Useful Notes / NHL Names to Know

Much like every other sports league, there are numerous figures within the National Hockey League that have been intrinsically linked to the sport of Ice Hockey. Here's a list of the big names to know in the NHL.

Players to Know

Forwards

• Wayne Gretzky: The Great One. Near universally considered the best hockey player of all time, he holds over 60 league records, including the career highs for most goals, assists, and points in both the regular season and playoffs, and led Edmonton to four Stanley Cup championships. He was traded to Los Angeles in 1988, and played briefly with St. Louis and the Rangers in the late '90s. He retired in 1999, and coached the Coyotes for four seasons (though they were perennial losers under him).^note Whether this was because Gretzky's coaching wasn't the greatest or because he was coaching the mid-2000s Coyotes is a debate we will not enter here. We will note, however, that while his first season (2005-06) was a losing season, it was still about 50% better than their previous season. Also one of the nicest players to set skate to ice, staunchly avoiding fights and mostly playing a clean game, as evidenced with him winning the NHL's Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for good sportsmanship and complementary playing skill five times. His #99 was retired league-wide in 2000.
  • His records are so dominating that, in the seventeen years since he's retired, his career points (a point being a goal or an assist) is still completely untouched, nearly 1000 points higher than second place. Besides scoring more goals than anyone in league history (894), even if you only count his assists (1,963), the amount still tops any other player's career point total.
  • Gretzky finished his career with 2,857 regular-season points. The next one in the scoring lists is Jaromír Jágr with 1,921 career points; while he remained active in the league until being released in January 2018, he was less than a month shy of his 46th birthday at his release and was in his 24th NHL season.
  • To give another measure of how crazy Gretzky's point totals are, the 6 Sutter brothers scored 2,934 points over 4994 games combined. That's a mere 77 points more in over 3,500 more games.
• Gordie Howe: The man who held most of the league's records before Gretzky came along and smashed them. Also known as "Mr. Hockey". The unofficial stat of a ‘Gordie Howe Hat Trick’ is named after him, indicating that a player has scored a goal, an assist, and a fighting major in one game, even though Howe himself rarely accomplished this feat. He played most of his NHL career for the Detroit Red Wings and is probably most beloved there (he also ended up retiring there). Howe came out of retirement to play alongside his sons in the World Hockey Association before retiring again with the Whalers in 1980. He then came out of retirement again to play a shift with a minor league team in the 1990s for the sole purpose of becoming the only man ever to play professional hockey in six consecutive decades. Gretzky's hero growing up — the two would play on a line together at the 1980 All-Star Game, with Gretzky as the youngest player and Howe as the oldest. He's possibly considered the Trope Maker of a power forward in ice hockey because back then, there weren't many guys of that particular caliber until Howe came. It should thus come as no surprise that they're naming the new bridge connecting Detroit to Windsor after him.
• Maurice "the Rocket" Richard: One of the greatest players in his generation and best goalscorers of any. First player to ever score fifty goals in fifty games. Just four other men have followed.^note Gretzky three times (with one being a 50 in 40 season), Brett Hull twice, and Mike Bossy and Mario Lemieux once each. The trophy given to the league's top regular-season goal scorer is named after him.
• Henri Richard: Maurice's younger brother (nicknamed "The Pocket Rocket") was not quite as prolific as his sibling but still immensely successful; he won an NHL record eleven Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens from 1955-75. This ties him with the National Basketball Association's Bill Russell for the most championships won by an individual in North American pro sports.
• Bobby Hull & Brett Hull: Father and son who, while they never played during the same years, were both feared for their booming shot. Bobby stunned the hockey world in 1972 for jumping to the World Hockey Association and the first million-dollar contract in hockey history. Between them, they've scored over 1300 NHL goals. ‘The Golden Jet’ and ‘The Golden Brett’, respectively.
• Stan Mikita: Along with Bobby Hull, is considered one of the greatest Blackhawks of all time, having developed a distinct Red Oni, Blue Oni playing style with Hull that proved highly effective^note Modern Hawk stars Jonathan Toews (blue) and Patrick Kane (red) mirror it to a degree. and led to the team's 1961 Cup. The two were honored in 2011 with life-size bronze statues outside the United Center right by that one guy who tends to be associated with great Chicago athletes. Mikita is the actual career leader in "Gordie Howe hat tricks" (see above).
• Guy Lafleur: A dynamic offensive star for the Canadiens during the Seventies. Known for his hair flying behind him as he zoomed down the wing. Known as ‘The Flower’ as such (and because it is also a direct French translation of his surname), or ‘The Blond Devil’.
• Mario Lemieux: Perhaps the only player who could rival Wayne Gretzky (Gretzky said Mario was actually better than he was) in skill, and points (1.88 points per game to Gretzky's 1.92), if his career wasn't plagued by injuries: chronic back problems (to the point he could hardly tie up his own skates), lots of hip issues and freakin' cancer, before finally retiring due to a heart issue. He retired once previously for three years, and took a full year off. Currently part of the ownership group of the Penguins and its AHL farm team, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Lemieux bought the Penguins in 1999 in order to keep his beloved team in Pittsburgh, and un-retired in 2000 to both draw crowds back to games and so his young children could see him play. This made him the very first player-owner in NHL history, and one of the very few ever in North American professional sports. Retired for the last time in 2007 due to heart problems. Wore #66. Is the only player to score a goal in each of the game's five possible situations^note even strength, shorthanded, power play, penalty shot, empty net in a single NHL game, which pretty much everyone agrees will never happen again.
• Jaromír Jágr: Lemieux's longtime lancer during the Pens' glory years in the '90s and once owner of one of the most legendary mullets in sports history. Served as captain for Pittsburgh for a time after Mario's first retirement before the team's financial troubles led to him being let go. After a few seasons with the Capitals and Rangers the seemingly washed-up star returned to Europe to play in the KHL where he improved, eventually to the point of leading the Czech national team to gold at the World Cup. Wore #68 in honour of his grandfather who died in the Czech uprising of 1968, with the Pens retiring the number in 2024. At age 39 he set his sights on a return to the NHL leading to the infamous 2011 "Jágr Watch" in the days leading up to the summer free-agency period. All signs pointed toward him returning to Pittsburgh but the deal fell through at the last minute and he eventually signed with the Pens' Arch-Enemy, the Flyers. As expected, backlash ensued. He was traded to the Bruins near the end of the 2012–13 season and wasn't re-signed at the end of the season. He then signed with the Devils as a free agent, being traded to the Panthers halfway through the 2014-15 season. Even into his forties, he could still bring it from time to time — on January 3, 2015, Jágr became the oldest player in NHL history to score a hat trick, about six weeks shy of his 43rd birthday. Many note Jágr would be closer to Gretzky's numbers had he not spent some seasons in Russia.
  • And it seemed for a while that Jágr still had what it took to play at the very top level: in the opening five games of 2015–16 season, he scored four goals and three assists for the Panthers. By the end of the season, he led the team in points, finishing with 66, and the Panthers won their division. And then in 2016–17, he passed Mark Messier for second place on the all-time scoring list. All this at 44 years old. And he had absolutely no plans to retire—in fact, he said he could see himself playing until he's 50 (which happened in February 2022).
  • However, injuries finally caught up with him in the 2017–18 season, and the Calgary Flames released him during that season. After clearing waivers, he returned to his homeland to play for HC Kladno, a team he owns that was then in the second division. Jágr failed in his first attempt to get them promoted to the Czech top flight, but succeeded in 2019. Kladno has remained in the top flight, with Jágr having played occasional games to this day (such as Kladno's 2023–24 home opener). Yes, he still wears #68 there. In April 2024, he became the oldest player ever to take regular shifts at the professional level, scoring a goal during a relegation playoff game.
• Marcel Dionne: Sixth all-time in points and third only behind Gretzky and Lemieux in 100-point seasons. One of the most talented players never to win the Cup. Ironically, his less talented brother, Gilbert, pulled it off — with Montreal, against Marcel's longtime Los Angeles Kings — in 1993.^note The Kings tried to compensate Dionne by sending him a championship ring after winning it all in 2012.^note Not only did Marcel not get to raise the Cup, he never even played in a conference final! With Alexander Ovechkin's Washington Capitals finally making the conference finals and winning the Stanley Cup in 2018, Marcel is once again the only one of the league's 60 leading goal scorers without a conference final appearance.
• Mark Messier: The last WHA-era player to retire after the merger. "The Moose". Won the Stanley Cup five times with his hometown team in Edmonton, but is better known for winning it with the Rangers in 1994 — he's the only player ever to captain two different teams to the Cup. He is often considered to be one of the greatest leaders to play hockey, sometimes nicknamed "The Messiah" in New York for his legendary playoff performance with the Rangers in 1994. When he retired, he was second to Gretzky in all-time points scored, though by a wide margin (1,887 points to Gretzky's 2,857; he's since been passed by Jágr). In 2004, Messier retired when he was on his second stint with the Rangers — in-between he had a short and failed stint in Vancouver which most try to forget, and made Messier hated in BC to this very day^note he was semi-hated prior to this due to the fact he was the main piece of the Rangers' squad that bested the Canucks in the 94 Stanley Cup Finals. Now a studio analyst for ESPN's NHL coverage.
• Sidney Crosby: ‘Sid the Kid’. Entered the NHL as a child hockey prodigy originally from Nova Scotia. One of the best players playing today, and the one most likely to be recognized by non-hockey fans. Scored the game winning goal for Canada in the 2010 Olympic gold-medal game. Also one of the most hated players outside of Pittsburgh, particularly in Washington, Philadelphia, and Detroit. Much of the criticism comes from his being pushed by the league and media as The Next One, and his immaturity (whether actual or perceived) in his early years, and his continued push by the media to this day. When it comes to international hockey, pretty much all of the US hates him because of the aforementioned gold medal-winning goal, which came against the United States. Was sidelined with a concussion in consecutive games in early 2011 (the former of which being the outdoor Winter Classic) and was out until November when he returned for a couple weeks but was out once again until March. (Unintentionally) the face of a string of high-profile concussions currently plaguing teams and players throughout the league.
• Connor McDavid: 'Connor McJesus / The Chosen One'. Centerpiece for the Edmonton Oilers starting in the Late '10s, a prodigy on par with Sid the Kid himself, though unlike Crosby, he was designated The Next One by The Great One himself. At the beginning of the 2016/17 Season, Connor was named the youngest captain of an NHL team in history, at 19 years 256 days. He is also the fourth-fastest person ever to reach 100 points in the NHL (behind Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Alex Ovechkin), and the third-youngest player to win the Art Ross trophy, with only Gretzky and Crosby being any younger, and also won the Hart Memorial and Ted Lindsay trophies in 2017 to complete the trifecta. Currently holds the highest contract in the NHL at his age, and served as the cover athlete for NHL 18. He has also gone on record saying his favorite players happened to be Crosby and Tyler Bozak, as he was a fan of the Penguins and Maple Leafs, and his play style of "pass-first" reflects that. His goal-scoring abilities are still elite, though, as evidenced by his 64-goal season in 2022-23, which got him a Rocket Richard Trophy; together with his 89 assists, he became the first player to reach at least 150 points in a season since Mario Lemieux in '95-'96.
• Mike Modano: The #1 pick of the 1988 draft, and probably the best player in Stars history. He is still beloved in Minnesota and Dallas, having helped lead the North Stars to the 1991 Finals; his last game for the Stars was against the Wild in St. Paul, and he received a standing ovation at the end of the game when he came back out in a North Stars throwback. Even though he spent his final season (2010-11) in Detroit, when he returned to Dallas they still cheered for him. Currently holds the scoring record among American-born players and is widely considered to be the best American player of all time.
• Dave "Tiger" Williams: The NHL's all-time leader in penalty minutes with a staggering 3966 in 962 games. A feared fighter who was also fairly productive offensively with several 20-goal seasons (and one with 35) compiling a very respectable 513 career points total. A colorful character in the Seventies and Eighties, (in)famous for his ride-your-stick-like-it's-a-broom goal celebration.
• Teemu Selänne: "The Finnish Flash". Spent most of his NHL career with the Anaheim Ducks (two separate stints totaling 14 seasons and change out of 22 in all), finally retiring in 2014 just before turning 44. He's one of the most prolific goal-scorers in league history and holds the record for most goals (76) and points (132) in his rookie season.^note Gretzky would have held the latter record with 137 points in his first NHL season, but as he had played a season in the WHA before that, he was not considered a rookie when he joined the NHL. A mainstay on the Finnish national team until his retirement, he played in four Olympics and is considered a national hero.
• Paul Kariya: You may know him from his cameo in D3: The Mighty Ducks. One of the hottest prospects of the early '90s, and the then-Mighty Ducks of Anaheim's first-ever Entry Draft pick, the sky was the limit for Paul. The kid was speedy, could score goals, and looked destined to become the face of the franchise. In fact, it was thanks to his efforts that his line buddy Teemu Selänne would join the Ducks from Winnipeg, and he would eventually be named the Ducks' captain following a meteoric rise to the top. In many ways, he was the prototype for the modern north-south player in the NHL, but there was only one problem: he played in the brutal 90's and early 00's era of the NHL. Kariya found himself with a target painted on him by every other team's enforcer, which caused him to suffer catastrophic injuries, including a hit from Devils captain Scott Stevens during the Stanley Cup Finals that literally left him non-responsive on the ice^note He would memorably return from this hit minutes later, and score a goal to help Anaheim win the game, but ultimately lose the series in 7 games. To this day, he does not remember the night at all.. Kariya would eventually leave the Ducks before they won their 2007 Stanley Cup and float from the Avalanche to the Predators, and then to the Blues, before finally retiring due to post-concussion syndrome, which began a league-wide conversation on how to better protect players, and ultimately resulted in the modern ruleset, discouraging dangerous hits and indirectly encouraging the modern NHL to build teams around players like Paul, skilled speedy players with an eye for goal. He would eventually be named to the NHL Hall of Fame, and Anaheim would retire his number, forever hanging it in the rafters right next to Teemu's.
• Pavel Bure: "The Russian Rocket" — one of the premier goal-scorers of the Nineties. A dynamic talent, his career was ended prematurely by injuries. The last player to post back-to-back 60-goal seasons. Brother-in-law of actress Candace Cameron Bure.
