 goals against average and .903 save percentage, although part of that is owed to the fact the Canadiens have been a brutal team all season long. His best season was in 2014-15, when he led the league with a 1.96 goals against average and .933 save percentage. He has also helped Canada win an Olympic Championship and World Cup.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
Selected first overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, this Markham, Ontario native is a two-time winner of the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the league's top goal scorer. He first won the award in 2010 after scoring 51 goals and improved upon that number in 2012 with a league-best 60 goals. He has battled injury problems in his career, but has overcome them this season with 85 points in 73 games. He now has 667 points in 659 career regular season games.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
This 6-foot-2, 209-pound power forward was selected by the Dallas Stars with the 129th overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and soon after developed into an effective scorer at the junior level with the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He made the Stars in his first year out of junior hockey and recorded 41 points in 82 games as a rookie. His most productive season came in 2014-15, when he won the Art Ross Trophy with a league-leading 87 points. He now has 500 points in 659 career regular season games.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
This Swedish-born netminder has been included on Most Beautiful People lists, but he's more known for his ability to stop pucks. The 36 year old was selected by the New York Rangers in the seventh round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft but played in Sweden for the next five seasons before moving to North America. He has provided consistent play between the pipes for the Rangers since the 2005-06 season and won the Vezina Trophy in 2012. He ranks eighth in all-time wins with 430 and could very well move up to third all-time before he retires.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
The second overall pick of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Los Angeles Kings, this London, Ontario native is a veteran of 762 NHL games with 416 career points. He reached a career-high 59 points in just his second season in the league, but has also reached 50 points in two of the past three seasons. He won the James Norris Trophy in 2016 after a 51-point campaign and has also won a pair of Stanley Cups with the Los Angeles Kings.
Who is this NHL All-Star?
All teams have to be represented at the annual NHL All-Star Game, even the truly awful teams. The Toronto Maple Leafs were beginning a rebuild in the 2015-16 season and basically filled its roster with free agent players on one-year contracts, while letting its younger players grow in the minor leagues. Because of that, this third-line checking forward received increased ice time and ended having the best offensive season of his career with 19 goals and 17 assists in 67 games.