As part of this weekend’s all-star game festivities, the NHL has announced their list of the top 100 players in league history.
In conjunction with the celebration of the National Hockey League’s 100th anniversary, the league announced their list of the top 100 players in NHL history at an event in Los Angeles, part of all-star game festivities taking place this weekend.
Held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles and hosted by actor Jon Hamm with musical entertainment provided by John Legend, the event was similar to a Hollywood award ceremony.
Any fan who has been following the game for a length of time can probably name several of the names on the list from the top of their head with no problem. Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux, Patrick Roy and of course, Wayne Gretzky . But as is always the case when somebody puts out a subjective list, there will be disagreement with some of the selections, or at least some of the rankings. That’s why they do it and it’s fun to debate the validity of some of those on the list or those who weren’t selected. Of course, the real thrill when it comes to this kind of thing is seeing so many legends together in one place.
Bob Clarke, Phil Esposito, Pat LaFontaine backstage admire Dave Keon, John Bucyk, Frank Mahovlich, Red Kelly #NHL100 pic.twitter.com/r5tkT9TVyr
— Dave Stubbs (@Dave_Stubbs) January 28, 2017
No, these guys won't amount to anything... #NHL100 pic.twitter.com/zs8Xh9AXjQ
— Dave Stubbs (@Dave_Stubbs) January 28, 2017
In the case of this list, the players weren’t ranked from one to one hundred, but were sorted into segments representing different eras. The first 33 players representing the time between 1917 and 1966 were unveiled during the Centennial Classic, played in Toronto on January 1st. The list in its entirety is posted below.
As you might expect, the Tampa Bay Lightning, having been around for a mere 24 years (23 seasons) of those 100 do not have a heavy presence within the top 100 players. In fact, nobody whoever actually skated for the Lightning is among the luminaries.
However, the Esposito brothers, Phil and Tony, who founded the Lightning are both there. As is Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman, along with former assistant coach Adam Oates.
Here’s the full list:
The first 33, who played played predominantly during the NHL's first half century, from 1917-1966
Sid Abel
Syl Apps
Andy Bathgate
Jean Beliveau
Max Bentley
Toe Blake
Johnny Bower
Turk Broda
Johnny Bucyk
King Clancy
Charlie Conacher
Alex Delvecchio
Bill Durnan
Bernie Geoffrion
Glenn Hall
Doug Harvey
Tim Horton
Gordie Howe
Red Kelly
Ted Kennedy
Dave Keon
Elmer Lach
Ted Lindsay
Frank Mahovlich
Dickie Moore
Howie Morenz
Jacques Plante
Henri Richard
Maurice Richard
Terry Sawchuk
Milt Schmidt
Eddie Shore
Georges Vezina
The 1970’s
Bobby Clarke
Marcel Dionne
Phil Esposito
Jacques Lemaire
Stan Mikita
Gilbert Perreault
Jean Ratelle
Darryl Sittler
Yvan Cournoyer
Bob Gainey
Bobby Hull
Guy Lafleur
Ken Dryden
Tony Esposito
Bernie Parent
Bobby Orr
Brad Park
Larry Robinson
Serge Savard
The 1980’s
Grant Fuhr
Billy Smith
Ray Bourque
Paul Coffey
Al MacInnis
Denis Potvin
Borje Salming
Wayne Gretzky
Pat LaFontaine
Mark Messier
Denis Savard
Peter Stastny
Bryan Trottier
Mike Bossy
Mike Gartner
Jari Kurri
The 1990’s
Sergei Fedorov
Peter Forsberg
Ron Francis
Mario Lemieux
Eric Lindros
Mike Modano
Joe Nieuwendyk
Adam Oates
Joe Sakic
Mats Sundin
Steve Yzerman
Pavel Bure
Brett Hull
Luc Robitaille
Brendan Shanahan
Dominik Hasek
Patrick Roy
The 2000’s
Martin Brodeur
Pavel Datsyuk
Nicklas Lidstrom
Chris Pronger
Teemu Selanne
The 2010’s
Sidney Crosby
Patrick Kane
Duncan Keith
Alex Ovechkin
Jonathan Toews
Jaromir Jagr