• Alexander Ovechkin: Captain of Washington, and one of the most electrifying players in the league today. Fans either love his energy, or hate his showboating. While being one of the most eligible bachelors in professional sports, he was noted for preferring the simple family life, and is an admitted Momma's Boy. Of course his mother is an two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner from the Soviet women's basketball team, and is also his agent. He is also apparently BFFs with DJ Pauly D. Was engaged to Russian tennis player Maria Kirilenko, but they broke off the engagement in 2014; he's now married to Russian model Anastasia Shubskaya. Ovi reached the 700-goal mark during the 2019–20 season and 800 during 2022–23, with many players and media members believing he has a realistic chance of breaking Gretzky's career goals record.
• Daniel and Henrik Sedin: Identical twins who retired at the end of the 2017–18 season, they played together for their entire lives except during the 2011 All-Star Game, when they were drafted by opposite teams. Considered to be two of the best players of the early 21st century, they ended their careers as the Canucks' regular-season leaders in both points and assists (with Henrik on top in both), and Daniel retired as the team's leader in regular-season goals. Each was the league's highest scorer once, and Henrik won the Hart Memorial Trophy in 2009–10 and Daniel the Ted Lindsay Award the next season. Their playing styles were also eerily complementary; Daniel led Henrik in career goals by more than 150, while Henrik had nearly 200 more career assists than Daniel. Also known for their extensive community involvement; Henrik received the King Clancy Award, honouring said involvement, in 2016, and both twins shared that award at the end of their final season in 2018.
• Joe Thornton: The #1 pick in the 1997 draft, and the only player to be named MVP in the season where he was traded, as the Bruins sent him to the Sharks early in the 2005-06 season where he was the league's top scorer. The very big ‘Jumbo Joe’ then became the face of San Jose, being their captain for four years. Considered one of the best passers in the League (he regularly earned more assists than all or most other players post-lockout), has recently drawn some comparisons to Steve Yzerman (see below) for committing to the defensive side of the game at the cost of reduced offense. Also known as a very nice guy during interviews and off the ice, but in later years he started to get a little bitter after the media repeatedly called him a "choker" in the playoffs. Left an ailing Sharks team in 2020 to join the Toronto Maple Leafs hoping to finally get a championship, and then in 2022 moved to the Florida Panthers for the same reason. He was the last of the star players to continue playing since the 90s following Zdeno Chára's retirement, until he finally retired at the start of the 2023-24 season, without ever winning the Stanley Cup. In 2024, San Jose retired his #19 jersey.
• Steve Yzerman: The longest-serving captain in NHL history, wearing the C for Detroit for twenty years (19 seasons due to the 2004–05 lockout). Once an offensive superstar who approached Gretzky and Lemieux's scoring skills, Yzerman reinvented himself as a two-way player to help lead the Wings to three Stanley Cup titles. As GM for Team Canada, he put together the 2010 Gold-winning squad, and served as GM for the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2010 to 2018 — during which time the Bolts ironically eliminated the Wings in Round 1 in both 2015 and 2016. With the Wings failing to make the playoffs in the next three seasons after the second playoff exit at the hands of the Lightning, the GM position in Detroit finally opened up at the end of the 2018–19 season and Yzerman returned to the Motor City.
• Paul Henderson: A very good player in the NHL and later WHA in The '60s and The '70s but famous for scoring the most dramatic and important goal in Canadian hockey history — the series-winning goal in the final game of the epic 1972 Summit Series versus the Soviets. ^note  As well Canada had to win the last three games to win the series, and Henderson scored the winning goal in each of them, an amazing feat, with the last being the most dramatic.
• Sean Avery: The most hated player in the league.◊ He was traded from the Red Wings to the Kings as a result of his behavior. He was then traded from the Kings to the Rangers in 2006, and the New York fans fell in love with his attitude that culminated in introducing an ingenious but outlandish tactic against the rival Devils in the 2008 playoffs. He signed with Dallas after that year to make more money, but was suspended and ordered to enter anger management by the league after making a crack about Dion Phaneuf getting his sloppy seconds before a game. He was waived and rejoined the Rangers later that year, and retired with them three years later because head coach John Tortorella notoriously disliked him, regularly demoting him without reason. Notably, he has different sides — he is very fashion-conscious (once interning with Vogue magazine one summer) and appeared in an ad publicly supporting gay marriage, leaving many detractors in the decidedly weird position of siding with him.
• Jonathan Toews: Captain of the Blackhawks and the youngest member of the Triple Gold Club.^note The group of players and coaches who have won the sport's three most prominent championships—the Stanley Cup, Winter Olympics, and IIHF World Championships. Entering the 2023–24 season, 29 players and one coach had won all three titles. Toews is the youngest at the time of entry, having done so six weeks after his 22nd birthday. Known as Captain Serious for his somewhat cold demeanor that occasionally borders on "Stop Having Fun" Guys. Has a notable bromance with Patrick Kane. He ultimately caught COVID-19 during the 2022–23 season and continued to suffer from side effects, ending his season and potentially his career. His contract with the Blackhawks expired at the end of the 2022–23 season, and the team treated its last home game of that season as a farewell to him.
• Patrick Kane: The red to Toews' blue. Scored one of the more awkward Cup-clinching goals in recent years in overtime of Game 6 of the 2010 Finals against the Flyers. It took several seconds for anyone else to realize the puck was in the net. Has earned the nickname "Showtime" because of his ability to score skill-demanding, flashy goals. A somewhat polarizing figure because of perceived arrogance, temperament, heavy victory drinking, and unwillingness to pay twenty cents. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2013 and the Art Ross Trophy in 2015–16, in the latter case being the only 100-point scorer in the league that season and becoming the first-ever American-born scoring champion. Would ultimately get dealt by the struggling Blackhawks during the 22-23 trade deadline to the New York Rangers, and early the following season would be traded again, this time to the Detroit Red Wings.
• Joe Sakic: One of the longest-serving and most revered players and captains in the National Hockey League when he played for the Quebec Nordiques and Colorado Avalanche. Is known best for his amazing all-around play, amazing maturity, possessing one of, if not, the best wrist shots in the league, and for what is known as probably one of the classiest acts in sports history, defying tradition by handing the Stanley Cup over to Ray Bourque (who had waited 22 years to win the Cup) instead of lifting it himself. Sakic became the Avs' de facto GM in 2013 and the official GM a year later, eventually getting his name on Lord Stanley's Mug a third time by putting together the 2022 Cup-winning squad. Sakic then moved upstairs as president of hockey options, ceding the day-to-day GM role to his highly regarded assistant Chris MacFarland.
• Bob Probert: Considered one of the greatest enforcers ever to play the game. But he was far from a one-dimensional fighter, averaging around 15 goals a year in his early seasons and once putting up 29 to go with 62 points and 398 penalty minutes. A member of the fairly exclusive 3000-penalty-minute career club in the NHL, with 3300 in 935 games. Paired up with Joey Kocur in Detroit, they were known as the Bruise Brothers until Kocur went to the Rangers; as opponents, they would sometimes laugh through a fight. Probert was also known for his hard living; he missed most of the 1989-90 season and all of the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season due to drug and alcohol-related suspensions, which strained his relationship with the Red Wings organization and led him to joining the rival Blackhawks as a free agent. Nevertheless, he remained popular in Detroit, and he would reconcile with the Wings in the years before his untimely death in 2010.
• Jarome Iginla (Full name — Jarome Arthur-Leigh Adekunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla): Half-Canadian, half-Nigerian ex-captain of the Calgary Flames, later playing for the Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings. One of the most recognizable power forwards and recognized as being one of the kindest individuals around despite having a bruising and physically punishing play style. Also, the Golden Goal Sidney Crosby scored to win gold at the 2010 Winter Olympics? Iginla made the pass. He won two Olympic golds, but was unable to win the Stanley Cup in in his playing career.
• Dave Bolland: Former center for the Blackhawks (before being traded to Toronto in 2013) and definite fan favorite due to being a central figure in the Hawks' rivalry with Vancouver. One of the few players in the league known for being exceptionally good at shutting down the Sedins and their Creepy Twins play style. Was injured with a concussion in a game against the Lightning in March 2011 and didn't return until game four of the first round of the playoffs. He did so in dramatic fashion, preventing a sweep and changing the momentum of the series to force game seven eventually. This, combined with certain personality quirks, such as never smiling after a goal only to laugh hysterically all the way to the penalty box◊ has earned him great Memetic Badass status of the Crazy Is Cool variety. Suspected of being◊ a Time Lord.
  • It's Bolly, bitch.
• Steven Stamkos: Centre for the Tampa Bay Lightning, known for his speed and scoring ability. His career started off with an unremarkable rookie year (which he blamed on improper off-ice training), but quickly improved, winning the Rocket Richard trophy the following year. Took a puck to the nose in the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals, only to reappear minutes later with a face cage, impressing pretty much everybody. Sat out almost the entirety of the 2020 playoffs due to injury, but made a very brief appearance in Game 3 of the finals. Despite only being on the ice for a few minutes, he scored a goal on his first shot. Was more active getting his second ring in 2021, even if being just one in a very good offense.
• Martin St. Louis: One of the shortest guys ever to be considered a bona fide NHL star. Was undrafted when he entered the league but through hard work in the minors got himself some playing time with the Calgary Flames. When his contract got bought out in 2001, he signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning. By 2003, he was one of the team's key offensive weapons. During the team's Stanley Cup run he became the team's top goal-scorer, and was one of the league's top scorers until his retirement, even after going to the Rangers at the age of 39. He won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for "gentlemanly play" three times, but the fans still loved him.
• Paul ‘BizNasty’ Bissonette: Former enforcer for the Coyotes, now color commentator with the Coyotes' radio broadcast team, who is more notable for his Twitter account than his playing. Aside from frequently bringing the league PR team to tears, he revels in Self-Deprecation about being a perennial fourth-liner and/or “healthy scratch” and has built up a solid fanbase in doing so. May be the reason the league has now instituted a social media blackout for players on gamedays. You can (and should) follow him right here.
• Dan ‘CarBomb’ Carcillo: BizNasty's former partner in crime who, having bounced around several teams became a very polarizing figure among said teams' fanbases, most recently in Philadelphia. For the 2011–12 season, he signed with Chicago, whose fans, after some initial skepticism,^note There was still some bad blood from the 2010 Cup Finals. very quickly welcomed him with open arms. His original Twitter account was deleted after an infamous tweet about a girl who just wanted her Daddy to be proud that may have been the reason for his favorable reception by Hawks fans. His new (slightly more SFW) account is right here.
• Evgeni ‘Geno’ Malkin: Russian player for the Pittsburgh Penguins, known for being considered one of the top three best players in the league in recent years. Was MVP of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals. Had trouble getting in the league from Russia and getting accustomed to the English language. Injuries derailed him for half of the 2010s, only for him to rebound in the second half and get two more titles, downright leading the 2017 offense with 28 points.
• Patrick Sharp: A former Blackhawks star from Thunder Bay, ON. Before being traded to Dallas after the 2014–15 season, tended to serve as The Kirk to Toews and Kane's respective Spock and McCoy (even though Toews is actually The Captain). Was named MVP of the 2011 All-Star Game while being the only one (of the four) Hawks therein drafted to Team Staal, which lost anyway. That same year, had consecutive overtime winning goals in games the days immediately before and after the birth of his first child — who is already being shipped with Eric Staal (also of Thunder Bay)'s son, born two days later.
• Daniel Alfredsson: The greatest player in Ottawa Senators history, played over 1000 games earning over 1000 points with them, serving as Ottawa's captain for 14 years (afterwards there was an attempt to win a Stanley Cup in Detroit that fell short). Was the first European captain to lead his team to the Stanley Cup Finals.^note Detroit's Nicklas Lidström, also Swedish, would be the first European-born-and-raised player to win the Cup as a captain one year later. Was a part of the CASH^note Captain Alfredsson, Spezza, Heatley. line until Dany Heatley demanded a trade out. Ottawa fans love their captain and often chant Alfie during games which can lead to this. He has also inspired a following called the Church Of Alfie. Oppositely, he is hated in Toronto for mocking then captain Mats Sundin after Sundin was suspended for throwing his broken stick into the crowd and also for this hit on Darcy Tucker.
• Dany Heatley: Once a rising star with the now-defunct Atlanta Thrashers and later the Ottawa Senators, he was responsible for the death of his teammate and friend Dan Snyder as a passenger due to complications from a car accident where Heatley, as the driver, was speeding. Charged and pled guilty to second-degree vehicular homicide, but not sentenced to jail due to Snyder's parents pleading for leniency. Enjoyed later professional success after transferring to the Senators, but his back-to-back fifty-goal seasons seem a distant memory these days. Demanded to be traded from Ottawa, earning enmity from their fans. Landed in San Jose and later Minnesota, always helping with goals, but his last year in the league was terrible, playing 6 games and scoring no points with Anaheim. (though he only retired after a somewhat more productive 2015-16 season in Germany, where he was born) Has mismatched eyes because a puck to the face made his pupil permanently dilated.
• Dale Hunter: Known to be one of the most feared enforcers in the NHL, Hunter could add points on the board and notches to opponents' bodies every chance he got. He had some pretty impressive runs with the Quebec Nordiques and the Washington Capitals, becoming just part of a handful of goons that scored more than 1000 points and 3000 penalty minutes in his career. He stepped in as coach of the Capitals after Bruce Boudreau was fired due to inconsistency problems and managed to get them to the playoffs in the 2011–12 season, advancing to the second round and taking the New York Rangers to the limit before eventually being ousted in seven games. He left the job and returned to being head coach of the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), alongside his brother, Mark, serving as the Knights' current GM. Rather infamous for crosschecking Pierre Turgeon into the boards after conceding a goal in the 1993 playoffs against the New York Islanders, earning a then-record 21-game suspension. Although the Islanders went on to shock the Pittsburgh Penguins without the aid of their best skater, not winning a playoff series since then hasn't healed any Hunter-inflicted wounds.
• Bryan Trottier: Arguably the most complete forward of the '80s. Trottier won an Art Ross, six Stanley Cups (Four with the Islanders and two with the Penguins), and one as an assistant coach. He was a rather tough SOB, and a dominant penalty killer. At a time, in the early '80s, many experts labelled Trottier as the best player in the league, even ahead of Gretzky. This was before Gretzky put up 92 goals and 163 assists in separate seasons, however.
