2. Scott Stevens
Scott Stevens is a Canadian hockey player who had 22 accomplished seasons playing in the NHL. He played primarily for the Washington Capitals, the New Jersey Devils and the St Louis Blues.
Stevens was a catch because he was both a great offense player and a great defensive player. His presence on any team helped to catapult them into winning seasons. When he played for the New Jersey Devils, he guided the team to the Stanley Cup finals four times within nine years. Out of those four appearances, the team won three of them.
Stevens holds several records including the most games ever played by an NHL defense player. He was recognized as a great player but he never received the formal recognition by winning the Norris Trophy. However, he was allowed into the Hockey Hall of Fame as soon as he reached eligibility.
1. Patrick Roy
Patrick Roy is a goalie from Quebec, Canada. He is known to be one of the best goalies in hockey history. He played for both the Montreal Canadiens as well as the Colorado Avalanche. He won four Stanley Cups – two with the Canadiens and two with the Avalanche.
His performance has warranted more than just speculation about his greatness. His position as the best goaltender in the history of the NHL was decided in 2004. A group for 41 writers and thousands of fans voted to give him the official title.
As if this isn’t enough, he is the only hockey player in the history of the NHL to win the MVP of the Stanley Cup playoffs award three times. He was also inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Both of his former professional teams retired his jersey number. This is a rare service that is not provided to many players.
In addition to being a great goalkeeper, he pioneered and popularized the style of goaltending that he used. This style, called the butterfly style, is now the most used style of hockey goaltending in the world.
Although he retired from playing, he has not left the rink. He is not the head coach of the Colorado Avalanche. Unsurprisingly, he is also a great coach and he was given the Jack Adams Award in his very first season of coaching.
Conclusion
Each of these legendary players remain some of the best athletes ever to be drafted by the NHL. They have all left their individual mark on the game. Although many are long retired, today’s players still strive to reach some of the lofty heights that these amazing skaters achieved.
The 1980s featured some of the most iconic moments in hockey. Even in the ‘new NHL’, few moments have compared to the brilliance that it took from one legend in the making to steal a puck away from an established player.
Though it was occasionally punctuated by tragedy and hardship, these top 10 players took every moment of their careers in stride. It is for this that they will be remembered for many years in the future.