• Mike Bossy: Known as one of the game's great goal scorers, Bossy scored at least 50 goals in every year of his career until his last. He holds the record for consecutive 50 goal seasons with nine. ^note  Gretzky and Ovechkin also had nine 50 goal seasons, but non-consecutively. Ovechkin is still active. Unfortunately he left the game after just ten years due to a debilitating back injury.
• Matt Cooke: Winger for the Penguins. Was once (and in some places, particularly Boston, still is) one of the most hated players in the league infamous for his reckless play and flying elbow that led to several players, most infamously the Bruins' Marc Savard,^note The hit he took from Cooke, however, was one of several from different players in a very short time span. receiving serious sometimes career-ending injuries. Following a long suspension that had him miss the last several months of the 2010–11 season, as well as some soul-searching brought on by his wife falling ill and the concussion that sidelined his teammate Sidney Crosby, he vowed to change his game and spent the entire offseason relearning his play style. He finished the following season with no more than the average player's total penalty minutes, none of which was a major, and his offensive production improved dramatically.^note Of course, being on a line with Crosby following his eventual return could only have helped. While many will likely never forgive him for his past actions, he is now frequently cited as proof that other infamously dangerous players can change although so far few have followed his lead.
• Luc Robitaille: Currently the highest-scoring left-winger in NHL history, and the leading scorer in Los Angeles Kings history, playing for them in three different stints. The first stint was most notable for playing on a line with Wayne Gretzky. His season in Pittsburgh was most notable for an appearance in the Jean-Claude Van Damme movie Sudden Death; his best season outside of Los Angeles came in 2001–02, when he won the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings. Still connected to his original team, though; he retired a King and joined their front office, helping to put together the 2012 and 2014 Cup winners.
• Doug Gilmour: A defensive forward who played for seven different NHL teams, and as captain of three of them (the Flames, the Maple Leafs, and the Blackhawks). Though he was only 5’11” tall and was a relative lightweight^note At a time when players were beginning to consistently weigh in over 200 pounds, Gilmour was never listed over 180 and often was actually under 170, he had an intense style of physical play that earned him his "Killer Doug Gilmour" nickname (though his looks, which were often compared to Charles Manson, also helped). Won the Stanley Cup once with the Flames in their only victory in 1989 and the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL's best defensive forward in 1993 when he played in Toronto. Gilmour is currently the GM of the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in his hometown of Kingston, Ontario.
• Eddie Shack: A left-sider who played on six different NHL teams, beginning with the New York Rangers in 1959 and culminating with the Pittsburgh Penguins when he retired in 1975. Known more for his long nose than for his actual hockey scoring talent, owing to receiving many Fan Nicknames such as "The Nose", "Pugnacious Pinocchio" and "The Entertainer". He was nevertheless a fan favourite in his role with the Toronto Maple Leafs when he joined in 1961. In his prime in 1966, before the Leafs won their last Stanley Cup, he was immortalized in a novelty song called "Clear the Track, Here Comes Shack" by a group calling itself "Douglas Rankine with the Secrets", which became a huge hit in Canada, being #1 on the Canadian pop charts for three months. Appeared in TV commercials across Canada where he lampshaded his long nose by joking, "I have a nose for value."
• Mats Sundin: The first European-born player to be chosen first overall in the NHL Entry Draft. He was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques in 1989, and subsequently traded to the Maple Leafs in 1994. After a 94-point season in 1995–96, he was named the captain of the Leafs, serving that position until he was traded to the Canucks in 2009. During that tenure, he would end up becoming the all-time leader in scoring for the Leafs, and be a key centerpiece of the team's offensive efforts.
• Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry: A duo that, along with Dustin Penner, led the "Kid Line" that pushed the Ducks to the Stanley Cup in 2007. Both are the same age, form a one-two punch that even lead to a goal in the 2010 Olympics final, and got some commends: Getzlaf was the long-time captain, and Perry won both the Hart and the Rocket Richard Trophies in 2011. While Getzlaf got better with age, and shifted his play-style to be more pass-heavy, Perry looked to be slowing down in the mid-10s, but a shift back to the same line as Getzlaf produced dividends in the 2017 playoffs and when he filled in for Patrick Eaves in the 2018 season, it led to a bit of a resurgence, though it took Getzlaf coming back from injury to get him back to his old self. The duo finally parted ways with Perry being bought out of his contract after the 2018/19 season. Perry would sign with the Dallas Stars, along with former Sharks mainstay Joe Pavelski. He'd help an underdog Stars team get to the Stanley Cup finals, eventually losing to the Lightning. The following year, Perry did the exact same thing for the Canadiens, only to again lose to the Lightning! 2022 had Getzlaf announcing his retirement while Perry again was flying high in the postseason with the same Lightning team that beat him in the past 2 Finals in an attempt to win his 2nd Cup... only to lose the Cup for the third straight year, this time to the Colorado Avalanche!, leading many fans to label Perry as a Stanley Cup curse. Perry signed for the Chicago Blakhawks in the 2023/24 season, but was let go midway through it and ended up on the Edmonton Oilers for the remainder, including the playoffs.
  • Perry is also known for being something of a Troll. Known for provoking and generally annoying the opponents, he's one of the players that don't exactly get much love outside of Anaheim fans.
• Anže Kopitar: The first and currently only player from Slovenia playing in the NHL, he's a major figure in the Los Angeles Kings (serving as their captain since 2016), and contributed a large share to both their Stanley Cup titles. He might not be a goal scoring leader, but his puck control and passing accuracy and creativity are nothing to sneer at, and at the same time he's one of the best defensive forwards in the league. The Great One himself counts him among the three best hockey players in the world.
• Charlie Conacher: Possibly the earliest example of a power forward in ice hockey, Conacher played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Detroit Red Wings, and the New York Americans. Nicknamed "The Big Bomber" for his size and physical play. He was part of a dynamic trio with the Leafs known as "The Kid Line"^note Joe Primeau, Harvey "Busher" Jackson, and Conacher; assembled by Leafs manager Conn Smythe. long before the Ducks coined the term, in which the line carried their team to a Stanley Cup win in the 1931–32 season. Unfortunately, Conacher's career was shortened by injuries, due in part to his rough style of play, and he retired after the 1941 season.
• Patrice Bergeron: One of the current era's most celebrated "200-foot game" players, noted for both his offensive skill and his defensive skill. He is noted for his incredible chemistry with Brad Marchand, his record five Selke Trophy wins, and his ability to be in the right place at the right time nearly every second he was on the ice, leading to nicknames like "Perfect Patrice". Bergeron retired at the end of the 2022–23 season.
• Brad Marchand: One of the most famous/infamous "pests" in the current era of hockey. He got his start from the fourth line of the 2011 Stanley Cup-winning Boston Bruins and worked his way all the way up to the first line in a matter of months, and stayed there with his best friend and center, Patrice Bergeron, until the latter's retirement. He's known for, among other things, trying all sorts of ridiculous things to get under the opponent's skin. Some harmless, like taunting them after the whistle or after a goal... and sometimes harmful, like slew-footing or spearing a player in the most sensitive part of the body. He gained his most notorious streak in 2017-18's playoff run, where he began licking players who tried to start fights and scrums with him... All of this just made the worse by the fact that Marchand is also one of the better goal scorers of his generation, ensuring fans are furious with him no matter when and where he's on the ice and what he's doing.
• Cam Neely: One of the most feared players in the NHL of his time, he codified the term 'power forward' in ice hockey thanks to his imposing stature, hard yet accurate shot, quick release of the puck, and a willingness to use his physical style of play in the deeper aspects of the game, thus earning him the nickname "Bam-Bam Cam". Was drafted ninth overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1983 draft and played three seasons with them until he got traded to the Boston Bruins, where he enjoyed his best years with the club. Unfortunately, like many power forwards that came before and after him, his career was plagued by injuries which hampered his ability as a front-line skater; he suffered two notable incidents which would later shorten his career. One was during Game 3 of the 1991 Prince of Wales Conference Finals when Ulf Samuelsson of the Pittsburgh Penguins delivered an illegal body check on him, injuring his knee in the process and later developed a painful condition known as Myositis ossificans; this condition would remain with him for the rest of his career. Another happened during a regular season game in 1994 when the tip of his right pinky finger got cut off through his glove, requiring ten to fifteen stitches to repair. He would later return to the game in the second period and notch an assist. Now currently serving as president of the Bruins. He Also Did a brief stint in acting, playing trucker Sea Bass in Dumb and Dumber and making a cameo in the same role in its sequel Dumb and Dumber To.
• Pavel Datsyuk: One of the best ever at puck-handling. There's a reason he's always one of the first three players to go in a shootout. Has played for the Red Wings his entire career, winning the Cup in 2002 (after his rookie season) and 2008. Has suffered from some injuries lately but when he's on he's the best in the league. In 2016 he returned to Russia to play in the KHL, and captained SKA St. Petersburg to the Gagarin Cup. One of the more recent members of the Triple Gold Club, having entered by winning gold in 2018 with the Olympic Athletes from Russia.^note Russian athletes who were allowed to compete in the Olympics under the Olympic flag after Russia's national Olympic committee was banned from the 2018 Winter Games due to massive doping. This also made him the oldest player to become a member of the Triple Gold Club (39 years, 220 days at the 2018 Olympic final).
• Taylor Hall: Left winger for the Boston Bruins. A first overall pick for the Edmonton Oilers, he showed his worth even as the team couldn't contend (Hall once scored two goals in 8 seconds, 1 faster than Gretzky himself!), and broke out after going to Jersey, leading the team back to the playoffs in 2018 with an MVP season, before being traded to Buffalo and then to Boston. Also a good luck charm for lottery teams: after drafting Hall, Edmonton won the first overall pick thrice, the Devils got it as soon as he was in their roster, and again in 2019. And even though Hall left the Sabres halfway through the 2021 season, Buffalo still won the lottery!
• David Pastrňák: Right wing for the Boston Bruins. Nicknamed "Pasta", a late first round pick from the Czech Republic who came into immediate prominence on the Bruins for his shooting acumen, his ever-present smile, and goofy personality. But not taking him seriously is a decision made at your own risk, as he quickly established himself as a scoring threat in 2018, and in 2019 he became one of the most dangerous goal-scorers in the entire league, particularly on the man-advantage, leading it in goals for much of the year until Alex Ovechkin caught up right before the stoppage, and inevitably both won the Rocket Richard. He's also notable for tying Jaromír Jágr in most wins of the Czech Player of the Year award, notably in four straight years.
• Auston Matthews: Centre for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The top overall pick in 2016, he made an immediate impact, becoming the first player in modern NHL history to score four goals in his NHL debut. He went on to score 40 goals as a rookie, and has scored 30-plus in each season since, making the All-Star Game in each season it's been held during his career (there was no ASG in 2021). Matthews took his scoring to another level in 2021–22, putting in 60 goals on his way to the Hart Trophy. The cover athlete for NHL 20, he's also notable for his unusual background—he's one of the few Latino NHL players (his mother is originally from Mexico); he was raised from infancy in the Phoenix area, which despite being home to an NHL team for his entire life^note (the Coyotes arrived from Winnipeg in 1996, the year before he was born) remains a relative hockey backwater; and unlike almost all North American players, he opted not to play junior or NCAA hockey, instead choosing to play for a pro team in Switzerland at age 17.
• Patrick Marleau: Centre and left wing who played almost all of his 24-year career with the Sharks; the exceptions are two seasons in Toronto (2017–2019) and the tail end of the 2019–20 season in Pittsburgh. The #2 pick in the 1997 draft, he made his NHL debut in the 1997–98 season opener only 16 days after turning 18, making him the youngest player to debut in the league since Len Wharton (at 17 years, 81 days) for the Rangers in 1945 (during WWII).^note In the modern era, it's essentially impossible for a player to debut at a younger age than Marleau. To be eligible for the NHL Entry Draft, a player must turn 18 no later than September 15 of the calendar year of the draft. Marleau was born on the exact cutoff date for his draft class. Known for much of his career as one of the league's best skaters, and also for his sportsmanship (though he never collected the Lady Byng Trophy), he's the Sharks' all-time leader in goals, points, even-strength goals, powerplay goals, and games played, and in April 2021 surpassed Gordie Howe for most NHL games played.^*However, Howe's 419 WHA games aren't included in the NHL record books. While he's won World Championship gold and two Olympic golds with Team Canada, he retired the following year (after not being picked up by any team in 2021–22) without the Stanley Cup.
• Trevor Zegras: Center for the Anaheim Ducks, still an incredibly young player, but already with no shortage of fame to his name. Often seen as the new face for the rebuilding Ducks (the heir apparent to Ryan Getzlaf), Zegras epitomizes the rebuild the Ducks are currently undergoing and has become a key figure in the team's sudden surge from being a Lottery Favorite to suddenly being in the mix for the Pacific Division. But none of that is what you're interested in, let's be real. What has caused Zegras' explosion in fame has been his two utterly spectacular plays that he made in the 2021/22 NHL season. First, and most spectacularly, is the "Dishigan"^note The name comes from two things. First, an assist is sometimes referred to as a "dish". Second, in 1996, University of Michigan Wolverines player Mike Legg dragged the puck on his stick up into the air and stuck it in the net in a lacrosse-style goal. In 2019, Hurricanes player Andre Svechnikov scored a similar goal, which was dubbed "The Michigan" in its honor, where he flipped the puck over the goal from behind the net to teammate Sonny Milano, who then batted the puck in the net. The goal was widely hailed as one of the most innovative goals in the history of the NHL (though it was met with some criticism, mainly by coach John Tortorella). A few weeks later, he scored his own Michigan goal. He then did it again (around a teammate no less!) a few weeks after that against the Coyotes, and that's not even mentioning the goal he scored while blindfolded at the All-Star Break. While he is still young, it's clear that Zegras' wizardry and his legend will grow over a long and extremely interesting career in the NHL.
• Valtteri Filppula: A Finnish forward who spent most of his NHL career in Detroit (though he also played for the Rays, Flyers, and Islanders). Filppula had a solid if unspectacular career, but is best known as the newest member of the Triple Gold Club. He was with the Wings' Cup-winning team in 2008, and in the twilight of his career (and also after his final NHL season in 2020–21) captained Finland to golds at the 2022 Olympics and Worlds. He now plays in the Swiss league.

Defensemen

• Bobby Orr: Unquestionably the greatest defenseman to play hockey and about the only player giving Gretzky competition for "best ever", yet had his career cut short due to a plague of knee injuries. Won the Cup twice with the Bruins. Scored "The Goal" to win the Stanley Cup in 1970, one of the most iconic moments in NHL history.
• Eddie Shore: The most dominant defenseman of his era — the late 1920s through 1940 — would have won a pile of Norris Trophies had the award existed when he played, and like Orr, he played the bulk and best portion of his career in Boston. Won the Hart Trophy four times as league MVP. Known for being extremely ill-tempered and violent as well as skilled. Later became the owner of the AHL's Springfield Indians for three decades, leading them to a period of glory in the early 1960s where they won three consecutive regular season titles and three consecutive Calder Cups (the AHL's equivalent of the Stanley Cup) from 1960 to 1962, to the point where it was speculated that the Indians "could have played in the NHL" without even finishing last.
• Ray Bourque: A defenseman considered second only to Orr. Holds the record for most consecutive All-Star games (19 in a row), most points scored by a defenseman and the unofficial record for most shots on goal (over 6000). When he retired, he was second only to Gretzky on assists. Played for 22 years (20½ of those with Boston, the remaining 1½ with Colorado) before finally getting to raise the Cup after his final game. No one had played longer before finally being able to hoist the Cup.
  • When he finally won the Cup, the Avalanche captain at the time, Joe Sakic, broke tradition. Tradition states the winning team's captain gets the first lap around the rink with the cup. Sakic took the cup, had his picture taken as part of the official presentation, turned to Bourque, and handed it over. Bourque had trouble skating around the rink through all the Manly Tears. Patrick Roy went on record saying, "A name was missing from that [Cup], and today it is back to normal."
• Paul Coffey: The premier offensive defender in his day, breaking many of Bobby Orr's records. Known for his tremendous skating ability, but also for sometimes hanging around the offensive end for too long (particularly later in his career).
• Al MacInnis: Best known for his incredibly powerful shot, often leaving trophy-sized bruises on players courageous enough to attempt to try and block it, despite being a great defenceman in all regards. Split his career between the Flames and Blues. Won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1989 when the Flames won their only Cup.
• Scott Stevens: The captain of the New Jersey Devils during their Stanley Cup years in the late '90s and early '00s. When he played, forwards were often afraid to cross his blue line, for he was one of the hardest hitters ever to lace the skates. Known for classic, thunderous hits and checking Paul Kariya into an early retirement.
• Mike Green: An offensive defenseman who is comparable to a young Paul Coffey.
• Nicklas Lidström: A veteran defenseman who is known for his outstanding play with the Detroit Red Wings, quietly shutting down opposing offenses without much body contact. If there's a player that can challenge Orr for best defenseman ever he's it, although Orr's offensive numbers are far superior. He retired after the 2011–12 season, leaving a lasting legacy behind him.
• Chris Pronger: Contrasting Nicklas Lidström, he is the epitome of physical domination in the defensive zone. Very big. Plays on the edge, nearly drawing infractions, but only nearly, drawing the ire of fans and players everywhere, except for his own. He is the most recent blueliner to win the Hart Trophy, which he did with St. Louis in 2000. Following a concussion in 2012, stopped playing despite still being on the Flyers' payroll in the subsequent years (the injury relief was preferred to voiding the contract). Drew the unending ire of Edmonton fans when, after helping the Oilers reach the Finals in 2006, he spurned them for Anaheim and helped the Ducks to win the Cup. Would also help the Flyers get to the 2010 Finals, getting infamous for taking away the pucks from games Philadelphia lost (not the series-winning, though). Due to his weird suspensions, he had a "Dammit, Pronger!"◊ running gag as well.
• Zdeno Chára: Now-retired Slovakian-born defenseman who last played for the New York Islanders, but is most famous for his long run as captain of the Boston Bruins. At 6’9” (well over seven feet with skates), he's the tallest person ever to play in the NHL,^note Consequently, he hoisted the Cup higher than it had ever been before in 2011. and holds the league record for hardest slap shot. In fact, he's so tall that he couldn't use a standard NHL stick—the league gave him special permission to use a stick 2 inches (5 cm) longer than league rules allow. Involved in a somewhat controversial hit against Max Pacioretty of the Habs. Habs fans thought it was dirty and he should have been suspended. Bruins fans attest the injury was because of the glass between the benches that isn't present at other arenas. Due to the teams' known relationship and the Serious Business nature of hockey in Canada, the Montreal police got involved and Air Canada threatened to pull their sponsorship of the league. He's fluent in seven different languages and wants to learn an eighth. During the 2021–22 season, he surpassed Hall of Famer Chris Chelios for the most NHL games played as a defenseman, and he and Panthers center Joe Thornton are the last active players in any of the four North American major sports leagues to have been active in the 1990s, until he signed a ceremonial one-day contract to retire with the Bruins.
• Larry Murphy: He earned credentials as one of the best two-way defenders in the 1980s and 1990s, being one of the key players that helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win two consecutive Stanley Cups after strong stints with the Los Angeles Kings, Washington Capitals and Minnesota North Stars. The Detroit Red Wings would add him to their winning ways, earning him two more titles. In his time with the Penguins, he created the Murphy Dump, as coined by broadcaster Mike Lange: Murphy would clear out the puck from his zone so that it traveled just enough not to cause an icing call.
• Denis Potvin: One of the greatest defensemen the game has ever seen. The #1 overall pick in 1974 for the New York Islanders propelled the team to the playoffs in just their third year of existence. He's the reason Rangers fans continued to chant "Potvin Sucks!" long after he'd retired^note It began as Potvin broke the ankle of Rangers' forward Ulf Nilsson in the 1979 semifinals; without him, the Rangers lost the Finals to the Habs. (though the chant was briefly relevant again when unrelated goalie Felix Potvin joined the Islanders, and struggled).
• Niklas Kronwall: Swedish defenseman for the Detroit Red Wings. Not especially large or heavy but pretty much a one-man wrecking crew. His signature backwards charges on the boards coined the phrase “to get Kronwalled”.
• Shea Weber: Canadian blueliner and former captain of the Nashville Predators and Montreal Canadiens. Has been a finalist for the Norris Trophy twice and been in the top ten four consecutive times. Famous for his Howitzer of a slapshot.^note In case you didn't notice, that shot went through the netting. Made his name with the Nashville Predators, but traded straight-up for P.K. Subban in 2016. Is retired in all but name, his last active year being part of the Canadiens' surprise 2021 Stanley Cup Finals run. Currently holds the largest contract in the NHL (14 years, $110M) with a structure that was rendered illegal shortly after being crafted; as a result, Nashville will suffer significant salary cap penalties should he formally retire before the contract's completion.
• P.K. Subban: A defenseman best known for his tenure with the Montreal Canadiens, Subban is one of the few black faces in hockey, and probably one of the best. He became both beloved and hated in Montreal for his dazzling 200-foot game that often overshadowed some of the forwards he played with, until he was controversially traded one-for-one for Nashville Predators captain Shea Weber. He played a major role in the Predators making their first Stanley Cup Finals run and capturing their first Presidents' Trophy, but a nagging back injury caused his game to rapidly deteriorate near the end of his Nashville tenure, prompting the Predators to trade him to the New Jersey Devils where he spent the final years of his career. The cover athlete for NHL 19. He is known for his philanthropy, wherein he gave and raised well over several millions of dollars to Montreal's Children's Hospital to the point that his name is enshrined in the building, and for his eccentric but incredibly sharp attire off-ice. Also known for his former off-ice relationship with American skier Lindsey Vonn. Before their breakup, the couple became part of the ever-growing list of North American sportspeople who own shares in American soccer teams; both are among the many minority investors in Angel City FC, a Los-Angeles based team that started play in the National Women's Soccer League in 2022.
• Scott Niedermayer: Former New Jersey Devil and Anaheim Duck Norris Trophy defenseman, who is the only hockey player in history to win all of the following championships: The Stanley Cup (three with New Jersey, one with Anaheim), Olympic Gold Medal (Team Canada 2002 and 2010), International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship (2004), the World Cup of Hockey (2004), and the World Junior Title (Team Canada 1991). One of his best moments was in the 1995 Stanley Cup Finals. His younger brother Rob was a forward, and played in three Cup Finals (1996 for Florida, 2003 for Anaheim against Scott, and 2007 for Anaheim with Scott, winning it all).
• Dion Phaneuf: Former star player for the Calgary Flames and captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Now with the Los Angeles Kings. Feared around the league for his thundering, open-ice hits. Much like Kronwall, when forced to make a decision he tends to ignore the puck in favor of bulldozing his opponents, leading to a large collection of highlight reel hits. Often gets ridiculed in the media for being a completely bland and uninteresting person off the ice.
• Viacheslav "Slava" Fetisov: One of the best defensemen of the 1980s while he played in the Soviet Union. Although he was mostly past his prime once he was allowed to come play for the NHL, he did win two Stanley Cups in Detroit in 1997 and 1998, and his fight against the Soviet government paved the way for other Russian stars to come to North America as well. Slava had the longest journey to the Triple Gold Club (from first trophy to last), winning World Championship gold for the first time in 1978 as well as Olympic gold in 1984 and 1988, but having to wait until 1997 to lift Lord Stanley's Mug.
• Jay Bouwmeester: Originally with the Florida Panthers and later the Calgary Flames and St. Louis Blues, Bouwmeester made his name as an "iron man", not missing a game from 2004 to 2014. While he was a two-time All-Star and multiple-time Canada national team member, he's been somewhat divisive. He's known as an outstanding skater, and was quite capable offensively, but was alleged to lack a physical presence on the ice (his durability notwithstanding). When he lifted the Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019, he became the newest member of the Triple Gold Club at the time. Bouwmeester is also notable for having survived a cardiac arrest on the sidelines during a game in February 2020; he was revived in the arena and had a defibrillator placed in his chest a few days later. He never played again, retiring in January 2021.
• Harry Howell: He began his career playing for the Guelph Biltmores in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) for two seasons in 1951 and 1952 before moving over to play in the NHL for the New York Rangers. He became a stalwart presence for the Rangers, where he played 17 years and managed to get the Norris Trophy in 1967, becoming the last player to win the award before Bobby Orr won his 8 straight awards. In 1969, he moved over the Oakland Seals, played there for two seasons through a name change to the California Golden Seals. He played the last three years of his NHL career with the Los Angeles Kings before moving over to the World Hockey Association to play a season each with the New York Golden Blades/Jersey Knights, San Diego Mariners, and Calgary Cowboys. After his hockey career, he dabbled briefly in acting, playing a bit part as an attorney in Murder in Coweta County. He also became a scout for the Edmonton Oilers, where he picked up his only ring in 1990. He was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1979.
• Erik Karlsson: Defenseman for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who made his name with the Ottawa Senators (including serving as their captain from 2014-2018) before spending five seasons with the San Jose Sharks. Karlsson owns three Norris trophies, and became the first defenseman since the 1990s to score more than 100 points in a single season. That said, his style of play is extremely polarizing, with his detractors arguing that his explosive offense comes at the expense of substandard defensive play. Nonetheless, he was a key part of the Senators' surprise Conference Finals run in 2017 as well as the Sharks' Conference Finals run in 2019, and is seen as one of the most prolific defensemen of his generation.
• Cale Makar: Defenseman for the Colorado Avalanche. Made his debut during the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs and made an immediate impact with his elite skating, offensive prowess, and defensive awareness. Won the Calder trophy as rookie of the year in 2020, was a Norris trophy finalist in 2021, and immediately followed up a win in the tightly-contested 2022 Norris trophy race^note Nashville captain Roman Josi earned more first-place votes, but since almost nobody voted Makar worse than 2nd, he was able to make up the points differential through second-place votes and ultimately come out on top with a Conn Smythe as his Avalanche raised the cup a week later, becoming only the third defenseman in history to win both trophies in the same season.

Goaltenders

• Jacques Plante: "Jake the Snake". Innovated the modern goalie mask, and was the first to wear it regularly. Also innovated the concept of skating behind the net to stop the puck. Won the Vezina Trophy seven times (note that the criterion then was different than the one used now). His habit of knitting to relax helped establish goaltender as the likely position of any Cloud Cuckoo Lander that laced up their skates. Moved to Switzerland after his retirement and died there.
• Gerry Cheevers: A good goalie in his own right (two-time Cup champion, Hall of Famer), began the tradition of decorating goalie masks when he would put a cartoon stitch mark on his mask where he got hit. Today, goalie masks are much more ornate, but the tradition started with him.
• Terry Sawchuk: Considered the (or at least among) best goalies of the Original Six era. Had his best years with Detroit in the 1950s and '60s, but also spent time with the Bruins, Leafs, Kings and Rangers before dying in a freak fall at age 40. He held a record that many thought could never be broken, 103 shutouts, until it was done in 2009 by …
• Martin Brodeur: Considered by some to be the best goalie of all time. In addition to the most shutouts, he holds the records for most wins, most shutouts in a seasons, saves in a career, and many more. He won the Cup three times with the Devils and two Olympic gold medals with Team Canada. Broke Patrick Roy's record for most wins and was still going strong with 691 compiled before his retirement in 2015.
• Miikka Kiprusoff: Was not a starting goalie until after he was traded from the San Jose Sharks to the Calgary Flames in November 2003. In the starting spot he then set a modern-day NHL record for lowest goals-against average before backstopping the Flames all the way to game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals, in an unlikely and charismatic playoff run by a scrappy underdog team. He continued to be an outstanding goalie in the years since, frequently stealing wins with his acrobatic goaltending. He retired in 2013.
• Roberto Luongo: "Bobby Lou." Formerly with the New York Islanders, two stints with the Florida Panthers, and Vancouver Canucks, and was the first goaltender in decades to be a team captain, a title he relinquished after the 2009–10 season. While his technique borders on unorthodox, his frequent, and often incredibly athletic, saves leave viewers (and shooters) scratching their heads. After Martin Brodeur's embarrassing loss to Team USA in the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, Luongo took over as Team Canada's goalie, and helped salvage the tournament in his hometown, culminating in a gold medal. That was sort of a big deal. Since then, he's come under fire for his complete collapse in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals and been the subject of a seemingly unending soap opera regarding a potential trade from the Canucks, that wound up returning him to his previous team, Florida Panthers. Continued to play capably in his return, and even got the team back to the playoffs in 2016, until hip problems caught up to him in 2018-19, which led to his retirement and, ironically, one last chapter in the aforementioned soap opera with the Canucks.^note his now-illegal 12-year contract was one of about 20 to have the cap advantage recapture penalty applied to it under the 2013 CBA, which removes any cap advantage gained by heavily front-loaded contracts with such extended term by assessing a fee to the relevant team's salary cap if the player retires prior to its conclusion. The Canucks lose just over $3 million in cap space until 2022 as a result of Luongo's retirement, while the Panthers lose around $1.2 million over the same period Has a hilarious self-deprecatingTwitter account.
• Ryan Miller: Goalie for Team USA, played mostly for the Sabres, before spending time with the Blues, Canucks, and finally, the Ducks, with whom he retired in 2021. Has made an art of stealing, or at least keeping 'em in games his teams might have no business being in. Comes from a hockey family out of Lansing, Michigan: his brother Drew plays for Detroit, cousins Kevin, Kelly, and Kip (all brothers) are retired NHLers, and all five starred for Michigan State. Holds the most wins by an American-born goalie in NHL history.
• Antti Niemi: Goalie for the Canadiens (formerly several other teams). Notable for having helped the Blackhawks to the trophy in 2010; and for being in the rare position of winning a Cup, being released by the winning team, and signing with the team he helped beat to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. Also notable for being something of a Memetic Badass, for his rather acrobatic butterfly goaltending — at one point during the 2011 playoffs he wound up playing while standing on his head, literally during several shots.
• Tim Thomas: Former goalie for the Bruins who helped them win the Cup in 2011 (also had brief stints with Florida and Dallas). Fifth goaltender and only second American player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP. Known for making lots of ridiculously hard saves and a very unorthodox playing style. Didn't actually become a starting goalie in the NHL until he was well into his thirties, having played in Europe and minor leagues over the years. Also known for his controversial opinions on the federal government and refusing to meet Barack Obama.^note When the Boston Bruins were invited to the White House following their Stanley Cup-win in 2011 (as is traditional for U.S.-based Stanley Cup-winning teams), Thomas opted not to go, citing his opposition to "big government".
• Patrick Roy: Revolutionized the goaltending position in the '80s with a new butterfly style to stop low shots. Is considered one of the best goalies when the game is on the line, and has an uncanny knack to dominate playoff overtime. Among Montreal fans, he shares a reputation with Ken Dryden (see below) as a brilliant young goaltender who left the team when he was at the top of his game.^note Roy, after the Canadiens fell behind 9–1 at home against Detroit on December 2, 1995 (the final score was 11–1 for the Wings), angrily declared that that would be the last game he would ever play in Montreal, and he got his wish, spending the rest of his career with the Colorado Avalanche. One of the fiercest competitors ever to play. In 2013, he was hired as Colorado's new coach, and led them back to both the playoffs and a division title.
• Ken Dryden: As with Patrick Roy, Dryden was a former Hab who was a skilled goalie and left the team too soon when he was in his prime. He left the Canadiens (and the NHL) after only seven seasons over a contract dispute, and used the time to study law at McGill University in Montreal. Since retiring from hockey, in addition to being a lawyer, Dryden became an author and businessman, and was elected to Parliament in 2004 in a Toronto riding as a Liberal Party candidate. He served as a member for seven years until he lost to a Conservative candidate, Mark Adair, in the 2011 election. A skilled orator and writer, as one would expect from a lawyer and politician, yet his Creepy Monotone voice often results in accusations of being boring.
• Dominik Hašek: "The Dominator". The goalie most known for his stint with Buffalo in the '90s. Often stuck on Buffalo teams that were no better than OK but still managed to challenge Roy and Brodeur as the best goalie in the NHL year after year. If you ever hear, "How in the world did he do that?" during a broadcast, chances are they're talking about Hašek making a save — if Jacques Plante is the Beethoven of goalies, Hašek is the Miles Davis. Went on to win two Stanley Cups with Detroit. Won the Vezina Trophy for best goalie six times, a record for its current criteria. He's also the only goalie to win the Hart Trophy as league MVP twice. Not to mention that he also pretty much willed the Czech Republic to Olympic gold in 1998.
• Glenn Hall: Nicknamed "Mr. Goalie" during his career for his skill at his position. Habitually vomited before most games, but still managed to play 502 consecutive games once, a record for a goalie that will almost certainly never be broken (even the best goalies now will sit about ten or fifteen games a season). He's the one who actually invented the butterfly style of goaltending before Patrick Roy made it famous.
• Ron Hextall: Best known for his years in Philadelphia, Hextall changed the way goalies played by his willingness to come out of the net (way out of the net) and aggressively pass the puck forward instead of stopping it or guiding it to the side for a teammate to pick up. He was the first goaltender in NHL history to score a goal deliberately (instead of getting credit for the goal by being the last player to touch the puck before the opposing team screwed up and scored on their own net). Also well known for using his stick as an axe on opposing players' legs and even fighting. Became General Manager of the Flyers after retiring, but was fired in late 2018; he was hired to the same post with the Penguins in early 2021, but was shown the door after the 2022–23 season, in which the Pens missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Also part of a notable hockey family; his grandfather Bryan Sr. was a Hall of Fame forward with the Rangers, his father Bryan Jr. and uncle Dennis were longtime forwards in the league, his cousin Leah does play-by-play for ESPN, and his son Brett worked under him as a player development coach.
• Marc-André Fleury: Former goalie for the Penguins, Golden Knights and Chicago Blackhawks, now with the Wild. Known for being very flexible and able to make amazing saves, particularly the save on Alex Ovechkin during Game 7 of the 2009 Eastern Semifinals which was a major turning point in the game that led to the Pens absolutely dominating the Caps. He also had a memorable save in the final seconds of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, literally jumping to the side of the net à la a Secret Service man taking the bullet for the President. Despite that, he had some really bad moments in the 2013 playoffs, and the Pens only won in 2016 and 2017 by putting Matt Murray as the starter. But then Fleury went to the recently created Golden Knights, and had stellar performances that led the team to the Stanley Cup Finals in their first season and four playoff appearances in as many years, capped off by claiming the Vezina Trophy in 2021. Unfortunately, he became slightly notorious in Vegas for coming up short in pivotal playoff games. After the 2020–21 season, with the Golden Knights in salary cap hell, he was traded to the Blackhawks for a minor-league prospect, making him the first reigning Vezina Trophy winner to be traded since Dominik Hašek 20 years earlier, he would get shipped out again not long after, this time to the Minnesota Wild ^note once the Kyle Beach sexual assault scandal broke out and became widespread throughout the League, Fluery quickly demanded a trade out of Chicago to escape the lingering controversy.
  • His 2021 Vezina trophy was a slightly controversial decision, since many didn't consider his performance in its associated season to be his best, let alone the best of the season. Many fans and commentators believe that his win was more of a lifetime achievement award since he had never won the award in any of his previous seasons, and some fans who view his win this way consider it at least a worthy reason to give it to him. Even so, do not bring it up with Lightning fans, who (not without reason) feel Andrei Vasilevskiy was robbed of the trophy.
• Henrik Lundqvist: King Henrik, goalie for the Rangers until the team faltered and he left for Washington... but ended up never playing for the Caps due to a heart condition that required surgery. After sitting out the 2020–21 season, he announced his retirement, with the Rangers in turn announcing that they would retire his #30. Hails from Sweden and led the national team to Olympic Gold at the 2006 Torino Games. Well known amongst fans and throughout the league for being not only be really really good, but being really, really attractive, to the point that few fans and even other players haven't fallen into moments of Stupid Sexy Flanders upon seeing him without a mask, including a Swedish Princess if rumors are true.
• Ilya Bryzgalov: Russian-born goaltender for the Flyers who previously won the Cup with Anaheim in 2007. Became the Breakout Character in the 2011–12 edition of 24/7 which showed the entire hockey world his happy-go-lucky, philosophic self, at least until his play started hitting a slump at which point the world also saw a much more jaded and cynical side. It's not hard to draw comparisons between him and a certain Russian well known on this very wiki.
• Tom Barrasso: American-born goaltender who, despite his good start with the Buffalo Sabres, is much better known for his stint with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Stepped up into the big leagues at the age of 18, as the only person to go from US high school hockey straight to the NHL, and proved to be one of the best marquee goalies of his time thanks to his impressive agility, skating, and stick-handling skills, and became the first American goalie to amass 300 wins. He's currently mentoring Cam Ward as the Carolina Hurricanes' goaltending coach.
• Grant Fuhr: Drafted eighth overall by the Edmonton Oilers in 1981, Fuhr would become one of the best goalies in the 1980s while playing alongside Andy Moog and later Bill Ranford. In the later stages of his career, he fought against injuries and substance abuse problems, but he still managed to obtain 403 victories in his career. He holds the current NHL record for 76 consecutive starts and 79 appearances in 1995–96 with the St. Louis Blues.
• Jean-Sébastien Giguère: The last remaining Hartford Whaler in the league before his retirement, his early career wasn't all that notable, with a few appearances for Hartford and the Calgary Flames. But then he was traded to Anaheim and became a steel wall. Thanks to his efforts, the Mighty Ducks were able to advance to the Finals, defeating the heavily-favored Detroit Red Wings and featuring a 63-save triple-overtime performance (a record for a playoff debut) followed by a five-overtime victory over Dallas a few days later, and then holding the Minnesota Wild to almost 220 minutes without allowing a goal, all of which earned Giguère the Conn Smythe Trophy despite Anaheim's defeat by the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup Finals. Continued his winning ways and eventually did win a Cup with Anaheim in 2007. He stayed with the Ducks for a few years, then was traded to the Maple Leafs for one, before finally ending up in Colorado, eventually retiring with the Avalanche in 2014.
• John Gibson: Gibson's career started with him being made backup to Frederik Andersen of the Anaheim Ducks, before an injury to Andersen allowed him to step in and claim the Number One spot. Then Gibson got injured and Andersen came back in, and then Ilya Bryzgalov was signed, to add to the fun of figuring out who the Ducks' goaltending staff would be. Of the three, Gibson emerged as the Ducks Number One goaltender after the 2015 season, which saw a run by the Ducks to the Western Conference Final, helped along by Andersen and Gibson, though Andersen was traded to Toronto for Jonathan Bernier, leaving Gibson as the starter. Gibson has since become one of many top-notch goalies in the league, making an All-Star appearance in 2016 and being one of the driving forces behind Anaheim's 2017 run to the Western Conference Final, before an injury sidelined him before the Nashville Predators series.
• Andy Moog: Rising up as a goaltender with the Oilers, Moog showed a lot of moxie while splitting time with Grant Fuhr, even managing to win one of the Stanley Cup titles for Edmonton in the 1984 playoffs. He would then be traded to the Boston Bruins for Bill Ranford and cemented his reputation as one of the best of his position. Considered to be The Habs Killer due to being able to beat the Montreal Canadiens most of the times they met in the playoffs.^note Ironically, he signed with Montreal for the 1997–98 season, and that spring he helped them advance to the conference semifinals, their first playoff round won since their 1993 Stanley Cup. He's considered to have the scariest goalie mask in history (though it's since been given a run by the Bruins' now-retired Tuukka Rask).
• Ed Belfour: Known as Eddie the Eagle thanks to his emblematic mask that always sported an eagle in every team he's played with, Belfour is considered one of the best goalies of all time. Drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks, Belfour would come up with one of the best seasons for a rookie in 1990–91 by obtaining 43 victories, 2.47 GAA and four shutouts and took them to the 1992 Stanley Cup Finals, only to be swept by the Mario Lemieux-led Penguins. Tensions between him and backup goalie Jeff Hackett led him to be dealt to the San Jose Sharks and later he landed to the Dallas Stars, where he helped them win the Stanley Cup in 1999 against the Buffalo Sabres. He was also known as Crazy Eddie due to his drunken antics^note In perhaps the most famous such instance, the year after he won the Cup, he was picked up from a Dallas nightclub by a police officer and offered him $100,000 to let him off. When the cop refused, Belfour offered progressively larger bribes, culminating in one billion dollars … and then threw up all over himself. and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011.
• Jonathan Quick: Goalie for Los Angeles, now with Vegas whose last name is as meaningful as it is punny; he became the third American to win the Conn Smythe Trophy when the Kings won the Cup in 2012. A very talented goalie whose only problem is that media-wise, he's overshadowed by other goaltenders such as Lundqvist, Fleury, Kiprusoff, Miller, and others. Being on the West Coast doesn't help, but the 2011–12 season as well as his performance in the playoffs helped highlight his skill. Many people believe he's a huge reason why Los Angeles made the playoffs. Provided several Funny Moments during the media blitz following the Kings' Cup victory both from putting away enough booze to rival the league's most infamous Hard-Drinking Party Girl Patrick Kane, and for the Precision F Strikes he threw out during interviews that went completely uncensored on national television … twice. Would ultimately be traded during the 2023 trade deadline, first to a floundering Columbus Blue Jackets team ^note never playing a single game for them, and then getting traded again to the Vegas Golden Knights, where he would help the club win their first ever Stanley Cup, while snatching up his third cup win overall, but his first as a backup.
• Pekka Rinne: Finnish goalie of the Nashville Predators and one of the best in the business. Very tall (6'5" — 1.96m) and with tremendous reach but still very quick on his feet and agile despite his size. Has been a Vezina Trophy finalist three times, winning it in 2018. His outstanding play — coupled with some excellent blueliners — has allowed the offensively challenged Predators to become a regular guest in the playoffs during the last few years, and was even one of the driving forces behind their 2017 Stanley Cup Finals run. One of the very late draft picks (round 8, pick #258 in 2004) to make it into a bona fide All-Star. Has since become a Memetic Badass around the league thanks to being "too good right now." Also, as of 9 January 2020, the most recent goaltender to score a goal (and only the twelfth goaltender to do so). Retired in 2021 after 15 seasons, and became the first retired number for Nashville.
• Tuukka Rask: Another Finnish elite goaltender and longtime starting netminder of the Boston Bruins. After being drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs he got traded to the Bruins for Andrew Raycroft (which proved to be a bad deal for the Leafs) early and has served mostly as a backup to two-time Vezina winner Tim Thomas for most of his career. The lockout-shortened 2012–13 season saw him emerge as the full-time starter — aided by Thomas taking a sabbatical (who would later retire during said sabbatical) — and by all accounts he did an amazing job. Rask backstopped the Bruins to within two wins of a Stanley Cup win and got a massive contract soon after. Very competitive and prone to hilarious temper tantrums when things didn't go his way. Sadly, he suffered a hip injury that required surgery in the 2021 offseason and eventually forced him to retire in February 2022.
• Corey Crawford: AKA Crow, the most succesful Blackhawks goalie in the postseason. After many years as a backup, became the starting goalie in 2011, and despite a disappointing season in 2012, ended up being crucial in their 2013 Stanley Cup run (and like Quick, ended up swearing on national TV!)). The following years, Crow had a few below-average nights, but has often got incredible playoff performances — including the 2015 title run, leading to another Precision F-Strike. Even if he signed with New Jersey in late 2020, still retired a life-long Blackhawk as injuries made him never hit the ice and eventually decide to retire.
• Ben Bishop: Goalie for the Dallas Stars. Tallest player ever to play the position in the NHL (6'7" — 2.01m), which consequently has earned him the nickname "Big Ben". Bishop spent most of his career since 2008 in either the minor leagues or as backup goalie for the St. Louis Blues and Ottawa Senators before being dealt to Tampa Bay at the 2013 trade deadline. The 2013–14 season saw him emerge as the full-time starter for the first time in his career, and it went well. He led the Lightning to their first postseason appearance in four years and earned himself a Vezina Trophy nod. Ended up in an unfortunate case of Overshadowed by Awesome (or, in Bishop's case, more awesome) towards the end of his career with the Lightning courtesy of up-and-coming goaltender Andrei Vasilevsky (who would later break both Bishop's and Khababulin's records), ultimately resulting in his departure to Los Angeles in 2017, later going to the Stars who lost the 2020 finals to that very Lightning team!
• Sergei Bobrovsky: Current goaltender for the Florida Panthers, after spending most of his career in Columbus. Started as the Flyers' backup goalie before being traded to Columbus prior to the 2013 half-season, after which he promptly Took a Level in Badass; he has since been integral to the Jackets becoming serious contenders after years of being the league Butt-Monkey. Has a notable bromance with teammate Nick Foligno, and fans look forward to their celebratory hugs after each victory. Has the interesting Fan Nickname "#1 Cop on the Force" courtesy of sports presenter Jay Onrait, who thought Bobrovsky's name sounded like a cop from a 70's cop film. As one can see here
• Carey Price: Current number-one goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens. Drafted in 2005, he took the reins of the Montreal net as a rookie in 2008 after Cristobal Huet was traded away. Early on he faced criticism from many in the passionate Montreal fandom, especially during and after the 2009–10 season when Jaroslav Halak gave an amazing performance to lead the Canadiens on a Cinderella run to the Eastern Conference finals, after which Price was given the starter role again, with Halak traded to St. Louis. Since then, however, he has silenced the majority of his critics, with several fantastic seasons, capped off with backstopping Canada to a gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and, in 2014–15, guiding an otherwise rather mediocre Habs team to the second-best record in the NHL while putting up ridiculously good numbers (93.3% of shots saved, 1.96 GAA) and 44 wins, a record number on a team with over 100 years of history. Performed even better in 2021 to help Montreal reach the finals for the first time in decades, though even Price couldn't stop the high-scoring Lightning team that awaited.

Other Notable Figures

Executives

• Frederick Arthur Stanley: Lord Stanley of Preston (1841–1908), the sixth Governor-General of Canada (serving 1888–93). An English aristocrat from a very old family, he had a significant career in British politics before being appointed viceroy. Once in Canada, he quickly came to love the country and became particularly passionate about its favourite sport, ice hockey. Desiring to raise the standard of the Canadian hockey match, he purchased the original trophy that came to bear his name, the Stanley Cup, in 1892, to be awarded to the champion of Canadian hockey. However Stanley never actually saw the Cup awarded, as he returned home to England prior to its first awarding in 1893; after his older brother, the 15th Earl of Derby, had died childless, Lord Stanley became the 16th Earl and had to leave to take his seat in the Lords and manage the family estate. The Stanley Cup was originally a challenge cup among amateur teams, but became a professional championship in the 1910s, and the de facto championship trophy of the NHL after 1926.
• Peter Pocklington: owner of the Edmonton Oilers from 1978 to 1998, he brought Wayne Gretzky to the team; put his father's name on the 1983–84 Stanley Cup (an accident, he claims); traded Gretzky to Los Angeles for two players, three draft picks, and $15 million in 1988; and had to sell the team after falling into bankruptcy. He is not liked in Edmonton.
• Gary Bettman^note BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!: Current NHL Commissioner (in fact, its first Commissioner; previously there were Presidents). Spearheaded the league's push into nontraditional markets (new franchises in Nashville, Atlanta and Las Vegas, as well as movement of teams southward^note Quebec to Colorado, Winnipeg to Phoenix, Hartford to Carolina; the Stars don't belong here because the decision to move to Dallas was made shortly before Bettman took over.). Has generated a lot of detractors from fans accusing him of being anti-Canadian, having blocked several attempts to move financially struggling franchises in Nashville, Pittsburgh, and Arizona; however, he allowed the relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg, satisfying his pie-in-the-sky dream of keeping the Coyotes (the original Winnipeg Jets) in Arizona and fulfilling Winnipeg's desire to return to the NHL with the consequence of repeating history and alienating fans in Atlanta. He is also accused of being generally detrimental to the sport with three labour stoppages, including the cancellation of the entire 2004–05 season, and the subsequent move of games from ESPN to the NBC Sports Network (formerly Outdoor Life and later Versus) due to the latter's much less extensive exposure. Amongst the fandom, particularly Canadians, Bettman is so reviled that some people believe he actually plays up his more hated traits just to get a rise out of the fans and keep people interested. It's gotten to the point where it is considered a league tradition to boo the commissioner at every public appearance he makes, from the entry draft all the way to presenting the Stanley Cup^note To the point where, when the Cup was presented at the end of the COVID-interrupted 2019-2020 season, in an arena with no fans, there was genuine speculation that the NHL would pump in fake "boo"s to keep the tradition alive. Even the year he didn't present the Cup (2022, due to contracting COVID), he got booed when Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly mentioned his name. For his part, this is a tradition Bettman wholeheartedly has embraced and enjoys.
• Lou Lamoriello: Was the Team President and General Manager of the New Jersey Devils, and in his very first year with them, the Devils Took a Level in Badass and were one win away from going to their first Stanley Cup Finals in the 1987–88 season. In the following 18 years, built a franchise with three titles, two other finals, only three missed playoffs before a rut starting in 2013, and plenty of smart drafting — most notably Martin Brodeur, who was passed by almost every team and went on to hold several league records. One of the drafters of the 2005 Collective Bargaining Agreement that brought the NHL back from a cancelled season. He went on to serve three seasons as GM of the Maple Leafs (2015–2018), where he started the Leafs' rise to playoff contenders (though not yet threatening to win the Cup). Lamoriello went straight from there to the New York Islanders, being named the league's GM of the year in 2020 and 2021. He was the first person ever to win that award twice, much less in consecutive years.
• Brendan Shanahan: Already well-known by hockey fans for his time as a player (1,354 points and three Stanley Cups won with Detroit), Shanahan became a rather polarizing figure in 2011 when he replaced Colin Campbell as the league's disciplinarian. As opposed to Campbell, who gained much criticism for punishing some incidents and letting many others slide, Shanahan's agenda seemed to be to hand out suspensions for absolutely everything (which, given that he earned 2,489 penalty minutes as a player, has opened up the Hypocritical Humor gate). Before long, half the fans were complaining that he was even worse than Campbell, and the other half argued that he was exactly what the game needed. Shanahan is also a firm defier of New Media Are Evil as he appeared in online videos explaining every suspension he handed out in detail, so fans weren't scratching their heads wondering about his application of the rules. Left his NHL post at the end of the 2013–14 season to become president (effectively overseeing all hockey operations) of the Maple Leafs.
• Brian Burke: Former GM of the Leafs, Ducks, Canucks and Hartford Whalers (now Carolina Hurricanes), later President of Hockey Operations with the Flames, and currently holds the latter post with the Penguins. He, along with his son Patrick, has become the most outspoken voice for LGBT equality in professional sports. His other son, Brendan, was openly gay, working as a manager for Miami University^note the one in Ohio, not Florida; the latter is the University of Miami and doesn't have a hockey team and had made efforts to end homophobia in the sport before dying in a car crash in 2010. In his honor, Blackhawks defenseman and personal friend Brent Sopel carried The Stanley Cup in Chicago's pride parade that year. In 2012, the Burkes founded the You Can Play campaign, which seeks to emphasize to young athletes that sexuality has no bearing on their ability to excel at the sport, and that if you can play … you can play. So far support for the campaign has been overwhelming with dozens of big name players contributing videos.
• Harold 'Pal Hal' Ballard: The GM and owner of the Maple Leafs beginning in the 1971–72 season until his death in 1990. Was a penny-pincher who was stridently anti-union (which irked Leafs fan favorites Darryl Sittler and Hap Day), refused to hire any Europeans, and was notoriously rude, selfish, and insulting. He made misogynistic comments in an interview with beloved CBC host Barbara Frum on As It Happened and destroyed Foster Hewitt's broadcasting booth at Maple Leaf Gardens, where he coined phrases forever associated with the hockey vernacular such as "He shoots! He scores!" and "slapshot", when the Hockey Hall of Fame wanted to preserve it. He also got into a battle with new league president John Ziegler in 1978, when the league added a rule requiring player names on the backs of jerseys; when Ziegler threatened heavy fines for the Leafs' noncompliance, Ballard had blue letters added to the blue jerseys for a couple of games, before being allowed to have the Leafs finish the season with no names on their backs, so long as they complied for the next season (they did). It's heavily theorized that his destructive antics may have placed a Curse on the Maple Leafs to never advance let alone win a Stanley Cup again.
• John A. Ziegler Jr.: President of the league from 1977–92. In a spectacular backfire on Ballard's part, Ziegler, a Red Wings executive, was his pick to succeed Clarence Campbell. The perceived favorite for the job, Flyers owner Ed Snider, favored merger talks with the WHA, and Ballard believed that he could get Ziegler to keep the WHA out. Ziegler almost immediately opened up merger negotiations, and went after Ballard to boot (see above). Ziegler also fought to keep the North Stars in Minnesota, opting to give the team owners an expansion franchise in San Jose instead of relocating the team (and thus beginning the modern expansion era). He was ousted following the 1992 players' strike, leading to the owners eliminating the position of president and creating the office of the commissioner.
• Bill, Rocky, and Danny Wirtz: Father, son, and grandson, all owners of the Blackhawks. The former was usually blamed for the team's 47-year Cup drought, being considered a cheapskate (hence the nickname "Dollar Bill"), engineering the 1994 lockout and doing unpopular acts such as blacking out local TV broadcasts. But once Bill passed away in 2007, his son took over and soon revived the team, bringing a new fanbase and three Stanley Cups before his own passing in 2023.^note Though his reputation and the 3 Stanley Cups would take a significant hit once the Kyle Beach sexual assault scandal broke out, leading many NHL, Hawks' fans and pundits to paint Rocky in a similar negative light to his deceased father. The team would pass to Rocky's son Danny; his NHL legacy obviously remains to be seen.
• Jeremy Jacobs: Owner of the Boston Bruins since 1975. While fans complimented his rebuild of the team in the late 2000s, including the first Cup in 39 years, he had previously earned hatred for the team's decay, and subsequently for his participation on the 2012 lockout.

Managers

• Scotty Bowman: winningest coach in the league's history (1244 regular season wins, 223 playoff wins). Won nine Stanley Cups as a coach with three different teams (Canadiens, Penguins, and Red Wings), and coached the St. Louis Blues to three consecutive Cup appearances from 1968–70. Currently the Senior Advisor of Hockey Operations for the Blackhawks. Was recently awarded the Order of Canada (basically, he's a Canadian knight).
• Al Arbour: hockey's third winningest coach (782 regular season wins, 123 playoff wins). Holds the record for most wins with one team (740). Best known as coach of the dynasty New York Islanders, but he also won Stanley Cups as a player with the Red Wings, Blackhawks, and Maple Leafs, and was captain of Scotty Bowman's St. Louis Blues.
• The Sutter Family: Six brothers from Viking, Alberta that have played in the NHL for a combined total of over 5,000 games — Darryl, Duane, Brian, Brent, and twins Ron and Rich. These six men have all said their older brother, Gary, was better at hockey than any of them... he just chose to stay at home and help operate the family farm. Several have gone on to coach in the league as well (with Darryl leading both of the Kings titles). The second generation of Sutters are breaking into the NHL as well, with Brandon (son of Brent), Brody (son of Duane) and Brett (son of Darryl) having played at the top level, and several more possibly on the way in coming years.
• Roger Neilson: Coach of the Maple Leafs, Sabres, Canucks, Kings, Rangers, Panthers (their first coach ever), Flyers, and Senators (for just two games). Sadly passed away from cancer in 2003. Infamous for his bending of the rules, such as putting a defenseman in goal for a penalty shot, who could legally leave the goal and check the other guy, and having goalies block the net with their stick when they were pulled. While in Toronto, he was fired and rehired by the team owner on a whim late in the 1978–79. While in Vancouver, he innovated the Towel Power tradition (fans waving towels) when he stuck a white towel on the end of a player's stick and waved it as a mock surrender flag as a symbol of his disgust with the officiating in the game during the 1982 playoffs.
• Joel Quenneville: Most recently head coach of the Florida Panthers, who earned his name coaching the Chicago Blackhawks; passing Al Arbour to become the second-winningest coach in NHL history in 2016. He previously had stints with the Avalanche and Blues but has led the Hawks to three Stanley Cups in six years. His mustache is legendary among fans and lent credence to the theory that you cannot win a championship in Chicago if you are clean-shaven.◊^note Clockwise, from the top left, that's Quenneville; Ozzie Guillén, who managed the Chicago White Sox to a World Series championship (their first in 88 years) in 2005; Mike Ditka, who coached the Chicago Bears to a near-undefeated season and a Super Bowl in the 1985–86 season; and Phil Jackson, who coached the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships in the 1990s.^note Though not pictured, Joe Maddon, who managed the Cubs to their first title in more than a century in 2016, also fits this theory. He had long been clean-shaven, but grew a mustache and goatee in time for the World Series run. However, after a downward spiral from the Blackhawks making plenty of poor offseason decisions, Quenneville was fired in a move widely regarded as a face-saving measure by 'Hawks front office staff, and the Panthers were quick to snatch him up. However, scandal broke in the early 2020s regarding a sexual assault of former Blackhawks team member Kyle Beach that occurred in 2010, in which it was revealed that Quenneville and members of the team downplayed Beach's reports of the incident and focused instead on winning the Stanley Cup that year. Quenneville soon resigned from the Panthers, and his future in the league is uncertain, with commissioner Gary Bettman publicly saying that Quenneville will have to meet with him before being allowed back in the league.
• John Tortorella: Current coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, having been hired after the 2021–22 season. He got his start as the coach who first helped bring Tampa Bay to their first Stanley Cup win ever. Tortorella, or "Torts" as he is known, has become both famous and infamous for his fiery personality, and especially blunt and entertaining press conferences that are often quite profane. He's well-known for either having the entire team he's coaching love him for his eccentricities and hard-competing ways, but also for alienating veteran players, including popular and... well... GOOD players at that, which made him infamous in his brief season in Vancouver, for his outbursts and continued struggles. His contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets was not renewed after the 2020–21 season, and he was soon signed by ESPN, serving as a studio analyst for a season before returning to coaching.
• Mike Babcock: Largely viewed as the best head coach in the league since Scotty Bowman's retirement, Babcock has lead teams to the Stanley Cup Finals 3 times, in 2003 with the then Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and then in back-to-back years in 2008 and 2009 with Bowman's Detroit Red Wings, winning it all in 2008. He has also had international success, winning gold medals at all 3 major levels, World Juniors, World Championships and Olympics, the latter two of which, along with his Stanley Cup, makes him the only head coach in the famed Triple Gold Club. Left the Wings after the 2014-15 season willingly, an almost unheard of case where a major league coach left a team without being fired or retiring, to join his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. In 25 years as a head coach, including 8 years in the Western Hockey League and 2 years in the American Hockey League, his teams have missed the playoffs a total of 4 times ^note This is including the 2015-16 season, his first with the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team that had missed the playoffs for 8 of the prior 9 seasons before Babcock joined. However, as time went on, the Leafs began experiencing issues, inevitably ending in his firing, were plenty of dirty laundry about his style, such as psychological manipulations and his seeming inability to not piss off veteran players, were revealed.

Media Personalities/Commentators

• Foster Hewitt: Former radio and television broadcaster of the Toronto Maple Leafs, including broadcasts of the nationwide Hockey Night In Canada series. Called his first games in 1923 and only retired in 1968, coming out of retirement to broadcast the 1972 Summit Series. Known for his introduction to game broadcasts, "Hello Canada, and hockey fans in the United States and Newfoundland." (before Newfoundland joined the Dominion of Canada) and his goal call, "He shoots, he scores!"
• Don Cherry: Former coach of the Boston Bruins during the '70s and early '80s who went on to become the longtime host of Hockey Night In Canada's Coach's Corner segment until being fired in November 2019 after making on-air remarks that questioned the patriotism of recent immigrants to Canada. Best known for his flamboyant dress style and propensity to say controversial things which at times lands him in hot water. ^note Before his 2019 firing, the most notable was a five-minute-long debate with co-host Ron MacLean about the impending War in Iraq in 2003. Note that the entire argument had nothing to do with hockey at all.^note He was fired after the following comment: "You people ... that come here, whatever it is, you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey. At least you could pay a couple of bucks for poppies or something like that. These guys paid for your way of life that you enjoy in Canada." This was during the lead-up to Remembrance Day, observed on November 11 to honour Canada's war dead. Traditionally, poppies are worn on that day. Coach's Corner has also been subject to a seven-second delay in the past due to Cherry's controversial nature. Cherry himself played only one game in the NHL (a playoff game with the Bruins in 1955), but had played on three AHL teams, the Hershey Bears (the oldest pro hockey team currently in existence outside the NHL Original Six, and yes, it's owned by the chocolate company), the Rochester Americans (also known as the Amerks), and the Springfield Indians. Earned the nickname "Hot Lips Don" in a 1993 playoff game when he kissed Doug Gilmour, then of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Incidentally, they were both born in Kingston, Ontario.
• Howie Meeker: A former player and TV commentator who became more famous as a children's educator in the sport with TV shows and books devoted to teaching the game. He also was a strong advocate for better-quality kids' safety equipment in the sport.
• Jack Edwards: Play-by-play announcer for the Bruins on NESN, known for his enthusiastic commentary. A former SportsCenter anchor, he also participated in ESPN's NHL coverage in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
• Mike 'Doc' Emrick: Widely regarded as the best play-by-play commentator in the sport, and, to some, in all of sports. Has a unique vocabulary, and knows just about everything there is to know about hockey. Was born and raised in Indiana, a state known for its basketball rather than its hockey, and is a noted fan of baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates. Nickname comes from the doctorate he earned at Bowling Green State University. Won the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Sports Personality, Play-by-Play for his work at NBC Sports an astounding nine times, first in 2011 (for work in 2010), then for EIGHT CONSECUTIVE YEARS from 2013 to 2020. Emrick also became the first hockey announcer to win the National Sports Media Association's^note formerly the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association National Sportscaster of the Year Award, doing so for his work in 2013. He would win the award the following two years, then a fourth and final time in 2020, and be inducted into the association's hall of fame in 2019. He was the Hockey Hall of Fame's 2008 recipient of the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award, which is given to broadcasters who have had exceptional careers in ice hockey. Emrick retired at the end of the 2019–20 season. He currently narrates features on various sports for NBC.
• Jim Hughson: As Doc Emrick is to the sport in the United States, so too is Jim Hughson to Canada. Where to begin? Jim is known as the voice of hockey to many in the Great White North, being the lead play-by-play announcer for NHL on SportsNet and of course Hockey Night In Canada. If you played a NHL Hockey game between 1997 and 2009, he was most likely the guy you heard, alongside other commentators in later years. Coined the phrase "That's hockey!" during his time at TSN, which became the title of a show for daily discussion of the NHL that still runs to this day. Been calling hockey for 42 years, announced his retirement shortly before the 2021/22 season.
• Gary Thorne and Bill Clement: Currently not involved with NHL commentary, Thorne and Clement were a play-by-play/color commentary duo that were the front men for NHL on ESPN up until its discontinuation in 2004, and then appeared as commentators in the NHL Hockey series from 2007-2014 as well. Their impact cannot be overstated. For starters, some of hockey's most famous calls were made by the duo, including but not limited to "OFF THE FLOOR! ON THE BOARD! PAUL KARIYA!", "And after 22 years, RAYMOND BOURQUE!" and (look away Blues fans) "Yzerman blue line chance SCOOOOOOOORE!" With ESPN set to cover the NHL once more, calls for a reunion of Thorne and Clement have grown loud over the last several months.
• Steve Dangle: Real name Steve Glynn, Steve is a media personality who works for Sportsnet who gained a large online presence over the course of the New '10s. Initially, he started off as a YouTube creator making content about the game in 2009, before creating a series called "Leafs Fan Reaction", which quickly became his signature series for several years, in which he would usually report on news and games that the Leafs are involved in. However, after being picked up by Sportsnet, he started the series "Steve's Dang-Its" and "Steve's Hat-Picks", as well as exploring trade trees in recent history and such, all of which have garnered him a large following when it comes to hockey media. However, thanks in a large part due to his particularly hammy reactions, he has become a Fountain of Memes around the hockey community, giving us such gems as "That's a Dang-It", "If you're a goaltender, TEND THE GOAL!" and, most famously, "WE LOST TO A ZAMBONI DRIVER!" Oftentimes, whenever the Toronto Maple Leafs find a way to drop the ball, his channel and reaction will usually be one of the most highly-watched videos in the immediate aftermath. Unfortunately, Steve left Sportsnet before the start of the 2023/24 season, meaning he no longer will create videos referencing hat picks or dang its.
• The Bar-Down Podcast: A collection of reporters and journalists working for TSN who are known to put their hockey-related quizzes online, in addition to their reporting and other postings about the world of hockey. Started to gain popularity in mid-2017. They do report on other sports, as they are sports journalists, but their main area of expertise is hockey. Also a Fountain of Memes to the NHL community, though not nearly as many as Steve. The cast love to pick on each other, which only adds to the fun, and Jesse particularly is known for being a Large Ham during quizzes, often being given a spotlight to shout "LET'S GO!" at the top of his lungs.
• Leah Hextall, cousin of the aforementioned Ron Hextall, is the first woman ever to serve as a play-by-play announcer for an NHL national telecast, doing so in March 2020 as part of Sportsnet's first all-female broadcast team. She started out as a general sports reporter for CTV in Winnipeg, moving from there to the New England Sports Network and then to Sportsnet as the studio host for Calgary Flames regional broadcasts. After being let go by Sportsnet in a 2016 downsizing, she started calling play-by-play in the now-defunct Canadian Women's Hockey League, as well as junior leagues and the NCAA Division I men's tournament (becoming the first woman ever to do play-by-play in the last of these). Hextall was hired as one of ESPN's play-by-play announcers for the 2021–22 season.
• Daryl Reaugh: A former NHL goalie in his playing days, didn't really do anything notable other than spending a year on the same team as Wayne Gretzky, got sent over to Hartford, played a year, then finished out his career in the ECHL in 1993. And then his real career started. Reaugh, known by the nickname "Razor", became a commentator in the NHL in 1996, calling games for the Whalers before eventually being picked up by the Dallas Stars to work alongside Ralph Strangis as the Stars' local broadcasting crew. Reaugh is known for his extremely creative and varied vocabulary that he uses to describe things going on on the ice, and is known for describing any kind of spectacular save as "larceny".
• Danny Gallivan: Long-time Hockey Night In Canada play-by-play announcer. He was known for his vivid descriptions of the play, and uttering "Gallivanisms" such as "scintilating", "enormous save", "cannonading drive", and "Savardian spin-a-rama". ^note  A reference to a signature move by defenseman Serge Savard. Denis Savard also did Savardian spin-a-ramas, but Serge did them first.

Other

• The Staal Brothers: Four brothers from Thunder Bay, Ontario. Three of them were signed with the Carolina Hurricanes at one point (Eric, Jordan, and Jared), and in 2016, the family business remained as Eric went to join Marc with the Rangers.
  • Eric, the oldest brother, was a part of the Carolina Hurricanes for a decade, helping their 2006 Stanley Cup win and becoming team captain. His tenure ended when he was traded to Marc's Rangers in 2016, followed by stints with the Wild, Sabres, and Canadiens (reaching the Finals in 2021 with the latter). Sitting out the 2021-22 season, he later joined the Florida Panthers after a professional tryout, reuniting with brother Marc and ultimately making another Finals appearance in 2023.
  • Marc, the second oldest and only defenceman of the four, has spent over a decade with the New York Rangers, including an appearance in the 2014 Finals. He was eventually traded to the Red Wings in 2020 before signing with the Panthers two years later, joining Eric in the 2023 Finals.
  • Jordan was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins and won the Stanley Cup with them in 2009, becoming a fan favorite even compared to superstar teammates Crosby and Malkin, before being traded to Carolina in the 2012 offseason. Interestingly, he started playing in the NHL a year before his older brother Marc.
  • Jared is the youngest brother. He was originally drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes but was traded to Carolina in 2010. Has not yet become an NHL regular, so he has not yet been able to play in a game with Eric. Currently stuck in the minor leagues.
• Gritty: Not a coach, a player, or even an executive, but a mascot. Inarguably the most famous mascot in the league, Gritty debuted to be the mascot of the Flyers in 2018 to almost instant fame due to just how bizarre he was; a giant orange furred muppet thing with a manic smile and googly eyes, and quickly became known for his similarly bizarre social media presence, his stunts at NHL events^note Like "streaking" at the NHL Winter Classic and getting tackled for it., and most fittingly, an actual criminal investigation over possibly punching a child... then getting out of it.
• Youppi!: Another mascot who was arguably the league's most famous until Gritty came along. Like Gritty, Youppi!^*French for "yippee!" Yes, the exclamation mark is part of his name. Seriously. is a giant orange-furred muppet thing, although his fur is noticeably lighter-shaded, and he has a more rounded face with a distinct neck. He's been a fixture in the Montreal sports scene since 1979, though he started out as the mascot of the Montreal Expos. During his tenure with the Expos, he was hugely popular, especially with kids, and also became the first mascot ever thrown out of a Major League Baseball game. After the Expos left for Washington at the end of the 2004 season, Youppi!'s future hung in the balance, with multiple groups vying for rights to the creature. Finally, the Canadiens announced shortly before the 2005–06 season that they had bought the rights and would make Youppi! their official mascot. He's since made the Mascot Hall of Fame (yes, there is such an institution!), becoming the first mascot of a Canadian team so honoured.
• Taro Tsujimoto: A Japanese forward who could have been the first Asian-born player in the NHL... if he had existed. In 1974, during the conflict between the NHL and WHA, NHL president Clarence Campbell decided to hold that year's draft in secret via phone calls instead of in person. Since this was in the age before routine conference calling, Campbell had to call every team individually to tell them which players had already been selected. This made the process unbearably long (three days in all). Sabres GM Punch Imlach was frustrated, so he asked the team's communications director Paul Wieland to create a fictitious player with a plausible backstory. Wieland wanted the player to be of Japanese origin, and gave him the last name of one Joshua Tsujimoto (with permission), who owned a grocery store Wieland frequently drove by during his college years. The first name was suggested by Joshua. The official backstory was that Taro was a solid scorer for the Tokyo Katanas, a fictional team in the real-life Japan Ice Hockey League. Imlach then selected Taro in the 11th round of the draft, and no one caught on to the joke until the start of training camp, when he acknowledged the fake draft pick. Campbell was not amused, and the selection is now listed in official NHL records as an "invalid pick". Nonetheless, Tsujimoto is an in-joke among Sabres fans, with many wearing Tsujimoto jerseys to this day, and chanting "We want Taro!" when games become one-sided.^note Incidentally, two players who were selected after Tsujimoto in 1974, Dave Lumley and Stefan Persson, went on to play on multiple Stanley Cup-winning teams in the 1980s.